Escape From Davy Jones' Locker

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dam man this looks nice

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dam man this looks nice

thanks man, appreciate it

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A clip form Jim Rome's interview with Raheem Morris from this weeks Rome Is burning

Rome: Welcome back. Today my guest is the head coach of the Tampa Buccaneers Raheem Morris. Coach things haven’t been going as planned for you team so far this season. Your currently 1-3 and last in the NFC South. What’s been going wrong out there?

Morris: Well Jim, it has been a number of things. On offense, we have gotten off to slow start. We’ve been turning the ball over too much and our offensive line has been playing to its full ability. Defensively, there has definitely been some improvement from last year but were still giving up too many big plays.

Rome: Coach, you mentioned that turnovers have been a concern. Last week you turned the ball over 7 times, five of which were interceptions. You benched Freeman towards the end of the game and Tarvaris Jackson seemed to give the offense a spark. With Freeman leading the league in interceptions, is there the possibility of a quarterback controversy in Tampa?

Morris: No, not at all. This is Josh’s job without a doubt. The benching last week was more a matter of giving him some time to clear his head. He seemed overwhelmed by the amount of pressure he was facing and after the fifth interception it was clear he was trying to do too much.

Rome: Freeman has struggled most of this season and not looked anything like the guy he was last year. Is he doing something wrong or is this a matter of getting back into a rhythm with his receivers?

Morris: Well it’s like I mentioned earlier, our offensive line has not been playing up to its ability. I think that’s really thrown off our offense as a whole. I think once the protection improves you’ll see a drastic improvement in Josh’s play and the offense in general.

Rome: Let’s talk about some of the changes you have made. It was announced today that your benching right tackle Cornell Green, in favor of Xavier Green. Also cornerback Myron Lewis will be taking over as the starting corner opposite Aqib Talib with Ronde Barber becoming the nickel back. What’s the reasoning behind these moves, specifically the demotion of Ronde Barber?

Morris: Ronde has been a fantastic player for the Buccaneers franchise throughout his career. The coaching staff and I talked it over with him and were all looking to put him in the best position to succeed. For our upcoming match against the Saints, we believe that Barber is best used as the nickel back. I wouldn’t call it permanent move because if we feel putting Barber on the outside is what gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we’ll do. It’s more of a platoon than a demotion.

As for the offensive line, unfortunately Green was just not getting the job done at right tackle and we felt it was necessary to go in a different direction. We’ve also signed Shane Olivea and he’ll probably see some time depending on how quickly he picks up the offense.

Rome: Final question Coach and then I’ll let you go. You’re going out to New Orleans this Sunday to play the Saints. There 4-1 on the season and in first place. How big a game is this for your team?

Morris: A division game is always a big game. The Saints are a real good team and after missing the playoffs last season their real hungry. I’ve got confidence in my guys to go in there and get the job done. A win this week is the first step in getting this season back on track.

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[TheSanchize]

Even better than your 'chise from last year man. Good job.

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Even better than your 'chise from last year man. Good job.

thanks, always try to improve as I go

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NFL Standings
Week 8

AFC East
New England Patriots 6-1
New York Jets 4-4
Buffalo Bills 3-4
Miami Dolphins 0-7

Tom Brady once again leads the MVP race. Evan Royster has struggled, averaging 2 yards per carry, but it hasn’t hurt the Patriots offense. Vernon Gholston has finally broken out for the Jets and leads the team with 10 sacks. The long term injuries to Braylon Edwards and Brandon Moore have contributed to the Jets being at .500. Kerry Collins (seriously) is the starting QB in Buffalo and playing well enough for the team to be competitive. CJ Spiller has yet to oust Fred Jackson as Buffalos best RB. A combination of allowing the most points and allowing the most sacks has crippled Miami to a winless record.

AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals 6-2
Pittsburgh Steelers 4-3
Baltimore Ravens 4-3
Cleveland Browns 3-4

Leon Hall (5 INT) and Morgan Trent (5 INT) are leading a stellar Bengals defense. However it is still the Steelers with the league’s best defense. Ravens are still in contention with a solid offense. Flacco has been spreading the ball around (5 WR with +200 yards) and Ray Rice has been a dual threat (500 yards rushing, 150 yards receiving). It’s been a rough first year for Colt McCoy (7TD 11INT) but the Browns could pull things together with a winning streak.

AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars 6-2
Houston Texans 4-4
Indianapolis Colts 2-5
Tennessee Titans 1-6

The Jaguars are riding their #1 rushing offense to victory. That will have to continue as David Garrard is out for the next 6 weeks. The Texans have already matched their win total from last year. If the Texans make the playoffs, Schaub will be a serious MVP candidate (15TD 2INT). Is this the end for the Colts? A 2-4 record in the AFC conference is going to make it tough for the Colts to get back into the playoff contention. An injury to Cortland Finnegan and a -11 turnover differential has the Titans in the cellar. Is it time for Jeff Fisher to finally step down?

AFC West
San Diego Chargers 6-2
Denver Broncos 5-2
Oakland Raiders 4-3
Kansas City Chiefs 1-6

The Chargers strong pass rush (#1 in sacks) has helped them bully their way to the top. The Broncos surprisingly high powered offense (#1 in points per game) has them right on the Chargers heels and leading the wild card race. The Raiders are having a turnaround year despite an injury to last year’s first round pick Noel Devine. Their defense is #2 in points per game allowed despite the loss of Rolando McClain. You can’t win games if you can’t get first downs and Kansas City has proved that much (last in 3rd down conversion %).

NFC East
New York Giants 5-2
Dallas Cowboys 4-3
Washington Redskins 4-4
Philadelphia Eagles 2-5

The Giants have had a knack for pulling out wins in close games. They also hold a 3-1 record in the NFC East. The Cowboys still haven’t figured out their running game (2.4 ypc) but rookie SS Tyler Sash (3INT) has been leading the defense and been an early candidate for DROY. It would seem that Albert Haynesworth has decided to play this season (7 sacks). The Eagles have been killed by injuries and poor play at the quarterback position. Recently signed Seneca Wallace is now the starter.

NFC North
Chicago Bears 4-3
Green Bay Packers 4-4
Minnesota Vikings 3-4
Detroit Lions 3-5

The Bears have been getting it done at home (3-1) but need to improve on the road if they wish to pull away from the pack. Greg Jennings is having a killer year for the Packers with 880 yards receiving and six touchdowns. Alex Smith has played well as Brett Favre’s replacement. 3 of the Vikings losses have been by an average of 4 points or less. The Lions are the most penalized team in the league. There are some positive signs, such as a +10 turnover differential.

NFC South
New Orleans 6-1
Atlanta Falcons 5-2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-4
Carolina Panthers 2-5

After missing the end of last season with injury, Drew Brees has come marching back to lead the Saints to a #1 pass offense. Matt Ryan (13TD 3INT) and Michael Turner (2nd in total rushing yards) have led the Falcons offense. The Buccaneers have promise but must cut back on the giveaways (22 most in NFL). Jimmy Clausen (4TD 10INT 49% Comp) could have used another season of preparation.

NFC West
St. Louis Rams 5-2
Seattle Seahawks 3-4
Arizona Cardinals 3-4
San Francisco 49ers 1-6

Sam Bradford (15TD 4INT) has been a God-send for the St. Louis organization and a serious MVP candidate. Head Coach Spagnuolo has worked his magic on defense. The Rams are 2nd in sacks with Eddie Jones and Chris Long leading the way with 9 sacks each. Another sub-par season from Matt Hassleback has the Seattle fans calling for Josh Johnson to be the starter. The Cardinals may not be able to recover from a slow start with such a difficult schedule ahead (7 out of 8 over .500). A rash of injuries ( 5 players out for multiple weeks) has all but doomed the 49ers this season