Greg Schiano wants Butch Davis on his staff.
Not sure whether Davis would be defensive coordinator or an assistant head coach, but Schiano's interested in adding him to the staff at Tampa Bay. Schiano was Davis' defensive coordinator at the University of Miami in 1999 and 2000, and they have remained close. Davis hasn't coached in the NFL since he was dismissed by the Browns after the 2004 season. He'd be a good sounding board for Schiano.
I like the Schiano hire. Not to ignore the others, but having lived in New Jersey when Schiano took over one of the worst teams in any sport in the country (that's no exaggeration), I witnessed the job he did making Rutgers competitive nationally. In the last few days, I've heard people say, "Well, he never won the Big East at Rutgers. Dumb hire.'' Time will tell.
Only two of the eight coaches hired in 2009 are still with their teams. You know there are no such things as long-term locks in the NFL, but I like this hire because the Bucs needed a coach to instill discipline. This is a team, and a defense in particular, that didn't respond to Raheem Morris anymore. It's shocking how quickly they tuned him out -- as if they lost interest in everything that came out of his mouth. They won't miss what Schiano says. He'll bench or cut guys if they're lazy or poor workers or unproductive.
"Whatever you decide to do, on any level of football, you have to have rules, and we'll have them,'' Schiano said over the phone from Tampa. "I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel. I'm just looking to coach the players we have the right way.''
He's not sure how he got so close to Bill Belichick, but Belichick helped him get this job. He called Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik, who led the Bucs' long search, and told Dominik how NFL-ready he thought Schiano was. "We trust one another,'' said Schiano. "I think we see things the same way -- not schematically, necessarily, but principally.''
Two other notes from Schiano: Getting hired by the Bucs made him miss the memorial service for his mentor, Joe Paterno. Schiano and his wife, though, went to State College Tuesday to pay their respects to the Paterno family.
"Thursday was one of the most exciting days of my life, getting this job, and also one of the saddest, because I missed Joe's service,'' he said. "I learned so much from Joe. Like, 'The only bad decision is indecision.' I can't tell you how significant a statement that is.''
Schiano has four children. He told them about the new job Thursday evening, and one of the kids said, "What about Eric?'' Eric LeGrand, the paralyzed Rutgers player. The Schiano family has become like a second family to LeGrand. "I told the kid we'd bring Eric down to Tampa, he'll stay at the house and we'll turn him into a Bucs fan.''
