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TAMPA, Fla. — Now that Raheem Morris is out as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let’s start taking a look at some of the possible replacements.

BIG FISH

Jeff Fisher: Will likely be the first person the Bucs call because he’s the best coach available that has made it clear he wants to get back into coaching. Even if it’s just for show, the Bucs need to make the call to show fans they care. Fisher’s a long shot, though. He likely will have his pick of jobs and coming to a team that hasn’t been willing to spend in free agency doesn’t work as a selling point for the Bucs.

Bill Cowher: He’s made it sound like he plans to stay in television. Even if that changes, there’s almost no shot of Cowher coming to Tampa Bay. If he coaches, it likely will be in a major market and not with a team that needs major rebuilding.

Tony Dungy: He’s said he doesn’t want to coach again and he’s told that to several teams that have inquired. The Bucs might even be one of those teams. It might be fruitless, but I say the Bucs make a run at Dungy (even if they already have) and beg him to return to the franchise he once made respectable. He could do it again, better and quicker than anyone else. Throw all the money and power you have at Dungy and if getting him means co-chairman Ed Glazer has to wash Dungy’s car three times a week, get out the bucket and the sponges. But this almost certainly won’t happen.

THE RETREADS

Mike Sherman: When you fire a coach, you usually go hire the opposite. Sherman’s very different than Morris. He’s mature, he believes in discipline and he comes from an offensive background. He also won during much of his stint in Green Bay. Sherman’s name keeps popping up with this job, so don’t rule him out. There’s a good reason for that. Sherman has the same agent as general manager Mark Dominik, who is likely to have a big say in this story.

Mike Mularkey: The Atlanta offensive coordinator is going to interview for the Jacksonville job, but he could fit the profile for the Bucs. He’s done a nice job developing Matt Ryan and he has previous experience as a head coach in Buffalo. Mularkey’s got the resume to make people believe he can straighten out Josh Freeman. Plus, Mularkey started his coaching career with the Bucs under Sam Wyche.

Brian Billick: He once had a reputation as an offensive guru, but he won his Super Bowl in Baltimore with great defense. Billick’s also been out of the game for a bit. But he is a name and this franchise needs to sell tickets.

RISING STARS

Rob Chudzinski: The Carolina offensive coordinator is a hot name after Cam Newton’s stunning rookie year. He’ll get some interviews, but may need one year as a coordinator before he gets a job as a head coach.

Todd Bowles: He finished the season as Miami’s interim head coach and will interview for the permanent job. But, if Bowles is available, I’ve been told he could get a look. He doesn’t have the offensive background. But he’s viewed as a rising star who is older and more mature than Morris.

Mike McCoy: Like Chudzinski, McCoy could be a year or two away from a job as a head coach. But he’s done a great job as Denver’s offensive coordinator. He also has the charisma to win over players and fans. Oh, he also shares the same agent as Dominik and Sherman.

Forbes put out its annual list of the 10 best and 10 worst owners in the NFL, and I’m thinking the NFC South didn’t get a real fair shake.

The division got one owner on each list, and I’m not sure I agree with either selection.

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson came in at No. 8 on the best list. There’s no question Benson’s reputation with fans has improved in recent years. That’s largely because the Saints have been successful, the Super Bowl is coming back to New Orleans in 2013, and the Saints have committed to stay for the long haul. But there are still a lot of New Orleans fans that haven’t forgiven Benson for reportedly looking to relocate the team. Forbes cites a 13-percent increase in franchise value over five years as one of the reasons for Benson’s selection, and also points to the team’s five-year winning percentage (61 percent).

If Benson is on the list, I think Atlanta’s Arthur Blank and Carolina’s Jerry Richardson also deserved strong consideration. Neither has ever made any noise about relocating their teams. Blank also learned from some early mistakes and has his franchise in the best shape it’s ever been in. The Falcons have had three straight winning seasons. Prior to that, they never had back-to-back winning seasons.

Richardson’s popularity with fans took a big hit as the Panthers have struggled in recent seasons. He was roasted for being “cheap’’ as he prepared his franchise for the labor lockout, and no employees lost their jobs. Richardson was extremely instrumental in eventually getting a new labor agreement. Once that was in place, he came out spending more than he ever has, and the future appears bright because the Panthers finally have a franchise quarterback in Cam Newton.

The only NFC South representative on the list of the league’s 10 worst owners is Tampa Bay’s Malcolm Glazer. First off, it should be noted that Glazer hasn’t been in good health for several years and sons Bryan, Joel and Ed handle the operations of the team. I know there’s a disconnect between Tampa Bay fans and the Glazers, but I don’t really understand it. The Glazers might not be the best owners in the league, but they’re far from the worst.

For those of you who weren’t around before the Glazers, and those without long-term memories, let me remind you of what things were like when Hugh Culverhouse owned the team. The Bucs were almost always horrible. They played in the old Tampa Stadium and always had one of the league’s lowest payrolls.

The Bucs have a low payroll these days, but Glazer did spend big for a while before former coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen showed that shuttling in high-priced free agents every year doesn’t bring consistent success. The Bucs are building through the draft these days, and the team appears to be on the upswing.

Plus, when Glazer still was heavily involved, he helped the Bucs get Raymond James Stadium, which still is one of the league’s finest facilities. He brought in coach Tony Dungy, who made the franchise consistently respectable for the first time. When Dungy couldn’t quite get over the hump, Glazer made a trade with Oakland to bring in Gruden.

The Bucs turned around and won the Super Bowl. The Glazer era has been much more prosperous than the Culverhouse days.

Let’s take a look into the NFC South mailbag.

Dan in Omaha, Neb., says the Panthers need to draft a defensive tackle with the first pick in the draft and give quarterback Jimmy Clausen a chance.

Pat Yasinskas: You really want the Panthers to go into a season with Clausen as their starting quarterback without adding a viable alternative? I do think there’s upside with Clausen and he could develop into something with better coaching than he had last year. But Carolina’s got to compete with three NFC South teams that have true franchise quarterbacks. I don’t think they can afford to count on Clausen suddenly turning into one.

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Pat in Tampa says I referred to Tampa Bay landing Nnamdi Asomugha as a pie-in-the-sky dream and wonders why. He points out the weather in Florida and California is similar and the Bucs are a team on the rise.

Pat Yasinskas: True, the Bucs are very much a team on the rise and I’ll take the weather in Tampa Bay over the other Bay Area any day. Also, there’s no state income tax in Florida and that’s always appealing to free agents. But there’s going to be a bidding war for one of the game’s best cornerbacks and lots of teams are going to be involved. I’m not sure if the Bucs, who are accused by their own fans of not spending enough money, will go all out on this one. We'll have to wait and see.

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Robbie in Murphy, N.C., asks why I wrote that Cam Newton has more potential than Blaine Gabbert.

Pat Yasinskas: Um, mainly because I think Newton has way more potential than Gabbert. Yes, there also could be downside with Newton, and Gabbert has less downside. But I think Gabbert’s best-case scenario is that he ends up being someone like Mark Sanchez. Newton’s best-case scenario is a lot better than that. Yes, Newton may come with risks. But the Panthers are doing their homework and might be willing to take some risks on the guy with more upside.

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Zain in Tampa writes: “There's a reason we hate the Glazers so much around here. But let's make something clear, it is the sons we hate, not the father. The father has been a great owner in his time. He got it, period. The sons? They have no business running a sports franchise.’’

Pat Yasinskas: Malcolm Glazer obviously was a very astute businessman and that’s how he assembled a huge fortune. But the fact is, he never was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the Bucs. Yes, he was available for consult and ultimately signed off on major decisions. But, since the day the Glazer family bought the team, sons Bryan and Joel have run the day-to-day operations and youngest son, Ed, joined them a bit later. The only thing that’s changed in recent years is that Malcolm Glazer has had some health problems and has even less to do with the day-to-day operations. Truth is, part of the reason Malcolm Glazer bought the team in the first place was because his sons were huge football fans. Malcolm Glazer didn't follow the game all that closely. In fact, there's a legendary story about one of the few news conferences he ever took part in. It was to announce a contract extension for Warren Sapp and the plan called for him to make a joke about how the contract meant Sapp better produce a lot of sacks. Before the news conference started, a Bucs staffer had to take Malcolm Glazer aside and explain what a sack was.

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Russell in Asheville, N.C., writes that Drew Brees’ involvement in the labor situation shows the New Orleans quarterback is greedy. Russell says 99 percent of fans now hate Brees and that this should be pointed out to Brees.

Pat Yasinskas: Brees took a stand by taking an active role and putting his name on the lawsuit against the league. But I don’t think Brees is acting purely on his own behalf. I think he’s trying to get what’s best for all players. He is, after all, a player. And I think your estimate on the percentage of fans who “hate’’ Brees is off by a lot, at least in New Orleans. Brees is the most beloved figure in that city. Once the labor situation is resolved, I think any resentment against Brees that might be out there will be forgotten very quickly.

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Tom in Cambridge, United Kingdom, writes that it sounds like Aqib Talib was defending his sister in the incident in which he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He wonders if Talib doesn’t end up in prison if this whole situation might be handled with a four-game suspension and some anger-management classes.

Pat Yasinskas: I get the whole innocent-until-proven-guilty thing and understand it’s one of the basic rules of the legal system in this country. But we’re not just talking one incident with Talib. We’re talking a lengthy track record that dates back at least to when he was in college. Several incidents have been very public since he joined the Bucs and there have been plenty of other behind-the-scenes issues involving him that have been handled behind the scenes. In fact, I’d be willing to make a guess that the Bucs or the NFL already told Talib to work on the anger-management issues. Fact is, I think the Bucs already would have cut Talib if the league wasn’t in a lockout. I think they will cut him as soon as it’s over. Talib was down to his last chance -- and there are some people who already think he was past it even before the latest incident. The mere fact that a gun was involved in this latest incident gives the Bucs the right to cut Talib before the legal system plays out. Even if he’s not found guilty, the fact that he put himself in a precarious situation when he already was on a short leash with the team and the league doesn’t reflect well on him. The Bucs have taken their share of criticism on the character issue in the last year or so. Talib has made it easy for them to come out and make a strong statement by parting ways with him. The Bucs can make a statement to the community and their fans that they are serious about character issues. They also can show receiver Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount, who have had some problems in the past, that they better stay on the straight and narrow because even the best players aren’t going to get too many second chances.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Glazer family, which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, often gets labeled as reclusive by fans and the media.

That’s kind of strange, because the guy I just spent 20 minutes talking to might have been the most gregarious person I ran into all day. That would be Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer.

At an NFL owners meeting, where a lot of people are walking around looking worried or sad about the labor situation, Glazer was a notable exception. He spent time individually with reporters from the two main newspapers in the Tampa Bay area and with the NFC South Blog. In my portion, which was roughly 20 minutes, Glazer was almost effervescent.

He did most of the talking and was animated and happy almost the entire time. There’s a reason for that. Glazer, along with brothers Bryan and Ed, is presiding over a team that’s clearly in a good spot. Glazer didn’t want to talk much about the lockout but said he’s confident the labor situation will be resolved at some point and his team will be ready to jump out of the gate.

“I couldn’t be more excited about where this team is at,’’ Glazer said. “When we set out on this path two years ago, there was a plan in place. We said we’re going to be disciplined in that plan. We’re not going to deviate from that plan. The one thing we recognized was when you’re doing something like this, you have to have thick skin and endure the early part of the plan. There are a lot of people with opinions. Their opinions are immediate and reactionary. To see the plan to start unfolding and for last year to play out like it did was one of the most exciting, fun seasons I’ve ever experienced in football.

“What’s most exciting is the fact that we’re the youngest team in the National Football League and the exciting players we have and where we can go from here.’’

You know the story, so we’ll keep the recap very short. After a 9-7 season in 2008, the Buccaneers fired coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen and replaced them with Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik. Veteran players like Derrick Brooks were shown the door and, at times, Morris and Dominik looked like they didn’t know what they were doing.

The Bucs went 3-13 in 2009, but things turned in a big way last season, and the Bucs went 10-6.

The Glazers get labeled as detached owners because they’re not as visible as some others in the league. But I think that’s a huge misconception. Although you don’t see the Glazers on the sidelines like some others, they’re far from absentee owners. It’s not unusual to run into them at One Buccaneer Place or see them roaming Raymond James Stadium. Back when Malcolm Glazer, the father of Joel, Bryan and Ed, first bought the team, one of the reasons he cited for making the move was his sons’ love of the game.

“I love football,’’ Joel Glazer said. “I haven’t missed a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game since we’ve owned the team and gone all the way to Japan. I live for Sundays. I live for the wins and can’t stand the losses. Anybody who knows myself or knows my family knows this is a true love. To have a young team that you know is going to get better and to compete for the ultimate prize, that’s what you’re in this for and that’s why it’s so exciting.’’

Glazer even is excited about the one thing that wasn’t a positive last season -- attendance. The Bucs didn’t sell out a game at Raymond James Stadium, and none of their home games was shown on local television. Before last season, the Bucs had sold out every home game since their stadium opened in 1998.

“Our new sales in January, February and March have been stronger than I ever remember them being,’’ Glazer said. “Renewals are extremely high. The sense you get is that the community is reacting to what they saw last year. That excitement is starting to percolate throughout the community, and it is translating into ticket sales.’’

Glazer’s not ready to guarantee sellouts, but he’s optimistic things are headed in the right direction.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,’’ Glazer said. “Even before the season ended, we sat down and we started to change our pricing to reflect the economy and what’s going on and trying to find ways to make something available for everybody. The one thing that hasn’t been lost on us is Florida has been hit very hard. Unemployment is very high in Florida. You can’t just ignore that. You have to adapt to the situation.’’

By the way, you're going to hear a good bit more from Glazer in the coming days. He filled up my tape recorder, which is something reclusive people generally don't do. But, hey, maybe, as Glazer said, he and the Bucs are adapting to the situation.

I just came across this radio interview with Falcons owner Arthur Blank. There was one part where Blank was asked about being accessible to the media. As a media member, I found this interesting and I think fans will, too.

“That’s very much a part of our culture, is to be available, and frankly to be even more available when times are difficult,’’ Blank said. “It’s easy to be available when things are going great. Sometimes when you’re facing adversity, some folks go off and hide someplace. We don’t think that’s the best thing to do.”

Applause for Blank. There’s no doubt he is the NFC South’s most accessible owner. Nobody else is even close. Blank isn’t Jerry Jones or Daniel Snyder. In other words, he’s not constantly out there seeking attention, but he’s willing to be out front with the media and, in turn, his fans. Blank gets it when it comes to dealing with media and fans, and I give Falcons public relations guru Reggie Roberts and his staff a lot of credit for creating a very media-friendly environment.

It’s really not that way with the other NFC South owners. Carolina’s Jerry Richardson is by no means an unfriendly man. In fact, he’ll often stop on the practice field to talk with reporters. It’s off the record and just basic conversation, and Richardson treats media members as real people. But he just doesn’t like being in the spotlight. When I covered the Panthers for The Charlotte Observer, Richardson usually would agree to go on the record once a year, and usually it was at the spring owners meeting. He’d talk extensively about the state of his team. At the end, I’d always say something like, “See, it’s not that difficult’’. He’d laugh and say, “Yeah, but we won’t do it again until next year’’. It’s just the way he operates.

New Orleans owner Tom Benson has been a bit more visible since the Saints won the Super Bowl, but he’s never been the type to hold court with the media. His granddaughter Rita LeBlanc, who seems to be gaining more and more power in the operation of the franchise, is more media friendly and has become the face of the franchise, from an ownership perspective.

Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer used to be called a recluse, and I don’t think that was inaccurate. In fact, I can only remember him speaking twice in the early years of his ownership when I was covering the Bucs for The Tampa Tribune. I believe once was when he officially bought the team, and the other time was when the Bucs signed Warren Sapp to a huge contract extension. Glazer is not in great health these days, and sons Bryan, Joel, and Ed are running the team. They take a lot of heat locally for not being very media friendly. But I don’t think that label is entirely accurate. The Glazers might not be outgoing personalities, but they know every reporter in their market by name and they’ll make small talk when they run into media members. They also have taken the Richardson approach at times and done some state-of-the-union addresses at league meetings. There also is a new effort inside One Buccaneer Place to make the Glazers more visible, and we’ve seen some evidence of that with the brothers playing big roles in Derrick Brooks’ retirement ceremony and the announcement that John McKay will join the team’s Ring of Honor. Look for that to continue, but don’t ever expect the Glazers to become like Blank.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Three quick hits on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1. Monte Kiffin and Derrick Brooks are gone. So are the days of Tampa Bay being an elite defense. Aside from middle linebacker Barrett Ruud, there's not a blue-chip player in his prime on this unit. Safety Tanard Jackson and cornerback Aqib Talib may be closing in on that category, but Jackson's going to miss the first four games of the regular season because of a suspension and Talib may face disciplinary action for a recent suspension. New coordinator Jim Bates is a great motivator and a strong strategist, but he hasn't been dealt a great deal of talent. Unless cornerback Ronde Barber can regain some of his youth and defensive end Gaines Adams suddenly develops pass-rush moves, Tampa Bay may be counting on its offense
to carry its defense for the first time in ... well, forever.

2. One of the trends in the NFL is having a two-headed monster at running back. Football Outsiders The Football Outsiders use their unique brand of analysis to break down each of the league's 32 teams. Tampa Bay Buccaneers I can see Tampa Bay having a three-headed monster -- maybe even a four-headed monster. The Bucs brought in Derrick Ward as a free agent and he's going to be the closest thing the Bucs have to a feature back. But Earnest Graham already has shown he can produce and he's going to eat into Ward's carries. The Bucs also have big plans to use Clifton Smith as a running back this year. Smith made the Pro Bowl as a return man as a rookie and can make things happen in open space. Then, there's Cadillac Williams, who is coming back from a major knee injury for the second straight year. If Williams is fully healthy, he's good enough to fit in a rotation with Ward and Graham.

3. There's been a lot of speculation that coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik are in over their heads. I'm not buying it. Yes, they're both young, but they're also talented. The Glazer brothers (Bryan, Joel and Ed), who run the team, are smart businessmen and they sensed the organization needed some youthful enthusiasm. They found it within their own organization and Morris has made it a point to surround himself with experienced assistants like Bates and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski. Dominik's spent his career being groomed by the likes of Rich McKay, Jerry Angelo, Tim Ruskell and Bruce Allen. Morris and Dominik at least have a long-term plan, which is a step up over the previous regime. A long time ago, McKay and Tony Dungy were put in charge of this franchise when it was the worst in the league and a lot of people said they were in over their heads. McKay and Dungy had a plan and look how that turned out.

	Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
	The Buccaneers plan to bring rookie quarterback Josh Freeman along slowly.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled out their history Friday morning. Hopefully, they were taking notes and thinking of Josh Freeman.

He's their future and maybe even their present. Keep that in mind as we recap the show the Bucs put on in their auditorium at the sparkling palace that is One Buccaneer Place.

It was short and sweet -- a press conference to announce that the Bucs would wear their orange jerseys from 1976 as part of a throwback promotion for the Nov. 8 game against Green Bay. They had current players Antonio Bryant, Gaines Adams, Barrett Ruud and Earnest Graham walk out on stage as models. They also showed a video of the early years of the Bucs. Understandably, it was very brief.

But there was one shining moment in the video. It came as No. 12 flashed by a couple of times.

That's Doug Williams, the only true franchise quarterback in Bucs history. Let's remember that because it relates directly to Freeman.

A lot of people prefer to forget the early Bucs years, when the team lost its first 26 games and was headquartered at a bunker right off an airport runway. So why bring out the orange and white -- even as a ceremonial gesture -- when the pewter has worked pretty well the last dozen years?

"The answer is simple,'' Bucs co-chairman Ed Glazer said. "This is our history. This is where it all started.''

Truly, it started in 1978 when the Bucs drafted Williams out of Grambling in the first round. Former owner Hugh Culverhouse told Williams he'd have to start off as a backup and earn his job as he handed the quarterback a contract that was below standards even at the time.

Then, coach John McKay turned around and handed Williams the starting job. Throwing Williams to the wolves worked. The Bucs came darn close to getting to the Super Bowl the next season.

	Takashi Makita/NFL/Getty Images
	Quarterback Doug Williams started immediately for the Buccaneers. The franchise might do well to follow the same blueprint with Josh Freeman.

That's the lesson. You don't have to coddle a franchise quarterback.

Even though the Bucs have talked a lot about bringing Freeman along slowly, maybe that's not a formula for success. Stick with the history here. Coddling didn't work the other two times the Bucs thought they were getting a franchise quarterback.

Say what you want about Vinny Testaverde and Trent Dilfer. They both did some good things later in their careers. But neither turned out to be the savior the Bucs thought they were getting when the quarterbacks were drafted.

In 1987, Ray Perkins drafted Testaverde with the top overall pick and elected to sit him behind Steve DeBerg. In 1994, Sam Wyche selected Dilfer and followed a plan to play him behind Craig Erickson. What did the Bucs get from going with DeBerg and Erickson when it was common knowledge that they were only there for the short term?

Only a bunch of losses. It's nice to think long term and believe that a quarterback can gain more by sitting safely on the bench. But I'm not sure Testaverde and Dilfer benefitted from that and I know the Bucs didn't.

That's all part of what Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik need to decide as they ponder the plan for Freeman over the next few weeks. They've got Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich as alternatives.

Both have some experience. Both have some skills. But is McCown any different from Erickson? Is Leftwich any different than DeBerg?

No, they all are -- and were -- just "guys."

Morris and Dominik just invested $26 million (maybe as much as $36 million) in Freeman because they believe he's more than a "guy." Freeman was looking awfully good by the end of June workouts and he stuck around One Buc Place for much of the time his teammates were off.

"I'm going to try to give them every reason I can to start me," Freeman said as he checked into camp Friday morning.

That is going to be up to Freeman as the Bucs begin practice Saturday morning. Although the decision to draft Freeman was booed by Bucs' fans in April, there are some reasons to believe he can succeed -- and do so quickly.

He has the arm and the size and he seems to have the charisma of a franchise quarterback. He may be a little unpolished after coming out of Kansas State a year early. But there are general managers and coaches around the league who will tell you they thought more highly of Freeman than they did of Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, the first two quarterbacks taken in this year's draft.

Morris, who spent a year coaching at Kansas State, and Dominik fall firmly into that category. They traded up a few spots to grab Freeman at No. 17 because they believed someone else would beat them to the punch.

So why turn around and sit him?

Especially when you've got a good offensive line, solid running backs in Derrick Ward and Graham, and targets like Bryant and Kellen Winslow. Perkins and Wyche didn't have luxuries like that when they sat Testaverde and Dilfer. Heck, McKay didn't have an offense like that (although the Bucs were pretty good on defense) when he tossed Williams out there and it worked.

If Freeman shows much of anything in camp and the preseason, just start him.

There's a school of thought among some fans that the Bucs will open with McCown or Leftwich. Maybe they go about halfway through the season and then hand it off to Freeman. It makes plenty of sense because they play an Oct. 25 game in London against the Patriots. After that, they have a bye week followed by the unfreezing of the Creamsicles against Green Bay.

You just might see Freeman making his starting debut in orange and white. Then again, why not Week 1 against Dallas in pewter and red?