Rumors that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers almost fired coach Raheem Morris following their 41-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars began circulating Wednesday night, continuing a string of bad news for the three-year coaching veteran. An anonymous Buccaneer criticized Morris for his lack of leadership in a Tuesday report from Yahoo1 Sports, and fans of the team are beginning to question his credentials. Tampa Bay has lost seven straight games to fall to 4-9, and into a tie with the Carolina Panthers for last place in the NFC South.
But defensive tackle Gerald McCoy stood up for his coach. Thursday afternoon, McCoy sent the following Twitter message to his 22,000-plus followers:
Everybody stop worrying about our coach and just back us up as we go and tr and knock off the cowboys!! #bucnation
McCoy here urges fans to support the team, deflecting attention from the embattled coach. It's a positive message from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, who's among the Bucs' core players.
Morris' record with Tampa Bay stands at 17-28. Under him, the Bucs had a surprisingly strong 2010 season, finishing 10-6 thanks in part to the emergence of quarterback Josh Freeman. But Tampa Bay has disappointed mightily in 2011.
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