In an effort to sidestep a little personal responsibility, Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris blames the Bucs poor performance this year on…. the collective bargaining agreement. Not the lockout, but the agreement itself. Morris points to the fact that the new agreement limits the number of full pad practices to 11 during the year, which he feels is partly responsible for the team’s 4-6 start.
“You know, we got the collective bargaining agreement and we couldn’t put on pads as much and some of those things,” Morris said. “But last week we pulled our mulligan, we had our two padded practices, got those guys to compete again. Mike Williams practiced hard all week and it transferred into the game, which was great for us.”
The fact that this is the same limitation for every team seems to be lost on him. The limitation on padded practices is designed to allow more recovery time for athletes during the season and reduce the chances of injuries on the practice field. The fact is that the coaching staffs of ALL 32 NFL teams need to find ways to get the athletes ready within the contact limits imposed by the new CBA.
While we’re on the subject, are we sure that changing from leather helmets didn’t reduce the motivation and performance of offensive players as well? You are clearly going to try harder to avoid a tackle if all you have to protect your head is a modified catcher’s mitt.
