Why Raheem Morris Is on Hot Seat, but Should Not Be Fired as a Lame Duck Coach

Maybe the worst thing Raheem Morris did last season was win 10 games.

If that is the worst thing an NFL head coach can do, then he should be punished immediately.

Although I am poking fun at Morris' success last season with the overachieving Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it stands to reason there are some angry people in west Florida that are wondering just what is going on with the team and the head coach.

And because the 35-year-old coach did what wasn't expected in such a short amount of time, he is now on a hot seat and may have drawn whispers about his job security.

Let's not get too crazy too fast people. Let's just ease up a bit.

Yes, there are issues with the Buccaneers, just like there are issues with other teams with good, young talent. Morris is young and still learning, much like other young head coaches before him like Jon Gruden, to some extent, Bill Cowher and John Harbaugh. He is in the right program to make a difference.

But the coaching of Cowher, Harbaugh and Gruden were done in different scenarios, with better talent and better situations.

Tampa Bay has the pieces in place like Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Mike Williams, Brian Price and Adrian Clayborn. The coach is finding the right balance to make all those pieces fit.

Is he on the hot seat? Yes. Is he losing control of the team? That is debatable.

According to a story by Dan Parr of ProFootballWeekly, there is some question as to whether Morris will be back next season.

The growing sentiment is that because the Bucs are in the middle of a six-game losing streak, maybe Morris is losing the reign to the wagon. He sent one of his own players, Brian Price, home after he was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The play, which would have put Carolina in a 3rd-and-long, gave Carolina more momentum on their scoring drive.

It is reported in the story that the decision to send Price home was a decision that could have cost Morris support from his players.

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"Indications are that the group isn't turning away from the embattled head coach. The concern for Morris is that while he has been emphasizing the need to cut down on penalties, the message doesn't seem to be getting through and he had to resort to sending one of the team's core players on defense home from a game."

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An upcoming game on the road against the Jaguars—an in-state rival who just went through a coaching change—could help Morris and his team end their losing ways. If not, the seat gets hotter and Morris becomes the subject of more dismissal rumors.

Letting him go now means the team and organization have given up on something Morris has tried to build on. Personally, I think the situation in Tampa Bay is not as bad as, say, Jacksonville, Indianapolis or even St. Louis. There are more issues with more positions on those teams. Injuries hurt everyone and poor management on the field does the same thing.

Given those issues at stake, Morris needs another season to determine if in fact he is a lame duck or he has the motivating tools to bring this team back to where it was a year ago.

If he can make magic happen like last season, then all is well. If not, then management and ownership should go a different direction after 2012, not before it.