Buccaneers hire Morris as new head coach

It didn't take long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to find a new head coach.

Raheem Morris, 32, who spent the past two seasons as the team's secondary coach and was recently promoted to defensive coordinator, is expected to be introduced as the team's replacement for Jon Gruden today, following Friday afternoon's surprise dismissal of Jon Gruden.

Morris, who was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State in 2006, almost won the Denver Broncos' head coaching job two weeks ago, interviewing for hours with team owner Pat Bowlen, who was looking for a replacement for another Super Bowl-winning coach, Mike Shanahan. The Broncos instead went with another 32-year-old coordinator, Josh McDaniels, who ran the offense for the New England Patriots.

The move to Morris came only hours after Gruden, who led the team to its only Super Bowl title, had been fired after seven seasons with the team.

Gruden was dismissed along with general manager Bruce Allen following a lengthy meeting Friday afternoon with the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers. Gruden was 60-57 during his tenure, including the playoffs, making him the winningest coach in franchise history, but only 22-26 over the past three seasons.

"These decisions are never easy," Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer told reporters late Friday afternoon. "This is the toughest decision you can make for an NFL franchise. ... Jon and Bruce are consummate professionals. They've poured their heart and soul into this franchise. It's really been an honor to work with them. They gave their all."

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Gruden was "blindsided" by the move, according to a source close to the coach. Gruden had three years remaining on a contract extension he received after winning the NFC South in 2007.

ESPN also reported that the dismissals were costly for the Buccaneers — approximately $25 million in contract commitments for the two men. Gruden had signed a three-year, $15.3 million extension and was under contract through 2012. Allen was making more than $2 million a year, according to sources.

Meanwhile, NFL.com's Adam Schefter — who first broke the story online — reported that the Glazers' decision came after interviewing several players over the past couple of weeks regarding their opinion of Gruden.

"Suffice to say, the message delivered to the Glazers about Gruden wasn't favorable," Schefter reported. "One of the worst-kept secrets in the league was the way Buccaneers players felt about Gruden. There wasn't a real affinity there."

Morris has made a meteoric rise from Hofstra's defensive backs coach in 2000-2001 to head coach of the Bucs in 2009. Considered a rising star in the coaching ranks and a protege of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin — whose team is playing for the AFC Championship on Sunday — Morris was named defensive coordinator on Dec. 25, taking over for Monte Kiffin, who left to become defensive coordinator on his son Lane's staff at the University of Tennessee.

Tomlin was the Bucs' defensive backs coach from 2001-05 and the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2006 before interviewing with the Steelers. Tomlin was 34 when hired by the Steelers.