After Chip Kelly spurned them at the last second, the Tampa Bay Bucaneers found themselves a new head coach after all. They kept the search amongst the college ranks, as Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano has signed a five-year deal to become the next head coach of the Bucs.
Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS): Schiano a much better choice for Bucs than Kelly. More of an NFL coach.
Schiano is a New Jersey native who helped turn around a troubled Rutgers program. During his tenure with the Scarlet Knights, he led them to five bowl victories in six years. When he accepted the job with Rutgers after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, he was walking into a team that had historically little success.
But he turned around the much maligned school and made them into a nationally ranked team. Now he gets his chance to turn around another team, and he will be facing tall odds once again.
The Bucs struggled this year after impressing many in 2010, and their struggles affected every part of the game. The offense misfired, and the defense simply fell apart, giving up the most points in the NFL and the most points in Buccaneers franchise history. The team’s many issues boil down to two critical factors: Josh Freeman regressed in his second full year as starter, and the young defensive line was unable to get any pressure on opposing passers.
Tampa has the fifth overall pick in the draft this year, and the defensive minded Schiano will likely look to add to his defense with that pick. LSU corner Morris Claiborne would look nice opposite Aqib Talib. Ronde Barber is on his last legs, and an elite shutdown corner like Claiborne will allow Talib to be his usual risky self without worrying about getting exploited on the outside.
It would certainly help the Bucs much maligned run stop if they could get Gerald McCoy to stay healthy on the inside. The former third overall pick has torn his bicep in each of his first two years, and the defense has struggled without him. By the end of the season they had a pair of rookies on either side of the defensive live, with sophomore Brian Price and whatever is left of Albert Haynesworth on the inside. Not exactly a line that would strike fear into the ever dangerous NFC South.
Going into this past season, Bucs faithful were hoping to contend with the Saints and the Falcons for the top of the division. They not only failed to do so, but they saw the Carolina Panthers emerge as another dangerous team that they have to play twice a year. Schiano will have to scheme in ways that he never has before if he hopes to contain Cam.
We will see what the Glazers want to do, but this might have to be a full blown rebuild. Freeman needs another receiver to rely aside from Mike Williams, and a running back with anything resembling hands would sure help Blount and Graham out of the backfield. Mason Foster did his best to replace Barrett Ruud in the middle of the linebacking corps, but it was not easy for the third round pick to step in from day one and try to play against such stiff competition every week.
Schiano is definitely a step in the right direction, and may end up being a better fit for the team than Kelly. Chip is known for spreading things out and relying on a mobile pivot, which is not exactly what Freeman is. Sure he is big bodied, but more in the Big Ben sense than the Cammy Cam Cam sense. Defense will be a major priority for the Bucs going forward, and if they manage to stay healthy, they could put a .500 season together next year.
The Bucs went far and wide with their coaching search, and after striking out with the big fish that was Kelly, they were left with an excellent fall back option in Schiano. Much of the struggles last season were due to injuries and playing in one of the most difficult divisions in the league, so it is not out of the question that the Bucs could be much improved going forward.
If you want someone to turn your team around, Schiano is your guy.
