Pewter Report: Dominik Should Axe Schiano If 0-5

September 30th, 2013

greg schiano 0909

Joe knows after (if not before) the 13-10 loss to the Desert Rats, legions of Bucs fans came out of the woodwork to demand the ousting of Bucs commander Greg Schiano, if not his entire coaching staff.

Well, the fans are not alone. In a scathing column on the Bucs coaches typed prior to yesterday’s game, PewterReport.com chieftan Scott Reynolds skinned Schiano, quarterbacks coach John McNulty, receivers coach John Garrett and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan.

Reynolds even includes a quote from McNulty prior to training camp (one Joe shared back then, too) saying his job is not to correct a quarterback’s mechanics. No wonder Freeman played so awful!

But Reynolds saves his biggest assault for the Bucs commander. Reynolds writes in no uncertain terms that if the Bucs lose (again) in their first game out of the bye week to the Eagles, that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik needs to fire Schiano.

Not only would the Bucs be 0-5 this year, they would be 1-10 in the last 11 games under Schiano dating back to last year. That’s absolutely ludicrous for a team with as much talent as Tampa Bay has, and coaching – and the disconnect between Schiano and the players – would be to blame.

If Tampa Bay starts the season 0-5 Schiano needs to be fired in-season and replaced with Dave Wannstedt in October as the interim head coach. In my eyes Glennon shouldn’t be used as an excuse to buy more time for Schiano if the team whimpers to a 1-10 record in the last 11 games. Enough time. Too many losses.

At 0-5, it’s time for general manager Mark Dominik to show some guts, end the ridiculous media circus and constant distractions in Tampa Bay and fire Schiano, or have the Glazers admit their mistake and move on in 2014 to pursue Bill Cowher or a head coaching candidate that actually has had success in the NFL

Has Schiano done a good job? Well, with the offense, no way. A lack of coaching has hurt less than poor personnel decisions (Kevin Ogletree). Defensively, he has done a fine job (does anyone remember how pathetic the Bucs defense was in the last year of the embarrassing Raheem Morris regime?).

At the end of the day, though, it is all about wins and losses and losing 10 of 11 games is certainly encroaching into Morris territory (he lost 10 straight and was shown the door, rightfully so).

The thing is, does Dominik wield that kind of power? Notice he and Schiano went to Team Glazer to have them sign off on defrocking Freeman of his franchise quarterback title. If Dominik had to do that, then one would think he certainly would have to get Team Glazer to sign off on a coaching change in midseason, something Team Glazer has never done.

Never has Team Glazer jettisoned a coach before said coach had three full seasons wearing a whistle around his neck. Schiano is currently in his second year.

Joe is not saying it won’t happen, but history suggests Schiano won’t get fired in October.

Hell, the way Joe looks at it, if you are going to lose, lose big and lock in a decent draft position. No sense in finishing close to .500 and drafting in the middle of the pack.

92 Responses to “Pewter Report: Dominik Should Axe Schiano If 0-5”

  1. MadMax Says:

    If only I could be the GM for the Bucs (for a day or a week)….I’d make the RIGHT adjustments to correct this ship.

    See that Hot Lady in the pic below? Thats what we almost look like on paper….but the play calling has her wearing a burqa……FK that!!

    By the time I was done, Our secondary (especially Revis) would be playing more Man coverage, our QB would be able to audible “something/anything where he throws” instead of trying to run through the overloaded box that Coach (or Sully) keeps dragging us (and failing) through….

    By the time I was done, her top would be flipped up, exposing the magic, and she’d be wearing crotch less bottoms…..exposing even more magic.

    Thats what this Organization NEEDS!!!!
    Someone who can come in and EXPOSE the magic that we have in our talent and STOP the bleeding of losing close games in the end!!

    Theres times when you go for it, and theres times to be conservative. Figuring out when and where, simply put, JUST ISNT ROCKET SCIENCE!!! (good grief)

  2. Chris Says:

    What more power does the gm who hired him have? Doms gone. Greg and staff most likely will follow suit.

  3. DHutch Says:

    This is stupid. I hate this season.

  4. DomsAdvisor Says:

    I am going to take a 2 week hiatus from JBF.

    I honestly can’t deal with this daily drama regarding my beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

  5. Paul Says:

    Talib tore it up yesterday, Revis got juked out of his shoes on one run play, and again on the TD.

  6. Harry Says:

    @Joe:

    “…the way Joe looks at it, if you are going to lose, lose big and lock in a decent draft position. No sense in finishing close to .500 and drafting in the middle of the pack…”

    Totally, totally agree. We want to draft HIGH, and in that case, Shiano is our guy!!! But I sure as hell do not want him coaching up our new QB next year. Even though I was all for making a change to Glennon to see what we have with him, Shiano contributed to Freeman’s downfall; he certainly did NOT coach him up!

  7. McBuc Says:

    He is a coach that took a bad teamand made them mediocre in a bad division of college ball. I say let him go now, so the interim head coach has two weeks to prepare the team for next week’s game. Enough experimenting with college coaches and inexperienced coaches.

  8. CT Bucs Says:

    Why 0-5. Now would be a good time. Who cares if he goes 1-4. He is problem. Every player in the NFL knows he stinks. He is a college coach.

  9. BustaCherry Says:

    No firing in mid-season. I thought the Cards were our best chance to win. The Eagles may be our next best chance to win. After seeing the Bills whip the Ravens, I wouldn’t count them as a win. If we lose to the Eagles, the dreaded 0-16 becomes the gorilla in the room.

  10. Mr Lucky Says:

    Which team is the “best” of the worst?

    Giants, Steelers, Jags or Bucs?

    The question of HC here or not isn’t the question – the REAL question is which of the above teams gets to pick first in the 2014 NFL Draft????

  11. Harry Says:

    I put this in the previous post, but it is way more appropriate here:

    “…Great call, Greg Schiano.

    Blount (had a 47 yard TD run yesterday) and Aqib Talib (who has 4 INT’s so far this season) clearly couldn’t help the Buccaneers right now…. Patriots coach Bill Belichick fleeced his pal on those two deals…”

  12. White Tiger Says:

    +1 – Scott Reynolds I <3 U

  13. Walter Says:

    I don’t know if he’ll be fired at 0-5, but I do know this: he’s not making it to next season.

  14. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Does anyone really believe that Freeman’s problem is coaching? After more that four years…he’s worse. He loses the locker room and is late for team functions. And after being benched for what could have been one game, Freeman publicly asks to be traded.
    A real leader would have said “I deserved to be replaced, I was hurting the team. I will do everything I can to help Mike and If I have the opportunity to play, I will work hard to win for my team”
    Freeman has had a total mental breakdown.
    I know its time to move on from Freeman…but if you guys want to bring up Talib & Blount, Freeman is fair game.

  15. White Tiger Says:

    Love it when you prove to Schiano-lovers that what they know, just isn’t so! Rather than admit it – they refuse to acknowledge you and tell you they have to take a break for awhile.

    Party on Ted’s!

  16. Eric Says:

    Don’t worry we have zero chance of finishing near the middle of the pack. Two wins max.

    As for the Glazer’s three year rule, what were they gonna do fire Dungy after taking them to NFC Championship game or Gru only two seasons removed from a Super Bowl win?

    And Sam wasn’t with the Glazers three years.

    I doubt anything happens during season. But these guys didn’t commit to buying up tickets so the area could watch embarrassing football, especially after shelling out “win now” money for Revis and Jackson.

  17. Joe Says:

    Does anyone really believe that Freeman’s problem is coaching? After more that four years…he’s worse

    Joe finds it very difficult to believe Schiano wrecked Freeman. Freeman wrecked Freeman.

    Look, Freeman had a career year for passing yards last season. Set franchise records. Who was his coach? Yeah, Schiano.

    It is becoming more clear by the day that Freeman is a headcase.

  18. tonytwocents Says:

    As far as his offensive staff…. Why did PJ Fleck leave so suddenly after just one season as our WR coach last year?? He produced arguably the best WR tandem, and got a lot out of Clark & Underwood….

    So he leaves to coach Western Michigan?? (I think) He’s like 32,33,… Two more years in the NFL, and that guys a OC. Two to three more years, he could be HC material. He obviously wanted out. (I wonder why)

    Schiano has already thrown a subtle jab at Dom regarding the roster depth. That tell me, that once he convinces the simpletons that our offense needs a new OC, (McNulty), his next move will be to criticize our depth (which I actually agree is weak. but what do you expect when you get the 2 best DBs in the offseason?)

    Either we put in our Interim now, let him get acclimated during the bye, or fans and ticket prices will drop like flies. And the $$$ the Glazers will lose in ticket sales, could easily outnumber Schiano’s salary.

    As far as his 1-9 out of his last 10, if ATL didnt already have a playoff bye and played us half a$$d, this Shyster would be 0-10.

  19. Jbyrd Says:

    Today would be perfect

  20. John Says:

    Quit calling Dominik a “rock star”. He’s not. If there’s a rock star GM in town it’s Andrew Friedman. Dominik deserves to be gone.

  21. tonytwocents Says:

    DHutch Says:
    September 30th, 2013 at 7:20 am

    This is stupid. I hate this season.
    ____________________________________________________________

    lol. why do I write these paragraphs when ^^^^^ sums it all up!

  22. William Says:

    If it does come to fruition, do you think Josh would return to be the starting quarterback?? Does Josh get to finish a strong 2013 and become again the Tampa Bay Buccaneers FRANCHISE QB? Would Josh earn comeback player of the year? 🙂

  23. Walter Says:

    @DHutch

    Me too. What was once viewed as a playoff season is now setting up to be the beginning of another rebuilding phase.

    We’re the Browns now lol

  24. tonytwocents Says:

    As far as Bostad?? He wasnt the guru Joe thought he was… It was our vertical game last year that made his patched up line look good.

  25. Walter Says:

    @William

    Josh is done in Tampa Bay forever now, him & Schiano nuked that bridge.

  26. Eric Says:

    Dominik is the head case for going out and finding this lunatic to be the coach.

  27. Joe Says:

    If it does come to fruition, do you think Josh would return to be the starting quarterback??

    Return where, at Kansas State?

    He’s done here, man.

  28. 911bucs Says:

    Why wait..

  29. tonytwocents Says:

    “…the way Joe looks at it, if you are going to lose, lose big and lock in a decent draft position. No sense in finishing close to .500 and drafting in the middle of the pack…”

    The Glazers would lose millions in ticket sales, merchandise, TV/Radio audiences. And it would trickle into next year… We need a spark! A new direction! This Shysters formula hasnt worked at any level. He sweet talked his way into his job, and we need to cut our losses as soon as we recognize a losing investment.

  30. Warthog Says:

    If Schiano goes it’s time for the Glazers to bite the bullet and hire an actual NFL head coach with a proven winning record. Promoting Morris, hiring Schiano … It’s an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle and luck into unearthing the next great young NFL coach. It’s time to get serious. This team, with this level of talent and this long-suffering fanbase doesn’t need any more dice rolls at the football craps table. It needs a steady, experienced hand who has been there before and has proven they can get it done. Someone with a winning record as an NFL head coach.

  31. Danny Says:

    We’re not out it yet, the Failcants are 1-3.

  32. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Let’s step back for a moment and assume most don’t get their wish and Schiano is not fired. (the most likely scenario for now)
    How do we fix our team going forward?
    QB.
    I saw some good things from Glennon….short pass acuracy, used secondary recievers well, appears not to panic, thinks on his feet well. I think he will get better and learn as the season moves along.
    WR…..we need a 3rd reciever…perhaps Page now that Demps is KR.
    TE….Crabtree Back
    Oline….should get stronger as injuries heal
    Playcalling….must improve

  33. 911bucs Says:

    So did anyone wear their brown bag at the game yesterday? haha

  34. BustaCherry Says:

    Bruce Arians had a few choice words for Schiano attacking the victory formation again. Can you believe Schiano is still trying that college trick in the NFL? That tells me he is going to continue running Doug Martin on every 1st down. Guy is not going to adjust. He is smarter than anyone else in football.

  35. Brewmaster Says:

    Stop the yak yak about Dominik firing Schiano, it’s not his call. The Glazers went out and hired Schiano so its on them to fix the problem they created. The Bucs as an organization are a disaster and the blame lies at the feet of the owners.

  36. IamTheOne Says:

    Send him the Inactive suite.
    Give Wanstadt (sp?) the helm.

  37. IamTheOne Says:

    Oh and do it TODAY.

  38. tonytwocents Says:

    911bucs Says:
    September 30th, 2013 at 8:20 am

    So did anyone wear their brown bag at the game yesterday? haha
    __________________________________________________________

    forget that! I’ll put a plastic bag over my head if I watch another Bucs game with this coach.

  39. BigMacAttack Says:

    Call Gruden, he can have his offense in place in less than 2 weeks. pay him $10 Million, grovel a little and get this offense rolling. Sheridan can continue to run the Napoliano Defense which is pretty good. Let Chucky hire his own GM and move Dominick to Exec VP like ATL did to McKay.

    Actually Jeff Demps looked decent yesterday for 1’st time out. This kid can break one…. well if he can get 1 block, kinda hard to do around here.

  40. Washing DC Says:

    I have a question why is it that Talib and Blaunt are doing so well in New England?

  41. Meh Says:

    The Glazers should axe Dom and Schiano. Today.

  42. tonytwocents Says:

    Schiano the Shyster is lucky the Rays game is on tonight. 620 is pimpin that game hard!

  43. Bobby Says:

    That’s why the Glazers are billionaires and Monday morning QB’s aren’t. Schiano isn’t going anywhere. The Glazers are very patient people. They hired Greg to do a job and he’s getting it done. The defense is shaping up and the rest of this season and next it will be addressing the offense.

  44. tonytwocents Says:

    ^^^^ Hi Greg. Hows the packing going?

  45. Justin Says:

    Freeman and his brother raided the local liquor store in South Tampa after yesterdays game and celebrated the Bucs losing the game. That is a fact. His dummy brother plastered it all over his social media accounts. Videos and all.

  46. Walter Says:

    @Tampabaybucfan

    How do we fix our team you ask??

    Step 1- Fire Schiano

    Step 2- Hire offensive minded coach with experience in the NFL

    Step 3- Bench Glennon, draft a QB that actually has a high ceiling of potential. Game Manager QB’s are DEAD in the NFL

    Step 4- With our second pick in the draft, target an athletic, pass catching tight end with speed.

    Step 5- Use Free Agency to acquire a viable 3rd and 4th WR.

    Those 5 steps alone would be huge in turning this team around, we are still extremely talented.

  47. Walter Says:

    @Justin

    Good for him. Sounds like exactly what I would do if the Bucs treated me the way they treated him.

  48. Steve Birch Says:

    Be funny watching an even emptier stadium as the weeks go by. Thanks for buying up the tickets to 85% Glazers. Not really buying, just assessing them.

    The only problem is we all know how frugal they are with money. This is Schiano’s 2nd year out of a 5 year contract. They’re not going to hire another and pay him. It’s going to be a long decade.

  49. RBellBuc Says:

    Tampabaybucfan

    First thing that needs to be done is for Schiano to have a heart to heart with his team to clear the air, otherwise he’s in danger of completely losing his locker room. Someone said that Gerald McCoy was sporting the mini mohawk as a solidarity move for Josh Freeman. These guys didn’t just turn their collective backs on Josh, no way! I’m sure guys on the team are more privy to the head games Schiano played on Freeman and secretly despise him for it. Let them lose the next game or two and you’ll see a revolt by the veteran leadership on this team, which could finally end this nightmare. Say what you want, but Josh wasn’t a locker room distraction until Schiano got there.

  50. tonytwocents Says:

    @Walter,

    totally on the same page.. and we’d get back to our “WIN NOW” mindset. Schiano is trying to pull off an overhaul (rebuilding) right under our noses.
    Hell, do you MGMers really think Glennon will start next year????

    Per the B. Hrld:

    “In his last three years at Rutgers, Schiano went through three different true freshman quarterbacks. During a seven-year stretch at Rutgers, he went through six quarterbacks.”

  51. Steve Birch Says:

    Only one, that’s factual, that I would think raids a liquor store would be team captain Vince Jackson. Only has 2 DUI’s.

    Why don’t we just rename the team to Tampa Bay Scarlet Knights. So many from Rutgers already.

  52. Justin Says:

    @ Walter

    Treated him so horrible. Paying his sorry rear end $8.5 million. Freeman only has to look at himself when he wonders why he was kicked to the curb.

  53. RBellBuc Says:

    Justin

    Freeman is no longer with us so why are you Hell bent on destroying him still?

  54. ctord Says:

    go through those last 9 losses and think the bucs were leading in 6 of them with 2 mins. Schiano can’t close out games and I am thinking Dom does not know how to BUILD a TEAM. Schaino has turned around the D although I am beginning to believe the D has all the talent that has made a difference. Dom has had some misses, heck all GM’s do, but the big thing is DOM missed on the qb. that is huge in a qb driven league. Still a thinking there is a huge disconnect between Dom and Schiano one or both will not survive this.

  55. IamTheOne Says:

    HOW I wish John Gruden would come back.

  56. BirdDoggers Says:

    Schiano has two weeks to prepare for a home game against another struggling team. If the Bucs lose against the Eagles, yes, firing Schiano could be considered. However, I don’t think the Glazers will make an in-season change. Although, the one important element that might make the Glazers fire Schiano mid-season is the media circus. Poor play is one thing, but the added negative publicity surrounding the organization has to make the Glazers cringe.

    Schiano hasn’t handled the Freeman situation well, going back to the end of last season. He has clearly fallen out of favor with the fans and media. He is consistently outcoached and apparently, as reported, the players don’t care for his ways. This all adds up to one conclusion. He more than likley be fired. The question is when.

  57. Walter Says:

    @Justin

    If you think that the Buccaneers handled the benching of Josh Freeman well, you’re an idiot. And even before he got benched he was being mistreated, having to constantly deal with Schiano’s mind games. He says “Josh Freeman is our starting QB,” then drafts Mike Glennon, splits starter reps between them, barely plays Freeman at all in the preseason, but gives Glennon almost all of the playing time, constantly pointing the finger in Josh’s direction, never taking any “Accountability” for the teams struggles…… Yeah, Schiano treated Freeman SOOOOOOOO well. Lol

  58. RBellBuc Says:

    Justin

    You weren’t there. You have no ideal what Freeman’s world has been like since Schiano has been there. The coach is a liar, and a snake. He should have been up front with Josh that he wanted to move in a different direction in the beginning. Then things may have resulted in a professional divorce instead of all this male testosterone being bandied about.

  59. Harry Says:

    @ TampaBayBucFan, and @Joe:

    I don’t disagree with you as to Free being a head case. But a coach’s job is to make his players better. After the rest of the league figured out our offense last year, as verified by Coach Flick, we have still not adjusted – that is bad coaching. All the doublespeak that came out of Shiano’s mouth about “competition at the QB position did not help the head case called Freeman.

    Finding a franchise QB would definitely cure a LOT of ills, but I absolutely don’t want Shiano coaching him- he is a good defensive coach, but not a head coach.

    I can see why they changed QB’s for yesterday’s game. That game screamed for Freeman and his long distance passing. I think we win that game with Free at QB (but I still think we needed to change QB to see what Glennon has). I think the Bucs knew it would be a nightmare if Free won the AZ game and then they decided to change QBs

  60. Walter Says:

    Lol Caleb Freeman on Twitter:

    #bestchancetowin?

  61. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Walter

    You avoided the scenerio completely…I said…assuming Schiano isn’t fired….what would you do to fix the team.
    You fire Schiano.
    Many of you have committed yourself so strongly that even if he turned this team around you couldn’t accept him.

    Do what Dom, the Glazers & Schiano are doing right now.
    Come up with some constuctive ideas on how to take this team moving forward.
    I’ll start….use Page & Demps more to bring more speed…consider cutting or deactivating Ogletree. Crabtree comes back so that helps at TE. Do whatever you have to do to change the playcalling…open it up more….light it up from the get-go and pour it on….sure there will be interceptions…but there will be TDs also.
    Now let me hear yours.
    I don’t want to read continuous ‘fire Schiano” as solutions to our problem….because, he certainly isn’t going to fire himself.

  62. tonytwocents Says:

    Have we forgotten how he orchestrated those workouts during the lockout?? how he was praised during the Rah era for his maturity and leadership?

    Those types of traits dont just disappear. But they can get beaten to a pulp by a lunatic power hungry head coach.

  63. Walter Says:

    @Harry

    I agree, Freeman would have won that game yesterday, and Schiano knew that too. He knew if he benched after our first win, people would react poorly to the decision. Much easier to switch QB’s and put “his guy” in when we are losing. Heck, the move even made some people hopeful that Glennon was going to be the answer. Lol

  64. Justin Says:

    So we fire Schiano. Whats the plan then guys?

  65. stvcl Says:

    Walk the plank Schiano…

  66. Walter Says:

    @Tampabaybucfan

    I don’t think you get it man.

    There is no turning this team around right now.

    We are lacking CRUCIAL pieces to contend in today’s NFL.

    All Schiano is worried about is finding his next scapegoat to make it through the season, which is WHY he needs to be fired. He’s all talk.

  67. RBellBuc Says:

    Harry says

    I think the Bucs knew it would be a nightmare if Free won the AZ game and then they decided to change QBs
    ____________________________________________________________

    You’re a day late and a dollar short. That has been said probably 10 times yesterday, including from yours truly. That is the issue I have the most with this stupid @ss coach about yesterdays game. He benched Freeman in a game that Freeman would have won, and cost us the fans a win.
    Because of him, we are 0-4. It’s the coaches job to put his team in the best position to win and clearly Schiano didn’t do that against a team we should have dominated. All he needed was to win yesterday and all this bad press would have piped down a little. What he did with Freeman after that, would have made it a harder decision buts thats why he’s the head coach. We should be 1-3 regardless.

  68. Matthew Says:

    When Schiano is fired; could we please for the love of god stop with the retread 1980s style HC’s here in Tampa. Cowher is not some magical guru, he one 1 super bowl, and over his last 9 seasons in the league he missed the playoffs 5 of those times. The 3 yard and a cloud of dust & “we’ll out tough you in the trenches” Cowher’s styles, is the same garbage Schiano has been preaching. We are in the modern era of the NFL gentlemen; could we please get a HC that understands that & adapts our style to actually compete with the new rules. Instead of some mythical idea of how football “used to be played”. #Tanking4Teddy

  69. 1neb Says:

    Way to go Tampabaybucfan. Love your column . I agree 100%. I watch them yesterday at the stadium and they looked slow. Don’t get me wrong the defense is extremely fast with everything they do but our offense is loaded with good players but no explosion ( meaning if he breaks a 100 times we know he is not getting caught ( v.jack )) We are 0-4 so let’s hope they use some of those players . Go Bucs see you in two …

  70. ATLBucsFan Says:

    Tropical PR article. Fire him if he goes 0-5, OR wait until the end of the season. Now that’s taking a stand.

  71. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Walter

    You are the one who doesn’t get it….The Glazers have the say….What is their choice….the year is pretty much lost anyway.
    Fire Schiano now and go the rest of the season with interims only to be sure you are having to make major changes next year
    Or
    Stick with Schiano,ugly as it is, and see if he or Sully can turn the offense around.
    You might disagree with that…but those are the facts.
    I think the Glazers will let this year play out.

  72. RBellBuc Says:

    Also, did anyone notice that yesterdays game plan was condusive to a higher pass percentage yet Glennon was still only at 55%. He only attemped two passes over 25 yards on sideline patterns that were uncatchable because he threw them out of bounds. Had Glennon played the game plan as Freeman in his last three games, Glennon completion percentage would have been under 50%. I think he had maybe 2 completions over 20 yards and thats it. Most were high percentage check down passes. ala Alex Smith

  73. Walter Says:

    @Tampabaybucfan

    When I said fire Schiano, I meant after the season.

    I am 100% confident that Schiano will not turn this season around.

    I’m 200% confident he won’t be here next year.

  74. Raphael Says:

    Schiano is the worst coach in franchise history ….even worse than Richard Williamson .

  75. RBellBuc Says:

    If he loses his locker room, what’s the difference if we finish with an interim HC?

  76. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Walter

    You and I finally agree…an interim coach make no sense…just makes fans feel better.
    We don’t think Schiano can turn it around but he might.
    If he doesn’t fire him at the end of the season.

  77. FortMyersDave Says:

    This team is so damn frustrating to watch. If the offense would show up once this season and put up 35 points, I’d bet that the defense somehow reverts to its 2012 mode and gives up like 600 yards of ****ing passing and give up 38 via another last second FG. I really thought that the Cardinal game was winnable but the coaching staff set up Glennon and the Bucs to lose with such a simplified and predictable game plan that simply taken the teams best offensive weapon out of the game. Unlike the Jags and Giants, this team has been competitive in its games and should not be 0-4. The head coach has to take some accountability on this one. His scapegoat shield aka ex Buc QB #5 is gone. I do think the team has not quit yet (ala Rah’s team in 2011) but a W is needed and I really think Schiano sacrificed what should have been a win if Freeman started just to get rid of what he considered to be a growing cancer sooner rather than later. And if Freeman is gloating about the Bucs losing without him, maybe Schiano was correct in cutting #5 loose, it simply sucks for us Buc fans to be subjected to yet another circus and the coach has to own that. The ownership is tight with $ too, its doubtful they’ll eat Schiano’s contract……

  78. Walter Says:

    @Tampabaybucfan

    That’s all I’ve been saying this whole time! Lol

    I don’t believe in interim coaches, let Schiano finish the season, evaluate whether any progress was made in any areas, then make the decision.

    I just don’t have much hope in Schiano, in my eyes, the veterans on the team will quit on him soon, especially if our losing streak continues.

  79. Jordan Says:

    I was under the impression that Gm’s had the most influence on which players are required. Or do the coaches dictate to the GMs which players the GMs have to acquire? Why is Ogletree considered Schiano’s pick?

  80. Doc Says:

    I hear people talking about how Schiano has improved this defense,i have seen four teams drive the football down their throats. Defense’s are built to make stops when the games are on the line. this team can not or do not know how to make changes on the fly,which you must do in the N.F.L. Putting that young quarterback in the game show,that no one knows what they are doing and trying to please the fans and the media.This coach is leaking information to justify the stupid moves and to take pressure of him. Look at the players that Schiano,has let go. For once i would like to see a player or player’s step to the mic and tell the truth and then ask to be traded.

  81. Paul Says:

    I’d hate to see schiano fired and our defense regress back to ass. That offense is a f’n joke though. Sully’s got the stink on him now.

  82. IamTheOne Says:

    /Gene voice

    Fire the Schiano!

    /Gene voice

  83. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    @ Walter

    Even if the Vets quit on him a new coach can inspire them next year.
    I think its reasonable to believe he can’t turn it around….I just don’t think the Glazers believe that. I don’t think they are influenced by the media either, so I know they don’t care about fans opinions on JBF.
    A case could be made that the offense could be turned around. All I am doing is trying to work with what we have. I add Demps & Page…change the gameplan and let it fly.
    I think Glennon will improve. That doesn’t mean I think it will be enough to start him next year….but if he works out it would be a real cheap bonus. We could take the money that would have been going to Freeman and buy a TE & 3rd WR.

  84. Jordan Says:

    The Defense is 9th in Points, 9th in Rushing Yards, and 15th in Passing Yards. If you recall, Schiano inherited a Defense that was 32nd in points, 32nd in Rushing Yards, and 21st in Passing Yards. How can you demand the firing of Schiano after he has achieved success with his Defense in a such period of time. We Buc fans should know the value of a dominant defense.

  85. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    RBellBuc Says
    “If he loses his locker room, what’s the difference if we finish with an interim HC?”

    My concern is the message it sends to the locker room. It tells them it’s okay to quit. Take a look at teams that have fired head coaches before mid season. How many had a successful coach after that?

  86. Walter Says:

    @Tampabaybucfan

    I understand what you’re saying, I’m not saying they should fire Schiano because of the fans, I’m simply saying that I expect the team to lose A LOT of games, and that’s going to force the Glazers to act. They have opened up their pocket books the last two years because we were supposed to be a playoff contender this year.

    Schiano does not have the tools to turn the offense around, without a viable 3rd WR or pass catching TE, and now a Rookie QB in the starting lineup, our offense will be predictable and easy to stop, and he will make plenty of rookie mistakes. Our defense is not yet dominant, but it’s really good, so the losses will be close, but I think this trend of losing close games will continue unless Schiano proves he can out-coach SOMEBODY on game day.

    I think if the Bucs were to hire a new HC next year, it would be an offensive minded coach with either previous HC experience, or very successful as an OC, preferably with a knowledge for developing QB’s.

    The bottom line is, this team needs to get with the times, and quick. Offenses are too good in the NFL to play ground & pound and try too hang on to a win.

  87. Bobby Says:

    LOL!!! You people are so hilarious. “Get a good HC in here to turn this thing around!!” Sure….they are as easy to find as franchise QB’s. Let’s just go pick one off of a tree and give him less than 2 seasons to get things going and fire him too. I mean we all know Glennon isn’t the answer after 1 game right? We should have kept Freeman because he’s only had 5 years. Yes, it was the coaches fault that Freeman has been inconsistent his entire career. It’s the credit card companies fault for getting me in debt, blah, blah, blah. Everyone loves to say these rookie QB’s come in a perform their first year. Is it the coaching or is it just their talent??

    I’ve been in Freeman’s corner and I’ve said that they could have helped him out with the scheme and let him use his legs, etc. but bottom line is you have to produce with the scheme you’re given. You have to quit staring down your receivers after 5 years. That’s not ‘coaching’ that’s just being a good QB. You have to take what the defense gives you instead of trying to force throws into tight coverage all the time. You have to know you can’t hold onto the ball all day or you are going to get sacked.

    Like I said, I saw more poise out of Glennon yesterday than I’ve seen out of Freeman all year. Even the throw to V-Jax where he got picked…V-Jax had as much chance to catch that ball as Peterson did but didn’t fight for the ball or fight to break up the pass. I’ve seen that out of Jackson on more than one occasion. Last year there was a pick in the end zone where he did the same thing. He’s a good receiver but he needs to display a little more tenacity and fight on the tough catches. Glennon is going to be fine.

    Our O-line….that’s a whole different conversation. Highly overrated bunch right there. I don’t like our offensive scheme any more than the next guy and I believe Sully will be replaced but c’mon…you can’t open up running lanes for one of the best RB’s in the league and let the Cardinals hold him to less than 2 YPC????? He was getting tackled in the backfield half of the time.

    As far as wanting an offensive minded coach….why?? Chip Kelly is an offensive minded coach and they seem to have him figured out. BOttom line is our offense was top 10 last year but our defense sucked. We don’t need an offensive minded coach, we need an OC with a good game plan. We need an O-line that will earn their damn money and actually block. We need a TE and we need a good 3rd receiver. The offense needs fixing but that’s not Schiano’s forte. It’s not going to take much of an offense for us to win games. We’ve played 4 games and only 1 team has scored more than 20 points on us and that was New England. They just went into Atlanta and put up 30. No, I don’t want an offensive minded coach and go back to last years debacle. I just want an OC who can game plan and be creative.

  88. zam Says:

    You doom-and-gloomers need to relax.

  89. Richard Says:

    I don’t think Wannstedt is the answer, so my fear is that he gets the interim job and wins enough games to LOOK like the answer and gets the full-time gig. And then we have a season or two of Mustache Magic before we remember he has a sub-500 record in the NFL.

  90. Celly Says:

    Joe Says:
    September 30th, 2013 at 7:57 am

    Does anyone really believe that Freeman’s problem is coaching? After more that four years…he’s worse

    Joe finds it very difficult to believe Schiano wrecked Freeman. Freeman wrecked Freeman.

    Look, Freeman had a career year for passing yards last season. Set franchise records. Who was his coach? Yeah, Schiano.

    It is becoming more clear by the day that Freeman is a headcase.

    —————–

    and what does that same coach do the moment he gets a chance to have his hands full in the draft? take a QB in the 3rd round. That choice could and should have gone to a 3rd receiving option.

    but like i said before. I’ll still be rocking my Freeman jersey on Sundays while i root for Glennon.

    GoBucs.

  91. Celly Says:

    Justin Says:
    September 30th, 2013 at 8:40 am

    Freeman and his brother raided the local liquor store in South Tampa after yesterdays game and celebrated the Bucs losing the game. That is a fact. His dummy brother plastered it all over his social media accounts. Videos and all.
    —————
    unless i suck at searching, i found nothing of that, so if you want to email me links to those pics and videos, i’d greatly appreciate it….unless they’ve already been “mysteriously deleted” nudge nudge, wink wink.

    since when did drinking after a loss constitute celebrating? i guess its too much on his side if you think that he might’ve been drinking cause he knew he would’ve never made that throw and he’d probably never throw another pass in Pewter and Red.

    but i guess that’s giving him too much credit….

  92. Jeff Says:

    Ax Dominick now, let new GM decide Schiano’s fate at the end of the season. Every problem the bucs have players, coaches, schematic, aren’t these Dominick’s failures too. Get someone that knows a little football.