Raheem Morris: Near Firing Puts Buccaneers Coach in Impossible Position

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris would have been fired on Monday if the team were better staffed, based on a report passed along by Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times. It's a situation that puts Morris in a position where it's impossible to succeed with three weeks left to play.

Seven straight losses, including a 41-14 debacle against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, have landed Morris on the hot seat. The Buccaneers currently sit 4-9, which partly has to do with a tough schedule, but if they want to contend for the playoffs, beating good teams is essential.

Tampa Bay was one of the league's most surprising teams last season under Morris. Even though they didn't make the playoffs, the Bucs finished 10-6 and looked like a young team on the rise heading into the 2011 season.

Instead, they've trended in the wrong direction, and their 35-year-old coach's job appears to be in peril.

While it wouldn't have been a major surprise if Tampa Bay let Morris go, there needed to be a more clear discussion of their options. You can't leave a head coach whose main task is motivating players out on such a limb.

At this point in the season, the Buccaneers are simply playing for pride. It's hard to bring the same intensity to the table when it looks like a major overhaul is on the horizon, and the coach players are trying to impress probably won't be making any personnel decisions for next season.

When Tampa Bay's brass were considering a move, the decision should have come down to swift action or delaying final judgment until season's end. Playing the middle road helps nobody.

It doesn't help the team's reputation among potential candidates, it doesn't help the players and it certainly doesn't help Morris who will have to go through the motions for another month despite his fate reportedly being decided.

What happens if the Buccaneers have a minor resurgence—perhaps playing the spoiler role against either the Dallas Cowboys or Atlanta Falcons? This report makes it mighty difficult to change course should a glimmer of hope emerge.

All told, it will be interesting to see how the Bucs play on Saturday night. They might rise up and have their best performance of the season in support of their coach or continue to fall flat, further cementing his one-foot-out-the-door status.

One thing's for sure: If the report is true, Tampa Bay has handled the situation poorly.