Quality Trolling By Greg Schiano
August 7th, 2017
Who was he calling out?
Since he took the gig of defensive coordinator at Ohio State last year, former Bucs commander Greg Schiano has conducted few interviews.
Joe is guessing after a TV appearance this weekend, Schiano has been saving his best material for the few times he does do an interview.
Schiano appeared on Big Ten Network as the channel is in the midst of its training camps tour. So while stopping in Columbus, they got Schiano to step to the set.
And boy, did Schiano let out a doozy.
In no uncertain terms, Schiano said the current group of defensive linemen he works with at Ohio State is the most talented group of defensive linemen he has ever had and that includes the Bucs.
“That’s not a joke,” Schiano said. “Now we had a great player in Tampa by the name of ‘Gerald McCoy’ — tremendous player. But that was one guy.”
Now on face value that seems absolutely ludicrous, like the nonsense one would regularly expect to hear coming out of the piehole of Dan Sileo. At best it sounds like Schiano was using hyperbole to boost his players’ draft stock and maybe toss out a bone to potential recruits. Perhaps he said this as a motivational stunt to second-stringers that they better raise their game if they hope to see the field?
Joe isn’t about to suggest college kids are better players than pros, but notice Schiano was talking talent. Let’s look at what Schiano was forced to work with after the Bucs made one of the NFL’s dumbest decisions in the past decade, letting go of Michael Bennett for no good reason.
Schiano had a starting front four of Adrian Clayborn, who was a whole lot of meh and, frankly, do the Bucs miss him? Then there was defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (who?). At tackle, you had GMC of course, and then Akeem Spence, who is a super nice guy but name the last game he made any impact play.
Shoot, all the GMC haters must have been blind drunk during the Raiders game last year because when Mike Smith gave GMC a breather in the third quarter, Spence took his spot and the Raiders absolutely gashed the Bucs up the middle. Spence’s Bucs history will best be remembered not for any positive play he made, but for getting pulled out of a game and chewed ouy by Lovie Smith against the Giants because Spence kept committing idiotic penalties.
So basically, Schiano, in his last year with the Bucs, had a total stud in GMC, two guys who are lucky to be collecting checks in the NFL, and Te’o-Nesheim who never took another snap in the NFL after Schiano was fired. (Da’Quan Bowers — who Schiano bragged would be a double-digit sack guy — started but two games in 2013 and he too never took another snap in the NFL after leaving the Bucs.) And to think, Clayborn, Spence and Te’o-Nesheim were starters!
Clayborn has accomplished little in the NFL, largely due to injuries. Anyone remember his colossal loaf play against the Bucs two years ago, when Jameis ran for a first down late in the game on 3rd-and-19 to keep a critical drive alive? Go watch No. 99 and you can laugh or throw up.
While suggesting any group of college players is better than an NFL unit is 99 percent of the time laughable, if you look at Ohio State’s roster and what Schiano had to work with in 2013, Schiano’s words don’t seem so ridiculous. Off base? Perhaps. Insane? No.
Could Schiano have been calling out those who worked at One Buc Palace “upstairs” — that’s the term Bucs players use — for handing him three schlock players to work with? If Clayborn, Spence and Te’o-Nesheim were starting, imagine how bad the backups were? (Whiny gun-packing, guitar-playing, out-of-shape Da’Quan Bowers , Gary Gibson, Derek Landri and Steven Means [losing], just to name a few. Will Gholston started two games as a rookie that year.)
Shoot, in 2013, Schiano’s last year with the Bucs, Ohio State had two defensive ends that very likely will have better NFL careers than all but GMC (Joey Bosa and Noah Spence).
Schiano’s talk comparing defensive lines begins at the 2:50 mark of the video below.
August 7th, 2017 at 7:52 am
Real rich coming from the guy who claims he was in charge… he was the only firing I ever agreed with… and he is also such weak minded dainty little flower about being fired … all bark, no bite schiano was still worse than lovie, and that’s saying something.
August 7th, 2017 at 7:57 am
The only firing you ever agreed with? Richard Williamson? Leeman Bennett?
August 7th, 2017 at 8:26 am
He did build the Rutgers program from nothing to something, and perhaps he is just a decent college coach, not pro.
My pewter colored glasses want to give Akeem Spence a tiny bit of love and talk positive about any former Buc, but it is very straining to do that anymore.
LVD looked amazing under Schiano as well. Tandy is pretty decent. I think it was a combination of Dominick and Raheem and Schiano that was lethal to the franchise.
Hind sight is 20-20, and I will give Schiano a pass before Lovie. If you remember, Dominick had a very difficult time trying to find and hire a head Coach that year. So perhaps Schiano is just a decent college coach not an NFL coach.
Lovie on the other hand was just horrible and IMO did far more harm to the franchise than Schiano. Although, Lovie did give us Jameis……
August 7th, 2017 at 8:29 am
As much as I would like to disagree…he’s not wrong
August 7th, 2017 at 8:30 am
I hope the Falcons hire him immediately. That way he can get a first hand look at America’s Quarterback! Bucs must be doing something right if Schiano is coming out of the woodwork. Goon.
August 7th, 2017 at 8:31 am
There’s no way to measure talent. Talent is what made schiano let Michael Bennett walk and say Bowers is a double digits sack guy. There’s a reason he can’t coach in the NFL and it’s stupid comments like that I could use as an example he’ll never be back in the NFL. The difference is easy to see. Think high school basketball vs any college team, smarter stronger faster as an adult
August 7th, 2017 at 8:43 am
He just poked the bear….the rest of the NFC south can thank schiano for that line. Our slime will raise hell as long as smith doesn’t have our DBs leaving wide open green for opposing receivers.
August 7th, 2017 at 9:09 am
I said it back then and it is still true today!!!! NO coach can make the playoffs or win consistently with dominik as a GM!!!!!!
August 7th, 2017 at 9:17 am
Says the POS who attributed to Michael Bennett leaving. He gutted the line and hand picked everyone except GMC, our only good player.
August 7th, 2017 at 9:30 am
U talk about that raiders game. Painful loss
August 7th, 2017 at 9:46 am
Say what you want….Schiano is on a staff of a top notch program…..Dominick doesn’t even get mentioned for gigs. Schiano will coach again….more likely in college. Frankly, i would love to get Schiano at USF…..we are likely two solid seasons away from Strong linking back up with a major program. Schiano runs a solid program, i think he just wasnt ready for the mess that the Bucs had or is just not suited for dealing with pro players. People also forget he had garbage for a GM….Freemans meltdown….as well as the MSRA outbreak. On top of that, we were in a pass happy league with ZERO pressure from the d-line and no stability at QB. He inherited a locker room influenced by player friendly Raheem…..there was ZERO sense of professionalism/order. Very few would be able to turn that mess around without the random luck of snagging a franchise guy in the draft.
August 7th, 2017 at 9:55 am
Schiano might be right.
Of course he had Dom working the “upstairs” details so that explains why not only the DL but most of the team was devoid of real NFL talent.
August 7th, 2017 at 9:59 am
Thanks for the laugh this morning, Joes. Nothing like an ex-NFL head coach who preaches accountability, yet entirely blames the front office for personnel, save for GMC who was drafted by an entirely different coaching staff.
This is the latest stunt by a guy who is showing his true colors and will most likely not be sniffing the NFL ever again.
August 7th, 2017 at 10:02 am
“we were in a pass happy league with ZERO pressure from the d-line and no stability at QB”
So, with Schiano coming in as a defensive-minded coach and sh!tting the bed defending against the pass, as well as alienating his mentally fragile QB with the drafting of Glennon we are to hold Mr. Toes On The Line blameless? Sorry dude, that is a heck of a stretch.
August 7th, 2017 at 10:05 am
PaPrivateer
Agree with your take. I think Schiano is a terrific college coach. But he’s not the first and won’t be the last terrific college coach to fail in the NFL…names like Saban and Spurrier come to mind.
And I have a feeling Schiano is in the catbird seat now. Urban will retire in a few years and Schiano can take over a program with some of the best talent in the land! OSU…Alabama and FSU have dominated recruiting the past few years. There is a pipeline of great players to Columbus…although I believe Harbaugh is going to make Buckeye fans very nervous.
As for Schiano’s statement…if we’re just talking talent his DL SHOULD be better than his Bucs DL.
Remember when OSU had Spence and Bosa as DE’s their freshmen years. Both of those guys are far better than any DE’s Schiano had.
August 7th, 2017 at 10:06 am
Most coaches get fired because they don’t or won’t develop a quality QB. Schiano could have been a total jerk as long as he had a winning QB. Freeman is the main reason Schiano is no longer here. If Billicheat didn’t have Brady, his act would have played out long ago.
August 7th, 2017 at 11:02 am
So how good did Ohio State do last year with Stupid Schiano guiding their defense? No wonder they were embarrassed last year. The only reason Ohio State has recruited well was because Urban Meyer is always a terrific recruiter, but if he has another off year again with all that great talent Ohio State will dump him and Nortre Dame will scoop him up. Ohio State will never give Schiano a head coach position–they will dump him too. Schiano caused us to lose Bennett, gave away our super RB to his big buddy Billicheat in New England Patriots. He also was the idiot that kept Teo at DE when he had a much better DE from Michigan State riding the pine. Don’t forget Schiano saddled us with Albatrioss Glennon too. Schiano was one of the worst Coaches in Buc’s history!!! He needs to be out of football at any level.
August 7th, 2017 at 11:09 am
I expect the Bucs to beat the tar out of Glennon in our first home game this year. That should result in his benching and their Rookie QB to get his job the next game.
August 7th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Shiano, like Gruden was great at making chicken salad out of a chickem-**** roster. No offense, but from 2004 through the drafting of Jameis the Glazers were terrible cheap ass owners. Just being real here.
Lately (since the drafting of Jameis) the Glazers have become great owners. They put more money into player, coaching and front office payroll, They’re spending more of their personal time and effort on the Bucs and it shows in a big way.
I always new they were smart enough to be as good as their Dad. Howard is thrilled that they finally got ManU debt and whatever else out of the way and decided to focus on the Bucs.
For the first time since Gruden we don’t have to overpay good players to come here.
Glazers
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Licht/Koetter/Smith
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August 7th, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Agree that Dominick was pretty terrible, but you have to look at who hired him, and why they hired him.
August 7th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
Schiano said the current group of defensive linemen he works with at Ohio State is the most talented group of defensive linemen he has ever had and that includes the Bucs….
WOW….and some scream, “SCHEME SCHEME SCHEME”….LOL….GO BUCS!!!!
August 7th, 2017 at 3:12 pm
filler
August 7th, 2017 at 6:32 pm
Just had BSPN on for a bit and they were pretty much laughing at Schiano’s statement.
“Not one guy on that college roster comes close to the talent and ability of GMC”
lol