Raheem Morris: Buccaneers Coach Proves He Has Lost Team after Press Conference

When a coach loses a locker room, like the way that Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris has, it means that it’s time to find a new head coach.  

But it’s not just my opinion that Morris has lost this Buccaneers locker room this year. He said it himself during his post-game press conference after his team lost their last six games.  

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"You know, they're not listening,'' Morris said. "They've got to listen and we've got to do a better job of coaching. That's all.''

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He didn’t say it verbatim, however when he said that the players are not listening to Morris, that has to be alarming to Buccaneers fans and ownership. How is it possible that a coach in one year can go from on the cusp of making the playoffs to last place in the NFC South Division? 

This current six-game losing streak may be extended to 10 games when the Buccaneers lose their last four. Coming into the game, the Buccaneers were among the most-penalized teams in the NFL. Yesterday, they had nine penalties for 73 yards. 

The one penalty that everyone is talking about, and that may cost Morris his job, was when defensive tackle Brian Price was flagged for a personal foul after a sack on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. The penalty caused Morris to personally eject Price from the game, which led Morris to blow a gasket in the post-game press conference. 

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"Yes, I sent him to the locker room,'' Morris said. "I told him go home. F---. Yeah. Because it's foolish, it's selfish to your teammates, to everybody in your organization, to your fans. That's terrible. That's just selfish behavior to get a 15-yard penalty, in that situation, when that's all we talk about, when that's all we discuss. You just can't do that to your team.”

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This Buccaneers team is in a free fall after starting 4-2. They have lost six straight games being outscored 184 to 105. With the state that this team is in now it looks like they will lose their final four games, ending the season on a 10-game losing streak. 

Morris is a young coach, and he's trying to teach his young team the right way to play football. Even after having a great year in 2010, it will not be enough to save his job. 

In the “win-now” mentality that owners and fanbases have, it’s hard to believe that Morris will survive this losing streak. He will not and will be replaced at the end of this year. 

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