By BOB FOX

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox takes a look at Jim Bates’ success as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Fox writes for numerous sports publications.

Brett Favre was among those lobbying for Jim Bates to be named head coach in Green Bay after the 2005 season, writes JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox

Jim Bates is a guy who gets the most out of his players. Bates proved that in Miami where he led one of the best defenses in the NFL and also in Green Bay where he turned around a defense ranked near the bottom and made them one ranked near the top.

Can he do the same in Tampa Bay? It will be difficult because of the legacy of Monte Kiffin. But the 2008 Bucs defense was not the same late in the season, especially defending the run. I bet Bates will figure out how to improve the defense, based on his track record, especially looking at the job he did in Green Bay in 2005. After that season, many in the Packers organization were calling for Bates to be named head coach.

The Packers finished 4-12 in 2005, but it wasn’t the fault of Bates.  A very bad year by Brett Favre, who threw 29 interceptions, plus the loss of key free agents and key injuries doomed the Packers. Bates established a defense that year that was a major improvement over the defense of 2004. 

A little history: 

In 2004, former Packers coach and GM Mke Sherman then brought in Bob Slowik to be the defensive coordinator on the heels of two consecutive NFC North titles but a major collapse in the 2003 playoffs; the Eagles beat the Packers 20-17 in overtime thanks to converting a famous 4th-and-26 play late in the game. That loss cost Ed Donatell his job as defensive coordinator. Somebody needed to be a scapegoat after that, and it wasn’t going to be Sherman.

The Packers still won the NFC North in 2004, but the defense was torn to shred at times, especially in the passing game. The Packers were 25th in total defense that year in the NFL, as well as 25th in passing defense. Slowik was shown the door after the 2004 season.

Bates then took command in 2005, and he also brought a couple of defensive assistants with him from Miami, Bob Sanders and Robert Nunn. Bates had the defense ready to play EVERY week. The defense improved to 7th overall in total defense, including being No. 1 against the pass.

Ted Thompson took over as Packers GM in 2005 and after the season he decided to make a change at head coach. Bates was one of the favorites for the job. The players absolutely loved him and his high energy, and most players (including Brett Favre) lobbied on his behalf to Thompson. Thompson also interviewed coaches Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Wade Phillips, Maurice Carthon, Ron Rivera, Russ Grimm and Tim Lewis.

McCarthy got the job, and Bates was stung by not being named head coach. There had been strong speculation that he would be named head coach, and when he wasn’t, it hurt a lot.  McCarthy thought so highly of Bates, that he wanted him to remain. But Bates decided to move on, although he still kept a home in the Green Bay area.

McCarthy ended up hiring Bob Sanders, one of Bates’ good friends that he brought to Green Bay from the Dolphins. 

Bates in the NFL: Bates started his NFL coaching career with the Cleveland Browns (1991-1993 and 1995) as a defensive line coach.  Bates moved on to the Atlanta Falcons as defensive coordinator (1994), the Dallas Cowboys as linebackers/defensive line coach (1996-1999), the Miami Dolphins as defensive coordinator/interim head coach (2000-2004), the Green Bay Packers as defensive coordinator (2005) and then as the assistant head coach/defense for the Denver Broncos (2007).

Chucky has kept his mouth pretty tight since he was canned last week. It would be nice if Chucky would open up to Joe and help ailing children.

This season saw the end of four Super Bowl-winning coaches’ jobs. One of those four (a young, blonde-haired lad) was largely touted as being a potentially tremendous analyst by those who cover the comings and goings of the electronic media.

Two of those four coaches (Father Dungy and Mike Holmgren) were hired by NBC to provide commentary on the Super Bowl. The third of those four coaches, Mike Shanahan, had a press conference dealing with his exit from the Broncos.

That leaves one coach who is still in hiding, except for uttering one word. That coach is Chucky.

Come on Chucky, pick up the phone and help some sick children. Joe knows you have received his letter. Joe won’t bite. Matter of fact, he’ll even pick up the tab for some Hooters wings and a couple of cold brews.

New Bucs general manager Mark Dominik called in to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, Thursday afternoon on WDAE-AM 620’s The Big Dog Show. He had a few things to say about his hiring, today’s Jim Bates hiring, the process of hiring new coordinators, his relationship with Raheem the Dream and his team philosophy.

It’s been a busy few days. It’s been fun to get things started off with Raheem.

It’s been busy for Raheem and myself. Obviously this close to the Senior Bowl we had to get together and sit down and talk about what direction he is looking for with coordinators and coaches.

We have had a chance to work before for six or seven seasons, talk philosophy and what he likes and coaches he likes. That really helped our communication quickly here.

We developed a game plan to talk to a lot of talented football coaches. When we think we have found the right guy, we made the move.

On new defensive coordinator Jim Bates:

He has a great energy and that is something we have had for a number of years. He has a different wrinkle and some different philosophies that Raheem is comfortable with. You talk to him and hear his passion, you can understand why his teams are ranked in the top 10.

We talked about players and how they fit into this system. He is excited.

On speaking close to the vest in his press conference debut as Bucs general manager:

Every individual candidate is a little different. Bates is familiar with our defense. I think Jim has been a fan of the Kiffin Tampa-2 theory. He had a relationship with Raheem I was not aware of.

You can feel the chemistry between those two and that was important. Fans want to see an aggressive, attacking defense. I’m excited about what coach Bates will bring and how our players can mesh with what he is going to implement.

We can always find and are always looking to improve the talent on this football team.

Is the league changing (in relation to younger coaches)?

Maybe so. I see it on individual clubs. With Raheem and his excitement and enthusiasm to spark the club. We wanted Raheem to be comfortable with a coordinator he is excited to work with.

Each team is different. [The Bates hire] seemed to make sense for us. We want to build a team and provide quality coaches as much as possible from Raheem to the coordinators to the assistants.

We are going to have comfort. That is what we are looking for. Whatever Raheem is comfortable with and to make sure we have the right hire [for offensive coordinator].

Raheem I think does have a look [for the offense] the way the interviews are going. When we get a chance to sit down with a coordinator and a coach and to hear what they think, and then if it feels like it matches, then we need to dig deeper in the interview process.

On the quarterback quandary:

It’s a very important position, we realize. It’s an important area of the team we will address. Once the position is secured, then we will look at the players we have under contract and look at the four guys we have and then move forward.

On how he would describe himself:

I think I have developed trust with members of the front office and the coaches.

When Morris crafted his defense at Kansas State, he turned to the Buccaneers archives for guidance

Joe’s been working hard to learn as much as he can about Raheem the Dream. There’s not a lot out there.

In the weeks before the Morris hiring, it was a crying shame the local scribes didn’t put more effort into talking to Morris about his head coaching philosophies when he was a candidate for the Denver Broncos job. Were they lazy, or did nobody think he had a legitimate shot to run a team?

Back then, just a few weeks ago, Morris probably would have opened up to the media. But now he’s joined the ranks of the tight-lipped Glazer clan. Of course, he’s added that trademark, don’t-worry-be-happy smile.

But with today’s hiring of Jim Bates as defensive coordinator, we’re finally getting a better feel for how Morris will approach the defense. It’s clear more aggressive play is coming. And Morris will stick to the core principles of the Monte Kiffin era.

Joe found a story In the Kansas State college newspaper about Morris’ defensive philosophies. In 2006, The Dream was defensive coordinator there before bailing to return to the Bucs.

The article states Morris snatched the following 10 core principles of defense directly from the top of the Bucs 1998 playbook and used them for his Kansas State unit. Below are the top-10.

1. Mental preparation

2. Fundamentally sound

3. Be a physical defense

4. Hustle

5. Quickness

6. Consistency

7. Physical Toughness

8. Be disciplined

9. Gang tackling

10. Team unity

It sure sounds like Morris is a true Monte Kiffin disciple. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s hope Morris and Bates can improve Monte’s system and tweak it successfully for the 2009 Bucs.

As big a legend as Kiffin is, Morris and Bates still inherit the stain of the Bucs’ December collapse, a crappy pass rush and a defense that shockingly forgot how to tackle with the season on the line week after week.

Jim Bates is the defensive coordinator choice of Raheem the Dream. Bates' defenses have finished ranked among the NFL's top 10 in six of his 10 years as coordinator.

It turns out newly-named Bucs defensive coordinator Jim Bates is an old friend of Raheem Morris. And that’s not just because Bates is 62. 

Bates and Morris have had a long relationship, said Bucs GM Mark Dominik, speaking on 620 WDAE, The Sports Animal. And that was news to Dominik during the interview process, he said.

Dominik said Bates has long been a fan of the Tampa 2/Monte Kiffin approach and he is on the same page as Morris.

“We want an aggressive, attacking, get-to-the-quarterback defense,” Dominik said. “We’re excited about how our players mesh with what he wants to implement.”

Joe likes the hire.

Not to get too political, but with the experience Bates brings young Morris, it reminds Joe of President Bush choosing Dick Cheney as Vice President. Bates has served as defensive coordinator for and a veteran coordinator of the Falcons, Dolphins and Packers.

Regardless, Bates is clearly a “Stay the Course” hire, which was Morris’ stated philosophy at his opening news conference.

Also, for those who think the Glazers are pinching every penny, Bates surely will be one of the top-paid coordinators in the NFL. No word yet on contract terms.

Bates has coached the 4-3 and 3-4 defense and, as Rick Stroud of the St. Pete Times notes, “his record of success more closely resembles Monte Kiffin’s. His defense has finished in the top 10 in six of his eight seasons.”

Stroud continues, “Bates primarily runs a 4-3 scheme, using fast undersized linebackers. He plays a good deal more bump-and-run on receivers, so that will be an obvious difference next season.”

In Bates, it seems Morris has his guy, and Joe likes the call.

Don Banks of SI.com predicts (this week) the Bucs will draft Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round. Joe isn't so sure about selecting the Maryland wide receiver that early.

Joe has a confession to make: Even though Joe mocks mock drafts, he’s still a sucker for them. So Joe will often post mock drafts he sees until the NFL draft in late April, if only to mock them.

The first one Joe has run across is from former Bucs beat writer Don Banks of SI.com. This week, Banks predicts the Bucs will draft Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland.

The Bucs could use another pass rusher or help in the interior line, so homestate product Everette Brown, an explosive edge rusher from Florida State, could be the choice. But with Joey Galloway’s age and Michael Clayton’s potential free agency, Tampa Bay could also stand another receiver opposite Antonio Bryant.

There are areas of much greater need with the Bucs than wide receiver, so long as the Bucs lock up Antonio Bryant. Banks’ first thought was accurate: the Bucs primary needs are, in order, defensive line, defensive line and defensive line.

Bucs doctors thought former kicker Martin Gramatica had a sports hernia. Not until he left the Bucs did Gramatica learn he had a groin tear, which ruined his career.

There are two words that are virtually guaranteed to bring a grown man to near tears (Joe assumes the two words are “free beer,” but that is inaccurate). Those two words are “groin tear.”

For former Bucs kicker Martin Gramatica, those pair of words basically killed his career. And he can thank the Bucs team physicians for that.

Allegedly.

Speaking on the “Ron and Ian Show” with Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles on WDAE-AM 620 Thursday morning, Gramatica stated how he had a groin tear of his (right) kicking leg in his final years with the Bucs, but it was misdiagnosed as a sports hernia.

Gramatica was in such pain that often he couldn’t practice for two or three days after a game. Sometimes, he missed an entire week of practice he was in such agony.

As a result, Gramatica noted how he basically had to change his kicking style and motion to adjust for the pain, which completely messed him up. A kicker’s leg swing is not unlike a batter’s swing in baseball. If that is monkeyed with, the kicker/batter may never recover.

After Gramatica’s Bucs days he was (finally) properly diagnosed with a 75 percent groin tear. But by that time it was too late. Since, Gramatica has undergone three surgeries to repair his groin.

Former Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin claims he was as surprised as everyone else by Chucky's firing

The lone word anyone has heard from Chucky since he was fired by the Glazers Boys was the word “blindsided” he uttered to BSPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Since, Chucky has been silent. (Hey Chucky, please open the letter.)

But Chucky wasn’t the only person who was blindsided. So was Monte Kiffin.

Now the new defensive coordinator of the University of Tennessee, Kiffin just happened to run into Stephen Holder of the St. Petesburg Times on a flight to Tampa recently. Kiffin spoke with Holder about a few subjects and Chucky’s firing was one. Kiffin was stunned.

Regarding Jon Gruden’s dismissal, Kiffin said he never saw it coming, just like everyone else. He even asked whether anything had happened since he left town that would have indicated this was coming. I assured him no one did or said anything that would have brought me to that conclusion before Friday evening.

Although there is nothing to suggest Chucky and Kiffin didn’t get along, Joe knows that Kiffin wasn’t as surprised as he is letting on. Joe would just love for Kiffin to open up someday and discuss what was going on behind the scenes.

In the meantime, Joe again implores Chucky to answer his snail mail.

"Hey Joe, stop mailing me letters. I'll talk after I shred all these massive playbooks."

Joe has noticed that gaping hole in the media coverage of Jon Gruden’s demise. Nobody has heard from Chucky himself.

At some point, he’s going to emerge from the cozy confines of his Avila home and do an interview. So to which reporter will Gruden open up — Peter King, eye!-RAH Kaufman, Rick Stroud, Katie Couric?

How about Joe?

Yes, Joe is an accomplished journalist who has interviewed other renowned sports and political celebrities. Joe has contacted Gruden and asked for his first exit interview out of One Buc Palace. Joe even offered to sell the interview on JoeBucsFan.com and give all the money to All Children’s Hospital. That would surely raise a quick $20,000. Chucky’s a great guy. How could he turn down that?

To date, the phones at the JoeBucsFan.com headquarters are silent. But hope is abundant.

The local media hounds followed Jeff Garcia to an elementary school where he volunteered to teach young kids how to cross the street Wednesday.

They caught up with Garcia in the parking lot to stick a camera in his face and talk all things Chucky. Garcia took a measured shot at Gruden’s personnel skills.

“If he continues to be this way with players it is going to get to a point when somebody who is above or in control is going to say enough is enough.” …TBO.com also has raw video.

Although it appears to Joe this NBCSports.com video of Chris Russo’s “Mad Dog Minute” may have been recorded last week (because there was no mention of Chucky), Russo explains why the trend in the NFL is to go with “unknowns” like Raheem the Dream.

One of Russo’s points caught Joe’s attention right away:

“Owners and GMs want to hire coaches they may be able to control… ”

"Thanks, Jon. We've decided we can go 9-7 and collapse in December for a lot less money."

Joe’s been thinking a lot about Raheem the Dream saying the Bucs will “Stay the Course,” when describing the direction of the team. Can Morris explain what that course is?

Morris put it out there as if the Bucs had an unfortunate hiccup at the end of the season and just need a few tweaks and new energy and they’ll be right back in the Super Bowl mix. So what if they’re missing a top flight quarterback, a running back and a pass rush. No big deal.

Joe is concerned GM Mark Dominik, Morris and others in the organization are not objectively evaluating the team, and are strictly echoing the Glazers new philosophy: Stay in the hunt, rather than truly rebuild. Stay under the cap. And stay positive with the media.

It’s obvious that in these tough economic times the Glazers, with a billion dollar soccer team to payoff, are trying to keep costs down while simultaneously – and allegedly – not skimping on building a winner in Tampa Bay. It’s a noble goal, and one that’s attempted daily across Corporate America. But that philosophy possibly never has been successful in a sports league with a salary cap. Joe can’t think of an example.

The Glazers are smart enough to know a true Bucs rebuilding would come with huge financial risk. A 4-12 season could bring blacked out games and massive revenue loss, especially with the Rays looking mighty attractive to sponsors.

And, frankly, the biggest indicator the Bucs will “Stay the Course” is the hiring of Morris and Dominik. It would be even a greater gamble overhauling the team with a rookie coach and GM.

That kind of rebuilding is what you do with a stud atop the organization, guys like Parcells, Holmgren, Shanahan or Cowher, the guys the Glazers seemed to have no desire to pursue.

You want to talk NFL draft and what the Bucs have done, will do and should do in the draft? Then there’s one guy in the Tampa Bay area you want to call: Justin Pawlowski, host of The Blitz on 620 AM, WDAE, The Sports Animal.

No, Joe is not about to give out Pawlowski’s cell phone number, but you can check out Pawlowski’s community service project for Bucs fans who can’t get enough action in the offseason. He’s begun reviewing and grading every Bucs draft in the Glazer era.

This week it’s 1996.

Even with the Bucs drafting Mike Alstott and Donnie Abraham, the Bucs still failed in this draft.  In the end, missing terribly on the two 1st round picks, and missing on the latter round picks hurt badly. Hindsight is always 20/20, but with the offensive woes Tony Dungy went through, there were many instances this year where he could have given his offense a jump start from the beginning.  Instead he went with mostly defensive players, and it hurt the Bucs down the road …

If you are currently eating, Joe apologizes for resurrecting painful memories of Regan Upshaw and Marcus Jones. Let’s hope the Bucs grab a more productive D-Lineman in 2009.

Pawlowski’s Draft Rewind breakdowns will continue weekly.

Like all Bucs fans, Joe is wondering what kind of immediate impact Raheem the Dream will have on the Bucs fortunes. Jason Horowitz, Ian Eagle and Clark Judge of CBSSports.com draw back the curtains for a peek. Caution Bucs fans, it ain’t pretty.

Bucs talk begins at about the 4:00 mark.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Maybe now the wild rumors of Chucky going to Notre Dame in February can be put to rest.

Joe told you last year. He also told you today.

Now, Notre Dame is telling you, and the Fighting Irish are fighting mad.

“There’s no way in Touchdown Jesus that Chucky is coming to Notre Dame in February,” or in so many words.

John Taylor of CollegeFootballTalk.com, sister site of ProFootballTalk.com, contacted Notre Dame for a response to reports coach Charlie Weis was to be fired just after signing day Feb. 4 and be replaced by Chucky.

Let’s just say the Domers aren’t very happy about the rumor.

“It’s ridiculous that this rumor has even gained the traction it has over the past few days,” Notre Dame director of of football media relations Brian Hardin told the website. “I hesitate to respond to it at all because by dignifying this ‘report,’ I set myself up to be forced to set the record straight on future rumors. But it’s obvious that some people out there are trying to sabotage our recruiting efforts and it’s unfortunate that their agenda has been published and reproduced in recent days.”

Anyone with an ounce of knowledge about college football would recognize how bogus of a rumor that was. But there were/are enough gullible people in the fourth estate to run with it like someone just caught James W. McCord, Jr. snooping around a hotel in Washington where he shouldn’t have been.

These rumors of Chucky taking the coaching gig at Notre Dame come February are so crazy, it's enough to make Chucky himself scream.

Sometimes Joe can understand why much of America hates the fourth estate. The following is just such a reason:

Rumors — many fanned by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com — are circulating that once national signing day passes Feb. 4, Notre Dame will fire Tuna wannabe Charlie Weis and hire Chucky.

These rumors are so absurd Joe doesn’t know where to start. Joe guesses that he will begin by documenting how he predicted these rumors last year.

On face value alone, the rumors are ludicrous bordering on insane. First, these rumors are doing a nice job of torpedoing Notre Dame’s recruiting. What recruit wants to sign with a school when the guy recruiting him will be gone as soon as the ink dries on his letter of intent?

Second, the moment Weis is fired, assuming the rumors are true — which is a big stretch of the imagination — how many of those recruits will decide to simply sit out a year in order to be released from their letter of intent, which is a binding contract?

Third, while it’s pretty obvious Weis is on thin ice, why in the world would Notre Dame want to follow a failed experiment of hiring an egomaniacal, alleged NFL offensive genius by repeating the same mistake with Chucky?

Fourth, the way players are starting to talk and information is beginning to float out of One Buc Palace, Chucky is a borderline pathological liar who is brutal on players. While Weis was tough with players in New England, the players didn’t want to beat him with a baseball bat like some Bucs seem to want to do with Chucky. Why would Notre Dame, which has had its image bruised enough already by Weis’ brusque, if not profane personality, want another such coach.

Then factor in how Chucky, who is still being paid by the Glazer Boys $5 million a year, would likely have to take a pay cut of roughly 60 percent to move to South Bend. Who in their right mind would do that?

Notre Dame likes to pride itself as above most schools in relation to academics and image. To cut loose a coach the moment players sign letters of intent — even a coach many Golden Domers would love to see have a door hit him in his massive rear end as he leaves the building —  would be the height of academic and athletic hypocrisy.

Notre Dame doesn’t want, doesn’t need and won’t pull such a stunt.

As Joe predicted last year, these Chucky-to-Notre Dame rumors would run wild and have as much validity as Joe claiming he will come home to find a scantily clad Bonnie Bernstein awaiting him.

Chucky is such a mad scientist, so writes Michael Lombardi, that he hates players.

It’s difficult to be a successful coach in any sport if you hate players. But being a player-hater is the charge against Chucky from former Gruden confidant Mike Lombardi, who now writes for NationalFootballPost.com.

Lombardi worked with Chucky in Philadelphia when Chucky was their offensive coordinator, and in Oakland where Chucky was once the Raiders’ head coach. Lombardi claims not only does Chucky hate players, he is so impatient that cannot be satisfied with any player on the roster.

When I joined him in Oakland, I learned more about him as a person and coach. What came to the forefront was that Jon is never happy. He can never love his players — especially his quarterback. Jon always wants new, even when new is not necessarily better. He was instrumental in returning the Raiders to their glory days with the help of some key players, notably Rich Gannon, then went off to Tampa to have all the power and ability to run his own show. That’s where his downfall started.

This sort of reinforces what Joe has come to believe about Chucky: That given a very strong general manager (or owner like Al Davis) who forces Chucky to do certain things, Chucky can be an excellent coach. When there are no checks and balances for Chucky, he’s like a drowning man flapping and wailing away on the surface trying to keep his head above choppy waters.

"You want me to treat you better? Then throw the damn ball to our guys, not theirs."

The regime change at One Buc Place has Bob Garcia talking Bucs again in his weekly blog for the Gilroy Dispatch. Garcia is Jeff Garcia’s father and a legendary retired college football coach.

The elder Garcia had stopped commenting on all things Buccaneers recently after the Tampa Tribune published one of his blog entries in which he took a shot at Derrick Brooks. Apparently, Jeff Garcia told dad to shutup because he had crossed the line.

But Bob Garcia is talking again, giving more of his trademark colorful and candid insight into the 2008 Bucs and his favorite target, Jon Gruden.

I don’t want to throw oil on the fire, and you don’t necessarily want to shout with a lot of delight over a guy getting fired, but there were a lot of things going on with that team. I think Jon has gotta reevaluate his life as far as coaching: The way he treats individuals, the way the offense is totally him, no input from anybody else, even his assistant coaches. Maybe this will be a wakeup call. Maybe he’ll get another opportunity down the road and maybe he’ll realize the way he was doing things is not the way you do it — dealing with human beings. They’re not machines or robots, or whatever. You know I don’t want to get all ecstatic and whatever, but he had it coming.

Hmm. “No input from anyone else, even his assistant coaches.” There are more juicy nuggets in this week’s edition.

Bucs icon and personnel executive Doug Williams might keep his job

One reason Joe became a Bucs fan years ago was Doug Williams at quarterback wearing the old orange jerseys, flipping the ball to Jimmie Giles and Kevin House. Joe, along with many other Bucs fans, have had a special spot in their heart for the old QB.

Joe was happy to see Chucky hire Williams to work in the Bucs’ front office some years ago. And despite the recent purge of Chucky followers, it appears Williams, whose contract runs out this winter, will remain a fixture with the Bucs if Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times is to be believed.

Doug Williams, whose contract expires next month, is expected to return to the Bucs in the pro personnel department. He has met with new GM Mark Dominik and accompanied coaches and team officials to the Senior Bowl.

Since the Bucs’ drafts in recent years haven’t exactly been stellar, Joe isn’t quite sure what to make of Williams as a personnel guy. But Joe is more than willing to give Williams a shot under the new regime.

Ah, the good ole’ days.

The St. Pete Times is reporting Raheem Morris got a four-year deal, possibly with an option for the Bucs to terminate the contract after three years.

No word yet on money.

And no confirmation of the rumor that Morris is working for $200,000 and an unlimited supply of Bucs tickets, beer and Manchester United jerseys.

Chucky's QB coach Greg Olson is a candidate for Bucs offensive coordinator. Olson is a close friend of Jeff Garcia and attended his marriage to the fabulous Carmella.

The latest round of Bucs rumors, courtesy of TBO.com, is naming Chucky’s quarterbacks coach, Greg Olson, as a strong candidate for the Bucs offensive coordinator position. 

Former Rams coach Scott Linehan appears to be the top candidate for offensive coordinator, says the St. Pete Times. And Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski are in the hunt.

Olson is a very close friend of Jeff Garcia. Last year, the St. Pete Times reported Olson attended Garcia’s wedding to the lovely Carmella. Olson coached Garcia during his best years in San Francisco, as well as in Detroit.

In 2006, Olson was the Rams offensive coordinator, where he guided Marc Bulger to the Pro Bowl with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

In 2007, Bulger played more like Brian Griese and tossed 15 interceptions in 12 starts. With lots of help from Gus Frerotte and Brock Berlin, the ’07 Rams (3-13) led the league in interceptions, and Olson was relieved of his coordinator duties after the season. He then joined the Bucs as QB coach.

If Raheem Morris’ stated philosophy of “Stay the Course” is real, and Joe’s not sure it is, then it would make sense that he’d want an in-house guy who is part of the Bucs family.

Olson fits that mold. And Jeff Garcia is his good buddy. The Bucs could have a 39 1/2-year-old under center on opening day.