As the hunt continues, it appears the only record the Bucs’ organization is going to break this season is most coaches interviewed. That’s not exactly what the fans (or the players) want to see but it is nice to see that they are taking this seriously.
I have a few candidates in mind and, while teaming some of these guys up sounds nearly impossible, I think they would be just the kick in the ass the Bucs need to turn it around and become serious contenders. The pieces are all there for the Bucs. When you look at individual positions, it is hard to find a weakness on this team. The problem for the Bucs is that they don’t really seem to comprehend the whole ‘team’ idea of football.
So let’s take a look at a few scenarios I think would complement the Bucs perfectly.
1. Head Coach – Mike Zimmer (left)
Offensive Coordinator – Tom Clements
So, Zimmer is currently the Defensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and there is no doubt about his ability. He’s a great defensive guy who I think would work well with the players (he’s had his hands full of troubled players with the Bungles). But that defensive mindset would leave a glaring hole in our offense, which is why Tom Clements would be the man for the job. Clements is currently the QB coach for Green Bay (yes, he coached Brett Farve and Aaron Rogers). The key to the Bucs offensive struggles was the more than lack-luster performance by Josh Freeman this year. I think bringing in Clements as the OC allows us to be a defensive minded team (which is a good idea with our team being so young) while allowing Clements to focus in on problems with Freeman which infected our offense this year.
2. Head Coach – Mike Zimmer
Offensive Coordinator – Rob Chudzinski
Zimmer is picked again here for the reason given above but now I’ve swapped out Clements for Chudzinski. Now this situation is fairly unlikely but man would it be perfect. Chudzinski is currently the OC for the Carolina Panthers so odds are he isn’t going to jump ship for another OC position (especially on a team like the Bucs). But after watching him implement a system that aided in Cam Newton having one of the best statistical rookie seasons for any QB, I can’t help but wonder what he could do with Freeman and the rest of this young Buc offense.
3. Head Coach – Joe Philbin
Defensive Coordinator – Mike Zimmer
Philbin is the OC for the Green Bay Packers so he obviously knows how to run an offense which seems to be where the Bucs want to go with their next head coach. Again, this pairing seems like a long shot because Zimmer might not want to jump ship on the Bengals just to take another coordinator position. That being said, I think Philbin could be a great coach for this young offense. Green Bay is also a very young squad and that didn’t seem to slow Philbin down at all. Obviously I’m a big fan of Zimmer, as he has been in all 3 of these scenarios, but I think it is going to be very important for Tampa to emphasize defense if they want to be successful moving forward (just ask Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson).
4. Head Coach – Mike Sherman (right) Coordinator – TBD
Another guy associated with Green Bay has his hat in the ring for this one. Sherman was a head coach for Green Bay a couple years back before going to coach for Texas A&M. He wasn’t exactly stellar at A&M but he’s got a pretty good track record otherwise. He also has ties to the Bucs front office, which is apparently why he is considered the front-runner by most. I’m not terribly excited about the idea of hiring Sherman but they must see something in him that I just can’t yet.
Note: Clements and Chudzinski are both considered prospects for the head-coaching job for the Bucs but I don’t see much of a change in the styles of those guys and Morris. Yes, I think they are actually better coaches and more equipped to handle the team but they seem to thrive as being the friend & coach as opposed to the disciplinarian the Bucs seem to need.
