REAR ENTRIES: Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me
January 27, 2012 at 10:14am by Scott • No Comments »
REACTIONS TO SCHIANO: The Times mad some calls and spoke with some people who had a background with Greg Schiano to get their reactions to his hiring by the Bucs. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:
“I think with the attention to detail and doing things the right way, players know he’s tough. But you know he cares, too.”
“Guys are going to love playing for him. He’ll be hard on you. But you’re going to love him for it because he does it for the right reasons.”
“He’ll have command when he stands in front of that team. He’ll have instant respect from those guys. And I know he’ll have a plan and he’ll stick to that plan. He’s not going to deviate.”
Go back and read comments about Raheem Morris. They’re very similar — the whole “tough but caring” vibe is Raheem’s stock in trade. Players really did love him. But the difference here is that Schiano also has 11 years of experience head coaching a football team. So if you can add experience to the ability to make players play hard for you, you might have a winning combination. Or you might still have a disaster. What am I, psychic?
Also, I forgot Jeremy Zuttah went to Rutgers and played his entire college career under Schiano. There are some quotes from him in the article above, and he also did a radio interview about his new coach here (link via JBF).
CHAMPIONSHIP PROMISES: I wouldn’t have mentioned this if it hadn’t come up a few different times, but while I was reading different quotes about Schiano, I came across multiple references to Schiano promising to take Rutgers to a championship and reminders that he never did.
The first real paragraph of the nj.com article that announced Schiano’s departure:
Greg Schiano, who returned Rutgers to respectability but never delivered the championships he repeatedly promised during his 11 years on the job, has abruptly left the school — at the height of recruiting — to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers…
That part about recruiting is not insignificant. National Signing Day is next Wednesday. You can bet the vultures are going to come out and try to pull Rutgers commits to different schools now that Schiano left. It’s kind of a shitty time to leave, not that Schiano could have done much about it since the Glazers took so long.
From the Rutgers AD, Tim Pernetti:
“Those championships (Schiano promised) are down the road.”
That’s in the middle of a paragraph of praise for Schiano, so I don’t want it to come across as Pernetti dogging Schiano. But it would have been easier to not mention the promised championships. He did, and probably to emphasize that Schiano didn’t deliver. Just a little dig, but there’s still some bitterness there.
I’m sure when Schiano promised those championships, he meant Big East championships, which seems like a reasonable goal given how much he improved the Rutgers program and how shitty the Big East is overall. But still, leaving and never having delivered makes him look like college football’s Rex Ryan, minus the foot thing. Jon Gruden came in a promised nothing more than “a lot of hard work and effort”, kept expectations relatively low and produced a championship that year. We’ll see how much Schiano promises in Tampa and how loud the bravado gets.
KELLEN WANTED CHUD: Kellen Winslow was one of the most vocal supporters of Raheem Morris, going so far as to say that he didn’t want to play for anyone else. But no one asked Winslow his opinion before the Bucs canned Raheem, so unless he retires, he’s playing for someone else. He doesn’t mind Schiano, but he really wanted Rob Chudzinski.
“I was really hoping for Coach Chudzinski who I was with at Miami and Cleveland,” Winslow said. “But, you know, we got another guy in Greg Schiano who I know and heard he’s one of the best coaches people have been around. And he’s got a lot of enthusiasm and [is] real energetic so I’m excited, man.”
No, he’s not excited. When asked what Chud would have brought to the table:
“Just a guy that could come in and take over and get this offense going,” Winslow said. “And, you know, I mean, he’s been top of the league past seasons, Chud I’m talking about. You got Cam Newton going over there and their offense rolling over there and they’re a much better team for it. Just past connections and I know what offense he runs and love his offense obviously.”
Kellen wanted an offensive guy, which is no surprise. And we’ll see what kind of OC Schiano brings in. It will be interesting to see how Winslow reacts if it isn’t someone he really likes or gives him a lot of touches. Was Winslow’s maturity and work ethic his own doing, or was it because he respected Raheem so much and didn’t want to let him down?
Oh, and congratulations to PFT for bringing up the soldier comment again. Very relevant. Say, how’s Terry Bradshaw doing these days?
UPDATED: Who’s The New Coach? That Guy!
January 26, 2012 at 12:11pm by Scott • 29 Comments »
I don’t know who Greg Schiano is and if you say you do you’re a liar. All I know is he is the head coach of Rutgers and has a 68-67 record there. I don’t keep up with much of what happens in the Big East. Although I have a passing interest in what happens with USF, it’s really not enough to translate into bothering to know anything about their fellow conference members. Ray Rice went to Rutgers, right? I remember 2006 was a big deal for them — the only year they were ranked. And now it looks like he’ll be the next head coach of the Buccaneers. Because, really, why the fuck not?
According to multiple reports, the Bucs plan to hire Rutgers coach Greg Schiano if terms of a contract can be reached.
Chip Kelly had leverage because he’s a rock star college coach now. Schiano, on the other hand, is coming from New Jersey, so the fact that he can see the sun in Tampa would be compensation enough for him to take the job. Nothing is completed yet, but if the Glazers really want him, it’s going to happen.
Schiano is a defensive coach, but I honestly don’t know anything about his scheme. I’ll look into it. I also haven’t heard about who he’d bring in as coordinators, but I can’t imagine he has the influence to bring in any big names. He has endorsements from Bill Belichick, so that’s nice. But then again, so did Josh Daniels. Soooo…. are you excited yet?
UPDATE: It’s official now. To make yourselves feel better, try to keep in mind all those college coaches that went on to successful careers in the pros. Jimmy Johnson, umm…. is it too early to count Jim Harbaugh? So there’s two. Hooray!
Draftable Cornerbacks
January 25, 2012 at 03:55pm by Scott • 11 Comments »
Since nothing of any consequence has happened regarding the head coaching position, we might as well talk about the draft. In past years, I’d go over the Bucs’ roster first and then start talking about draftable prospects. But without knowing what systems are going to be in place, there’s really no point in talking about the current guys when many of them may be eliminated just based on scheme. So, we’ll dive right into the young kids.
That didn’t come out the way I meant it.
I think most of us can agree that cornerback is one of the most pressing (no pun) needs on the team, and is probably #1. Mark Dominik has drafted three true cornerbacks since he has been GM: E.J. Biggers, Myron Lewis and Anthony Gaitor, none higher than Lewis in the third round. None of them have made much of an impression, although Biggers has gotten significant playing time. Aqib Talib, on the other hand, who was drafted in Bruce Allen‘s last year in the first round, is arguably the most talented player on the defense and is a definite playmaker (let’s overlook the character concerns for the purposes of this conversation). The lesson Dominik will probably take from this is that he needs to spend a high draft pick in order to get a real quality cornerback. So if I had to bet, I’d say that the Bucs pick a cornerback in the first or second rounds.
The Bucs have the fifth pick in the draft, and that’s probably high enough to get Morris Claiborne (LSU), the top corner on everyone’s board. Great hands and instincts and is rarely out of position. He is fast, generally running in the mid 4.4s, and I think is measurables like his vertical and backpedaling drills will be high at the combine. Claiborne is also a solid kick returner. Great blend of athleticism and smarts who is clean off the field. The only thing that I see as a negative is his weight. He lists now at 185 but I’ve seen him at 177 and he doesn’t look any different. That’s going to be an issue when he goes up against a big, physical receiver like Calvin Johnson who can jam him on the line and then go in for the quick pass. It’s something that can be fixed and he may try to get that weight and build up in the next month before the combine and continue to work on it up through the draft. But besides that, he’s a top quality cover corner.
Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) is another top-rated cornerback, generally thought of as the #2 or #3 available. He’s tall at 6-2, but still only about 192 or so. He’s not a burner but has enough speed — probably about a 4.5 40. He’s a hard hitter, a sure tackler, and can play both press and zone well. He doesn’t have a lot of picks at Alabama and isn’t exactly a ball hawk — he’s better at blanking out the receiver than intercepting. Oh, and he was just arrested for pot possession. If you remember, Talib tested positive for pot three times at Kansas. Does this mean that Kirkpatrick will turn out just like Talib and have constant legal issues? Yes. Yes it does.
(Backup joke: “No, of course not. When have you ever heard of an Irish guy having substance problems?”)
The Bucs could trade down and get Kirkpatrick with a mid-first rounder, depending on his combine performance. But it really doesn’t seem worth it to me. That seems like the worst of both worlds of value and talent. If the Bucs are going to spend their first round pick on a corner, they should get the best.
In the second round, you’ve got guys like Alfonzo Dennard (Nebraska) and Janoris Jenkins (North Alabama) that could work, although Jenkins is another guy who has off-the-field issues (which is the reason he isn’t at Florida anymore). Dennard is a little shorter, but stockier and a very physical cover corner, but struggles some in zone. He’s aggressive, but that same aggressiveness got him ejected from the Capital One Bowl a few weeks ago when he threw a punch on the field.
All in all, this is a weak draft for top cornerbacks. But Claiborne is the real deal. The Bucs have taken on projects before with lower-round corners in the past and none of them have really worked out. Unless the new coaching staff has some outstanding cornerback guru who can mold a talented but raw kid into a decent corner, they’re going to need to spend a high pick on one or deal with it in free agency. And if they’re going to do it in this draft, it pretty much have to be Claiborne.
Mike Sherman Gets Second Interview
January 24, 2012 at 12:32pm by Scott • 8 Comments »
The headline pretty much sums it up.
By Monday afternoon, former Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman became the first candidate to be called for a second interview with the Bucs this week.
Which makes him the frontrunner again. Fennelly was right in that this news is not exciting in any way. But at least I don’t think Sherman will bail for a better deal in two years. I couldn’t say the same for Chip. And as long as we’re talking about him…
Compensation was not a factor in Kelly’s decision to remain in Oregon. He signed a six-year agreement with Oregon worth $20.5 million in 2010, an average of just over $3.4 million per season, making him the Pac-10′s second highest-paid coach behind USC’s Lane Kiffin.
First of all, fuck Lane Kiffin. Second, just because Kelly is already making a bunch of money doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to make more or that he didn’t see an opportunity to make more down the line by throwing his name out there as a potential NFL coach. More and more big colleges coaches are nothing more than hired guns who will jump at the first opportunity to increase their salary, whether it’s by going to another job or just making their current employer think they will. It’s so sad. Oh, also, have I mentioned fuck Lane Kiffin?
This Interview Process Isn’t Entertaining Enough!
January 24, 2012 at 12:21pm by Scott • 4 Comments »
Now that Chip Kelly has decided to stay in Nikeville, several articles have come out characterizing the Glazers as spurned and jilted, as though they have something to be embarrassed about. The dumbest and most insulting, of course, comes from Martin Fennelly.
Now they have egg on their face – Duck egg, no less.
Oregon’s Chip Kelly will not be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach and we’re beginning to wonder if anyone will. It’s jilted at the altar, hold the Tuna.
Did anyone say that Jeff Fisher left the Dolphins at the alter? No. He considered his options and picked one. We don’t know how far along negotiations were. Kelly could have said he wanted $10-million and when the Glazers told him no, he backed out. But somehow this is an embarrassment for the Bucs and now no one wants to be the head coach. Right.
It’s face saving time.
If the Bucs are interested in a coach and that coach decides to use the team for leverage with his current team, that’s not something the Bucs can do much about. They didn’t come to Oregon groveling on their hands and knees begging for Chip Kelly to come and rescue their franchise. It was a fucking job interview.
Kelly will be an NFL coach one day soon, so this had to be more than smelling the Oregon tall firs. Could it be that Kelly sniffed the Bucs and said not there, not now? Has the Tampa Bay brand fallen that badly?
This is one possibility, but it’s the one that everyone seems to be grabbing for. Could it be that Kelly heard something at the interview that gave him a bad vibe about the Bucs? Sure. I’m not sure what that would be, but I’m thinking Dominik and the Glazers didn’t open the interview with “Well, we’re not going to spend any money on players, so suck on that.” Everyone puts on their best face for the first impression. More likely, if we’re assuming he heard something he didn’t like, it was from someone else he knows in the business that also knows the Bucs and maybe gave him some dirt. But I still think he never really intended to leave Oregon unless he got a Godfather-type deal.
I mean, getting dumped by Parcells is one thing, actually. Actually, it’s two things, since he dumped the Bucs twice.
But … Chip Kelly ?
“Dumped”. Yes, that’s exactly what happened (can you hear my eyes rolling through your monitor?). And if anyone should know dumps, it’s the guy who squats and leaves a fresh one in the sports section every morning.
I mentioned Kelly as a possibility a month ago in the name of offense, offense, offense. I dropped the idea when Kelly’s name didn’t surface on many NFL search or interview lists. Give the Glazers and Bucs general manager Mark Dominik high marks for stealth – and low marks for finishing.
“Yes, only I know the secret plans of the Glazers! I, and no one else, came up with the revolutionary idea of interviewing a college head coach who had recently been to the National Championship game. It was a stretch, much like getting my arms high enough to pat myself on the back without hyperventilating.”
How do you like your eggs, scrambled, fried or over easy?
Wow, a food reference. Who would have guessed?
Who, Glazers included, is excited about any of the men who’ve already been interviewed?
Marty Schottenheimer?
He might be the best face-saver handy, a fall back, a stabilizer, a caretaker.
Excited?
Hey, there’s Mike Sherman?
Excited?
I like Rob Chudzinski, but he’s a little green, and who would he bring to work the defense?
Chip Kelly would have been exciting, at least until the losses start to add up. But he isn’t coming. And if there are no more candidates that Fennelly considers exciting enough, then this section has no purpose than to rub the Bucs’ faces in the fact that they didn’t get him. Classy.
If all this talk seems slightly scattershot, how is it any different than the Glazers? They have been all over the place with this search, by age, by experience, by any measure.
Yeah, who needs to bring in a wide range of diverse coaches to choose from? They should have just cloned Chip Kelly five times and interviewed all of them. Much more consistent.
And everyone they’ve interviewed has been a coordinator or head coach in the NFL, except his buddy Chip. And the extremes of age have been Chud at 43 and Schott at 68, both within reason. Raheem Morris wasn’t within reason, so they’ve learned that lesson.
At least Chip Kelly wouldn’t have been boring. It might have been fun.
What’s fun now?
The interview process is never fun. It’s not supposed to be. You know what is fun? Winning football games. It NEVER GETS OLD. So how about we let them pick someone they think is a winner and then we can start the criticism?
Chip Kelly Came And Went Like A Cheap Whore
January 23, 2012 at 08:48am by Scott • 11 Comments »
Over the weekend, the news broke that the Glazers secretly interviewed Chip Kelly for the Bucs’ head coaching position. And now, according to Rick Stroud, they are finalizing the deal.
Kelly would make the jump from college to the NFL if a financial agreement can be reached, Portland’s KGW-TV reported Sunday night.
Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said he has no plans to travel to Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., today in anticipation of an agreement with Kelly. As of Sunday night, there were many details to work out, the Times confirmed.
Dominik can go ahead and go to Alabama now.
Chip Kelly, who was in negotiations to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, has changed his mind and decided to stay at the University of Oregon, according to several news reports.
When the Glazers want someone they make the push to get him, so Kelly probably was never really serious about this. It may have been to show Oregon that he will consider the NFL and that they need to give him a raise to keep him from doing it again next year. I had originally thought Lane Kiffin leaked the meeting a week before National Signing Day so he could pillage Kelly’s incoming freshmen, but now it appears that Kelly himself probably did it to create leverage with Oregon. People are scum.
Kelly’s offense at Oregon was a spread offense run at 100 MPH. They get the ball snapped with 30 seconds still left on the play clock, giving defenses no chance to substitute players or adjust to whatever the offense is doing. That offense requires a smart, athletic quarterback who can live in the shotgun. Know anyone like that? He may not have run that exact system in Tampa, but it would have been similar. And Josh Freeman is built that for that offense. I was actually getting kind of excited about the possibilities.
At least this shows that the Glazers are thinking outside the box again and that no one is off limits. I hope Kelly’s teasing doesn’t discourage them from trying more bold moves. Man, Mike Sherman really would be a bland let down now.
Cross Off Philbin
January 21, 2012 at 10:10am by Scott • 12 Comments »
Well, the one guy I was really wanting to try out has been snatched up by someone else, just like my experimental summer in college. Joe Philbin has been hired by Miami.
“Worked five years with Joe Philbin,” former Packers executive Andrew Brandt tweeted. “Calm, cerebral, humble and a skilled offensive mind. His style will resonate with players.”
If you take away the word “offensive”, you pretty much have everyone’s description of Tony Dungy, so I don’t know why this guy didn’t get more buzz for Tampa. I thought he was just what the Bucs needed at this point in their development. Anyway, good luck to Philbin in Miami. And look forward to several weeks of the Miami press trying to find a clever way to combine “Philbin” and “Phins”.
So now we’re down to only seven candidates. I guess my next choice would be (sigh) Marty Schottenheimer and his track record of turning teams around. Mike Zimmer would also be pretty strong, so he’s a close second. Tom Clements seems like a decent choice, but I’d like him to be a coordinator for a little longer before he takes over an entire team. I am totally ambivalent about Mike Sherman and Rob Chudzinski. I really have no feelings about them at all. And Brad Childress can still eat a big bowl of dicks.
Scouting Will Be Fine
January 19, 2012 at 03:36pm by Scott • 3 Comments »
Stephen Holder reminds us that even while the Bucs continue to interview and ponder their options, the rest of the football world continues to spin, including those college games specifically created to showcase upcoming draftable prospects. And since the Bucs don’t know what kind of offensive or defensive scheme they’re going to run, Holder thinks they’re at a disadvantage while scouting those games.
Because the Bucs are still without a head coach and coordinators, scouting future Buccaneers becomes a bit trickier. Right now, it’s less clear which players are better suited for the types of offensive and defensive schemes the Bucs will run. We don’t yet have an idea what those schemes will look like and what elements will be emphasized. Therefore, the team is having to cast a wider net in its scouting efforts, at least for the time being.
Meh. These kinds of distinctions really only matter on the lines. If they want to run a zone or power scheme dictates the kinds of offensive linemen they’ll want. The same goes for the whole 3-4/4-3 thing. But receivers need to catch, runners need to run, corners need to cover and linebackers need to tackle. I don’t want to minimize what scouts do because it’s a very important job in football, but good players are good players. That they fit a particular scheme is just a bonus.
To be clear, we should point out that the Bucs’ regional scouts do this anyway. They scout players of all kinds from just about every school and report back to Hickey and general manager Mark Dominik. But in a perfect world, you’d like to start zeroing in on certain players at this time of year, especially with the Senior Bowl upcoming next week.
They can still do that. Again, linemen are the only ones who will really be tougher to zero in on, and it’s not like they’re going to be without a head coach forever. We’re only talking about a couple more weeks. The new head coach will be sleeping at the facility for the first year anyway, so he’ll still get plenty of film study in on the college kids before the combine. Dominik is thorough in his research and isn’t going to pick someone without having done it.
I get it, you have to write about something. And this is an interesting angle, but ultimately it isn’t all that important. I’ll bet the papers wish they had clickys to keep the readers coming in during this dead period.
Time Stand Still
January 18, 2012 at 10:03am by Scott • 5 Comments »
I know sometimes I’ll say that nothing is happening because the news has slowed down to a trickle, but there’s still at least a little something going on. Not today. Today, from a Buccaneer standpoint, is identical to yesterday. Like Groundhog Day, except without “I Got You, Babe”.
So, here is what I could scrounge up from the various outlets around the internet that haven’t blacked themselves out today. They’re not even worth a Rear Entry, so I just kind of loosely threw them in here. Oh, the desperation…
* Cheerleader Milly Figuereo is this year’s selection to go to the Pro Bowl and the Bucs have posted a video of her preparation for it. The video covers absolutely nothing about how they’re supposed to shower in Hawaii or the rumored cheerleader make-out sessions that take place after the game. But if you want to watch five and a half minutes of a chick watching a video and dancing to it with her clothes on, feel free. Milly’s palm light has started to blink, so if you want to see more of her, you better get your fill now.
* Remember Mike Current? Of course you don’t. He was the starting right tackle for the 1976 Buccaneers, selected via the expansion draft. And he’s dead now. Shot himself in the head. He had been indicted on charges of sexually abusing three children under the age of 14. Five counts of first-degree sexual abuse. My guess is that most innocent people won’t off themselves right before they have to enter their plea, so I’m going to assume that another child abuser is gone from the planet now. Hey, it’s turning out to be a good day after all.
* Hugh Culverhouse, Jr. compared himself to Rosa Parks when he sued Sarasota County for not being able to develop more subdivisions.
“By God, I’ll spend my millions — which are more than Sarasota County has — to be treated equally,” said Culverhouse, the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse Sr. “By God, I have the same rights as Rosa Parks. I’m sick of being discriminated against.”
Thank God someone is finally sticking up for the millionaire land developers. It’s refreshing to see a rich white guy get his due. No more having to give up their seats in the stretch Hummer limos for them!
* I don’t normally report what other people say they think is going to happen with regard to the Bucs because most people are idiots. But Steve White is one of the few balanced voices of reason out there in Buc Land and definitely worth listening to. According to JBF, out of the current selection of head coaching candidates, he would prefer Mike Zimmer. His reasoning seems to be Zimmer’s reputation for being a disciplinarian and his ability to recruit quality assistant coaches. It also doesn’t hurt that White was a defensive end and Zimmer is a defensive guy.
That’s it. If there’s nothing new tomorrow, I may actually have to talk about this ridiculous group of teams in the championship games.
First Round Almost Over
January 17, 2012 at 03:04pm by Scott • 5 Comments »
According to Jason La Canfora, the Bucs will conclude their first round of interviews this week. IS THAT TIMETABLE OKAY FOR YOU ASSHOLES IN THE MEDIA?
Bucs plan to end 1st round of interviews by weekend, then conduct 2nd interviews w/ finalists next week. OAK wants to talk to Philbin, too
So next week they’ll likely have their second round of interviews and then maybe pick their man by that weekend for a press conference the following Monday. And if that man is Brad Childress, a large sinkhole will open up under One Buc Place that Tuesday because God will not allow any team dumb enough to make that decision to have such a nice facility.
And even though Joe Philbin seems to be the antithesis of what it is to be a Raider (e.g., he looks clean, he does not have a criminal record, he still has all his teeth), he does like to play the vertical game, something the Raiders are famous for. Al Davis may be dead, but he was practically dead for year before they actually buried him. I wouldn’t put it past him to be running that team from the grave.