NFL Circles Divided On Schiano Call
December 27th, 2013
These are exciting times for Bucs fans. Nobody knows whether Bucs commander Greg Schiano will remain at the helm on Monday. Team Glazer has been quiet.
This week, SiriusXM NFL Radio personality Pat Kirwan, the former Jets personnel man and linebackers coach, and current CBS analyst, talked about hearing changing and surprising takes on Schiano’s job status.
And today, Sports Illustrated brought more conflict into the debate.
Former Bucs beat writer Don Banks, now an NFL writer for SI.com, weighed in with a look at the various hot seats across the NFL. He says he’s hearing Schiano will be back in 2014, but that’s more of a slim consensus of his sources.
• Tampa Bay — The sense around the league is that head coach Greg Schiano makes it to 2014 in Tampa Bay. It wasn’t a unanimous opinion by any stretch, but the feeling is he’s done just enough to fend off his detractors and keep his job. It helped Schiano considerably with the Glazer family, the team’s owners, that rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has played pretty well — like the coach told them he would — and that ex-Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman did nothing in Minnesota, after signing there in October.
The Bucs aren’t that far away from playoff contention. They have enough talent to win with on defense, but they need more speed on offense and ability to stretch the field vertically in the passing game. That Tampa Bay’s players didn’t quit on Schiano during the Freeman saga and continued to play hard for him also bodes well. Clearly 2014 shapes up as a must-win season for the Bucs, but it would now register as a surprise if Schiano was out of work at some point next week.
And the same goes for Bucs general manager Mark Dominik, who continues to be perceived as having a solid relationship with the Glazers, despite no playoff trips in his first five seasons heading up Tampa Bay’s front office.
Joe has no clue what will happen. In case you missed it on Christmas Day, Joe made a case for Schiano, as well as a case against Schiano.
With things up in the air, it’s logical to assume Sunday in New Orleans will be part of the decision-making process. New Orleans has lost three of four game and isn’t scoring points like they used to.
If Schiano and the Bucs have made some progress this season, would they really go up there and get their doors blown off?
To make matters more interesting, Joe talked to a prominent media member this week who insists Team Glazer already has made a decision. Joe can’t quite buy that. Surely Team Glazer is leaning strongly in one direction, but Joe doubts they’re all in either way.
December 27th, 2013 at 3:25 pm
IF the decision to bring back schiano is about money, what you have to pay a coach not to coach
December 27th, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Paying a coach not to coach AGAIN then that’s a sign something is wrong in the front office more than on the field and i’d rather see some other coach like wannstedt coach just to prove how bad schiano really is at coaching, we arent taking any steps forward, were the only good team in the league that keeps saying we need this, we need that to be better. last year we had a worse quarterback and the worst pass defense in the leauge but were in the playoff hunt once again we bring back a better offense line than we have due to injury because davin joseph didnt play, carl nicks barely played but we say the players suck…well how about other teams arent game planning for us, they simply went online to madden and purchased our playbook and they know what were gonna do just like the people watching in the stands and in their living rooms….i’d rather see brian cox call defense, steve white could call a defense better than what we have on staff and he’s never been a coach
December 27th, 2013 at 3:34 pm
I’d let Jay Gruden come in, select his own GM, and draft his own QB.
Last time the Bucs hired an offensive head coach (Gruden also), they won a Super Bowl.
December 27th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
So, who is TB beating out in the division in 2014? Atlanta? Maybe. Blowing those drafts picks hurt them.
But, Charlotte and N.O.? With this GM and staff? 3rd place.
I certainly won’t be drinking the koolaid that I was enjoying last July. Reality bites.
December 27th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Predictably, the out of market guys are about 4-6 weeks behind the current state of team.
That “analysis” leaves you less informed
December 27th, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Say you have the kindness to look past the 0-8 start, which should’ve been grounds for firing in the first place. The Bucs are 4-3 since, with all three losses being absolute drubbings. The team is last in passing in a passing league. Glennon has played well at times, but shown no growth. The defense is average, despite several above-average pieces. If Schiano stays, he needs two new coordinators. Rutgers’ staff barely cut it in the Big East; they are getting trounced in the NFL.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
If this guy stays next year the glazer don’t care and the fans.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Here is what I would do if I were the Glazers:
Keep Schiano (tell him to lay off the offense or he can walk)
Hire a top notch OC
Instruct Dominick to Rebuild the O-line mainly through the draft
Trade down in round 1 and pick up an extra 2nd or a 3rd round pick
Trade Rainey for a pick
Select TE/OL first 4 selections
Restructure or cut Nicks, Joseph, Penn
Spend the additional and remaining cap on WR/DE/CB
Let Schiano know that if he fails he will be fired in mid-season and replaced by the new OC
Let Schiano know that you are only advocating competion at every position like he does…..and that includes competition at HC.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
I hope Schino goes but if he doesn’t I hope we get a new quarterback because we aren’t going to win anything with the one we got.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:08 pm
If the Glazers make the horrible decision to bring Schiano back for next year, Tampa will see a major fan revolt, and empty stadium on Sundays and another disgusting losing season. And a lot of the fans that will attend the games will be holding up their derogatory signs and wearing their paper bags on their heads again just like at the Thursday Night Carolina game. It will show the fans that winning football games is not ownership’s top priority
December 27th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
@Tampabaybucfan
agreed and also resign there own players
December 27th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
If they keep MARK and GREG they are ok with loosing every year. No one can honestly say they see any hope for this regime. Poor play calling and clueless coaching 4-12. Not ok we deserve better
December 27th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
bah. if schiano stays and the bucs start next season 3-1 or something, all will be forgotten. for everyone who wants to point to the teams like KC or SF who have gotten a new coach and suddenly had the light bulb turn on, there are also cases like this year’s panthers or dungy’s early period with this franchise – even (going way back) the early tenures of knoll, landry, and (i think) jimmy johnson – where the same coach and a growing core of players learned how to win after looking completely helpless in the first couple of seasons. football is also a small sample size sport with just 16 games and every unlucky bounce or bad call being so impactful, as an owner evaluating a coach you have to be very analytical in trying to separate out good & bad luck from good & bad decisions.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
note: i’m not saying schiano is any of the coaches mentioned above, just that W-L isn’t always a total barometer of where a team is in establishing its competitive window and that luck and circumstances can be unfairly attributed to the head coach. this can happen for better or worse – i don’t think coach wyche’s Five dash 2 or Raheem’s 10-6 were true reflections of the team at that time. it said as much about who we played and some nice things breaking our way as it did about who was on the roster and who was coaching them.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
By the mere fact that we are 4 days away from Black Monday, and there is no noise in the channel implies that Schiano will be back. The Penn State inquiry got close, but he categorically denied it’s veracity. There are insider sources, agents, and the pundits who read the tea leaves that would have some idea by now. And I don’t think that the last game is going to decide anything that isn’t already decided either. The Glazers already know like you and I and every bookie making the game that the Bucs aren’t likely to win that game.
If I had to take a guess, he will be given a reasonable amount of time to truly turn things around – have the team on an upward trend with wins and losses by a certain time similar to the season the Cardinals are having now. It could be as early as the 2014 bye week, but more likely if and when we are mathematically eliminated from any playoff opportunity. There would be no need to go any further.
Someone suggested that he be given marching orders for his OC and DC selections. That isn’t typically how it is done unless you’re Jerry Jones. If he is retained, he will be given every chance to win in his own way with his own staff. That is the only way he can be held accountable.
If and when the owners feel like a change needs to be made in season or end of season it will be done swiftly and with out hesitation!
December 27th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
At some point, doesn’t your record matter?
After 5 years, Dominick is 28-51. When do the excuses for him end?
Let’s ask this question, is there ANY record that Dominick could have that could lead to his demise?
Is 28-51 enough? if not then what? 32-63? 36-75? How many years of rebuilding does it take? 7? 8?
Also, I add the Jimmy Johnson proved himself at UM building some amazing teams (and I say that as a Nole). Greg may have improved Rutgers, but, it’s not on the same level of what Jimmy did. Not close.
December 27th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
To be fair, Glennon had a solid rookie year. It’s kind of hard to evaluate him honestly.
December 27th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Instead of comparing Schiano to Knoll, Landry and Johnson, wouldn’t it be more accurate to compare him to Ray Perkins and Leeman Bennett? In 3 days we’ll see how much the Glazers really care about the Buc fans, and if they want to raise or lower the standards
December 27th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Greg Schiano = Ray Perkins 2.0.
Ray was quite possibly the stupidest man in NFL history.
Remember when Ray switched sides on the field, so his players would face the brutal Florida sun and the visitors could languish in the shade?
He ordered that because when the teams crossed at midfield he felt they would shake hands with the opponents and probably would hand over the game plan.
He felt that a lot of discomfort was worth it if the teams would be able to go directly to the same side locker rooms at the half.
Does that ring a bell? The Little General has outlawed Buc players “conspiring in small groups” or “laughing during a loss.”
December 27th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Somebody wrote, “These are exciting times for Bucs fans.”
Whoever wrote this must be a fan of a team heading to the playoffs.
Are both joes on vacation? or are they at happy hour?
December 27th, 2013 at 6:03 pm
I was a schiano supporter but after rams game I just don’t care. I will not renew my season tickets or go to game till they give me reason to come back. If the kicker we have now is on the roster next year I won’t go even with a free ticket.
December 27th, 2013 at 6:22 pm
I’m thinking its 60/40 he stays.
If he stays its due to a mulligan on Freeman fiasco.
If he goes its because the Glazers were painted a different picture when they were asked to shell out for Revis, Jackson, Nicks.
Remember these folks do the unexpected. Who thought they were hiring Greg?
Totally like them to have something up their sleeve. A tentative agreement with a big name already in place.
December 27th, 2013 at 6:33 pm
I think fans are scrambling about, trying to figure out the quick fixes when what they need to do is trust Schiano to fulfill his vision for the Bucs.
Honestly, on a personal level I want a 1st round QB. Schiano seems to be very good at spotting talent in the draft. His record with draft picks these last 2 years is nearly spotless. He struck on all of his picks this year.
I’m of the firm belief that the GM controls the free agent side of things, and the head coach controls the drafts. Free agency affects the salary cap to a greater degree. That isn’t to say the GM does not participate in the draft. Mark Dominick does. But I’m sure he has to sell Schiano on any trades before doing them.
The question is, will Schiano draft a first round quarterback?
Glennon is a huge question mark in a division where we need a hit at the position. Drafting a QB in the 1st round will come with a question mark as well, but between the two we would have a higher chance of finding the right guy.
The simple truth is this…we cannot win consistently within the division over the next few years without a solid option at QB. The Bucs MUST fill that role effectively as quickly as possible.
Now, maybe a guy will be released that will negate the need to draft one. I don’t know. But I do know we have not seen enough of Glennon to be convinced he is the solution.
I don’t believe Schiano is convinced either. Glennon was a pick to pacify him because he wasn’t permitted to draft a first rounder. The boy was intended to be a backup, which was why the released Dan-O in the first place.
I believe the Glazers will insist on a first round QB. I believe they will cut Schiano slack because he was forced to make do with Freeman, then Glennon.
Schiano can point at the two drafts he’s had and say, “Did Raheem and Morris hit on so many? Let me get my guy.”
December 27th, 2013 at 6:34 pm
Sorry “Raheem and Dominick”
December 27th, 2013 at 6:37 pm
I agree with you, Eric.
Also, some people have suggested Jay Gruden. I don’t think he’s proven enough as yet to be offered a head coach role.
So I have to wonder, who would replace Schiano? Certainly, I do not think many would do a better job.
His results are bad in the win/loss column, but if you look at how he has changed the team itself, the impact he has made…that’s been blockbuster.
I had my doubts with Zuttah moving the center, for example, but the guy was right.
December 27th, 2013 at 7:23 pm
I’m pulling for the Cardinals. Bucs upset, Cards win!
December 27th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Jay Gruden = OC. Maybe?
December 27th, 2013 at 9:18 pm
BucTrooper… I’ll be pulling for the Cardinals also. It will be a major upset, but Frisco is at Arizona. The Cards beat Seattle at Seattle, why not the 9ers at home. The Bucs would have to beat the Saints also to allow the Cards in the playoffs. Long odds against Cards getting in.
December 28th, 2013 at 1:25 am
You are what your record says you are. 4-11 after going 7-9 is regression. Having the lowest rated and worst offense in the NFL is regression. Being last in points scored in the NFC is regression. Schiano was hired to change the culture here, but there was a losing culture when he got here and there is a losing culture now. Schiano and Raheem are totally different kind of men and coaches, but they get the same results on the field – LOSES
December 28th, 2013 at 3:11 am
If you really want to know how poor the current talent level and depth are then check out the Bucs Super Bowl season in review DVD. Hall of Fame talent and the depth is truly amazing. And Malcolm was in charge. His boys are clueless. Dominick is simply in over his head. If they don’t turn the franchise over to people who know what they are doing then you can rest assured 2014 will be more of the same.
December 28th, 2013 at 11:03 am
If
If Schiano stays then Domincik, Sullivan & sheridan should go. Wannstedt should be DC.