Rumors Rampant Of Ron Cooper’s Departure
January 9th, 2013
OK, this merits keeping an eye on. Though Joe cannot confirm embattled Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper is leaving the team, neither can Joe confirm the rumors flying tonight on the Internet and on radio airwaves late this afternoon that Cooper is on his way out are inaccurate.
Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times apparently heard the same rumors and seemed to add credibility to the suggestion that Cooper and the Bucs are parting ways.
@NFLSTROUD: No final decisions have been made or announced, but indications are the Bucs will allow DBs coach Ron Cooper to explore other opportunities
Again, Joe has been working the phone for the past two hours to try to confirm Cooper is gone. Joe cannot, but more importantly, Joe cannot confirm the Cooper-leaving-Bucs whispers are inaccurate.
Simply put, Joe still has not fully recovered from the acid reflux episode caused by watching Cooper’s defensive backs get blowtorched game in and game out this season.
Joe is not a “fire him” kinda guy. But how in the world can anyone try to sell that Cooper did a good job when his defensive backs came 14 yards shy of setting a 93-year record for NFL pass defense futility? How does Bucs coach Greg Schiano speak to Team Glazer and/or Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik with a straight face and say, “Oh, the job we did coaching up the defensive backs, OK, we’re good.”
The last measuring stick of Cooper’s job with the Bucs this year was this: name a defensive back that improved as the season wore on.
Joe cannot, and therein lies a damning statement for any coach.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Great, the best DB coach in the league is available, a man that also happens to be one of the best defensive coordinators of the past 10 years. San Diego DB coach Ron Meeks would be a great hire. His Colt defenses finished in the top 10 in 5 of his 8 seasons from 2002-2009, that despite the Colts routinely spending their premium picks and spending their cash on keeping their offense among the best in the league.
Ron Meeks… bring him in for questioning!
January 9th, 2013 at 10:17 pm
Can we give sheridan permission to seek another job already? Maybe Butch can find him a head coaching job to.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Let’s see there are some San Diego assistants that need jobs that are pretty good, and Rob Ryan, who was a plus for the Cowboys this year is available for hire. I think the Bucs need to look good and hard at some of the coaching staff and send them to the plank.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
He’s going to have a difficult time finding a job. Just having last season on his resume going to be a tough sell. Good luck though.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:36 pm
Kinda hard to truly evaluate Cooper when the Bucs scraped the bottom of the barrel for the reserve corners that were forced to play this year, then to put inexperienced corners on an island. If you are not a skilled corner I believe it is one of the hardest positions to learn in the league.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
He was 1 of the last guys hired in our shotgun coaching search….after Oregon’s coach left us at the alter. I think Ronde has had enuff of that guy anyway
January 9th, 2013 at 10:44 pm
how about rob ryan as a d backs coach anyone else feeling that idea at all?
January 9th, 2013 at 10:57 pm
The loss of both our starting CBs coupled with the fact the NFL is a passing league now more than ever (see all the passing and receiving records broken this year) and its no wonder why we almost had the worst passing defense ever. Oh yeah, did I mention we had to play both Manning Brees twice and Matt Ryan twice 🙂
January 9th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Now please get a real defensive coordinator in here with a real defensive scheme please! Schiano bite the bullet your scheme sucks in the NFL, Sheridan you suck implementing it.
Next Please!
January 9th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
He lost his opening day starters. No mention in your article of the lack of depth in DBs that the RockStar provided him. It’s easier to fire a lowly DB coach than for the GM to look in the mirror and fire himself. Ask Jerry Jones…
January 9th, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Coach Cooper been fired at while now, I look for the media to write something about it.Good Luck Coach Cooper!
January 9th, 2013 at 11:54 pm
Tell me, why isn’t Bill Sheridan on the hot seat? The Giants fired him because he stunk there, why is it any surprise it’s been the same here? And the Giants actually had talented players all over that D.
January 9th, 2013 at 11:57 pm
Lovie Smith anyone?
January 10th, 2013 at 12:04 am
^^@paddy……..love that idea
January 10th, 2013 at 12:09 am
Uh hello? Lovie Smith is in the pipeline for HC jobs, and if he doesn’t get one of those, he’ll probably be a DC… Jeez.
January 10th, 2013 at 12:11 am
Uh Hello?
He mentioned his name cause we want him as our DC.
Reid’s bringing him in to interview at KC
January 10th, 2013 at 12:32 am
Sheridan hasn’t been let go and we haven’t seen any indication that he will be…. but if Sheridan is going to hit the road, I’m all for Lovie. Gotta wonder if Schiano would only want someone to run his scheme, or someone who operates independently.
January 10th, 2013 at 12:50 am
Missed the Giants debacle, eh?
Nothing like Eli Manning hanging 500 on your starting corners.
January 10th, 2013 at 12:50 am
Yea we are just talking what we would like to happen 🙂
Schiano better learn from this past debacle. That scheme may stop the run but its not worth the wonders it does for opposing offenses. Even if we do dump Sheridan no established DC is going to come here just to run someone else’s defense.
January 10th, 2013 at 12:51 am
*The opposing pass*
January 10th, 2013 at 12:53 am
To point a finger at Sheridan for the lousy pass defense is a fair point. He is, after all, in charge of the defense.
But one also must point out the solid work of the front seven, specifically turning around the NFL’s worst rush defense into the best.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:27 am
Isnt Cox the front 7’s coach?
January 10th, 2013 at 1:32 am
And isn’t the overall product of the defense on Sheridan’s shoulder’s?
January 10th, 2013 at 2:25 am
Seems to me that no coach, past or present, would have faired better coaching this year’s crop of cornerbacks.
Joe brings up the giants game and wants to hang that on the DB coach but it was early in the year when the system is new and I’m remembering the Dline not getting close to Eli.
I contend that the pass rush is the problem, not the secondary coach that had horsesheit to work with. Lets keep the band together and muster up better talent through acquisition or development while the coaching develops.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:42 am
You think Schiano asked Ronde his opinion on Cooper? I would be surprised if he didn’t. If Ronde didn’t support him, then the guy is probably gone. I trust that Ronde knows what a good DB coach should be doing.
January 10th, 2013 at 3:16 am
Sometimes coaches get stabbed in the back. Sometimes they are expected to fall on the sword. Sometimes they need to get thrown ass first into a pit of rattlesnakes filled with rusty swords.
Sorry Ron, you earned it!
January 10th, 2013 at 3:35 am
So why exactly are we blaming Cooper? Our best three corners for most of the year were Leonard Johnson (UDFA), Eric Wright (Was in and out of games with injuries and then suspended), and EJ Biggers (seriously, EJ Biggers). All while going up against some of the top rated passing attacks in the league and 3 Super Bowl winning QBs. And even then, for awhile, our secondary was trying their hardest and exploiting whatever mistakes they could (except Gorrer).
I say we keep him around instead of making him the scapegoat.
January 10th, 2013 at 4:18 am
I don’t think he’s a scapegoat, their getting rid of part of the problem. He’s not the whole problem but he’s definitely part of the problem.
That’s his job, to field the best product on the field with what he’s provided. Whether he’s provided good or bad players, that’s his job. The product he fielded was miserable and that’s what he’s getting judged by. That’s just how it works.
I personally think Sheridan should get the boot too.
January 10th, 2013 at 4:40 am
I’ve said it for two years. And for two years- we continue to be a track meet I the secondary
Talib, Wright, Biggers, Johnson, Gaitor, and Lequan are your cornerbacks?
If we prevented 2 pass completions all season- Then Cooper did an incredible job of coaching!! There isn’t one starter in that entire dumpster.
Biggers might be a dime back. Johnson might have the physical skills to become a good corner.
But collectively- no way should any team try to win games with that group.
Contrary to arguments where thrown at me two years ago( secondary a strength!!), this secondary has been an embarrassment for several years
And that alone should have gotten Dom’s ass on the hot seat.
Cooper proved he can coach A secondary, while At LSU. His players are in good secondaries all over the NFL- including Morris Claibourne, who showed a ton of talent at Dallas.
Of course, we passed on him- to draft an injury prone Safety, who also can’t play pass defense!!! Baron was out of gas by week 6! And was a target in the passing game all season. And if you are a target in THAT secondary- you can’t play pass defense at all
Perfect
January 10th, 2013 at 5:13 am
Talib will be fine IMO, he as all the talent in the world to be an elite starter and if he stays healthy and out of trouble he’ll prove that as he has been in New England who will probably resign him. That’s just my opinion, I’m not willing to debate it. We’ll just have to wait and see.
I haven’t seen enough of Wright on the field to make a judgement on him.
LJ has the potential to develop into a starter in this league with time.
I personally think EJ can develop into a good player with more coaching. I’m probably in the minority there but whatevs lol
As far as Ron doing it in college, well good for Ron but this isn’t college. The players he had under him in college that are in the NFL now are developing under other NFL coaches.
He has to work with what he’s got that’s just the reality of it.
Did Baron get hurt this season? I do recall Claiborne getting hurt rather early on this season though. He’s only going to get better and that’s a scary thought, he is capable of being a force in the pass D and with coaching that wont be a concern. He showed us flashes this season that proves he can.
Yea anyone could do better with a better personal, but you gotta get the best out of what you got. Schiano’s scheme and the player personal added to it and helped do him in though, that’s for sure.
January 10th, 2013 at 8:32 am
Let Rhonde retire as a player and become the DB coach. Though never a coach, no one can say he isn’t experienced in the backfield. And Rhonde has excelled at everthing he has done!
January 10th, 2013 at 10:25 am
The fact that safety M. Barron didn’t show alot of improvement by seasons end does not say much for his coaches. The Notre Dame safety that went to the Vikings had much more impact than Barron. Still think Barron is the better player but lets coach these guys up.
January 10th, 2013 at 10:44 am
When you look at Ron Coopers body of work to this point, it wasn’t really all that impressive anyway.
January 10th, 2013 at 10:53 am
Both Cooper and Sheridan should be on the hook and both should be cleaning their desks out.
There are coaches to be had out there that could make a huge difference this coming season. I hope management has the guts to make the change and Schiano can swallow his pride and get some real help on the defensive side.
January 10th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
@PRBucFan
Are you saying you expect an undrafted rookie, EJ Biggers, and other teams rejects to defend the pass better than they did without the help of a 50 sack defensive line? Because I sure don’t. Which makes him a scapegoat. If anything, more blame should be cast on Dom and Sheridan for that, as their respective jobs are to field talent of run a scheme that’s effective with said talent.
@REDDMAN
It probably helps the Vikings were one of the better teams at getting the QB on the ground. Not to mention the talent gap between their secondary and ours.