Schiano Says He’s “Blessed” With Dominik
June 18th, 2012
- “Mark, what do you think of raising the fake crowd noise at practice up 1.3 decibels?”
After nearly a generation at Rutgers coaching and recruiting, the leader of the New Schiano Order has had to work hard to get up to speed on all things NFL personnel since taking the Bucs job.
It’s a huge learning process, and Greg Schiano didn’t hesitate to acknowledge that during an interview last week with the Evan & Phillips In The Morning show on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio. Schiano talked about taking guidance from rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and building consensus on personnel decisions.
Schiano didn’t sound like one of the NFL’s most powerful dictators who has reduced Dominik to servitude, as some say we must assume has happened.
“There’s no doubt there’s really two learning processes. First you need to learn your own personnel and the team you take over, and then as we got into free agency first then the draft, but I think where I’ve been blessed is our general manager Mark Dominik has been great in getting me up to speed. You know he and Dennis Hickey, who is the head of player personnel, have just been, you know, spoon feeding me since the day I took the job with video and write-ups and certainly I’m willing to put the time in. It’s been a really good relationship. We’ve been able to really build a consensus on who are the guys we need to target.
One of the things that’s just paramount to us is guys who love the game of football. That’s what’s going to work with us. I know my personality. I know how we do things. That passion to play the game, when the business side is done and all the financials are decided, the guy just loves to go out and play and practice. That’s critical to us.
Joe found Schiano’s loving words for Dominik especially interesting, considering Schiano wasn’t asked about Dominik, as well as Schiano using “us” repeatedly and talking about “consensus.” It also intrigued Joe that Butch Davis wasn’t part of Schiano’s commentary above.
For Joe, it’s clear that the Bucs’ decision-making dynamic between owners, GM and head coach hasn’t changed very much.
June 18th, 2012 at 8:44 am
I can envision Schiano having a louder voice than Raheem did over personnel decisions, but I don’t think that is due to a restructuring of the decision making process within the wall of One Buc Place, but rather the personality of Schiano vs Morris.
I’m betting the further you got away from the Defensive Backfield, the quieter Raheem was (so he probably spoke up plently when it came to how to handle players like Talib and T-Jax, a little bit with players like Hayes and Black, but once you got to the D-Line and the offense (outside of J5) I bet Raheem pretty much went along with whatever Dominick said.
Schiano on the other hand probably questions every personnel decision, asking why, and then either agreed with Dominick’s assessment or disagreed with it, regardless of position group or side of the ball. Then a conversation would come out from that, and then a consensus decision could be made.
I think Schiano will be great for Dominick as well, introducing a methodical football mind to the decision making process (Raheem seemed more like a “trust your gut” type decision maker, not breaking down the players and how they would fit on the team).
June 18th, 2012 at 9:04 am
Ahh that’s nice. Wait until Schiano realizes how bad some of the Rockstars draft picks are.
June 18th, 2012 at 9:14 am
What’s he gonna say? Do you think he would come out and say that I am now the final word in all personnel decisions, not Dominik?? Just because Schiano openly praises his GM does not indicate that nothing has changed between the coach-GM relationship. Reaching…
June 18th, 2012 at 9:20 am
You all need to be corrected: it’s not “Rock Star General Manager.” It’s “Boy Band General Manager.” The reasoning behind it is that, like N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys, he basically just grabbed a bunch of people off the draft bored and dressed them alike.
June 18th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Dom is way better than Allen.
June 18th, 2012 at 9:39 am
T in the Big “O”,
I think you are probably right. There are human sociological studies on making decisions in triads versus dyads. For one, in triads, there can be no ties. There is a brain trust at OBP of Dominik, Schiano and Davis with varying degrees of experience to make decisions now.
The talk of conspiracy theorist that would have you believe that Dominik has relinquished control to Schiano has no grounds. If you buy into TBA (Trust, Belief, Accountability), then focus on what it means to be accountable. Schiano can’t be held accountable if he is not given the authority to make decisions that will affect his outcome. It is not taken, it is given.
Blessed may be a word to far, but there appears to be trust, mutual respect, and harmony between Dominik , Schiano, and Davis and that is a good thing!
June 18th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Funny how Joe’s take on what Schiano himself said is “reaching”, but all those who contrived their own stories as to why they “know” Schiano is in charge over Dominik, well, they aren’t reaching at all.
Its all silly. Just so silly.
June 18th, 2012 at 9:49 am
Look, Thomas already told me that Schiano is calling all the shots and Dom is just fetching coffee for the Glazers so why was this article even written??!!? Joe..this makes you look really foolish. Obviously Schiano was lying about Dominik and continues to be in control of every aspect of One Buc. Thomas said that Schiano has even picked out the color of the towels for the locker room. Ever since Schiano almost made K2 do the things the rest of the team is required to do, I don’t trust him. If I want to get the ‘real truth’ I just wait for Thomas 2.2 to post……
June 18th, 2012 at 9:59 am
Anybody would say that about the guy who either hired him or recommended to the owners that they hire him.
Anybody wth any class that is.
I agree it is a joint effort. Pleased that somebody decided to change direction and get some good fools gold in.
Of course all this harmony is easy before any games are played. Should things go south Dom is not above some back stabbing – like with Raheem. Thats when you know who has the real power – and i think Greg has a brand new five year contract.
June 18th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I think Joe saying that Schiano going out of his way to mention Dominik as a blessing is the key when he wasn’t asked about Dominik. Schiano doesn’t seem like an on-his-knees kind of guy.
Also worth noting Glazers role. I think it’s pretty obvious the green light on free agency 2012 comes from them.
June 18th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Schiano seems to be smart and humble, so instead of ego tripping he’s smart enough to know that he has to use the resources (GM & Player Personnel Dir.) available to him in order to be brought up to speed on the entire professional structure and the different dynamics of running a pro team. Once he gets it along w/ his other attributes I think he’ll be a great head coach.
June 18th, 2012 at 10:44 am
DallasBuc Says:
June 18th, 2012 at 9:14 am
What’s he gonna say? Do you think he would come out and say that I am now the final word in all personnel decisions, not Dominik?? Just because Schiano openly praises his GM does not indicate that nothing has changed between the coach-GM relationship. Reaching…
.
You’re forgetting that Schiano wasn’t asked about Dominick. If he HAD been asked, what you say is true…but he volunteered the comments on Dominick…which points to a true statement.
June 18th, 2012 at 10:51 am
On the GM side of things…I think a GM should:
a. Hire a coach with vision and the skills to fulfill that vision…and who has some level of wisdom in dealing with others.
b. Work to acclimate said coach to his new position.
c. Help said coach to “realistically” fulfill that vision while working within the limits that ownership, availability of player and funds, and time allows.
d. Help said coach become accepted by the community.
Am I missing anything? Player contracts fall under “c”.
June 18th, 2012 at 11:06 am
“Blessed”? We will soon see how blessed Schiano truly feels after final roster cuts. Should be interesting to see how many of Dom’s draft picks actually make the cut. I haven’t heard one good thing about Rejus, Price, Lewis, Miller, Biggers, Grimm, or Quincy Black. Hopefully this is due to our ship being led by a tight lipped commander or else Marcell Dominick hasn’t exactly loaded up the team with “Buccaneer Men”.
June 18th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Dominik would have never traded Winslow for a sixth rounder.
After all he traded a premium number two for that “cancer”. The trade made him look very foolish.
Actions speak louder than words. Me thinks Greg has way more power than Rah, which is a big change in itself. Perhaps we are at a point of normal GM-HC relations as opposed to the Mark Domink show, headsets and all. Rah couldnt even pick the active roster on game days. Wanted to keep Ruud and caddy, was instructed as to when he could put Freeman in a game. Perhaps one of the weakest head coaches ever, power wise.
Very different dynamic now, which is a good thing.
June 18th, 2012 at 11:45 am
@Dutcher.. Once again, just because he offered up a favorable opinion of his GM doesnt mean that the coach/GM relationship remains the same as it was when coach Morris was here. This assertion is not a reach unlike Joe’s assertion that he actually believes it is the same based on Schiano’s comments. Unless we are in that building seeing who is calling the shots we will never know. But, infer away..
June 18th, 2012 at 11:54 am
Joe here,
@DallasBuc – Let’s go back to what Joe actually wrote: “For Joe, it’s clear that the Bucs’ decision-making dynamic between owners, GM and head coach hasn’t changed very much.”
Joe never wrote that things are the same, just that things aren’t very different when it comes to personnel decisions, which is what this thread is a about. Joe believes Schiano has a stronger voice in the game than Raheem — or just a stronger personality and stronger interest in personnel. But at the end of the day Schiano is not some free-wheeling, autonomous coach-GM.
June 18th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
@Joe- ok so not changing kinda sounds like staying the same. Decision-making dynamic not changing very much because HC openly likes his GM? Ok.
I never said Schiano is operating in a freewheeling autonomous fashion. What i did say is that none of us fans know what that dynamic is. That being said, it would not surprise me to learn someday that the dynamic is more like Schiano calling all the shots over a decision-making dynamic that has not changed very much from the Morris era.
June 18th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
My, how some like to preach their own template of hate. “It’s true that Dom is a waste of a GM. Why? Because it must be true simply because I believe it to be true.” Don’t let reality get in the way.
Dom’s a young GM with lots of upside and is going through a necessary learning curve. This is his first real hire of a head coach. He came in with Rah, he didn’t hire him. He’s made some great personnel moves and good draft magic. Sure he’s made some bone head moves too, but overall he’s done pretty darn good.
June 18th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
Anyone that thinks Dom takes his marching orders from Schiano is an idiot. Team effort, Dom has final say on personnel, Schiano runs the team on the field. Why is this so hard for airheads like Stephen Holder to understand? I do like Rick Stroud and think he has done a good job with the morning show.
June 18th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
I often wonder how the fans create this image in their mind of what is really going on at the Buccaneer Palace. Joe drops us little hints and the fans extrapolate that into some fictional extravaganza. Often people will argue as to who’s fictional tale is more correct.
I once was waiting in line at #1 Buc Place for tickets (1979) and a Mercedes Benz pulled up with John McKay in the back seat and his QB coach driving. The coach put the car in park and skittered around to the opposite side of the car to open the emperor’s door. Bowing in deference to the Head Coach, while he tapped the ash off his giant cigar. Like a scene out of driving Miss Daisy. I was shocked and dismayed. Devastated that my idol, Bear Bryant’s best friend, (McKay) was such an pompous asshole. Maybe, my idol was equally a jerk. How would I know?
Nothing I had read in the paper had lead me to believe what was really going on there, but that vision of what I had seen with my own eyes spoke plenty. Hubert Mizell of the SPT and Tom McEwen of the TT were the ultimate insiders but were they really free to speak the truth? Were they painting a true story of what really went on or was it just a politically correct fiction guaranteed to give them privileged access to the team.
Does the size of their contracts coincide with their willingness to lie, like that certain “Large Canine” on afternoon radio. He actually was granted almost unlimited access after holding out in contract discussions with the radio station. He had built his career on being a critic of the Buccaneers players and coaching, but after his new contract was signed, he became almost a public relations agent for the team with unlimited access. An apologist who attacked anyone on the air who questioned the Glazer’s decision not to spend money on free agents and only build through the draft. He is now trained to bark on order, like when the Rays are campaigning for a new citizens paid for stadium rent free.
We are blessed that Joe has provided us a website where we can vent and voice our opinions. I realize that Joe is not being paid directly by the team or the official radio, newspaper or website of the Buccaneers, but are our opinions based on truth or politically correct snippets engineered to sell tickets. If the Buc’s front office was a giant clusterf**k, would anyone tell us the truth.
Believe what you see with your own eyes, the rest is infotainment. Don’t build up some imaginary soap opera based on the Dutcher Journal or Thomas 2.2 tells us.
I wonder who’s really in the back seat of this regime? Dominik, the Little General or the Glazer Gang?
June 19th, 2012 at 7:50 am
I’ve always believed Dominick was only retained to help Schiano transition much quicker and easier. As time goes by we will see and hear less fom our great GM. I predict he’ll either toe the line or will be sent packing like Winslow. With that said I believe this year is Marks last especially if anymore of his higher draft choices don’t pan out. I agree with everyone else, what else is Schiano going to say about his GM? If he didn’t blast Winslow or any other ex players he’s not going to blast Dominick who is still an employee of the Bucs. Schiano appears to be a true professional. Once Dominick is fired he will still say nice things bout him cause I’m sure he did help him out tremendously.
June 19th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Well said Brad