After finishing the 2008 season with a 9-7 record, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were ready to make some changes in order to put themselves back on top. The once-feared defense ranked a staggering 19th in rushing defense and ninth in overall defense. One of the biggest changes came with the firing of head coach Jon Gruden, who had previously led the team to a Super Bowl. Most of the teams looking for new head coaches scoured the league in hopes of finding their next coach from the ranks of a top-ranked team, but the Bucs chose to promote from within instead. They took defensive coach Raheem Morris and promoted him to head coach and also promoted director of pro personnel Mark Dominik to the position of general manager. See both start their new positions with Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets.

Morris was a safety in college when he played at Hofstra from 1994 to 1997. He started coaching the year after as the graduate assistant as his alma mater. In 1999, Cornell hired him as their defensive backs coach and special teams assistant. He was back at Hofstra in 2000 as their defensive backs coach in 2000, a position he stayed in until 2001. Also in 2001, Morris made his first foray into the NFL ranks, becoming the defensive minority intern for the New York Jets. He had his first experience with the Bucs in 2002 as their defensive quality control coach. He was moved to the Bucs defensive assistant in 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he was Tamp Bay\'s assistant defensive backs coach. The next season, he returned to the college ranks, becoming the defensive coordinator for Kansas State for a year. He returned to the Bucs as their defensive backs coach in 2007 and 2008. He was first named the Bucs new defensive coordinator at the end of the season when Monte Kiffin left to coach at the University of Tennessee.

Although a young choice for general manager, Dominik has been with the Bucs for quite some time. He started his career with the Kansas City Chiefs working with their college personnel and pro personnel departments. He started with the Bucs as a pro personnel assistant in 1995, a position he stayed in until 1997. In 1998, he became the Bucs pro scout. By 2000, he was promoted to the position of coordinator of pro personnel. He was later promoted to director of pro personnel for Tampa Bay.

Not only does the hiring of Morris and Dominik say something about the Bucs desire to keep the promotions internal, it also hints at the franchise\'s willingness to experiment with young talent. Morris is 32 years old, making him the youngest coach in the NFL. Dominik is 37 years old, also very young for a general manager. Gruden was the coach of the Bucs for seven years before being fired, meaning that Morris will likely get a fair chance to succeed in his new position. Dominik replaces general manager Bruce Allen.