The Morris Touch

He’s seen defensive assistants come and go at One Buc Place, so Ronde Barber is cherishing every last moment with Raheem Morris.

Tampa Bay’s dynamic secondary coach is considered a short-timer, no longer a secret in NFL coaching circles.

His return to the Bucs in 2007 helped Monte Kiffin’s unit regain its typical stature among the league’s elite defenses and Morris, who turns 32 in three weeks, appears to be on the same career track as his mentor, former Tampa secondary coach Mike Tomlin.

“Does Raheem get too much credit? Probably not enough,” said Barber, the veteran cornerback who welcomed Morris back after his one-year departure to Kansas State. “You can’t help but think he won’t be here for long. He’s on the same path as a Mike Tomlin. He’s not a guy who’s going to stick around and wallow in the same job for a long time.”

Well before you even meet him, you can hear Raheem Morris on the practice field.

“His passion for the game is what makes him a special coach,” Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said.

A former defensive back at Hofstra, Morris boasts the energy level of Chris Rock and the charisma of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“It’s the ability to communicate,” Bucs assistant head coach Larry Coyer said. “Raheem has it and you can’t learn it. Good or bad, he talks to the players in a positive way. You can’t fake it - he is what he is. I’d say he has an unlimited future in this league.”

With the Bucs on their way to an NFC South title in the fall of 2005, Morris didn’t know for certain that Tomlin would be leaving the organization. So when Kansas State expressed interest in naming Morris defensive coordinator, Tomlin’s key assistant finished out the season in Tampa and decided to leave for Manhattan, Kan.

Tomlin would soon be named defensive coordinator of the Vikings, but Morris kept his word and joined the Wildcat staff. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli also moved on and Tampa Bay’s defense promptly plunged from first to 17th.

“I really had no intentions of being back to Tampa this fast,” said Morris, who began receiving feelers from Kiffin after his first season with the Wildcats. “It was tough leaving K-State but I have to be honest - I love the NFL. I don’t think I’d ever turn down an opportunity to work with Coach Kiffin.”

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Tomlin’s rhetoric cranks up Steelers

The Steelers’ transformation, in coach Mike Tomlin’s estimation, from a team that had been “enduring” training camp into one that was suddenly “enjoying” it didn’t occur without a little prompting.
Tomlin sensed as much was necessary after observing a Monday morning workout that suggested his team was stuck in neutral, or, as Tomlin put it, “in survival mode.”

“He gave a little speech (Monday) morning after practice,” nose tackle Chris Hoke said. “He said, ‘Hey, listen, let’s start thriving and not surviving in this camp. Let’s get to work.’

“I think (Monday) afternoon guys were trying to buy into it a little bit.”

The Steelers were so crisp and enthusiastic in that Monday afternoon session that Tomlin suspected a “threshold” might have been crossed.
Tuesday’s scheduled festivities, especially last evening’s practice at St. Vincent College, offered “spirited” confirmation, especially a second live goal-line drill that was “much better” than the one the Steelers had conducted Sunday.

Still, the response from Tomlin was more prodding.

“It’s easy to come out here and have a great time and compete when you know you have ‘goal line’ at the end,” Tomlin said. “We’ll see what the dog days are like (today) when there’s a less attractive drill waiting at the end of practice.”

Full Story: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Second Season to Test Tomlin

Chuck Noll went 1-13 in his first year as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach. Bill Cowher started his Steelers coaching career with an 11-5 record.

Mike Tomlin went 10-6 in his debut on the Pittsburgh sidelines.

Those numbers really don’t mean anything.

Everyone knows what Noll and Cowher went on to accomplish.

Noll was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame after transforming the Steelers from NFL patsy to a four-time Super Bowl winner.

Cowher, meanwhile, averaged 10 wins in 15 seasons and probably landed his ticket in Canton, Ohio, by turning an 11-5 showing in 2005 to a Super Bowl victory as the wild card.

Tomlin, however, has a long way to go before he can be compared to his two predecessors.

For starters, Tomlin won’t have a cake schedule in 2008 as was the case in his rookie campaign.

The Steelers beat only two teams with winning records last year when they swept their two AFC North games with Cleveland and downed Seattle.

The Steelers’ other seven wins came against teams which finished with a combined 28-68.

If that weren’t bad enough one of the Steelers’ losses was in overtime to the New York Jets. which won only three other games. The Steelers needed a field goal to drop the 1-15 Dolphins, 3-0, in the rain on a Monday night.

The Steelers’ reward for winning the AFC North title in 2007 was one of the NFL’s toughest schedules.

The Steelers have to face the six teams considered at the top of the power rankings: New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas, Jacksonville and the New York Giants.

If that’s not enough to worry about, Cleveland is tabbed as the AFC North favorite by some of the so-called NFL experts.

Tomlin’s first season was a bit misleading since the Steelers were 7-2 after nine games and closed with four losses in their last five contests.

It didn’t help that the NFL’s leading rusher at the time, Willie Parker, broke his leg in the opening minutes of the next-to-last regular season game at St. Louis and defensive end Aaron Smith missed the final four games with injuries.

Drafting Rashard Mendenhall first was a safeguard in case Parker goes down, but the Steelers didn’t strengthen the defensive line by either the draft or free agency.

If Smith, Casey Hampton or Brett Keisel gets hurt, the Steelers are in serious trouble.

The same goes for Ben Roethlisberger on offense.

Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers aren’t going anywhere.

Raheem Morris: A Hot Coaching Commodity

The casual NFL fan likely has not heard of Morris, but that will change soon. He will be an NFL head coach. It might not be in 2009, but it won’t be long after that. Some shrewd teams will examine Morris after this season. And even though Morris is just 31, two head coaches named him as the best assistant coach in the league in the ESPN.com survey. Morris is known as a motivator and a strong X’s and O’s man. He has drawn comparisons to Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who just three years ago held the same position Morris currently holds. Mark it down, Morris is a coach to watch.

Full Story: Super Bowl performance has Spagnuolo highly touted - [ESPN]

Tomlin Goes Extra Mile for Charity

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin put down the pigskin and picked up his golf clubs for charity.

He hosted the 11th Annual Extra Mile Education Foundation Golf Outing at Nevillewood.

The event raises money for inner-city kids to give them a chance to have a Catholic education to help them achieve their dreams.

Tomlin says he was inspired to get involved with the program.

“When I was apart of it last year and really my first exposure to it, when that young man got up and talked about how the Extra Mile helped him, and gave his living testimony, that’s all you need to hear,” he said.

The charity has been in existence for 19 years.

Tomlin Shares Advice

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a huge hit when he hosted the All Pro Dad Father & Kids Experience will be held at Heinz Field.

Founded by Family First, the All Pro Dad fatherhood program helps to educate fathers on the best ways to become an “All Pro Dad.” Fathers brought their children to the event, where they learned fatherhood tips and participated in special activities with their kids, while rotating through football-themed learning stations which will be located in the Coca-Cola Great Hall.

“Thousands of men in Pittsburgh and around the world are becoming better husbands and fathers by joining our All Pro Dad team,” said Tomlin. “To become an All Pro Dad, we encourage men to spend one minute a day reading our free daily email, The Play of the Day, one hour a month participating in an All Pro Dad’s Day breakfast, and one day a year taking part in our All Pro Dad Father and Kids Experience.”

Full Story: TOMLIN SHARES ADVICE AT ALL-PRO DAD

Lake Ready to Get to Work

On the defensive side of the ball, Jimmy Lake has quietly entered the role of defensive backs coach.

This may be a more significant move than fans realize as Lake has spent the past two seasons in Tampa Bay as the assistant defensive backs coach. Lake brings something to the staff in much the same way Joe Barry did in 2007. He has a vast knowledge and passion for the Tampa 2 system and is looking forward to getting his new crop of players on the field.

“The first thing you will see – especially on the practice field – is he brings energy,” said Barry. “He’s a ball of fire. I’d say that’s the first thing he brings. The second thing he brings is knowledge in the system. I think those two things are invaluable, especially when you teach and preach and believe in a system.

“I think this guy is a future star in this league as a coach. He’ll be a great position coach (and) he’ll be a coordinator down the road.”

Since Marinelli’s hiring in 2006, the Lions’ secondary – particularly the cornerbacks – has been openly ridiculed as not having enough talent to help this team to a playoff berth. Fans have scoffed at the idea of “non-talented issues” as the local media has screamed for more “raw talent.”

A lot of time it’s technique and that’s what we’re really going to focus on in the offseason,” said Lake of his new crop of players in Detroit. (Photo by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

But Lake believes that he can garner increasingly better performances out of the players the Lions currently have on their roster without adding any additional talent.

Full Story: Fine-Tuning with Technique - [DetroitLions.com]

Lake Leaves for Detroit

PewterReport.com is reporting that Tampa Bay assistant defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake was hired by Detroit on Saturday to serve as the Lions’ defensive backs coach.

Lake, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the month, interviewed with Detroit on Thursday. He spent the 2006 season working alongside former Bucs linebackers coach Joe Barry, who was hired to be Rod Marinelli’s defensive coordinator in 2007. The Lions are hoping Lake can help Detroit’s defense, which ranked 32nd in the NFL in yards and points last season.
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Coach Lake Interviewing With Lions

PewterReport.com is reporting that Jimmy Lake, the assistant to Tampa Bay defensive backs coach Raheem Morris, is interviewing with the Detroit Lions today, presumably for the defensive backs position. Lake’s contract expires at the end of this month and he spent the 2006 season working alongside former Bucs linebackers coach Joe Barry, who was hired to be Rod Marinelli’s defensive coordinator in 2007. Barry’s defense is looking for help after ranking 32nd in the NFL in yards and points allowed last year.

“Raheem and I are the same age, but I’m always willing to take that next step in life,” said the 31-year old Lake. “If some opportunities come, they come. If not, I’m more than happy staying here with these guys and win another championship.”

Full Story: Assistant DBs Coach Lake Interviewing With Lions - [Pewter Report]

Tomlin’s Take on Topics

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin weighed in on a variety of topics during his season-ending press conference. The following are some of the topics that he addressed.

On quarterback Ben Roethlisberger:
He did a nice job of course. He is a pro-bowler. He set franchise marks in some areas. He’s a merging big time football player. He is very good. He is very professional. Aside from what happened inside the white lines in the stadiums, I like the direction he is going it terms of take the reigns in a leadership position. Is he a developing guy? Absolutely. He is still 25 years old. But I look forward to what lies ahead with him.

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