A former Bears All-Pro weighs in on how Lovie Smith is “amazing” and not so amazing

Seven-time Bears All-Pro center Jay Hilgenberg shared his deep angst — and deep love — for new Bucs head coach Lovie Smith today.

Hilgenberg has been part of the Bears Radio Network for years and spoke on WDAE-AM 620 this morning about how Lovie never could fix the Bears offense and forge a good offensive line.

But Hilgenberg wasn’t bashing in any way. [read more]

Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly signed NFL head coaching contracts out of the college ranks for about $7 million per season.

Jeff Fisher also signed for $7 million a year back in 2010.

So why are reports claiming Lovie Smith is finalizing a head-coaching deal worth about $5 million per season with the Buccaneers? [read more]

Respect returns to the Bucs locker room

It’s culture-change time again at One Buc Palace.

The “ultimate respect” new head coach Lovie Smith will command in the Bucs locker room will change the culture immediately at One Buc Palace. Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht explained while talking all things Smith and regime change this morning on WDAE-AM 620.

[read more]

NFL insider Adam Schefter explains how the Bucs and Lovie Smith met at the altar of One Buc Palace so quickly in this BSPN video.

Darrelle Revis caught Lovie Smith’s eye long ago.

As excited as many of Joe’s readers are with the new coaching staff taking shape at One Buc Palace, there remains concerns for some of the fate of stud cornerback Darrelle Revis.

New Bucs coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli are loyalists to the Tampa-2 coverage scheme, a scheme in which cornerbacks often play zone. Revis is a terrific man-to-man press corner and at $16 million a year may be a bit pricey for a zone coverage guy. [read more]

Cowboys could block Rod Marinelli from coming to Bucs.

Bucs fans erupted in glee last night when it was learned, via BSPN’s Adam Schefter, that the Bucs had hired defensive guru Rod Marinelli as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

The first thing that went through Joe’s head was, “Isn’t Marinelli under contract with the Cowboys?” But hey, if Schefter Twitttered it, it had to be true. Right?

Well…

It seems Schefter’s report, at best, may have been premature. His colleague at BSPN, Todd Archer who covers the Cowboys for BSPN Dallas, cites several Cowboys team sources claiming the Bucs do not have the rights to Marinelli, that he is still under contract with the Cowboys, and his ascension to defensive coordinator with the Bucs is far from a done deal.

Marinelli is under contract to the Cowboys in 2014. The Cowboys could let him go if they choose, but they have blocked Joe DeCamillis and Tony Sparano in recent years from taking jobs with different teams while under contract. It is possible they could come up with some sort of compensation package to let Marinelli go.

Teams are only required to allow assistant coaches to interview for head coaching vacancies.

But the feeling is the Cowboys do not want to lose Marinelli. He was forced to work with 19 different defensive linemen in 2013 because of injuries and poor play. The Cowboys higher ups liked what he brought to that group and defense in particular.

Archer went on to write it is very possible the Cowboys could jettison defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and promote Marinelli to fill the void.

Now, if it really is a done deal that Marinelli is coming to the Bucs, Joe is going to guess Team Glazer worked out a backroom deal with Jerry Jones for a modest seven-figure sum to persuade Jones to rip up Marinelli’s contract.

This should be a fun next few days.

BSPN reports Rod Marinelli joins Jeff Tedford as new Bucs coordinators.

Now Joe is starting to get excited. The all-knowing ultimate NFL insider Adam Schefter of BSPN just Twittered news that will leave Bucs fans chugging beers deep into the first night of the 2014 calendar year.

It seems former college quarterback guru Jeff Tedford, and former Bears defensive coordinator and former Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, will indeed be coming to the Bucs to join Lovie Smith, newly hired Bucs coach. [read more]

Bears superstar cornerback Charles Tillman, who spent 11 seasons wearing black, told the Chicago Tribune this week that he’s got other “options” as a potential free agent in March.

Hmm, Joe wonders where those could be? [read more]

Former Vikings coach in talks to join Lovie Smith and the Bucs.

Former Vikings coach and Rip Van Freeman victim Leslie Frazier’s name is being bounced around NFL circles tonight as a potential new Bucs defensive coordinator. This coming from USA Today scribe and former Vikings beat writer Tom Pelissero.

@TomPelissero: Nothing done for Leslie Frazier to join Lovie Smith as DC with Bucs, I’m told, but sounds like it’s on the table. [read more]

New Bucs head coach Lovie Smith hired Bucs icon Hardy Nickerson — out of the Buccaneers radio broadcast booth — as his linebackers coach in Chicago back in 2007. Nickerson only lasted a season before getting out of the business, but he wants to back into NFL coaching.

Nickerson made his first return to Tampa in December as a guest of the Buccaneers organization (interesting timing) and shared his thoughts on WDAE-AM 620. [read more]

It seems college QB guru Jeff Tedford will be Lovie Smith’s offensive coordinator with the Bucs.

So one questions many Bucs fans had about a potential hire of Lovie Smith as new head coach was what he’ll do about the offense? Smith is about as much of a Father Dungy clone as you will find, meaning offense is an annoyance to him, hence why Smith hired such noted offensive wizards in the likes of Ron Turner and Mike Tice as offensive coordinators.

The results were painfully predictable. [read more]

He’s yearning for the new Bucs head coach

It was one of the most confusing things Joe had ever seen. Last offseason, the Bucs, in need of a pass rush like Joe needs a cold beer on a July Friday afternoon, let their leading pass rusher and solid run-stopper Michael Bennett walk away for peanuts and claimed the transaction was because Bennett was damaged goods.

Also at the time, Bucs types claimed former second-round pick, defensive end, Da’Quan Bowers, was ready to pick up the baton from Bennett and the Bucs all but anointed Bowers a starter in the offseason. [read more]

Lovie Smith might want the shopping money ditching Revis would provide

So how would lockdown cornerback Darrelle Revis fit into new Bucs head coach Lovie Smith’s notorious Tampa-2 defense?

It’s hard to imagine paying $16 million for a cornerback in a zone-based system. The Bucs could part ways at any time with Revis without a salary cap penalty, a move that would provide massive flexibility to a new regime.

This is a very intriguing situation. [read more]

Team Glazer went back to the future and is hiring former Bucs linebackers coach (1996-2000) and longtime Bears chief Lovie Smith to be the next Buccaneers head coach, NFL Network is reporting.

Wow! [read more]

Tampa Tribune scribe Roy Cummings is reporting tonight, via an unnamed source, that Lovie Smith interviewed for the Bucs’ vacant head coaching job yesterday.

But Lovie has not been hired, it seems, as reports out of the Detroit Free Press say Lovie is heading to Detroit for a wooing in the Motor City. [read more]

The simple answer to the headline question is, “another Super Bowl.” But Team Glazer isn’t so simple.

Joe’s confident Team Glazer has other clear desires and goals in place, just like when Greg Schiano was given a “mandate” in 2012.  [read more]