Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris may be a candidate for the St. Louis Rams' head coaching position, but he's not aware of it. NFL.com had reported the Rams had received permission to speak with Morris. Morris hasn't heard anything. Either way, he appears to be a hot commodity at the moment.

We're continue to see the negative effects of having such a good defense for so many years. Newly appointed defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is interviewing with the Denver Broncos today. And now linebacker coach Gus Bradley is meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are expected to be in the market for a defensive coordinator very soon and will meet with Bradley on Tuesday. Another familiar name - Rod Marinelli - also appears to be up for the job.

We're officially on Albert Haynesworth Watch and so the waiting begins. With the regular season over, the Tennessee Titans now have just over two months of exclusive negotiating time and they have started right away. The Titans GM called Haynesworth's agent on Monday.

As the season came to an end on Sunday, none of us were all too happy. Our 9-3 playoff bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers had become a 9-7 non-playoff team no one wanted to claim. As the losses piled up, so did the statistics…and not the good ones. So here’s one final statistical look at the season that was.

The Good

4-0 – The Bucs went 4-0 over the third quarter of the season, instilling hope in fans everywhere (take an antacid before reading the first of The Bad numbers).

226.2 – The passing offense actually finished 11th, which represents the highest finish since 2003.

306.1 – The defense finished in the top 10 in the league once again, allowing 306.1 yards per game. We’ll ignore the numbers they gave up in the final four games for right now.

90.2 – For all the criticism he gets, Jeff Garcia is a fairly efficient quarterback.

63 carries, 233 yards, 4 touchdowns – I don’t care if his stats were all that impressive or not, seeing Cadillac Williams back on the field was simply great. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for him to be ready for training camp.

83 catches, 1,248 yards, 7 touchdowns – Antonio Bryant was a welcome addition to the offense. Bryant finished 11th in the league in catches, 8th in yards, and 12th in touchdowns.

5th and 2nd – Clifton Smith didn’t play until week eight, but became an instant favorite. Smith is headed to the Pro Bowl after finishing 5th in the league in kickoff return average and 2nd in punt return average.

131 – Having the toughest season of his life emotionally, Matt Bryant finished with 131 points, good for 4th in the league.

137 – Barrett Ruud had another good season, finishing 4th in the league with 137 tackles.

The Bad

0-4 – Completely counteracting their record in the third quarter, the Bucs lost four straight to close out the season.

3-11 – The Bucs are 3-11 in December over the past three years.

386.0 – Over the last four games, Tampa Bay gave up 386.0 yards per contest, looking nothing like the typical Bucs’ D.

25 – In two years as the Bucs’ starter, Garcia has thrown just 25 touchdown passes. In 2008, seven other quarterbacks threw at least that many in just one season.

4 – Williams and Earnest Graham tied for the team lead with only four rushing touchdowns.

4.9 – The man who was supposed to be the next great returner – Dexter Jackson – averaged 4.9 yards on punt returns before losing his job. Jackson didn’t appear in a single game after week seven.

84.2% - While 84.2% may seem good, in a league where kickers seem to be getting more and more accurate, that number is only good for 20th in field goal percentage.

6.5 – While he’s shown flashes of greatness at times, Gaines Adams led the team with only 6.5 sacks. This isn’t a knock on Adams as much as pointing out that the Bucs need to get to the quarterback more.

1 – Tampa Bay only had one player with 80 or more tackles, the first time that’s happened in…well…I stopped looking back too far, it was getting depressing.

The Ugly

341.0 – The offense averaged 341.0 yards per game, good for 14th in the league and up four spots from last season. But the Bucs made the playoffs last season, so what would you take more offense or a spot in the playoffs? The answer is easy.

44-6 – The Philadelphia Eagles put a classic whooping on the Dallas Cowboys, assuring the Bucs a spot in the playoffs IF they had been able to get passed the Oakland Raiders.

2 – Two Bucs finished among the league’s top 40 rushers. Unfortunately they ranked 27th and 38th.

73 – Fighting through a number of nagging injuries, Derrick Brooks finished with 73 tackles on the season, the lowest total of his 14-year career.

The man many of us were hoping would be promoted was. Secondary coach Raheem Morris will take over for Monte Kiffin at defensive coordinator following the 2008 season.

Morris had been rumored to be Kiffin's successor for quite some time, but now it's a reality. This Bucs' fan is very happy. Morris has been in the Tampa system for quite some time now and knows the ins and outs of the Tampa 2. He should be able to make the transition fairly seamless.

Head coach Jon Gruden had the following to say about Morris:

"I like this defense. I believe in it, and certainly believe in Raheem Morris. I believe he'll be outstanding. I'm a big energy believer. I like guys with juice. I think you have to be a leader. I think you have to be able to motivate and stimulate these guys, relate to them -- veterans, young players. He knows the kind of players we're looking for. He knows the routine here in terms of what it takes to play in this system."

Thanks to TheUltimateBucFan for passing on this news.

Only returning recently from a broken left arm, safety Jermaine Phillips is now out for the season after suffering a broken right arm in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Heading into the final two games of the season, this is horrible news as the Bucs could definitely use Phillips experience. Sabby Piscitelli looks like he can be a good player in this league, but is still raw at times.

It appears as if quarterback Jeff Garcia will be back on the field against the San Diego Chargers, but there still is some question. Garcia is being evaluated daily and the Bucs should know within the next couple of days if he's ready to go.

Derrick Brooks and Gaines Adams were also hurt against the Falcons, but there isn't definitive information regarding either missing time just yet.

The man himself has confirmed it. Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will be joining his son at the University of Tennessee.

In the end, family won out.

"It boiled down to one thing: It was your son, and that's what it is."

Kiffin broke the news to the team on Wednesday and said it was one of the toughest decisions he's had to make.

"I told them kind of what I'm telling you. I said, 'Guys, this was a tough decision. I went back and forth. I said I just want you to know now. I didn't think it was right to keep carrying it out.'"

Losing Kiffin is tough news to swallow given all he's done for the team over the years. Luckily for us, he's taught so many of his assistants over time and hopefully someone can step in without the Bucs missing a beat.

It looks more and more like Jeff Garcia might not be able to play on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Garcia was limited in practice all week and did not participate in Friday's warmups. With backup Brian Griese only just getting back to being able to participate fully, Luke McCown could get the starting nod.

Nothing against McCown, but you when you're 9-4 and heading into a weekend when you could clinch a playoff spot, you don't want a guy that hasn't taken a snap all season running your offense.

Here are the happenings in Bucland...

Tampa Bay took a hit in ESPN's Power Rankings after the loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Jon Gruden says the Bucs have moved on from Joey Galloway.

Antonio Bryant isn't too happy about what was said about him following the Monday night game.

The St. Pete Times details the differences between the Bucs at home and the Bucs on the road.

Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost last night. But luckily for us, Antonio Bryant gave us a highlight-worthy catch we'll be talking about for a while. The word you're looking for is "GOO!!!"