“Another Low Point For This Franchise”

January 23rd, 2012

The Tampa Bay area’s only Hall of Fame voter, veteran Tampa Tribune scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman, has no positive spin for the Bucs’ loss of  head coaching candidate Chip Kelly.

Speaking this morning on the Dan Sileo Show on WDAE-AM 620, Kaufman said the Bucs did confirm their genuine interest in Kelly — and didn’t deny making him an offer — and Kaufman called the Bucs’ swing and miss “another low point for this franchise.”

“It’s one thing to get turned down by Bill Parcells, he’s going into the Hall of Fame in 10 days,” Kaufman said. “To turn down the Glazers who probably would have given you almost anything you wanted, what’s that say about this franchise?”

Kaufman reminded listeners of the NCAA investigation swirling around Kelly and the University of Oregon, saying that makes Kelly’s about face on the Bucs job more surprising and troubling.

As for Team Glazer’s mindset, Kaufman said “it became obvious in the last week that the Glazers, like their fans, were not overwhelmed by the guys they were interviewing.”

Kaufman said the Glazers “appear to be lurching” from one philosophy to another and are likely to “lurch” back to a retread head coaching candidate.

Joe gets Kaufman’s take that Kelly’s rebuff is a sign the Bucs job has dropped to the bottom of the NFL coaching pool, but Joe’s not sure he can be so negative. Sometimes a guy, especially head coach with a sweet college gig, just doesn’t want a new job for all kinds of reasons.

That written, the Bucs obviously saw enough from Kelly to believe his heart was in coming to the NFL and made him a job offer. Because of that, Joe’s concerned that the Bucs might be misreading and questionably evaluating more than just one candidate.

67 Responses to ““Another Low Point For This Franchise””

  1. raphael Says:

    Marty = winning now !

  2. Garv Says:

    IMO “lurching” back to a “retread” candidate will look desperate and unappealing to fans.
    If the Buccaneers or any other team in the NFL for that matter really wanted a retread they be easy to sign. The fact that they have not been and for years is a bit disturbing, particularly after the very positive vibe about Kelly just last night.

    This is not good but hopefully the Buccaneers will surprise us.

  3. jvato24 Says:

    Go get plan B today. The Bucs will have massive problems getting position coaches if this drags out. Kelly seems innovative but I’m not heart broken as college coaches scare me a bit.

  4. Pete Dutcher Says:

    Lord…I hate the local rag reporters. Hate them.

    Say, Joe…last night I read on Pewter Report that they “have confirmed the hire of Kelly”…how much you want a bet that article has either been edited or removed now? 😉

    WE WILL HAVE OUR HEAD COACH BY THE NED OF THIS WEEK, PEOPLE!

    Just watch.

  5. Brad Says:

    I think it’s time the Glazers officially put this team up for sale. If these guys wanted to win they would have hired Polin or Angelo and then got out of the way. Keeping Dominik just proves this team is not ready to spend money. I also think the better coaches are not going to come here as long as Mark is the GM. This of course my opinion.

  6. Big Picture Guy Says:

    Agreed Joe. And from what I have read, supposedly Oregon doesn’t have much repercussions to fear from whatever transgressions they are under investigation for; apparently they are a minor deal.

    Maybe instead of spinning it like newspapers always tend to do somehow, eye-RAH! could just look at the plain facts that Kelly turned it down because he legitimately wanted to stay at his cushy college job, instead of taking a coinflip chance and having to go back to square one if he failed.

    We have a franchise QB, young talent, a league mandate that forces the Glazers to spend 60 mil in salary cap money within the next 2 years, and high draft picks this year. No one can tell me the bucs job is “undesirable,” no matter how negative people’s opinions of the Glazers may be!!

  7. joekool716 Says:

    I believe kelly would have been a great hire, but lolt of people were afraid because he was coming from the college ranks and of his offense. I hear screams for tom clements, why? Just because he comes from the packers who have a good offense, but I’m from buffalo(but a bucs fan) seen tom clements offense and its not a pretty site. So be careful for what you ask for!

  8. Garv Says:

    Pewter Report confirmed the Kelly hire?

    WAIT! It must be true then! People pay 10 dollars a YEAR for that information.

  9. TampaRob Says:

    Brad- Angelo killed the Bears and Polian built a one man team in Indy.. killing the Colts by spending all of their money on Peyton, who, by the way, has just as many rings as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson. I’m not saying he’s not a better QB than both– just that his selfishness and poor GM work kept them from being a dynasty.. instead of perennial playoff flame-out.

  10. mark2001 Says:

    Shades of 2002.

    And what point will the Glazers have enough crap on their faces to go out and turn over the keys of the organization to a guy like Billick or Cowher?

    Or will they pull another “Raheem” (who I thought got jobbed by the Glazers as will any guy that doesn’t get it in writing first) on the fans and try to sell it to us.

    “the adventure begins”.

  11. eric Says:

    Hey we can hire Marty and we don’t even have to worry about his son coming along.

    Easy to bash Glazers but I would never do that for trying to make a bold move. To me the courting of Kelly represented a return to the Glazers of yesteryear – who did bring us a Super Bowl lest we forget.

    Keep that agressive “outside the box” mindset up and don’t give up is my advice, which is worth precicesly nuttin!

    BTW how many multi million dollar deals has Ira Kaufman everdone?

    THought so.

  12. Mike Says:

    This is definitely a low pt. Chip was quoted in saying he wants a job at the ‘highest level’, but I don’t think he wanted to risk jumping into the wrong team that might tarnish his reputation. I see three rejections to this point: Fisher wanting nothing to do w us, Wade Phillips turning down the hold HC interview offered, and now Chip. No one wants to put their name on this crap. Now let me ask you, is it really an uncommitted fan base that doesn’t fill those seats – b/c sounds like to me the people that are getting to know this team as well as us see how little there is root for.

    Glazers = cpt of wrecked Costa Concordia cruis ship

  13. Mike Says:

    Wade Phillips turning down the ONLY* HC interview

  14. MTM Says:

    The Glazers are the most pathetic owners in the NFL. When does God-el finally step in and put some water on this dumpster fire. It has been like watching a train wreck for the last 2 months that won’t stop. Pop star is really building his legacy with the Bucs.

  15. Trox Says:

    A low point for me is the “shameful job” these beat reporters do. Seriously, have they ever broke a story about the team first? I can’t remember any.

  16. eric Says:

    Are there people out there who actually want Wade Phillips and are lamenting he cancelled his interview?

    C’mon man thats rediculous.

  17. Bucs55 Says:

    Bring in perry ferell from d giants

  18. Garv Says:

    What’s not good is having whomever we hire coming here as at least a second choice.
    It’s too bad this was leaked, it really is.

  19. Brown Bag Has Been Removed Says:

    All I will say is, the two best teams are still playing. Their coordinators are still playing. We still have some cream-of-the-crop coordinators to choose from.

    “All is not lost. Remain calm.”

  20. raphael Says:

    two words for you brown bag…..chip kelly….seriously , we are screwed ….skyway bound..

  21. pewterpirate99 Says:

    HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! What’s that tell you Glazer’s ?! Nobody worth a damn wants this HC job. You’ve been turned down by 3 coaches now. First Jeff Fisher ( I DON’T believe for one second that the Glazers turned him down, I believe it was the other way around ), then Dough boy Philips say’s no, and now Chip Kelly……..WOW!!!!! I don’t believe ANYTHING the Glazers say and I DO believe thise year will be the same staus quo with what we’ve had here in recent history.

  22. Joe Says:

    Garv:

    What’s not good is having whomever we hire coming here as at least a second choice.
    It’s too bad this was leaked, it really is.

    Weren’t both Father Dungy and Chucky third choices?

  23. Bobby Says:

    @Brad….how stupid do you have to be to make the comment that the Glazers are not willing to spend money??? The fact that they were trying to hire Chip Kelly means they were willing to spend big money. I’m sure he would have commanded in the 5-6 million per year range. You can hate on the Glazers all you want but spending money was not the issue here.

  24. bucfanjeff Says:

    I don’t think there is anybody on the Pats or Giants that are worth having. That said, even if there IS somebody on the radar, the Bucs will pass now – too long before the SB is over.

    The Bucs have played their hand with Kelly. Anything that last longer than a week now will just be embarrasing to them. No doubt Grella is involved now in the HC search for the PR spin.

    Zimmer, Clements, BILLICK – Del Rio for DC.

    Did I mention BILLICK? (for HC or OC)

  25. Bobby Says:

    To tell you the truth….thank God that Chip Kelly turned this job down. I think that would have been a stupid hire. You can’t run his offense in the NFL. He would have had to totally revamp what he was doing in Oregon. I think it was smart for him to realize that and stay in college ball.

  26. Macabee Says:

    The Chip Kelley interview and apparent offer took place without notice and fanfare! Could there be other unexpected or unanticipated events forthcoming? Seems as likely as anybody that has already been interviewed!

  27. Apple Roof Cleaning Says:

    It seems no one wants to come to Tampa, or has Love for the “Rockstar” But Joe ?
    Seriously, it was a Ballsy move by Mark and the Glazers. OK, it didn’t work out.
    Remember, it is recruiting time in College ? Kelly may have used Tampa to “reassure” his college recruits that he isn’t going anywhere.
    Or, he may simply want to coax more money out of Oregon, who knows ?
    Marty is looking better and better these days.

  28. McBuc Says:

    You guys are nuts, the Glazers also had no interest if Fisher, and thank god! No one can answer when I ask why you guys love fisher so much. 16 seasons, 6 play off teams, and 1 lost SUper Bowl.

    Every HC job in the NFL is a good job, there are only 32 of them. Plenty of coaches risk their name in the NFL, lose in the beginning, go somewhere else anyway.

    Anyone consider his current employeers really wanted him to stay and made a last min counter offer?

  29. eric Says:

    Mike Gundy was coach of the year, with a high powered offense, if the Glazers want a college guy.

    Interesting to me that the Packers havent announced a promotion for Mr. Clements unless I missed it.

    At least this is more exciting than the last ten games of the regular season.

  30. Denny Says:

    You mean someone in the Bay area is actually listening to Silly-O ???? His programming has changed so much ( so he doesn’t (can’t) talk to phone callers ) that the radio station sets up interviews to any fool in the nation that will go on the air with him.

    Not sure what’s going on in the Bay area lately, but sports radio is really begining to SUCK !!!! The hosts just go on the air and say ” who cares who the Bucs hire, the Glazers won’t spend money so why talk about it’…. WOW, that is interesting radio. Kill the conversation during the first 2-3 minutes you’re on the air. If you’re too lazy to talk about the SPORTS subject on SPORTS RADIO then get another job !!!!

    And why do people think the Glazers have no other plan??? Like they put all their eggs in one Kelly basket and now they don’t know what to do???

  31. Blackmagic00 Says:

    Perry.

  32. TurnThePage Says:

    May as well get Perry Fewell… but make him commit today.

  33. LOLJFH Says:

    Kelly was an energizing thought at first, but his scheme would get killed in NFL. however I think he couldve related to young kids – probably not so much to any pending free agent signings like a Manningham or a Vilma.

    How is it on every talk show and website/blog in the Bay area I hear the word “Billick” yet his name is never mentioned as a possiblity?? Fans seem to want him, he is diplomatic in his admiration and admonishment of team and is both offensive and defensive minded. If we are down to “retreads” like many think, why not him? He is one “retread” that would bring experience, personality, winning culture, experience, respect, experience and know-how.

    Oh, right, Rock Star would feel threatened….

  34. Meh Says:

    Perry Fewell? No thanks.

  35. BucFan South Tampa Says:

    Im sure the college and players at Oregon put enough pressure on him that he changed his mind; or was it his good friends Jon Gruden and Tony Dungy? On the face of it I was excited, but when I saw his resume (lots of years at that vaunted football powerhouse of New Hampshire), and little else other than three good years at Oregon. Im glad he is off the radar, but dont like the way it happened. So, do you think the other coaches will like being second choice? Probably not. Im glad the Glazers are taking their time, but come on man….

  36. Garv Says:

    Joe

    I thought Tony Dungy was second behind Parcells. As for Jon Gruden, I don’t think you trade two number 1 picks, two number 2 picks in the draft for a third choice. I believe they went all out for him, certainly not as a second choice after Marvin Lewis, who Rich McKay wanted.

    I think this just looks bad and hope the Bucs don’t do anything that appears desperate, like going back to a Sherman for instance.

    I truly hope, still hope, we are surprised by the Glazers final choice. I certainly felt good last night before this mess. IMO Kelly would have been a very positive, exciting and positive development. That’s all I’m typing.

    Stay on it Joe, great job as always.

  37. Vern4499 Says:

    @bucfanjeff

    They can talk to coordinators from Super bowl teams this week. Don’t have to wait until after the game. And Fewell is very intriguing in my opinion. Has the D scary again.

  38. paul Says:

    Mark Dominik must be fired immediately!!

  39. Denny Says:

    Damn Ron & Ian just interviewed a reporter from Oregon and he told Ian 4 times that Kelly turned the job down because his heart was in Oregon…. But does Ian listen???? No… He knows it all and just kept firing back at the reporter that this area sucks and our organization is terrible and that’s why Kelly didn’t come here.

    Way to promote and support the area losers. 620’s morning shows need to be overhauled… AGAIN !!!!

  40. BucFan South Tampa Says:

    This is Peter King’s take from MMQB

    8. I think it sure feels like Chip Kelly’s beating the posse out of Eugene if he takes the Tampa Bay job. After it seemed like he’d be leaving Oregon for the NFL, Kelly may have had a change of heart about joining the Bucs. If he does turn down the job, I’m told part of the reason is that the news of Kelly’s possible departure leaked, killing his recruiting efforts.
    ///////
    Hey Chip- you cant have it both ways. Make a decision before you go into talks with a team. Now, all of your recruits you had committed wont sign with you because they wont trust you, and future teams wont trust you because you backed out. Caio brother, enjoy your NCAA suspension.

  41. BucFan South Tampa Says:

    @Denny

    You know the only reason Ian is on the air is because he used to play football. He hates the Bucs, rarely watched a game (when they were on TV), and has never been to a game in which he paid for his own tickets. Of course he hates the Bucs and Glazers. This is just a gig.

  42. Matthew Says:

    If we want a offensive coach the Bucs should look at Marc Trestman

  43. thomas 2.2 Says:

    Listen: the signs are favorable that the Glazers are willing to pay a little more for a coach.

    The signs are horribly unfavorable with regard to high-demand / top level coaches having any interest in our franchise.

    Wade Phillips chooses to not even interview;
    Jeff Fisher expresses absolutely no interest at all;
    Chip Kelly (while under a serious investigation by the NCAA) turns down an offer;

    What is next? RahRah rejects the offer to come back. LOL. Rah would probably turn it down if the pop star (backstabber) stayed on.

    How about Ron Zook declines an interview preferring to stay on as Jags special teams coach?

    I think that the Glazers are truly going to have to considering neutering the pop stars authority – maybe confiscate his etch-a-sketch – to attract a legit candidate.

    If Kelly called Rah and asked what it was like being controlled by the Pop Star – I am sure Rah said – imagine being given football advice and direction by Justin Bieber!

  44. Denny Says:

    @BucFan South Tampa

    Starting to agree with you on this. I used to love this show and wouldn’t miss it for anything. Lately though, i have no trouble plugging my Zune in and jamming some music reading a well written story on-line.

    That show just seems to be really lazy right now. They blow off everything callers want to talk about so they can get to what ever restaurant is giving them food. Now that is compelling radio to LISTEN to.

  45. chargedcbh Says:

    Just glad he didn’t take the job and then one day decide he wants out….

  46. thegregwitul Says:

    Let’s clarify a few things before we all head over to the skyway regarding the number of coaches who have turned the Bucs down…

    1. Jeff Fisher: I believe the reports that stated the Glazers had little to no interest. Why break the bank for Fisher? I don’t think he’s a bad coach, but I don’t think he’s worth top dollar. He seemed destined for St.Louis all along, and used the Dolphins as leverage. I’m glad to see the Bucs stayed away, as it would have been a waste of time, much like number two on the list.

    2. Wade Phillips: Wade never received a job offer, and was never going to receive a job offer. He’s happy as DC in Houston and figured it wasn’t worth the trip with a playoff game to prepare for, and I don’t blame him. To think he ever had a chance to be hired as the next coach of the Bucs is flat out ridiculous.

    3. Chip Kelly: I wouldn’t of minded having Chip as the next coach, if only to see what he’d do with the team, especially the offense. Sure, it could have gone the way of Spurrier and set back the franchise, but this is the one coach who received an offer by the Bucs, and when you look at his situation in Oregon, why risk a lifetime job with amazing perks when you run a college styled offense and know if you crap the bed in the pros you could be out in 2-3 years starting at square one back in the college ranks? Plus, with such a sweet gig, don’t be suprised to see Chip get a raise in the coming months.

    So, let’t try not to panic and let the search run it’s course. The Glazers are known to make surprising coaching moves, both good (Gruden) and not so good (Raheem, who to be fair, was promoted too quickly). Now, if Chilly is announced as the next head coach this week, I’m driving up from Buffalo to enroll in some Skyway therapy.

    j.

  47. Patrick Says:

    I actually wish we had fired Dominicks @ss now! This is pathetic and embarrasing. PICK A DAMN COACH! MARTY OR ZIMMER. How would those not be good hires? Marty seemed like he was real interested in this job.

    Nah, let’s make sure we find a guy who can “work well with Dominick.”

  48. BigMacAttack Says:

    Thomas, I’d take Justin Bieber right about now.

    I wish they would lure Chucky back, like Billick a lot, could get Cowher if the price was right. Bissacia deserves an interview, and Mike Gundy is my favorite College Coach. I would like Derrick Brooks also as HC and be willing to take the time for him to become a great HC. Hardy could be his DC too.

    I doubt they will be able to appease more than 25% of our fan base.

    It wouldn’t break my heart if they fired the Roackstar now either. Should have kept Millard

  49. Bobby Says:

    @Denny…you are so right about the lame hosts on 620 in the AM. I can’t hardly stand to listen to any of them. When Dan Sileo has a better perspective
    you know you’re in trouble and Sileo is definitely better than Ron & Ian. Beckles is mostly clueless. It’s a rare day when I agree with anything he says.

  50. Bobby Says:

    “I wish they would lure Chucky back, like Billick a lot, could get Cowher if the price was right. Bissacia deserves an interview, and Mike Gundy is my favorite College Coach. I would like Derrick Brooks also as HC and be willing to take the time for him to become a great HC. Hardy could be his DC too.”

    I wish they’d hire Don Shula, like Bobby Bowden a lot…Jim Tressel deserves an interview…I’m sure they could bring Lombardi back from the dead if the price was right…I would love to see Sabby Piscatelli as HC and be willing to take as much time for him to succeed as a coach as it took him to succeed as a player. He could have Antonio Bryant as his OC. The Glazers just SUCKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They won’t hire anyone I like.

  51. eric Says:

    They put themselves in this position with the Chucky jettison. He had proven he could win big with the right horses, just needed help getting them.

    But, thats water wayyyyyyyyyyyy under the bridge now.

    I am warming up to Joe’s Clements choice. Well respected in this league and could put a good staff together.

    But I am a bit shellshocked after last night. I can only imagine how they feel at OBP. Maybe they got another ringer in the wings.

    Why do these things always blow up in our faces?

  52. Joe Says:

    eric:

    But I am a bit shellshocked after last night. I can only imagine how they feel at OBP. Maybe they got another ringer in the wings.

    Joe heard eye-RAH! Kaufman on the radio and he said Team Glazer is PO’ed.

  53. Brandon Says:

    Rather have him out than not all in. Petrino and Spurrier led great collegiate offenses but didn’t have the desire or patience to put in the work at the NFL level. Obviously, Kelly would rather be the King Bee at Oregon and put in half as many hours than be an important cog where he has to work his tail off.

  54. Northend Says:

    I like the bold move,Ilike the $$$$$ they are willing to spend,all signs of good things to come.the brothers don’t like being embarrassed so look for big spending on the fa market to load whatever coach we get with some weapons.I hope they keep the next target under wraps a lil longer,seal the deal

  55. patrickbucs Says:

    I am not going to overreact too much on this; I think we will see shortly a raise and contract extension for Chip Kelly. If they were leveraged all along then these guys are even poorer negotiators’ then I though and need some help. I remember it was brought up on this site that they needed to hire an outside consultant in-season to help this team. It sure seems like they needed one from the start of this coaching search and one now for sure.

    I still would like to see Mike Zimmer be the coach of this franchise. We can’t give up cash and draft picks this time because we sure can’t afford it and I think the league may have put a stop to it.

  56. Rob In Orlando Says:

    Vic Fangio. Google the name if you are unfamiliar. He is the current defensive coordinator for the 49ers and has over 25 years of NFL experience. I think the Cheapsters should at least interview him for the HC job. Maybe they could also interview Jim Leavitt, a coach I have always liked and felt he really got an unfair jettison from USF. Leavitt coaches the linebackers for San Fran and would also be a strong candidate for defensive coordinator (he was co defensive coordinator at Kansas State with Bob Stoops before he took the USF job)

  57. mark2001 Says:

    Why are the G boys PO’d. Honestly, they couldn’t look more unintelligent and inept if they tried over the last few years.

    I can see it now, when they talk with Malcolm….it’s like when Jonny Fontane goes in to talk with the Godfather, and he tells them “Malcolm, what can we do (boo hoo), what can we do (boo hoo) we screwed up…and he tells them to quit crying and to act like men. But unfortunately Malcolm can’t take it in his hands to straighten it out anymore. We just have to sit back and watch the “brain trust” play it out.

  58. Joe Says:

    Rob:

    Jim Leavitt, a coach I have always liked and felt he really got an unfair jettison from USF. Leavitt coaches the linebackers for San Fran and would also be a strong candidate for defensive coordinator (he was co defensive coordinator at Kansas State with Bob Stoops before he took the USF job)

    Joe’s confident NFL players will just love a coach who goes all MMA on them when things turn sour.

  59. eric Says:

    wait a minute:

    defensive coordinator at kansas state.

    if i live a thousand years i dont want any more of those.

  60. mark2001 Says:

    Eric,

    Unfortunately Raheem didn’t have a Rod Marinelli, a Hardy Nickerson, and a Paul Gruber to make the discipline part of his job a little easier.

    Raheem got “an offer he couldn’t refuse”, either taking the job or hoping to hook on somewhere else after Gruden was canned. I don’t blame him for taking the job. The Glazers shouldn’t have put him in the position, and if they did, they should have gotten him some good coordinator help. Instead he ended up with a couple of weights. Rah had to go….obviously…but if we don’t give the new coach a better organizational infrastructure, he will be in the same boat Rah was in.

  61. GenocideD Says:

    I think Kelly used us to get a better contract at Oregon. He never planned on leaving Oregon. I know this is hardly official or an inside tip but one of my coworkers is an OU alum and diehard, lifelong Duck and he said Kelly has built a HUGE house in Eugene (that’s still under construction) and there’s no way with the money he’s paid that his intentions are to leave.
    He made Oregon think that he was thinking about making the jump to the NFL to get paid more, end of story.

  62. kh Says:

    I was online late last night and early this morning and follow their twitter page and I never saw Pewter report confirm anything.

  63. Rob In Orlando Says:

    @Joe,
    Agreed. But… I think Coach Leavitt learned from his mistake and obviously has done the most with the second chance Harbaugh gave him. Just watch, someone will give him an opportunity at a higher level than linebackers coach like defensive coordinator or even head coach and he will excel. I still think Fangio would be interesting. I’m sure with his resume and connections in the NFL, he would assemble a great staff to surround himself in Tampa.

  64. thomas 2.2 Says:

    Adam Schefter reported that “things broke down last night during “negotiations” with the bucs.” That is a quote from memory I tried to cover it accurately.

    Broke Down during negotiations typically means that the money that the Glazers were willing to spend wasn’t enough to leave College and take orders from a pop star.

    Then, my guess is that Kelly believed that someone from the Bucs leaked this news to get a buzz stirring to cause recruiting problems for Kelly which would force Kelly all in – nope – it either pissed him off or he never truly intended to work for pop star anyway and it was all a bluff to get more Nike $.

  65. kh Says:

    Thomas you have no idea what happened, please stfu.

  66. raphael Says:

    ditto what kh said !

  67. GenocideD Says:

    raphael Says:

    January 23rd, 2012 at 4:28 pm
    ditto what kh said !