Morris finds Bucs' winning formula in back-to-back victories Raheem Morris likes the way his team is playing right now, and well he should. With their running game and defense leading the way, the Bucs have won two straight games for the first time in more than a year. There's just one thing Morris isn't quite sure of: Is it real or a mirage? "That's what I have to find out,'' Morris said Monday, in the wake of the Bucs' stunning 20-17 overtime victory against the New Orleans Saints. "That's what I have to ask my players. 'Are you hot or is this your game?' I'm hoping this is our game, because I like the way we're going. This is the formula right here. Run the football, play-action pass, easy completions, play good defense, keep them out of the end zone.'' The Bucs have followed that formula the past two weeks, and Morris says the Bucs' goal now is to keep it going for one more so they can carry it over into the offseason and next season. Of course, Morris' status for next season is still unknown. He led the Bucs on Sunday amid rumors the team's owners had contacted Bill Cowher to gauge his interest in becoming their head coach. Morris seemed unfazed by those reports following the Bucs victory and he continued to speak confidently on Monday about his future as the Bucs' coach. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be here tomorrow,'' Morris said. "When you do what I do, you don't worry about that. You have to go do your job. When you start worrying about that stuff, you get diced.'' Morris reiterated Monday a desire to possibly continue as defensive coordinator. Since Morris replaced Jim Bates in that capacity five games ago, the Bucs have improved markedly on defense. A unit that previously surrendered 378 yards and 29 points per game held the Saints scoreless for the final 43 minutes Sunday and has allowed an average of 333.8 yards and 17.4 points since the change was made. "I kind of like having the keys right now,'' Morris said of running the defense. "It's a lot of fun. It's fun being able to make those adjustments at halftime. It wasn't fun the first two drives of the game yesterday, looking at (Saints Coach) Sean (Payton) over there and thinking, 'Oh, God, what's he going to go to now.' But you try to stay one step ahead. "I mean, halftime couldn't come quickly enough for us. But we get there and make some adjustments and come back with your team. Just the feel of those guys when you stand in front of them and talk to them was great. "There was no panic. They knew what we had to do, we went out and we executed the game plan and we were able to hold 'em scoreless in the second half, which was awesome. So being able to have that kind of control with the keys in your hand is a lot of fun." Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune/The St.Petersburg Times December 2009