Ted Thompson Talks Joe Philbin, Tom Clements
January 19th, 2012
Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik often talks about how he hopes the Bucs one day emulate the Packers or the Steelers, two dominant franchises that rely heavily on the draft and have a general distaste for spending freely on free agents.
Part of the reason Dominik admires the Packers and Steelers is that arguably the two best general managers in the NFL, Ted Thompson and Kevin Colbert, respectively, are in charge of the two teams.
Thompson, who once told Peter King that free agents are “overpriced and overrated,” was scouting practices of the East-West Shrine Game this morning at Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg and Joe, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune and Kevin O’Donnell of WTVT Channel 13 were able to pidgeon-hole the soft-spoken Packers executive to talk about choosing an NFL head coach, and speak about two of his assistants rumored to be on the Bucs’ wish list, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and quarterback coach Tom Clements.
Thompson confirmed both men are scheduled to interview with the Bucs to replace jettisoned head coach Raheem Morris.
Why is the [league] trend going toward first-time head coaches?
Every [head] coach is at some time a first-time head coach. There [is no] head coach alive who wasn’t a first-time head coach. you have to start somewhere. I think it depends on the organization, the fit, the comfort level, the candidate, all of that stuff. I am certainly no expert. Every situation is different and in our case we felt like the right fit was Mike McCarthy.
Since the Packers have been so special you pretty much expect other teams would want your assistants, like Joe Philbin and Tom Clements.
I don’t want to get too specific on that. That will be for someone else to make that determination. They are both good men and both good football people. We are glad to have them.
Talk a little bit about what makes Joe Philbin a good coach.
He’s very intelligent, knows what is going on at every position. Great background with the offensive line. Understands the running game. Very good with players, good in front of the players, all of those things are positive.
And Tommy?
Same. Obviously, being a quarterback coach, he’s a little more involved in the passing game than other stuff but he’s been around a long time and accomplished a lot both as a player and as a coach. He’s well-respected by our team and certainly well-respected by the quarterbacks.
Can you share some thoughts on possibly losing those guys?
This time of year, there is a certain amount of uncertainty all over the league, not just with us. There are potential candidates with a lot of teams. You just go about your business and prepare for whatever comes back. You can’t be afraid of it and we certainly don’t want to keep our guys from making advancements in their profession.
What are some of the things that Tom Clements may have done with Aaron Rodgers that took him [to another level]?
I mean, he is a good coach, and I don’t mean to be simplistic about that, but he is a good coach. That means being a good listener and a good talker, being intelligent at that position. He has great experience at it. Like I said, I think all of our players, Aaron included, have a lot of respect for the job he has done. He is a very accomplished coach.
Can you speak to why Clements has rarely risen above quarterback coach? Except for a short stint at Buffalo and recently being linked to the Penn State job, he has always been a quarterback coach. Why is that? Is he just comfortable with that? Does he not aspire to be a head coach in the NFL?
I don’t know that. I haven’t spoken with him directly about his desires. But there is nothing holding me back from hiring Tom Clements. He is a good football man. Like I said, both of those guys are good people and that is the No. 1 requirement to being a good head coach, being a leader.
Have both of them talked to the Bucs?
I don’t specifically know their arrangements but they are supposed to. [The Bucs] did notify us.
UPDATE: Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports the Bucs interviewed Philbin today.
January 19th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I think if Philbin is HC, he bring Clements along as OC\AHC.
Clements appears to be a good coach on paper and it would appear he has the credentials to back it up.
January 19th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
if philbin gets a head coaching job the packers will probably hire clements to replace him
January 19th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Referring to picking coaches, he says “I am certainly no expert. ”
Well, Umm, aren’t you a general manager at the height of your profession? If you aren’t an “expert,” who the heck is? Certainly not all the talking heads on BSPN or the hacks writing on blogs…
January 19th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Either one would be good.
January 19th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Champkind…that’s just Ted being Ted. Extremely humble and soft-spoken. You will never hear him making bold predictions or chest pounding.
January 19th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
It seems more and more to me that the Bucs need to grab one of them SOOn or someone else will. For example, if the Dolphins hire Philbin, then Clements is probably the OC in GB or Miami, his choice.
I like that the Bucs have interviewed alot of guys but time is crunching now as these guys are going to start getting gobbled up.
January 19th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
For the Bucs to be like the Steelers or Packers we need to start with a good experienced GM. We are already behind the 8 ball. I’m sure those guys work past 4pm.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
“often talks about how he hopes the Bucs one day emulate the Packers or the Steelers, two dominant franchises that rely heavily on the draft and have a general distaste for spending freely on free agents.”
LMAO. what a joke.
1) First of all, the Steelers and Packers both have SUPERIOR organizations compared to the Bucs. Better front office, better GM’s than Dominick, etc!
2) There’s veterans and free agents mixed in with those teams.
3) Don’t all 32 teams have a draft every year? Doesn’t every team go into the regular season with a group of young guys that the team thinks is talented? So what makes the “draft” so special?
January 19th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
For everyone with the 4pm thing .. You sound like dumbasses. Thanks
January 19th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Brad:
You really have no idea how stupid that is. Seriously.
Might as well write how a football field is 160-yard long. It’s just as accurate as a statement. Pete writing that the Bucs asked permission from the Steelers to speak with Russ Grimm was more accurate.
Don’t be dumb and others may take your opinions seriously.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
It is amazing to me that people can see things so differently. Joe has been unwavering in his support for Mark Dominik, even to the point of calling him a “rockstar”. He seems to really believe it was a “coaching meltdown” that put us where we are.
Yet Raheem had 2 job offers right away, and was hired as a coach.
I respect Joe’s opinion about Mark Dominik, though I disagree, and I honestly hope he is right.
For if he is, that means we do have competitive talent, and a new coach will turn us around.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Joe’s humbled to have Dan Snyder commenting!
January 19th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Mean while our own division keeps improving while we sit and waste time on what ARRP coach to pick from, Saints just hired Spags as their D C……….great job rock star
January 19th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I agree with Brad. We are behind the 8 ball with 4PM in place. Joe don’t worry about Dom getting scooped up by another organization. It will never happen. The Bucs GM position will be his first and last. I hope I’m wrong. But I am not feeling it with this group of buffoons.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Glad Rah Rah got job offers and was hired. But, his melt down was as HC/DC not as a DB coach. Which is what he is now. So now he can stay acting like a kid and continue his chest bumps. Face facts. Worst Defense in Buccaneer history!!
January 19th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
…bucfanjeff…please….I cannot handle another Clements as OC suggestion.
Brad…I am so glad Joe put you in your place on the 4 pm thing…and he really put it to that Pete guy too! 😉
lol…patience is not your strong point is it?
Look at it this way….the Colts are only just starting their search.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Im a little worried about those dc hires by saints and falcons.
Hope the information gathering doesn’t come back to bite is.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
Spags to the Saints is a MONSTER transaction! That guy is less risky but just as aggressive as Greg Williams. It doesn’t and should not bear any weight on the Bucs because we are the bottom of the division by a considerable margin. Now even the Panthers seem to be on the right path before us. We just have to get someone in here and see what happens.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
@realbuc.. Not sure what you mean? I make comments about the 4pm thing to annoy fools like you that think Dom is a rock star which is equally annoying for a GM that is a failure. You and Joe are in the minority so not sure I was put in my place. You on the other hand have been put in your place more times than I can count. Your chapter writing is ridiculous and your points are never on point. Don’t have the time to list the plethora of ridiculous comments you’ve made and I think most have just decided to ignore you.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Great winning plan arch.
Is that really you mark Dominik?
Past your bedtime isn’t it? Or hasn’t joel read you a bedtime story yet?
January 19th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
@eric.. That was good.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Nolan are hardly HOF Defensive Coordinators guys. Relax.
There should be probably three guys being brought in next week for second interviews. I would guess Zimmer, Philbin, and Clements. In a perfect world I would try to get two of the three here in a package deal. I really think Schottenheimer was brought in more as a consultant than a real candidate.