TAMPA, Fla. — New Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris made the first major addition to his staff on Thursday, hiring Jim Bates to replace him as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Jim Bates was a linebacker at the University of Tennessee (1964-67), graduate assistant at UT (1968), coach at Sevier County High School (1969-71) and linebackers coach at UT (1989).
Morris was promoted from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator on Christmas Day, but wound up with his first head coaching job after Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired last week.
The defensive coordinator’s position opened initially when Monte Kiffin decided to leave the Bucs to join his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee.
Bates, who has been in coaching 39 years, has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL for eight seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (1994), Miami Dolphins (2000-04), Green Bay Packers (2005) and most recently the Denver Broncos (2007).
Bates also was the Dolphins’ interim head coach for the final seven games of 2004.
Under Bates, the Dolphins ranked sixth in the league in total defense in 2000, fifth in 2001, third in 2002, 10th in 2003 and eighth in 2004. The year he left (2005), Miami slipped to 18th.
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Comments » 5
TommyJack writes:
Bates is a solid football man.
utvol17 writes:
Looks like Monte got out of town just b4 the house caved in doesn't it? Bates is well seasoned and will do a good job if past experience is an indicator. Gruden will just have to sit at home for a year looking mean into a mirror.
rockytop#413695 writes:
I'd bet a C note ole Bill could kick your ars in about half a second. Anyone agree with me?
TommyJack writes:
Please add RobtheVol (AKA Naffy) to the ignore list.
OrangeMagic writes:
I agree with that.
I guess that Bill Bates was such a coward, he ends up having a stellar career with the Cowboys. Cowards do not make it to the NFL or stay.
Where do all these whiny azz people come from that call themselves Vol fans? All they do is sit and cry about something they themselves could never do. Oh yeah, that's called a critic. Go hang out on the FL and Bama sites
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