Tampa Bay rookie head coach Raheem Morris has been unhappy with the performance of his team's defense, so he's decided to deal with the situation head-on. Morris removed Jim Bates from his role as defensive coordinator Monday, according to the St. Petersburg Times, and will take over the position himself. Bates will remain with the team as a consultant.Tampa Bay, 1-9 on the season, ranks 31st in the NFL in average points allowed at 29.4 per game -- ahead of only Detroit. The Buccaneers are last in the league against the run.
Morris will reportedly return the Bucs to a Tampa-2 defense, a scheme that became prominent during Tony Dungy's days as the Bucs' head coach.
Bates is the second casualty of Morris' first staff -- Tampa Bay fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski less than two weeks before the start of the season.
Bates' defense was shredded by New Orleans on Sunday (though to be fair, the Saints have scored almost at will all season long), with the undefeated Saints scoring 38 unanswered points in a 38-7 victory.
Morris faces a stout test in his debut as the defensive play-caller -- the Bucs travel to Atlanta on Sunday, and the Falcons are currently ranked No. 9 in the NFL with a 25.2 points per game average.
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Raheem Morris is a bum. He can't do one job right. Now he won't do 2 jobs right!