Buccaneers Will Now Turn To Josh Freeman

You knew it was coming, sure you knew, you had to know, everyone knew. Everyone knew that sooner, rather than later, we would see No. 1 pick Josh Freeman take over the helm as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Forget that preseason bunk from general manager Mark Dominik that "the plan" was NOT to play Freeman this season. "The Plan" for this franchise changes on a weekly basis. That is what happens when a team is winless at 0-7 and looks bad in the process, week after week after week. The new starting quarterback for the Buccaneers is rookie Josh Freeman, tabbed the starter after Wednesday's practice in Tampa. The Tampa faithful got a quick glimpse of Freeman late in the game against the Patriots last Sunday in London. That latest fiasco saw New England beat the diapers off young Raheem Morris and his unseasoned lads. There is no truth to the rumors that the United Kingdom has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with the United States as a result of the senseless invasion of Wembley Stadium by the equally senseless Buccaneers. Recovering from their international foray, Morris named Freeman his starter against Green Bay after the team's practice. "It's time for him (Freeman) to come in there and join his team and lead us," Morris proclaimed. "He's going out there and it's going to help him." The sad truth in the matter is that unless the Buccaneers can find a way to run the football, unless they can find a way to not fall behind early in their games, it won't matter who starts at quarterback. But now the Freeman era begins. Morris and Dominik have staked the franchise future and their own as well on the arm and ability of Freeman. That's a lot of faith.

Buccaneers Hope To Avoid A UK Massacre

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a tough enough time going from their palatial headquarters building to the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium just across the street. This opponent-friendly team is 0-6 with no comfort in sight for Buccaneer fans. Now this down-on-their-luck Pirates have to jump on a plane Friday, negotiate the Atlantic Ocean and find their way to storied Wembley Stadium in London. Yes, London as in England, you know, the UK. The NFL is all its wisdom is giving its European fans at look at these Buccaneers and the mighty New England Patriots. This is supposed to be a home game for the Bucs, but the fact is that there are more Patriot fans in London than Buccaneer faithful. Any Buc fans heading for Wembley might want to take up with lads in the black masks picture here so that their friends won't recognize and laugh at them. It's gotten that bad for the Bucs. The 2009 season is beyond the "rebuilding" tag. It has gone to the "We need to demolish the whole damn thing and start from scratch" tag. The season is already a lost cause for Tampa Bay, the only question that remains for coach Raheem Morris is when we savior-in-waiting Josh Freeman, the No. 1 draft pick, take his turn at the helm of the offense. Morris cringes when asked. "This is Josh Johnson's team," he spouts. Johnson, the team's current starter, will be thrown to the wolves once again on Sunday. But these wolves are even more bloodthirsty than that Carolina pack last week. The Patriots are fresh off a 59-0 butt-thrashing of the Tennessee Titans. And that does not bode well for Tampa Bay. So what's in store for the Buccaneers on Sunday? They might want to take the age-old British advice: Keep a stiff upper lip!

Raheem Morris = Dick Tracy

You gotta hand it to Raheem Morris, head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's got his eye on the problem, he's got it figured out. He KNOWS why his team is ZERO for six this season. "We just need to play better," says Morris. This Raheem Morris is in the wrong profession. He should be a detective. He's a regular Dick Tracy. No one in the vast recesses of Tampa Bay could have figured that one out. What a novel idea! Let's just have the Buccaneers play better. That will solve all of their problems. It's that easy. Or is it? Morris has become a broken record at his Monday, post-apocalyptic press conferences. There were lots of good things happening on Sunday. "People are growing," Morris says of some of his players. "That's encouraging. So many good things happen." Nothing good happened to his team during the final 8:33 of the 28-21 loss to Carolina. This game was there for the Buccaneers to win. There was just one little detail. No one, no one on the defense could stop the Panthers from running the football right down the weary throats of the Buccaneers. Jonthan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams took turns abusing the helpless Buc defense that saw Carolina put together a 16-play drive that ate up almost the entire 8:33. All that was left for the Bucs once the Panthers scored, were 29 futile seconds. Not even Dick Tracy could figure out what to do after that. What Dick Tracy, er, Raheem Morris, needs to figure out next is how NOT to get blown out by the New England Patriots next Sunday in Wembley Stadium over in jolly old England. "Bill Belichick isn't going to take it easy on us," Morris predicted. Right on, Dick Tracy. "He's licking his chops," said Tracy, er, Morris. Is there no end to the insightfulness of the Buccaneer head coach? Yes, the Patriots cannot wait. They warmed up by dropping 59 points on Tennessee in the Foxboro snow on Sunday. Hopefully it won't snow in London.

Buccaneers Get Best Shot For A Win

There's no other way to put it.

Fact is, these Tampa Bay Buccaneers of Raheem Morris are playing like dogs. And perhaps that's an insult to dogs.

After getting wiped out at Philadelphia, the lads from Tampa Bay are home again and they're home with just an ounce of hope.

Hope is arriving Sunday in the form of the 1-3 Carolina Panthers. This MAY be the Bucs best shot at winning, not this week, this year.

Carolina has been no ball of fire and the Panthers have been stinky most of the season and a lot of that odor comes from the play of quarterback Jack Delhomme. His performance gives hope to a Buccaneer defensive line that couldn't find a sack at a grocery store.

Perhaps that's a bit cruel and unfair. Jimmy Wilkerson played a great game against Philadelphia, getting three sacks, but it was like he was out there alone. There was no sign of Gaines Adams, as usual. Chris Hovan wasn't much help either.

Which now brings us to the Buccaneer offense.

That's where the challenge lies on Sunday. Josh Johnson continues to run for his life, literally. There is no running game. Cadillac Williams was garaged by the Philly defense.

Only Kellen Winslow bothered to help Johnson out. Winslow finally had a decent game.

Other than that, the question mounts in Tampa: Is there any hope for this team?

There is little hope because there's no leadership in the locker room. "Too many Indians and not enough Chiefs," lamented Morris, who is supposed to be the chief of the chiefs.

Blame on lack of leadership lies squarely on the front-office decision to release Derrick Brooks, the team's decorated leaders of seasons past.

Brooks hasn't said much to date but finally gave his thoughts to Dan Sileo on 620 WDAE:

"It hurts to see this every week," Brooks said of his old team. "It's going to be a character-building year."

And that's the problem thus far. This team has shown very little character and a lot of inexperience.

Carolina comes calling.

This week there's a chance.

Raheem Morris Admits Buccaneer Failures

It is now the fifth Monday with day-after carnage facing Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach Raheem Morris. It's getting old, a Morris is getting old with it. He acknowledged his team's failures. "We're just not getting it done right now," he said somberly after his team's 33-14 latest beatdown, this time at the hands, or wings of the Philadelphia Eagles. "Missed opportunities," is how Morris has summed it up every week and didn't miss Monday either. "We gotta go back and figure out how not to give up big plays." It is something this team has yet to figure out and may be running out of time. Tampa's best chance for a win this season may be its home game on Sunday against Carolina. But Carolina got out of the winless column with a win over the Redskins. "The negatives are obvious to me," Morris pointed out in his mid-day press conference. "I'm gonna stay positive here but I may be more negative with the team this week. Some of the better players did not make plays." Morris was asked about the possibility that this team could be 0-10 before long. "If I start thinking 0-10, we'll be there. I'm thinking 1-5." In the midst of the misery, Morris said he'll keep on smiling. "I have confidence in our ownership, our management our coaches and players." That's all well and good. But how long will all the above have confidence in Morris?

Buccaneers Stagger Into Philly

Call the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lowly and you'd be elevating their stature in the world. When it comes to lowly, the Buccaneers have made it an art form through the first quarter of the NFL season. If four losses in a row isn't enough to make you a non-believer, then how about this week's visit to Philadelphia? In previous years, the Buccaneers have tormented the Eagles. They've been a nemesis for Philly-fan. But not this time. With Donovan McNabb back at quarterback and Brian Westbrook good to go, the Eagles are armed and ready. The Buccaneers? They are playing without using arms most of the time, especially when it comes to tackling. Now you'll find that coach Raheem Morris couldn't stop talking about the "positives" from that 16-13 loss to the Redskins last week. He told us about how great Gaines Adams looked with that sack of Jason Campbell and a couple of tackles by the previously lifeless Adams. Raheem talked about how Josh Johnson managed the game well. If 106 yards passing is managing the game, then look out, things could get ugly on Sunday. The fact is that now that Johnson has made an appearance on film, Philly's defense should be licking their chops. Basically Johnson's biggest weapon is running for his proverbial life. Life in the pocket isn't good and he'd rather run than anything else. That won't hack it on the road at Philly. There is no talk of winning outside One Buccaneer Place. What Buccaneer fans are hoping for is their team to "compete." The Buccaneers made it competitive last Sunday in Washington. That was the good news. Bad news is that Redskins team is going nowhere and don't look for Jim Zorn to be head-coaching for owner Daniel Snyder next season. Just compete. That's what hopes are when teams start 0-4. Next question -- what are the hopes for an 0-5 team?

Buccaneers Refuse Redskins Gift Offer

Welcome to Oh and four, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Welcome to a perfect start through the first quarter of the NFL season. It didn't have to be this way. Didn't have to because the Washington Redskins were more than willing to give you a helping hand this past Sunday. It couldn't have started better for these win less Buccaneers. They were up 10-0 early and held that margin at halftime and it looked like new starting quarterback Josh Johnson might hang in there long enough for his team to survive. Didn't happen. The 16 unanswered Washington points in the third quarter spelled the fourth Buccaneer loss. "A lot of positive stuff," said the positive stuff at the top of the coaching ladder for these Bucs, Raheem Morris. Raheem was ecstatic about Aqib Talib's three interceptions and the play of fellow corner Ronde Barber. He was overjoyed by the previously-lifeless body of defensive end Gaines Adams looking like it had a pulse. "He was looking like the guy we want him to be," Morris said on Monday. Still there was the hangover that is zero and four. "We're getting better and better," Morris said through the hanging gloom. "There's nothing to make excuses about." Talk about positive. Morris should have been captain of the Titanic, it might still be listing. Still, there is so much wrong with this Buccaneer team that from the outside, it is hard to see anything really, really good. This latest Josh Johnson experiment is just that. Johnson is not the future of the team, thus Morris and staff are delaying the future. At some point, they will need to see if their bonus baby -- Josh Freeman -- can perform in game conditions. They need to. Morris and general manager Mark Dominik have bet their future on this guy. Their other bets have been less than spectacular thus far. Receiver Michael Clayton is reverting to his old ways, dropping passes and mostly performing well as a blocker. Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. simply isn't a big enough offensive factor to warrant his contract. It won't get easier for this team, at least not this week. They travel to Philadelphia on Sunday to play the Eagles, a team with much more firepower and much more defense than the Redskins. The Redskins are a team struggling, not as bad as the Bucs, but struggling nonetheless. Washington's coach, Jim Zorn, is directly in owner Daniel Snyder's firing cross hairs. It was a struggle for both teams on Sunday. The Redskins struggled just a little better.

Buccaneers Dump Lefty, Turn To Johnson

Teams that start 0-3 typically need a "fall guy." The Buccaneers found theirs in quarterback Byron Leftwich. This 2009 version of the Buccaneers is cornered in confusion. A team that spent its entire training camp focused on quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown will now totally reverse its course. McCown is in Jacksonville and Leftwich has been run over by the bus, thrown underneath it by Coach Raheem Morris, who declared that Lefty was still his starter after last Sunday's embarrassing loss to the New York Giants. Less than 24 hours later, Morris disposed of Leftwich, demoted him to third-string and named shifty but inexperienced Josh Johnson the starter and the other Josh (Freeman) as the backup. It was a move that surprised even Johnson, who was very candid about the move. Byron (Leftwich) took the fall for the entire team," Johnson said. And he's right. Morris said after that beat-down at the hands of the Giants, that if he'd consider replacing Leftwich, he might as well "replace everyone." The rest are still standing, Leftwich is not. "I knew I had to get some early wins," Leftwich admitted, as he understands that he was a temporary guy. Freeman is the starter-in-waiting but certainly is not ready for the chaos that has surrounded the Buccaneer offense the past two games. Morris believes that Johnson's mobility will help against the Redskins on Sunday. The Redskins are another team under fire, their head coach Jim Zorn is a man firmly on the hot-seat with owner Daniel Snyder, a man unafraid of firing coaches. Still, you have to wonder how Johnson will perform as the starter. He was the fourth quarterback in camp and took very few repetitions during that Leftwich-McCown drama that proved to be a waste of precious practice time. The dye is now cast for the Buccaneers. Morris refused to use the "rebuilding" word this season. At this point, he'd be a fool to deny it.