Why Raheem Morris' Jeff Jagodzinski Mea Culpa Is a Bad Sign for the Buccaneers

When I first listened to Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris' press conference regarding the shocking dismissal of offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, I had assumed it must have been due to a power struggle in the organization.

I figured Jagodzinski believed he was better qualified to be the head coach and didn't respect Morris. I assumed Jags was not taking Morris' input or direction, ignoring him and disrespecting him in some sort of Mike Martz-styled insubordination.

However, what's come out since the announcement of the firing is much, much worse.

Apparently online and offline reporters have been hearing whispers about Jagodzinski since April. Since the news broke, the media firestorm has revealed that many of the other coaches on the staff believed that Jagodzinski had no idea how to run an NFL offense.

In fact, the hiring of running backs coach Steve Logan was a crutch for Jags. He had never called plays in Green Bay or at Boston College—or any other coaching stop.

Rick Stroud, beat writer for the St. Petersburg Times, told a local radio station that players who had played for Jagodzinski in college openly questioned his ability to run an offense.

Morris mentioned "attention to detail" as one of the reasons for Jags' dismissal. Perhaps it may eventually lead to Morris'.

Let's face it, folks: Even the most Pollyanna, Kool-Aid-drinking fan can't put a positive spin on this development. It's an obvious rookie mistake by a young head coach feeling his way through his first NFL season, and it has made the organization look very bad.

These things don't happen to the Patriots. They don't happen to the Steelers or New York Giants. They happen to the Chiefs. They happen to the Raiders. And now...they happen to the Buccaneers.

The 33-year-old Morris (happy birthday, Raheem) and his 37-year-old general manager, Mark Dominik, took their time in deciding on an offensive coordinator. They poured through candidates that included their new coordinator and former quarterback coach, Greg Olsen.

Painstakingly, they finally settled on Jagodzinski, who was recently canned by Boston College in a political maneuver by the school's athletic director. According to reports, no one was sad to see Jags go.

Jags seemed to have the resume; he had been a coordinator in Green Bay and had done wonders with Atlanta's offensive line. He turned around Boston College as head coach, returning them to prominence and helping develop Matt Ryan into an NFL-ready quarterback.

Jags apparently talked a good game, because he wowed both young administrators and was quickly hired.

Jagodzinski's came in and installed the zone-blocking scheme. He also implemented his paper-thin offensive playbook, night and day different from the previous playcaller Jon Gruden.

Jagodzinski took a back seat as his position coaches ran the team through drills. They also installed the plays, checks, and audibles.

The coup de grâce may have come when, according to ESPN, Jags didn't even make the play calls—he allowed Steve Logan to call the games during the preseason games.

Raheem said during the televised press conference that "Jags is probably a better head coach or position coach than a coordinator."

When Miami began to blitz the Buccaneers unmercifully during the third preseason game, Jagodzinski had no answer, and it showed, as both quarterbacks—Luke McCown and Josh Freeman—took the brunt. It seemed to painfully expose what many of the offensive assistants and Morris were beginning to realize. Jagodzinski had no business being in charge of an NFL offense.

What's sad is that a bit more of a background check would have prevented this. Former players and coaches whispering to reporters could have provided the same intel to Dominik and Morris. Were they asked? We may never know, but it doesn't seem likely.

Instead, Morris made a huge mistake and has made the organization look ridiculous to fans and media across the league. As one wag quipped, "It's amateur hour at One Buc Palace."

The Buccaneers ownership, the Glazers family, knew there could be days like today. The attitude in hiring Raheem Morris was "Let's hire him (Morris) a year early rather than lose him a year late."

Morris' short tenure has shown a purging of aging veterans, an inactive free agency season, the controversial selection of a new franchise quarterback, an indecisive delay in selecting a starting quarterback, and now the firing of his offensive coordinator nine days before the regular season starts.

It's been a rough "year early" for Morris, and he hasn't even coached a regular season game yet.