Insider: Bucs Could Do Worse Than Marty Schottenheimer
Just hear me out.
There are plenty of reasons working against Marty Schottenheimer, who interviewed with the Bucs’ brass for their vacant head coaching position. At the age of 68, he’s no spring chicken. Yes, he hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2006. And yes….I know of his dubious playoff record, which really isn’t something that shouldn’t be on the minds of fans of a rudderless, four-win team.
However, his track record over twenty years speaks for itself, and that track record shows him elevate losing teams to the playoffs in a short amount of time. He was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach of the Browns in 1984 following a 1-7 start that saw head coach Sam Rutigliano get fired. The following year, the Browns improved to 8-8 and made the playoffs. The next two seasons, the Browns made consecutive AFC Championship games, suffering “the Drive” and “the Fumble”.
Schottenheimer took over for Frank Gansz in Kansas City following the 1988 season in which the Chiefs went 4-11-1. The Chiefs improved to 8-7-1 and made the playoffs seven times in Schottenheimer’s ten years in Kansas City, making the AFC Championship Game in the 1993 season.
He took over the head coaching job in San Diego in 2002 following a 5-11 season, and improved the team to 8-8, ultimately winning two division titles in 2004 and 2006. For his career, he has a winning record at every place he’s coached with the lone exception of his 2001 season with the Redskins (8-8).
See the common thread?
Look, I’m not saying Schottenheimer is the long-term answer for this franchise. He might be a guy who only coaches for a few years. That whole 68-years old thing, and all that jazz.
Yet, these Buccaneers are a team in need of a serious makeover, and that’s what Schottenheimer does well. This young locker room that is woefully short on veteran leadership and individual accountability needs a head coach that can garner some respect from the veterans and young players alike. Schottenheimer and his twenty-one years of NFL head coaching experience should be able to do that as well as anyone the Bucs have reportedly interviewed.
Schottenheimer also has the potential for building a quality staff, having worked with many successful coordinators and positional coaches during his tenure. Hue Jackson, Cam Cameron, Gunther Cunningham, Rob Chudzinski, Tony Sparano, and Wade Phillips are just a few names who have worked under him (although some on that list are certainly grounded in their present jobs).
And let’s face it: there aren’t a lot of proven names available. Joel Glazer stated the Bucs prefer to bring in a head coach with previous head coaching experience, and given the way these Bucs walked all over Raheem Morris and his staff, it’s fair to wonder how they would respond to a coach who has never handled a locker room before. Moreover, with other teams looking for a head coach right now, and with the Bucs sitting in the basement of a division with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, and Cam Newton, it’s certainly possible that a young, sought-after coordinator, ala Chudzinski, might not even have the Bucs as his first choice.
If the Glazers and Mark Dominik aren’t blown away by any of their other potential coaching candidates, it is certainly logical to consider a guy with over twenty years of head coaching experience with a .613 career winning percentage who could coach a few years and leave the franchise in better shape that he inherited it for someone else.
Tags: NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
