Bisaccia Bails For San Diego
January 11th, 2011
The Bucs’ whole next-man-up philosophy will now get a big test in the coaching ranks.
Outside of Raheem Morris, the last big gun from Chucky’s coaching staff has left the building. Rich Bisaccia is the new special teams coach of the San Diego Chargers, reported Steve Duemig today on WDAE-AM 620 during his top-rated afternoon show.
Duemig said the Bucs made a play to retain Bisaccia in recent days but his contract was up and he has moved on.
Presumably, San Diego offered Bisaccia a sick pile of money to make the big move. The Chargers’ special teams rivaled the worst in NFL history this season, and they missed the playoffs with the No. 1 ranked offense and defense in the NFL.
Per the San Diego Union-Tribune, Bisaccia’s special teams units with the Bucs had just two punts blocked. In 2009, the Bucs blocked two punts, two field goals and two extra points.
Joe knows this is a huge loss for the Bucs. Bisaccia often addressed the team and clearly the guy commanded respect through the locker room. Joe can only hope/assume that Mark Dominik and Raheem had been planning for this possibility and already are pursuing their next man up.
One of the best Bisaccia stories Joe ever heard came from Micheal Spurlock, who was recruited to Ole Miss by Bisaccia in 2001.
While on the Bucs, Spurlock said Bisaccia once called him out of the blue on a Monday night to ask him whether he just saw a poor decision made by a punt returner on Monday Night Football. Spurlock said he was watching, and Bisaccia responded by going on a tirade about how Spurlock better not ever pull a bonehead move like that playing for him.
Spurlock went on to explain that Bisaccia was a guy who could somehow use nothing but profanity in a sentence and still have it make sense. Off the field or out of football mode, Spurlock said, Bisaccia was the most caring guy in the world.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Rich has been great, I wish him all the best. With Raheem making a stingy $2Mill, it’s hard to pay his top assistant more, which is likely what San Diego did. It really is too bad the Glazers won’t pay Rah & Dom the same as other NFL Coaches/GM’s make. This may cause further problems and possibly the new D line coach. Frugality works to a point, but too little to often can be pointless and the first back fire has occurred.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
We definitely need to score Karl Dunbar now and hopefully, Bisaccia had a “guy in the wings” who can take over for him.
This is a big loss. Most people underestimate the importance of special teams. Quite often, the special teams coach is the first assistant head coach, which I believe was the case with Rah and Bisaccia. Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that special teams deal a lot with the “big picture” battle of field position and how the overall strategy comes together between the defensive and offensive sides of the ball.
I’m willing to bet San Diego made him the highest-paid special teams coach in the league and rightfully so. I think San Diego’s special teams cost them a handful of games this year. Good for you, Rich. I wish you well and hopefully, someday, we meet again in the Super Bowl.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Here is a qoute from Bisaccia in the San Diego paper:
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to be part of a winning organization and work with Norv Turner. There’s a real opportunity here to win it all,” Bisaccia said. “I’ve worked with Jon Gruden and now I have the opportunity to work with Norv. These are two of the best coaching minds in football. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Not to read too much into the quote but wonder if he felt he had the “opportunity to win it all” here?
January 11th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
I hope they hire former USF Coach Leavit to replace him!!
January 11th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
there was a time when Bucs “fans” were calling for Bisaccia’s head on a pike….if you have never lived or experienced San Diego…..it is The Most Wonderful city/small town in America…if you have the wallet….and it is a buying opportunity today….Good Luck Rich !
January 11th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Any chance of them just promoting Storer?
January 11th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
When it ain’t about money it must be about a better opportunity ???I think he had a title of Asst Head Coach, so if they took to long to offer him the $$$$ he just made a few calls and BINGO!
January 11th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Nvm, Stukes is moving over to take over Special Teams
January 11th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Good luck to Rich. But I think a lot of people don’t realize how huge of a loss this is to us.
I’d like to know just how much Bisaccia’s salary was with the Bucs. Seriously, did the Glazers even try to keep him here? Just look at how much Raheem is making as a head coach. It’s pathetic. I’ll bet the Glazers were being cheap with Bisaccia as well and he decided to leave.
But even so, why would Rich want to leave Tampa for San Diego? He’s been here forever, knows this team, is familiar with everything, and is part of a new era of Bucs football. We’ve rebuilt this team into a contender again and now he wants to leave? Hell, we’re probably better than San Diego.
Hard to see one of the few remnants of that Super Bowl team remaining leave Tampa.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Dewayne Stukes to take his place??
January 11th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
LOL! That’s guy’s act would last maybe two weeks before some linebacker smashed a helmet in his grill.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Patrick: San Diego is a fantastic little city…I can see why he jumped: Money + San Diego.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I am surprised he didn’t get the DC job with the Chargers. Rich has paid his dues and is ready to move on or move up. Elway is having a hard time getting a HC in Denver. He should talk to Rich about it. The guy is a great motivator and I’ve heard him say before he wants to be a HC one day. Why not today? Norv Turner suck and the Chargers are going backwards, not forwards. I think this is a bad move for Rich. IMO
January 11th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Yeah San Diego is a very nice city. I’ve never been there before but I’ve seen it on TV, my dad’s been there many times, etc, so I’m aware. But he’s been here for so long, his family is settled in, and the team is now a contender again with a very promising future. We’re actually a better team than San Diego right now in my opinion.
He’s got a lot of positives in Tampa and he wants to make a stressful transition all the way across the country to San Diego? Tampa is a nice town. Maybe it’s not as nice as SD i don’t know, but he lives in that nice Avila neighborhood right?
January 11th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
He went to SD for a weak division. I live in SD and you play Raiders/Chiefs/Bronco’s. Its there time to hit the playoffs. Not playing in a tuff NFC division.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Rich left because he knows if he can turn around THAT unit, he’ll get universal respect around the league and, thus, a OC/DC/Head Coach opportunity.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Hard to get a attention as a “young up and comer”, when your head coach is 32 and coach of the year candidate. A lot more room to shine in San Diego. Raheem and Dominick justifiably are Hogging the spotlight in Tampa!
January 11th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Hey Capt Tim, nice to see you back. I hope you are doing well.
When I was in San Diego, all I saw was yellow footprints and barbwire fences.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Thanks BigMacAttack! I saw the the Bucs win their first SuperBowl in that Neighborhood. Rich probably has a few fond memories!
January 11th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I remember when the Buc’s Special Teams were equally as horrid. This guy came in and did wonders with people that weren’t household names until a few years ago. There will be a huge void now that he’s gone.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
It took Bisaccia a couple of years to whip what was traditionally one of the weakest special teams corps in the league into shape, but once he got the ball rolling, everybody who stepped onto that squad seemed to produce. It’s a mindset, one that I hope new coach Stukes can continue to foster.
Godspeed, Rich.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:23 am
This sucks, I was afraid this was gonna happen last year, I think there were rumors about him going to San Diego last year if I remember correctly. Could be wrong.
Hopefully the new guy can fill the void. Next man up I spose.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:50 am
MichiganBucsFan:
Bisaccia was openly pining for the USF job last year. Maybe that rubbed the wrong people the wrong way?
January 12th, 2011 at 1:31 am
He knows Norv will be fired after this year and it’ll get him the head coaching job he’s always wanted.
January 12th, 2011 at 5:21 am
I may be stretching here… but I’ve heard some grumbles over the past few years about Norv Turner. Do you think that Rich thinks that if the Chargers fail to advance in the playoffs again that he can be “the next man in line” for that head coaching spot? I honestly would be thinking that way if I was rich. I really don’t think Norv is as safe in his job as alot of people believe.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:50 am
CaptTim,
Glad to see you made if off that cursed island! Tell me, was it really that difficult to wrangle up a couple of sea turtles with rope made from your own hair and ride them out to sea? LOL!
January 12th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Bucs special teams struck me as very average this year. Bisaccia’s loss as assistant head coach might hurt (I have no idea either way how important he was to the team in that role), but I’m not particularly concerned about the special teams. They could be a fair bit better or a fair bit worse next year, we’ll just have to wait and see what the new guy brings.
January 12th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Good luck to Rich in SD. He wanted to be paid and SD accommodated him.
Now it’s the next man up for the Bucs.