As the rookie coach of a talented Tampa Bay Bucs squad, Greg Schiano was serviceable in 2012. Going 7-9 is a safe way to inspire optimism, but it can also simply mean you stunk, and enjoyed beginner’s luck.
Schiano’s second season is moving in the direction of doom. Tampa’s 0-2 and Schiano doesn’t seem to be meshing with the NFL, which is the risk an owner takes when he brings in a college coach to whip grown men into shape.
Schiano’s roster is dope, but he’s continuously failing to put his players in a position to succeed and it doesn’t seem like his team likes him very much.
Using Darrelle Revis in zone coverage and not utilizing Josh Freeman’s mobility are symptoms of the same problem, and according to a report on ProFootballTalk.com, Schiano is losing the locker room.
His relationship with Freeman has deteriorated to the point that the QB can’t throw anymore (63.0 passer rating) and is looking to bail.
The high-priced free agent is pissed off because he’s being misused and thinks Schiano’s rules are bogus, and if Revis is bitching after two games, it’s only going to get worse. The Bucs aren’t paying Revis $16 million per year to be a zone corner, so what the heck is the “defensive-minded” Schiano doing? With the exception of “white privilege,” one can’t muster too many reasons why Schiano was hired in the first place. Especially when equally qualified black coaches, have to be Moses to get a NFL HC sniff.
His hiring is quickly looking like the over-reach that it was. It started bad for Schiano from the jump this season, as prior to the team's opener against the Jets, the Buccaneers players held a players-only meeting to air grievances about Schiano's iron-fisted, micromanaging of the team.
When the Tampa Bay Bucs fired Raheem Morris in 2011, most thought the Bucs ditched the promising young coach because they needed someone with more experience.
That’s why Schiano’s hiring was a shocker. Schiano was at Rutgers for 11 years, running a college kingdom which is totally different from the big boy NFL. In college, the HC is god. In the pros, the HC is a dispensable god-manager.
Schiano is credited with one of the greatest program turnarounds in college football history, but there’s nothing impressive enough to warrant a leap from (borderline) patsy Division-1 coach to NFL commander. It's not like Rutgers was in the SEC.
Schiano finished with an overall record of 68-67. His Big East record was 28-48. In 2006 Rutgers supposedly became an elite program, finishing 11-2, ranked No. 12 and Schiano was the toast of the Tri-State. From that point on, his Big East record was still only 16-19.
So unlike Chip Kelly, who flossed a 46-7 record and a revolutionary grasp of offense in four stellar seasons at Oregon, Schiano didn’t really do anything that special at Rutgers.
He was known for things that have no NFL impact such as recruiting, graduating cats and playing some baby-butt soft schedules. Schiano knew it was more important to get W’s and create the illusion of having a top tier program. He must have studied with Houdini, because convincing NFL execs that he should be moved to the front of the line for an NFL gig was a magic trick like no other.
Sure, Schiano was a defensive assistant and defensive backs coach with the Chicago Bears from 1996-1998. He’s also good friends with Patriots HC Bill Belichick, the E.F. Hutton of NFL masterminds, but during Schiano’s Rutgers stint, his strength of schedule was never in the top 50.
Also, 30 of Rutgers’ 40 non-conference victories came against non-BCS schools, and the Scarlet Knights had a bloated 28-5 record against brittle MAC teams, Army and Navy and FCS squads.
Were Bucs execs blind to that?
As a brother waiting to see the NFL put more qualified minority candidates in HC positions, it irks me that Schiano got this opportunity without having to travel the current pipeline to NFL HC gigs. On top of that, he’s showing some typical “college coach” deficiencies in his philosophies and ability to lead. If the Bucs have any sense, next year they’ll put the full court press on Kevin Sumlin and end this debacle.
