Greg Schiano’s Attention To Detail
March 28th, 2012
Lots of words have been tossed around since the Bucs hired Greg Schiano to replace the jettisoned Raheem Morris to start the new year.
“Disciplined” is one of the most used. “Tough” is another.
Let Joe add “detailed” to the vernacular.
This morning, Schiano had his breakfast sitdown with scribes covering the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach. From the details of the coaches breakfast, it reminds Joe of the Big Ten football coaches media days he used to attend: each coach sits at a big round table and reporters bounce from table to table to pepper coaches with questions in a very relaxed environment.
One subject that came up with Schiano was Mason Foster, per Twitterings that have surfaced. There has been talk recently of whether Foster, playing out of position as a rookie calling defensive plays at middle linebacker last year, may move to outside linebacker.
Once it was clear Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik wasn’t going to land Curtis Lofton or Stephen Tulloch in free agency, Dominik began talking about keeping Foster at middle linebacker.
Schiano clearly has a set of eyes and he certainly can see on video that the Bucs linebackers were awful last season. So what did Schiano do to determine if Foster is still a valuable linebacker? He did research, so Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times Twittered.
@HolderStephen: Greg Schiano said he went back and watched Mason Foster’s college tape to evaluate him almost like a draft pick. Was very impressed.
Also manning his Blackberry while sitting with Schiano is eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, who Twittered other thoughts from Schiano on Foster:
@IKaufmanTrib: Greg Schiano on Bucs MLB Mason Foster; “He did some good things. Sometimes he looked like a rookie … A lot of times.”
Translation? Joe thinks it is twofold: Foster was overwhelmed calling plays at middle linebacker with virtually no offseason to speak of; and Foster needs coaching up.
Joe just finds it cool that Schiano is so obsessed with trying to turn his players’ fortunes around, he’s going through their college film.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:05 am
Well, that’s one way of looking at it.
Another is this.
Coach had to go back and look at Fosters college tape. If he based his opinion on last years tape- Foster would be unemployed!
Yuck! He was just awful!!
March 28th, 2012 at 10:12 am
A lot of times rookies look just like, well….rookies!
March 28th, 2012 at 10:12 am
Unlike Quincy Black who STILL looks like a rookie!
March 28th, 2012 at 10:13 am
IMO Foster will be a stud MLB…the dude is intense on the field. When he got fined for a knarly[but legal] hit on Ocho Cinco in preseason,I don’t think it helped…I say give the guy a chance.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:15 am
CaptTim
Glad your not the GM, cause sounds like you’d have fired ever player we had, when I dont think they were the problem.
BTW I think they took care of that culprit, called Raheem and his coaching staff!
March 28th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Foster was not as bad as people make him out to be. Yes he didn’t play that well but he was also made some pretty good plays early on, all before he suffered that ankle injury. I think the injury, couple with the responsibilities, and the lack of help from his fellow linebackers and defensive players is what made Foster look bad. Even with all that, he started every game and led all rookies in tackles.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:36 am
The poor guy had virtually no help around him. Foster was in a no-win situation: Rookie, little to no offseason, calling plays, playing out of position, zero help on either side (or in front of him after GMC went down).
March 28th, 2012 at 10:44 am
The MLB/OLB distinction for Mase isn’t as important as many on JBF think. He essentially played all 3 LB positions when he was at UDub because their scheme shifted their LBs (as opposed to flipping them) when the offense overloaded one side so he could play Will, Mike or Sam on any given play. That’s actually pretty impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdjyWm-9d2s
Looking at a few of his games from college, he definitely has some warts (not very agile/no top end speed/overruns a BUNCH of plays) but he’s a great tackler, can actually knock people back (unlike Luke Kuechly lol), gets to the QB on the blitz and can diagnose plays pretty darn fast. He’s an instinctive player.
We couldn’t see any of that last year because of his NFL learning curve yet he still led all NFL rookies in tackles. I think Mason will be fine. We can count on him going forward.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:12 am
Well, lets pay attention to this detail….as Schiano probably is. Foster is out of position, Greg is probably concluding that looking at college film.
Also, Trent Richardson “pro day” exhibit is tomorrow, March 29th early afternoon, according to ESPN. Rams also talking (Fisher himself) that Rams might trade back up to #4 with Browns, presumably for Blackmon.?.. If so, then Miami would possibly like very much to trade up to #5 with Bucs, to get ahead of Browns at then #6, to take Tannehill before Browns do. That would be great for Bucs to trade down, if any of that comes about. Could probably get a 2nd and 3rd pick out of Dolphins to move down to #8, if that’s what Dom and co. want.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:13 am
That is right Joe, he was basically out there by himself, besides a little help from Clayborn, Bennett, and Barber here and there.
@SensibleBuc
He can knock people back, there is one play against the Saints that Foster filled the hole and stopped Sproles dead in his tracks. Yes I know Sproles is a smaller back, however the guy has extremely powerful legs and we face him twice a year so sticking it to him is a good thing for Foster.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:15 am
There is also the preseason hit on Ocho Cinco that should not have been a penalty.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@SensibleBuc
The MLB/OLB distinction for Mase isn’t as important as many on JBF think. He essentially played all 3 LB positions when he was at UDub because their scheme shifted their LBs (as opposed to flipping them) when the offense overloaded one side so he could play Will, Mike or Sam on any given play. That’s actually pretty impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdjyWm-9d2s
Looking at a few of his games from college, he definitely has some warts (not very agile/no top end speed/overruns a BUNCH of plays) but he’s a great tackler, can actually knock people back (unlike Luke Kuechly lol), gets to the QB on the blitz and can diagnose plays pretty darn fast. He’s an instinctive player.
We couldn’t see any of that last year because of his NFL learning curve yet he still led all NFL rookies in tackles. I think Mason will be fine. We can count on him going forward.
Thats what im saying Luke Kuechly is overrated!!! Mason is a thumper!!!
March 28th, 2012 at 11:43 am
Foster is the least of our worries. Now that uninspiring kid Quincy Black and the other one Hayes “the quitter” are the Exodus of the defense. Along with Sean Jones and Myron Lewis all quit and hurt the players that cared. Foster will be fine with off-season, preparation, and experience.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Tells me Schiano saw the same thing we did – coaching was horrific – so he had to go back to the college tape to even evaluate the guy.
Raheem the dream baby.
Man am I glad that nightmare is over.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:46 am
I know different sport but when the Lightning hired Melrose or Tocchet, can’t remember who said it, both coaches were terrible, didn’t they say Stamkos was a bust?
March 28th, 2012 at 11:47 am
LOL! @Eric
March 28th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Joe,
Would you consider changing the jettisoned Raheem Morris to the “begrudgingly”(which should be a strikethrough) jettisoned Raheem Morris like you do with NFL “warden” commissioner Roger Goodell? Because you know just as well as I that the Glazers would have kept Raheem if they had one inkling that Bucs fans would not burn OBP to the ground if he returned.
Schiano being the HC with his attention to detail, toughness and discipline is going to be enough to see an improvement in our defense.
If our back 7 is so bad why didn’t Rock Star GM Mark Dominic get some help other than Wright in free agency?
I believe our lb’s and db’s aren’t as bad as they seem. The fact that Schiano has to watch film of players when they were in college to gauge their abilities just shows how inept Raheem Morris was as D Coordinator and HC.
March 28th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
I have every reason to believe in every accolade and kudo that is being thrown Scianos way. Seems like the real deal and the prescription this team so badly needs. I’m enjoying and feeling inspired and motivated by watching the trailer to this movie, but I’ve not seen the movie yet. So I’m in the boat and plan to stay aboard. But I’m not going overboard until I see calm waters and land ahoy!
March 28th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
The reason he had to go back to college film was because that’s the last time Foster was actually COACHED. Everyone thinks our defense was so awful last season… which it was… but that’s mostly because we had a HORRIBLE defensive coordinator. I expect the 2012 defense to be much improved… even if there’s not that many new players.
2012 will show yet again how bad Raheem was.
March 28th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
“I think LeGarrette has tons of ability,’’ Schiano said. “No one who touches the football will get touches if they don’t protect the football. That is one of our core covenants — the ball. It’s so important they named the game after it. We make a big deal about it.’’
Schiano does pay attention to detail and it looks like Blount is in trouble.
March 28th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I can’t believe they’re going to keep that puss Black. If that guy is starting again next year, our defense will once again have no chance at success! Replace him, and we’re suddenly 10x better!
March 28th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Good, hopefully Blount IS IN TROUBLE. How come no one is speaking to the many different reports out of Oregon, at Tennessee before they cut him, and when he got here, about how everyone says he’s dumb as hell, like a box of rocks upstairs?!! Alot of different team executives, with different reasons mentioned that. How are the Bucs supposed to trust Blount to pick up blitz packages, when to chip off the line or not, on, and on, and on??? OH…then he fumbles… and can’t catch.
Schiano, wants Richardson. I’d be good with Claiborne or Richardson. We probably stay at #5, take TRich to help free, and complete idea around Nicks coming on board too.
March 28th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@bucbelevr
Thanks for making me read your 20 seconds of swill. He was so awful at OR that he was a rockstar there. TN had a starting RB. Rah rah never kept Blount in on third down to see what he could do. (Which was probably a good idea given the fact that we didn’t have an off season and he was just learning how to be a starting back in the NFL. Plus, he CAN catch and did so pretty well given his smaller opportunities. He does have a fumble issue that Byner will address with him. Did you ever think that the fumbles were due to him trying to do too much beings how we were always playing from behind? Makes sense that a young RB WOULD try to squeeze every last yard out of every opportunity. He’ll figure it out with a full off season to learn and an exciting new RB coach.
March 28th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I like Foster. I liked him when we drafted him.
Still think he can be a good LBer
But, he was totally lost all last year. He never played MLBer before. Never called defenses before. Opposing QBs just abused this kid
Put him at Sam- where he has always played- bam! He’ll be blowing up RBs for ten years!
But they won’t . Cause Dom won’t admit that Quincy Jane is a woss, and he made a gigantic mistake signing him,
So Foster will pay the price.
And when Black and Hayes quit last year- foster followed their lead!
Get those losers outta there! Sign London Fletcher- hell teach this kid how to play
But won’t happen. Black sucks, and will be detrimental to Foster- who coulda been really good!
March 28th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Oar- not at all!
There are three players I would cut
Talib, Hayes, Black
If you watch the tape from last year- so would you. They sucked. Then they quit .
Tanard was really rusty- he tackled badly! If he gets fundamentals under control- he’s fine. Jones wasn’t good. But hopefully Asante makes him a reserve this year
Foster can be a killer at Sam! He’s bad in coverage and calling the Defense. It’s idiotic to force him to play to his weaknesses- when he has real Strenght! But that’s Dom protecting the worthless and useless Quincy Jane!
You can blame Raheem. For discipline- he’s at fault.
Coaching- no way. His staff was good. The league offered him a job quick enough. The redskins hired him as a D backs coach immediately. He took it. If he had waited- the Vikings offered him the DC job.
The league knows what posters on a web site don’t.
Raheem can coach.
The problem here was crappy players
Still is on defense!
March 28th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
I’m sure that i’ll get hammered about this, but do you think its possible that Black is not the worst linebacker in the league?
Here’s my case: In 2010 in 11 games (10 starts) he was more productive than he was in all of last years 14 games (12 starts) and he was even more productive in 2009. He has had sacks in those years, and more passes defended in those years, more tackles . He was in position more back then. Yes I watched almost every game over the last couple years and I have seen Black struggle, not like he did in 2011, but show me a defender who hasn’t been caught out of position on this d. Everyone has touched on the fact that Raheem had an awful stint as D coordinator in 2011. Could this be the main reason we saw such a large drop in production from Black? or if not can someone please explain to me the drop off in this defense if Raheem wasn’t the problem?
Coaching a pretty awful Redskins secondary is not what I would call a huge validation of Raheems coaching prowess, you would have though that our secondary would have been a bit better if that were the case.
Please don’t let this post be confused. in no way do i think Black is above average or anything, but I would like to see him with a year in a new system and some real competition and discipline before i totally give up on him.
March 28th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Anyone who thinks Dom is going to determine who starts on this team needs a lobotomy. Schiano will never let it go down like that. It’s his team and he will make the calls on who gets snaps….believe that. He is not the kind of coach to let a GM dictate personnel moves on the field. Dom may keep him on the team but Schiano will determine whether he plays or not.
March 28th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Foster’s collegiate film is excellent. He was a great pick. Just like a RB averaging 2 ypc behind an awful OL, Foster had a rough year because of injuries to the front 4 and poor OLB play. Foster is a thumper and so the rest of the front 7 needs to maintain their gaps so he can fill and hit. He’s never gonna be a good coverage LB but he has great upside as a run-stopping inside backer. I’ll never understand why our fanbase is obsessed with moving him to the weakside. Yeah, let’s take away what he’s good at and make him do more of what he’s bad at!
March 28th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
CaptTim
You posted “If he based his opinion on last years tape- Foster would be unemployed!”. If you looked at last years tape, all the players would look the same. I guess, I need to check the definiton of unemployed?
We can check back after this year and see what difference a good HC and staff can make to these players!
BTW if Raheem and his staff were so good why aren’t they still here?
March 28th, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Bobby- I realize you are very excited, and thrilled about the upcoming season.
Ya think everything is perfect, and we ate playoff bound!
Just like ya did last year!
Didn’t ya learn anything??
I know he’s your new hero, and you think having a big chin is a sign if greatness!
But you have absolutely no idea what Schiano will, or will not do.
Just cause you love him- doesn’t mean he isn’t Bobby Petrino part 2
You have no idea- because he hasn’t done anything yet, except tack a bunch of “coach speak” at a few press conferences .
He hasn’t called a play, picked a starter , drafted a player, set a defense yet in the NFL.
As a head coach- he never has!!
And don’t even try to say lil bitty Rutgers is the same as the NFL- don’t even think about it!!
So, try to show what adult men call”restraint”
Don’t let your Hero worship drift you off into Fantasy land.
Soon we will all Know what Schiano can do.
Right now, I’d rather not have some star struck, puppy love fan telling me something he knows nothing about.
Okey dokey?