The Schiano Kneel-Down
October 30th, 2013
Days after going on a long and wonderful rant against Bucs commander Greg Schiano’s world renowned kneel-down play to end games when opponents have the ball in the waning seconds of yet another Bucs loss, the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was still irritated about what he still believes was a Schiano Kneel-Down against the Dixie Chicks that didn’t take place.
eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, the Custodian of Canton, was ambushed by Russo with another jab at the Schiano trademark during his weekly appearance with Russo, via the channel that bears his name, Mad Dog Radio, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: Doesn’t he learn his lesson? Doesn’t he go out there and try to do the same thing to the Falcons as he did to the Giants last year with the crashing into the offensive line when the game was over? Go ahead.
eye-RAH! Kaufman: Chris, he also did it in the Arizona game. He did it at the end of the Arizona game which was a game at Raymond James. So he has done it three times now. He’s not going to change, Chris. I think it is a bad idea. I’ve heard you’ve been railing against him. Chris, he doesn’t need you, he is getting enough criticism from all corners. He doesn’t need the “Mad Dog” weighing in. Here is why it is a bad idea: He will stand there at the podium and say, “Well, if my players came up to me and tell me they didn’t want to do it I would stop doing it.” Chris, that is weak because no player is going to do that, Chris. They are not going to do that. But when you talk to them privately, Chris, and I have, there are some people in that locker room who are not very happy doing that. They don’t want to do that, Chris. They think it is bush league. They think it is below them. But they are not going to march into Schiano’s office, Chris. That’s not going to happen. So, you know, I think it is another chip away at his credibility with this team and that is a key factor for him right now. He is a college coach who hasn’t established himself as a winner, Chris and on top of it he has an [0-7] team. That’s a bad formula.
This is just another example of a well-meaning but stubborn coach who won’t change his ways, no matter how much flak he gets from colleagues and in some circumstances, no matter how many losses pile up.
When the Bucs hire a new coach for the 2014 season, the Greg Schiano Era will best be remembered, aside from the mounting losses, for the Schiano Kneel-Down.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:12 am
And in 2014 The “rockstar” era will be over and teflon dom will be best known for crap draft picks and bad contracts!
October 30th, 2013 at 9:12 am
There was no Kneel-down play in the Falcons game….got to the videotape.
I’m not defending Schiano or the play….just the truth.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:17 am
It is well deserved but by looking at all the posts put up here today I guess it is National Bash Schiano Day.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:20 am
@rch
joe just cares about stirring controvery because that creates hits and clicks which sells more advertising!
October 30th, 2013 at 9:29 am
Just a thought, the refs hate us because of this and pay special attention to us with flags during key moments! Another reason to can Schiano.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:30 am
“knees on the line”
October 30th, 2013 at 9:34 am
MadMax has a good point. I watched the pathers hold on a regualr basis thurdsday night and nothing, not one holding penalty. Seems lik ethe refs are trying to get back at schiano for being a loud moth dick on the sideline.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:38 am
Joe remember its not all on schiano. Yes he’s stubborn and not got for the nfl at this time. But this is the 2nd time in 3 yrs players quit.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:47 am
Shiano will be lucky if he can even get a assistant coaching position in the big east after this.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:48 am
After he got smeared by Freeman and his camp, you wonder what college would hire him because he’d have a helluva time recruiting.
October 30th, 2013 at 9:52 am
I really don’t understand why all these so-called experts think that firing Shiano
Right now is such a difficult decision. It’s been done several times before. I mean doesn’t anyone want to win @ least a single game this year?
October 30th, 2013 at 9:54 am
One game would be nice, but no more. Can’t screw up a once-in-a-generation chance at a superior draft slot.
Of course, if the Bucs won four games and dropped out of the top-seven, somehow, Bucs fans would blame Dominik.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:00 am
No Malevolent, we don’t, if that one or two meaningless games we win costs us a shot at a franchise QB or big time offensive/defensive lineman next year. I’d rather lose the rest of this season as long as it puts us in a position to win in the long-term.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:07 am
@ Greg so you wanna be tied with Detoliet as the only losers to go 0 – 16?
October 30th, 2013 at 10:19 am
Its just a bad idea until it works. Im so sick of hearing about that play. We did that play back when I was in HS and it worked a couple of times. Nothing knew but now its just something to compalin and cry about and make an article.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:23 am
RCH:
On this site that is all Joe does is bash Schiano! But im sure Joe is laughing all the way to the bank. When they fire Schiano then Joe will find someone else blame.
Coach has lost 12-of-13. Things tend to trend negatively toward the guy responsible for the team’s performance. –Joe
October 30th, 2013 at 10:25 am
@Joe… “once-in-a-generation chance at a superior draft slot”??? We’ve been getting superior draft slots for years.
McCoy (2010 pick #3)
Barron (2012 pick #7 originally pick #5)
In 4 drafts, Dominick has had 2 top 5 draft picks. Once-in-a-generation is more like every other year.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:27 am
Get rid of kneeldowns all together
October 30th, 2013 at 10:37 am
Looking back at the 2012 draft while writing my last comment. Damn that draft was loaded!!! 17 of the 32 picks alone are or were starters at some point in the last year and a half. more than 50%. It would have been hard to miss that year… Just saying…Lol
October 30th, 2013 at 10:41 am
I am sorry…..I don’t give a Sh1t about any players from any other team in the league.
If they are not prepared to play for 60 minutes then F@ck’em.
I hope Schiano continues to do that play.
When did Tampa Bay ever give a Flying F@ck what anyone thought of us playing for 60 minutes.
If Matt Ryan Blows out his ACL on a Neal down play…..then he should have handed off.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:45 am
I will look at it as the Teflon Dom era.
Can’t wait for new leadership.
October 30th, 2013 at 10:48 am
“Things tend to trend negatively toward the guy responsible for the team’s performance. –Joe”
You mean the General Manager? The coach owns the players performance, the GM is responsible for the team.
It starts at the top. We shouldnt hold the head coach accountable while the guy up top gets a free pass.
Nobody has given Dominik a free pass. Joe’s never written that Dominik is a great GM. There are better out there, for sure. Joe’s merely detailed why the evaluation of Dominik is not nearly as bad as it is for the head coach. Sound arguments can be made in support of Dominik. –Joe
October 30th, 2013 at 10:57 am
“Joe’s never written that Dominik is a great GM”
Then why are we wasting our time? The goal is to be GREAT, is it not?
The goal is to win Division titles, Conference titles, and Super Bowls.
If we want to strive for mediocrity, then we will continue to employ a mediocre General Manager.
How many GMs have been employed for 6 years with a losing record, no playoff appearance, and a failed franchise QB pick (amongst other failures)?
October 30th, 2013 at 11:15 am
On topic, I see nothing wrong with the play. Teams expect it now so it really doesn’t matter, does it? By forcing them to do a shotgun snap in such instances it adds a chance of a bad snap.
And not once has Schiano said other teams should not do the same to the Bucs…though we would have to be winning for it to happen.
October 30th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Why doesn’t anyone correct this dumb clown and tell him they didn’t do the play against the Falcons? Or is he just as stubborn as Schiano. He might as well go full bore and say, “I don’t care if I’m wrong, that’s how I do it.”
His dumb rant tells me not only did he not watch the game, but probably didn’t even watch the damn highlights. His own credibility is shot as far as I’m concerned.
And I’m a Schiano hater, but there’s so many reasons to hate him, no one needs to make shit up.
October 30th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Bet a lot of cowboy fans are saying the lions should have gone into give up mode last sunday……
October 30th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
He said ‘Chris’ 9 times during that little snippet. Incredibly annoying
October 30th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
haha @tony im glad I wasnt the only one to notice that!
@chefpaul they didnt do it to the Falcons because they went to shotgun which pretty much kills that stupid play….if you are counting on a bad snap at the end of the game you are not doing enough during the game!!
This is some bs highschool, little league type play that will never work in the NFL!
But it doesnt matter because this is the least of the things Schiano has done wrong with this team! He is very inexperienced in the NFL and it shows! We have been outcoached in every single game this year! On paper we should have atleast won 4 to 5 games by now…If players are not playing to their full potential 9 outta 10 times it is a direct result of the coaching, you would think the Glazers would want to wash themselves clean of this whole mess and that would mean a total cleaning of house…Everyone should be gone from the GM to the training staff!! MRSA in a PRO training room!! wtf!!!!
October 30th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
KMAC,
It doesn’t matter why. That’s not my point. My point is he DIDN’T do it and the dummy behind mike keeps saying he did. This is Joe’s second article about that uneducated spout mouth talking about them charging the Falcons. It’s just bad business in his profession to run his yapper without actually checking if he is right or not…TWICE.
Anyways, it makes me sick to my stomach to defend Schiano and Big Dog keeps making me do it. Just because I hate Schiano, doesn’t mean I’m going to let inaccurate drivel make me hate more. There’s too much real stuff to dislike about this guy. Like you said this is the least of what Schiano does wrong
October 30th, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Haha
Tony, it’s the worst when its at the beginning and end of the same sentence, Tony.
“Chris, that is weak because no player is going to do that, Chris.”
October 30th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
A once in a generation draft pick is not guaranteed to pan out. I’d rather just win as many games as possible.
October 30th, 2013 at 7:32 pm
The play is bush league, and it will never work in professional football. Everyone can sit on their couch and say as much rah rah crap as they want, but it doesn’t change what it is. Play 60 minutes my ass! How about you win the freaking game so you don’t have to rush the kneel down? What a freaking concept! Find me a professional athlete that likes the play. They are the ones that are putting their bodies on the line. Why give unnecessary hits when the game is over? And trust me, the game is over. I promise you that it will ABSOLUTELY NEVER WORK in the NFL. The players on our own team hate it, because they know how stupid it is. I could give 2 sh!ts about how it worked in high school or college. Guess what – this isn’t high school or college! It’s bush league, and it’s completely embarrassing.
October 30th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
The kneeldown play has been negated now anyway. Greg Schiano has left a mark on the league. He has subsequently created the Shotgun Victory formation.
October 31st, 2013 at 3:29 am
@ Hawaiianbuc exactly!