Gambling Greg Schiano
November 18th, 2013
Bucs commander Greg Schiano’s image is one of a man who thinks a screen pass is too radical. Pound the ball between the tackles and hit on short passes and everything is in good order, football is in good order, society is in good order, the world is in good order.
Recently, Schiano has been pulling out all the stops Why? Does he fear for his job or has he had an epiphany? Regardless, Schiano is suddenly a virtual riverboat gambler. Hell, Joe is almost expecting Schiano to pull a fumblerooskie (if it were legal). Schiano talked about his new found devil-may-care calling of gadget plays after yesterday’s win, especially on special teams.
“We thought we had some things we could do,’ Schiano said. “I thought the onside by [punter] Mike Koenen was just tremendous, that’s a very talented guy that can do things like that with his foot. I mean he just played catch with [Russell Shepard] there. That was a great catch there too. And then the play by [linebacker] Dekoda Watson, a big play blocking a punt. We’ve been frustrated because we led the league in blocked punts last year and all of a sudden were shut out nine games. So that’s a good one. Hopefully that’ll open the flood gates because we’re a punt block team. Got a little greedy maybe there on the one when they ran the fake. That was touché, right?”
It just seems there is a new air in the Bucs locker room since the Bucs deloused themselves of leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman, and no, it’s not the scent of someone’s used athletic supporter or bath towel.
Until this month, the Bucs played so tight it was as if someone was about to have a coronary. Now, it appears the team is looser, the coaches are coaching looser, and oh by the way, the team is playing much better.
November 18th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Fire Mike Smith and fire Shannahan as well. They have records of 3-7 and 2-8. Those records with their kind of NFL experience should be INEXCUSABLE in a “Fire Schiano” Buc fans mind.
Schiano has had 1 season of 7-9 and a 1/2 of season of 2-8. What does it say to the next coach that they want to hire if they fire Schiano mid-season or even after 2 years? It says to them hey buddy you essentially have a season and a 1/2 to make the team winners or your going to be fired and that’s just wrong.
November 18th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
@buc1987
That’s a ridiculous comparison. Shanahan is a proven winner and Mike Smith turned that Falcons team around the second he got there. Schiano was gifted a roster loaded with Pro-Bowlers and was only able to muster an 0-8 start. This was no rebuilding process; the Glazers paid to have this team in flat out win mode.
November 18th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Amen to that Joe.
November 18th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
0-8 is a horrible start. But if the team is able to win majority of their games rest of the way, like at least 4 out of 6, Schiano deserves another shot imo. Right now the players are playing hard and seem to be very much enjoying playing with each other and their coaches.
November 18th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
bucbucbuc…comparison or not. How long would you give Shanahan or Mike Smith if they had the same record as Schiano right now after a year and a 1/2 as a Bucs coach?
November 18th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
What a fun game to watch!
Even IF it’s a case of seeing the writing on the proverbial wall, who cares! That’s the kind of football I like to watch.
After watching the last three weeks, it really has to make you wonder if they had to “dumb” down the offense for Josh. I’m not trying to beat the guy up, but, after playing in what 5-6 games Glennon looks light years ahead in terms of pocket presence.
People will say that it came against bad football teams with numerous injuries. I say to those, we did it with a rookie 3rd round draft pick, a 4th string running back and without a #2 receiver, and our starting left guard.
Schiano SHOULD keep his job IF the team continues to play this way.
Go Bucs!
November 18th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
All have to consider. Schiano was coming over from college level. You think he was going to come in and quick fix a 4-12 roster that had no discipline? He had to establish that culture and weed out talented but unintelligent football players.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Joe says:
“It just seems there is a new air in the Bucs locker room since the Bucs deloused themselves of leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman.”
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^ Exactly, that is how much (good or bad) a QB can effect your lockerroom, vibe, and team chemistry.
Freeman tried his best to bring the Bucs down with him, but he “busted” that up too.
Leaks, crying like a baby, and the inability to audible: all things of the past.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:23 pm
bucbucbuc,
Please take note, Gosh Freeman was the QB for Schiano’s first 18 games, we won 7 and one was a gimme in week 17 against ATL.
Please take into consideration, we were all FOOLED by 2010 Gosh Freeman. Even Matt Cassell won 10 games in 2010….
November 18th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Just saw something that said Glennons passer rating was 137.5 yesterday. He broke his own record that he set for tampa QBs. Pretty awesome.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:50 pm
It’s good to see more aggressive play calling. What does Schiano have to lose? It might actually save his job. It still bugs me that it’s taken this coaching staff so long to fix certain problems. Hopefully things are on the right track.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:52 pm
it sure does feel better reading stories not throwing the team, the coaches, the GM, and even the owners under the bus. A lot of crazy stuff happened to the team this year, but they kept working and are finally seeing the reward.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Gimme a break. Glennon is a poor man’s version of Alex Smith. If the defense holds a lead, then we might win. But if we have to play catchup, we’re toast. We have the weakest QB and HC in the division.
I think the players are playing more for themselves despite what Joseph and McCoy might say. Do you really expect these guys to speak out negatively and specifically re: their coach(es)?
Davin Joseph I could see being worried about his tenure because of his advancing age and salary. Could Meredith not replace him once Nicks returns, if ever?
We have a high need for a new HC and GM, and there are many worthy candidates available more so for the GM position.
It would be refreshing for the Bucs to eventually got some national recognition, but I feel it is going to take experienced, proven leadership. All one has to do is look at KC. But from what I have seen of them playing which is very little, Smith seems to be super cautious in ALL situations.
Summing up, fire Schiano.
November 18th, 2013 at 5:59 pm
I don’t know where it came from (and don’t really care), but I am loving that the Bucs are calling some gimmick plays other than the Benn’d Around every week. A major knock on this offense for the first half of the season was it’s vanilla predictability and ultra safe, risk-less play-calling. I doubt the play calling will be as wild week in and week out as it was this last week, but it’s good to have some of those plays to keep defenses on their toes and keep things fresh for the offense. No, not every gimmick play is gonna work, but neither is every traditional pass or run play either. I predict a flea flicker next week. lol
November 18th, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Schiano is here for the long haul. He inherited an organization looking for a rebirth and structure, and he brought that in his first year. (It is much easier to become nice than it is to become tough).
Why Schiano will be here next year and for the un foreseeable future:
– He has brought discipline
– He has created Buccaneer men
– He saw a dumper in Josh and so far – a quite decent QB in Glennon. I wish the Freeman debacle went down in a different manner, but I believe this was more Freeman’s camp than the Bucs
– The man knows talent
– He has brought in V-Jax, Nicks (although fragile), Dashon and D-Rev
– He has has had 2 solid drafts in his 1st 2 years
– He is bringing the family culture back to the organization and hopefully (ahem.. fair weather fans) the community
– He has not lost the locker room and his team has not given up on him. His team plays even harder for him due to the band wagoners holding signs and chanting Fire Schiano
The Glazers are not going to fire a coach who has had a slump, brought discipline to the team, who is bringing the family culture back to the organization, and has his team rallying behind him all while paying another coach along with Schianos salary. The Glazers are behind Greg Schiano and truly believe / know that he is their man. Say what you wish, and if he is not here next year, call me out. However, Schiano IMHO is right for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I see him here for the long haul.
http://www.facebook.com/dontfiregregschiano
November 18th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
Well said Brian Jones and Old Fart get over it.
November 18th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
@ Old Fart 44
I actually think Alex Smith is a “rich mans” version of Mike Glennon….
And…I’ll be a believer in the “gambling” Schiano when he uses Shepard in the wildcat….the kid can run, catch and throw…would like to see more of him…
November 18th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
@Joe, the fumblerooski may be illegal, but I bet Schiano tries to do what the Panthers did a couple seasons back. Or the Statue of Liberty play. Just please, not the Benn’d Around!
November 18th, 2013 at 6:56 pm
@Brian Jones – I partly agree with you. Only 2 things. 1. When it comes to the draft as well as the FA pickups, those were probably more Dominick’s pickup’s than Schiano’s, though Schiano probably played a small hand in it. 2. He has not brought discipline to this team, they are the most penalized in the league, and quite frankly the penalties they commit are very stupid, avoidable penalties like unnecessary roughness. And “Buccaneer Men” is a term he coined.
November 18th, 2013 at 6:57 pm
And goldsons suspended.
November 18th, 2013 at 7:07 pm
@ TampabayBucsfan — would like to see shepard used on offense as well. If going to run a trick play and having someone other than glennon throwing it, then it should be him. Rainey had an awesome game, but his halfback pass left a lot to be desired LOL
November 18th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
@Walkdaplank
You make good valid points. Yes Dom drafted the player, but Schiano made these picks.
Regarding discipline. I should say order and professionalism. Yes – the penalties were a common thing the first half of the season, and yes, ridiculous penalties on our part, but you have to admit, they have not been flagged as often the last couple of weeks.
Yes, Buccaneer Men was started by Coach, but the team has become a family within the organization, and this is what he classifies as Buccaneer Men.
My support for the coach is not only because I am a fan and strong supporter of our team, but because he has officially started to loosen up a bit, throughout all of the circus fiasco’s the team and he had been through, the locker room never broke down and the team continued to rally behind him. IMHO – a lot of the first half of the season can be blamed by the mess Freeman’s camp created. He let the team down, and his camp tried to pull a fast one on the organization and coach regarding the leaking of his ADHD.
I believe the Glazers see what a lot of fans do not see. I honestly believe – yes the embarrassing chanting from fans calling for his firing did get to him. You could tell by each and every post game press conference, he was beat down. I think when he met with the Glazers a couple weeks ago – they had a meeting of the minds and Brian and Joel told him to stay strong and pay no attention to these fans. You are doing the right thing, the team is behind you. Keep pushing. Yes – start winning – but keep pushing, you are our man.
November 18th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Brian Jones knows.
November 18th, 2013 at 9:49 pm
6-2 over the final 8 saves Schiano.
November 18th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
It just seems there is a new air in the Bucs locker room since the Bucs deloused themselves of leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman, and no, it’s not the scent of someone’s used athletic supporter or bath towel.
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Do you have proof that is was Freeman who leaked his own info? The Bucs lost 5 straight after Freeman left; I recall that when Josh left the field for the final time in the first 2 games, the Bucs had the lead but the defense/bad coaching decisions led to last second losses. It seem like you’re putting all the blame on Freeman. Winning 2 straight doesn’t give Schiano a pass on the first 8 games.
November 18th, 2013 at 11:57 pm
@Brian Jones – I agree with your points on Schiano, I honestly hope he and the Bucs win out. I don’t WANT to see Schiano fail just so the Glazers can fire him. I’ve said this before, I was expecting at least a Wild Card berth this year, this team is loaded with players that have proven to be good at what they do. That’s why it hurt so bad to see the team fall flat on it’s face, and go 0-8 in the first half, because all of us Bucs fans KNEW that this team was more than capable to win those games. Schiano constantly refused to adjust in the second half, resulting in offensive droughts (I believe we’ve scored less than 5 second half TD’s this season) and his team blowing huge leads (24 points, 21 points, and 15 points). Another big factor was the O-line was non-existent in the first half, but they have finally shown up to play football these past 3 games.
Regarding Freeman, while I now firmly believe that Freeman was not the QB we needed, IMHO it is ignorant to blame the first half travesty on him. As Bucfan68 said above, Freeman walked off the field in the first two games with the lead, only for a bone-headed play and a missed FG spoil the Bucs chances at a “W”. Sure he could’ve played better, but so could the rest of the team. He got benched because of his poor play, that I didn’t argue with. But then Schiano isolated him from the team. Not only benching him to No.2, but then deactivating him, told him not to even show up on the sideline, then had him dragged out of his personally paid for booth to sit in a different one, then told him not to show up to a team meeting the following Monday. Then came the leak. To this day, it is still not publicly known where it came from. I don’t think it was Freeman, and I don’t think it was Schiano. But releasing medical info like that is a felony I believe and the whole mess got so blown out of proportion that the Bucs were forced to cut him because he had become a distraction.
At that point, the team continued to lose 5 games not because of bad play from Freeman’s replacement Mike Glennon, but because the whole team was filled with holes and it has been that way since before Freeman was cut. People finally realized that maybe it wasn’t just Josh Freeman that was a problem, and instead of screaming for Freeman’s head, they screamed for Schiano’s. Every team has those fans, fans that blame the QB all the time for their losses (like Cowboy fans with Tony Romo), when the whole thing was a team effort. Football is a team sport, while QB is probably the most important position in the game, it is ignorant to blame just the QB. Freeman was definitely a problem, but he’s not the whole reason we are 2-8.
Anyway, it is clear that Glennon has outplayed Freeman so far and I hope he keeps it up. I’d rather the Bucs go 7-9 or 8-8 and keep Schiano than go 2-14 or 3-13. But if that’s the case, Schiano can and will get the axe.