A-Train has faith in Morris as Bucs coach
By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune S
Published: May 29, 2009
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TAMPA - Mike Alstott has no doubt Raheem Morris will succeed as head coach of the Buccaneers.
The former Pro Bowl running back praised Tampa Bay's first-year coach for his communication skills and natural ability to relate to modern players.
"I think he'll do very well,'' Alstott said of Morris, 32, who was named Jon Gruden's replacement in January. "Raheem has the players' attention, and that's the most important thing in this NFL generation. The communication part of football is very important in this era because things are different from when I came into the league.''
According to Alstott, who holds the franchise record with 71 career touchdowns, Morris has developed an easy rapport with players.
"It's not all about talent in this league,'' Alstott said. "It's about the kind of team you put together, the 53 guys that gel and how they play together. As a coach, how are you going to get them to play? Unfortunately, NFL players still have to be motivated. They have to be in a happy atmosphere to live their dreams. If you can establish that, you can have a successful team.''
New offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said Morris has already put his stamp on the organization by stressing aggression and physicality on both sides of the ball.
"I'm sure this team will take on Raheem's personality,'' said Jagodzinski. "He's a guy who relates well with his players and gets on them when they make mistakes. Being physical is his whole mentality - and the head coach sets the tone. Raheem is telling everybody this is the way it's going to be. You have to get that message across the same way every day and then, all of a sudden, the players start talking about it. You get what you emphasize.''
Morris has been emphasizing a more aggressive approach since making that huge leap from Tampa Bay's secondary coach to head coach.
"We're talking about the five guys up front, how they come off the ball, how physical they are,'' he said. "The guys blocking at the edge, the guys running the ball – all these guys have to be tough, physical and violent to play this game. There's no doubt about it.''
For Morris, finesse can only take you so far in this 32-team chase for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
"People have done that [finesse], but that's not the model we want to follow,'' he said. "Our model's going to be a little physical, a little tough and a little violent. We want this team to come at you.''
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