Given the chance to address his own job security on a day when two NFL head coaches were fired, Raheem Morris refused to acknowledge Monday that he felt any more heat now that his disappointing Tampa Bay Buccaneers are mired in a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them to 4-9.
"When you're coaching, you are always on the hot seat. That's the mentality of what we do," Morris said at his morning news conference. "We were on the hot seat when we were 10-6. If we didn't go to the playoffs, we could still get fired."
Morris certainly didn't help his cause with Sunday's 41-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he insisted he isn't any more concerned than usual.
"I try to tell guys this all the time, if I was worried about being fired, I certainly would not be coaching," Morris said. "I would have taken that physical education job in Long Island that I turned down 15 years ago at this point."
As for his critics, Morris said the only criticism he cares about "comes from people with names that end with G," an obvious reference to Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer and his family.
The Bucs next play the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night in Tampa.
"It's great for you guys to scare my family half to death and talk about that stuff all throughout," Morris said. "But for us, man, it's a mentally tough business. It is move on. It is next opponent. It's next man up. It's the Dallas Cowboys. ... For me, a chance to ruin (Cowboys coach) Jason Garrett's season, and let you talk about him."
Morris, who became Tampa Bay's coach in January 2009, led the team to a 10-6 record last season after going 3-13 in his first season.
Notes: The Bucs placed LB Jacob Cutrera and DT John McCargo on season-ending injured reserve. DT Frank Okam was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. ... RB Nic Grigsby was released from the practice squad.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
