Bill Sheridan Speaks
February 21st, 2012
The Bucs' new defensive coordinator was very candid at his opening press conference
The Bucs’ new defensive coordinator stood at the podium at One Buc Palace today to greet local media and talk about all things Bucs defense.
Here are the highlights:
*Sheridan said he and the Bucs’ brass have been studying the volume of big plays against the Bucs in 2011 (20+ yards). Sheridan said it’s encouraging that “all of it is correctable.” … “A lot of that just has to do with great effort and pursuit to the ball,” Sheridan said. “We’re watching the worst plays … to get a feel for our personnel.”
*One common thread on the big pass plays, Sheridan said, was that there wasn’t any pressure. “From a schematic standpoint it was ironic, it was all just four-man rush [on big plays].” Sheridan explained that the Bucs will be more aggressive in their blitzing.
*Sheridan stressed heavily that “being demanding” of players is critical. “Everything we do will be with energy and urgency,” starting with “8 o’clock positional meetings,” Sheridan said.
*He said he takes full responsibility for his results in New York that got him booted from the Giants after one season (2009). He reminded reporters that Giants team started 5-0 and was the No. 1 defense in the NFL after those games. As for what collapsed with New York, Sheridan proactively offered two bits of hindsight: one was that he made a mistake in assuming, “we assumed things would get turned around” after the strong start and injuries. But Sherdan said in Tampa the newness of staff and its attention to detail means nothing will be assumed. As a second issue, Sheridan said his Giants were guilty of being to simple for opponents.
*Sheridan said he loves the Bucs’ youth. “Guys aren’t stuck in a five or six-year rut,” Sheridan said. “You can change guys.” … (editor’s insertion: Quincy Black is entering his sixth season.)
*On leadership, Sheridan said he doesn’t know enough about the players to assess. He’s eager to learn who are the “bellcows” of the defense.
*The new Bucs defensive coordinator says he hasn’t reached out to Ronde Barber yet. Roster needs won’t be heavily discussed until after the NFL scouting combine,” Sheridan said.
*Sheridan made it clear the Bucs will be a 4-3 defense.
*Sheridan said he loved Mason Foster coming out of college. “I pushed for him in the Dolphins draft,” he said. Sheridan says Foster can play all the linebacker positions. “I’m not hung up on pigeonholing.”
*Sheridan says he knows and embraces his role as the man delivering his bosses defense. He said having a defensive head coach like Schiano is a “gigantic advantage” and says it’s Greg Schiano’s defense and “I’m coordinating for him.”
“It’s Greg’s defense, for sure. I know exactly what I’m getting into,” Sheridan said. “I view it as a huge plus. It’s going to be great to have Greg as a resource and Butch [Davis].”
February 21st, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Good Work !!
Sheridan said. “We’re watching the worst plays … to get a feel for our personnel
I hope he has a few extra minutes … That might take a While !!
*Sheridan said he loves the Bucs’ youth. ”Guys aren’t stuck in a five or six-year rut,” Sheridan said. “You can change guys.” … (editor’s insertion: Quincy Black is entering his sixth season.)
HAHAHA
SO we have an Ex-LB Head COach .. Ex LB Coach now our DC .. Brian COx as Defensive assistant … and our teams weakest position ???
Here is to hoping we will once again have the best LB corps in the league
February 21st, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Just to see it on paper … Here you go
WLB
Rennie Curran
Adam Hayward
MLB
Mason Foster
Adam Cutrera
SLB
Quincy Black
Dekoda Watson
Find me a weaker group than that in the NFL. That cant be fixed in 1 year but we can get to work on it Now !!
February 21st, 2012 at 12:55 pm
How the hell can this guy be successful? Not sure I heard this guy use one word that began with a “Y.”
February 21st, 2012 at 12:59 pm
I like all of the coaches hired because I know there is no perfect staff. I especially like the Sullivan and Bostad hires on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, the reaction hasn’t been as positive because of Butch Davis’ choice to be a consultant instead of DC. Bill Sheridan isn’t the most impressive hire the Bucs have made, but we shouldn’t be so quick to call this a bad hire because of his one-year unsuccessful stint as DC for the Giants. Remember, this is the NFL where failure appears to be a right- of- passage in a lot of cases. If you haven’t failed, you haven’t tried is an oft- repeated mantra.
Let me give you a couple of well-known examples. During the 2002 season, after several poor showings by the Giants offense, Sean Payton was relieved of his play-calling duties and would have been fired had he not been hired by Bill Parcells as Asst. coach/QB coach at the Dallas Cowboys. And as most of you know, Bill Belichick bombed in Cleveland in 1996 and resigned before being fired. Like Payton, Belichick was rescued by Parcells and hired as Asst. coach/DB coach at the NE Patriots. And the rest is history as they say for both men.
While those examples do not guarantee that Sheridan will have the same subsequent success, it does suggest that one failure does not necessarily taint your career and is forevermore a sure indication of likely failure. I am simply saying give Sheridan as well as the other lesser-known coaches a chance and give the team a chance before condemning them to fail before the first snap.
There will obviously be some hits and misses out of the chute. That is why I’m on record as saying I’m not setting expectations too high for this year. My opinion and perhaps my opinion alone, because the Bucs are hiring all new staff, coupled with last year’s performance of a very young team, they look like a new expansion team, given permission by the NFL to select the nucleus of their new team from a semi-pro team (not quite that bad) and must go deep into free agency and have an excellent draft to field a competitive team this year.
However, I’m still optimistic because I’ve seen what adding one impact player can do for a team (Cam Newton) and conversely I’ve seen what losing one impact player can do to a team (Peyton Manning). So I’m going to be patient, forgiving, and not super critical of the coaches or the team this year. They’re headed in the right direction!
February 21st, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Who doesn’t like what the man is telling us?
Accountability, hard work……the staples of the Buccaneer D of old.
Another solid hire IMO.
So……when’s the first mini camp, the extra one team’s with new HC’s are allowed? Damn, you all remember what a bummer last off-season was? Things are most definitely different this year and I’m loving it!
February 21st, 2012 at 1:16 pm
“From a schematic standpoint it was ironic, it was all just four-man rush [on big plays].”
This statement is very telling and I think some of us have hinted to this, Morris’ schemes and play calling was terrible. Offensive Coordinators had a field day with him after one year of film at the helm of the defense. His tendencies must have been ridiculouly obvious and he contantly dumbed down the defense for some of the dunderheads that we have on this defense.
I want smart football players that don’t need to be catered to anymore. No more back of the class morons please.
February 21st, 2012 at 1:38 pm
What”s worse is that it wasn’t always a 4 man rush, sometimes it was a 3 man rush. Anyone remember Rah’s famous 3-3-5 defense? That might have worked if we were a 3-4 team, but a 4-3 team doesn’t have the personnel to run 3-3-5 and not get killed by draw plays and big TEs in the seams with no pressure on the QB.
February 21st, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I like were the D is headed to good Defensive minds Schaino Davis and Sheridan i expect to see a aggressive D Go Bucs
February 21st, 2012 at 1:51 pm
@Garv, “Accountability, hard work……the staples of the Buccaneer D of old.”
That should be the staple of any defense, on any team, at any time.
February 21st, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@BamBamBuc, Raheem called it his Redskin package (3-3-5). Ironically enough, we always got scalped when we ran it.
February 21st, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Quincy Black sucks!!!!
February 21st, 2012 at 1:55 pm
FYI: Man Utd are getting in better financial shape.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17116060
February 21st, 2012 at 1:57 pm
lmao @ bucfanjeff….very true, although i wish it wasn’t. hilarious though
February 21st, 2012 at 2:13 pm
I have to say…I’m really liking how this staff is coming together from a logical standpoint. The “special assistant” postitions of Jimmy Raye and Butch Davis really give the coordinators and coaches a level of accountability and a wealth of knowledge. Bryan Cox and Earnest Byner bring hard nosed, no-nonsense, former all-pro “cred” as position coaches. Every new thing has a chance of failing, but I really like how this is shaping up.
February 21st, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Schiano, Davis, Sheridan, Sullivan, Cox, Byner, etc… MOst thought, and me as well, that no matter what they did they would not be able to generate much excitement with whoever tehy hired.
That seems to be changing. People are generally started to get excited.
I know I am.
I just urge all of us to temper the enthusiasm a little because it will most likely be a 2 year process.
I think they have alot of key components in place and the disciplined coaching approach will change alot in the clubhouse and on the field but it will probably take more than one offseason.
Of course it depends on what players come in during free agency. That could play a HUGE part in turning things around.
The right guys with the right work ethic could turn this around quickly, and they do not need to be big name superstars that are seeking to get overpaid
February 21st, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Jonathan Grella sure is preaching to his pupils the use of “pigeonholing” a lot, isn’t he Joe??
February 21st, 2012 at 2:25 pm
very typical coach talk.
yawn.
February 21st, 2012 at 2:27 pm
The only bad thing about Grella is he’s a conservtive…not that that is bad from a government system…but the last thing most Bucs’ fans want is another “conservative” off-season. lol
February 21st, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Very well put.
Great interview. I think he did a really good job given that he’s really a puppet for Butch Davis. *tongue in cheek
“From a schematic standpoint it was ironic, it was all just four-man rush [on big plays].”
-I think this is kind of a no-brainer statement. EVERY big play being a pass down the field is successful b/c of lack of pressure. He also mentioned that it’s not all the DBs’ fault. I think the majority of the fault lies squarely on the DBs’ shoulders. You can either cover or you can’t. You can either tackle or you can’t/won’t. You can either catch and interception or you can’t. Pressure or not, if the ball comes your way and you’re a DB…you’d better have your WR shut down, cut off, etc and not miss a tackle, knock down, or have that WR just plain run right by you.
February 21st, 2012 at 2:33 pm
great effort and pursuit to ball.
who woulda thunk it!
pure genius.
February 21st, 2012 at 3:13 pm
GenocideD …
Dude .. even Revis can only cover someone for so long dude … Without pressure even the best DB group can look ordinary so I dont really agree with your assessment.
Also for all those hating on Raheems 3 Man front … The Bucs beat the Saints with that on the last game of the year in 2010. Then the Seahawks used some of the same plays to beat the Saints the next week in the playoffs. The reason it worked was because they couldnt get pressure with 4 or even 5 rushers … So they said screw it we will just drop 8 and rush 3.
February 21st, 2012 at 3:50 pm
“We’re watching the worst plays … to get a feel for our personnel.” – Translated means “we’re looking to see what players played through the whistle and which ones shut it down after the first snap of the ball”. Goes back to the “A” from TBA in Schiano’s news conference. Everyone should be held accountable, including your play from last year. LIKE IT!
Read a few articles last year from various sources that all stated that it was pretty obvious that the defensive gameplans were schematically unsound. If I recall one was from Steve White and another was Jeff Carlson, but both said the same things.
February 21st, 2012 at 4:22 pm
I agree with what you’re saying but I didn’t see Revis repeatedly take the wrong angle, miss tackle after tackle, or repeatedly get thrown over the top of like Biggers was all season. Or Tenard’s shoulder “tackle”s.
February 21st, 2012 at 5:09 pm
GenocideD,
Yeah .. Definitely not saying our CB are all that good. EJ Biggers I feels plays well for his 7th round draft status and is young and could grow to be a great Nickel Back.
Talib is a huge question and didnt play all that well last season.
Mack may have been our best corner last year lol
Maybe Myron Lewis wakes up …. But the Bucs need to look heavily at FA for CB and the Draft for sure.
February 21st, 2012 at 6:27 pm
@GenocideD
Why you gotta copy and paste everyone’s comments into your own? A simple @ or reference to the poster’s name will do. We have eyes!
Those who care enough to read, will read those people’s comments. I care not to read yours when I have to scroll down forever to read yours.
February 21st, 2012 at 6:34 pm
^^^ agreed
February 21st, 2012 at 8:44 pm
jvato24
Biggers is a waste of a roster spot.
If he were giving 100% and just coming up short it would be one thing, but that kid quits on a remarkable number of plays. It’s as though once he makes a play or two, he takes it easy and coasts.
I HATE QUITTERS.
If the new staff feels they can turn him around, that’s fine. But I hope to God they bring in a starter and demote Biggers, because he does not deserve to start at this point in time.
February 21st, 2012 at 8:44 pm
@Big Picture Guy
Crybaby. 😉
February 21st, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Wow! lol It’s a habit when we have 6 different conversations going. Sorry to offend you!