Freeman Excited To Take Shots Downfield In Schiano's Offense | Pewter Report
There weren't a lot of downfield shots this year.

NFL.com news: Schiano embraces challenge, says Bucs will be built on trust
Trust, belief and accountability.

Williams led NFC South WRs in playing time - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Despite a very lackluster year.

Bucs' Schiano shares his thoughts on discipline | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
There will be more of that.

Bucs need to let Schiano just do his thing | TBO.com
What is 'his thing'?

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Greg Schiano is hard at work assembling a coaching staff, but his efforts are being blocked according to Jason LaCanfora. The Buccaneers asked the Arizona Cardinals for permission to interview their wide receivers coach John McNulty for the position of offensive coordinator, but the Cardinals refused to allowed this. Under NFL rules, a move from position coach to coordinator is not considered a promotion and can hence be blocked by teams that have those position coaches under contract.

John McNulty coached under Schiano at Rutgers for five seasons, and served as his offensive coordinator for two of those. Blocking interviews like this is fairly common in the NFL.

With McNulty off the radar, Schiano could look towards his own college staff for an offensive coordinator. Frank Cignetti, Jr. was his offensive coordinator the past year. In addition, there are a few experienced NFL coordinators on the market. Hue Jackson and Todd Haley are both still available.

The Senior Bowl is generally seen as the most important college all-star game in football. Seniors from all over the country display their skills and show their pro-readiness in this game.

Some prospect the Bucs could be interested in that are worth watching today include LB Lavonte David, LB Zach Brown, RB Doug Martin, CB Janoris Jenkins, CB Brandon Boykin, CB Alfonzo Dennard and WR Marvin Jones. The Senior Bowl is filled with draftable prospects, and the Bucs are sure to select a few of them in the draft.

Check out Sports Illustrated's Top 10 Senior Bowl Prospects and Mocking the Draft's thoughts on the Senior Bowl.

First thing's first. When they announced Schiano was our guy, I was disappointed. I felt like I was set up by Jimmy Kimmel on one of those "Give your kids a bad Christmas present" scheme. I felt like it was Christmas Morning, I was so excited to get the new "Red Rider BB Gun," and instead ended up with a set of pink bunny pajamas. The Buccaneers have named their new head coach: Greg Schiano. Greg WHO?!

I was bummed until I heard the man speak. It was much different than Raheem. I could actually understand what he was saying. That's not a dig at Raheem's lack of skill in actually talking, but everything he was saying just made sense. He looked genuinely excited to be here. Not just excited to get a promotion to the NFL, but genuinely excited to be the new face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He hit every topic in which we need. The best part of all, he exuded the confidence that he can turn it around. We needed a leader. That just might be what we've found in Coach Schiano.

"Run the football physically and take shots down the field. That formula works."

Yes coach, it does. As long as we have the right talent for it. It's hard to judge our talent we have here in Tampa, fairly. We have seen sparks in everyone, but we are missing major pieces to the puzzle. This season we have major questions, that hopefully can get answered.

We were bad last season. B-A-D, BAD. Across the board bad.Was it Blount's lack of vision or the line's lack of opportunities? Was it Freeman's lack of skill, or the line not holding/receivers not getting open? We have no deep threat to take the top off of the defenses. Will the Glazers finally spend the money we've all been hearing about? There are big name free agents out there to fit some of our needs. DeSean Jackson? He's pretty fast. Ray Rice? You remember him right coach? Not that they're looking to part ways from where they are, but it wouldn't hurt to try. RIGHT?

If it were me, I'd go for DeSean Jackson. He'd be my free agency priority. He's a headcase, I get it...but it would be nice to be able to stretch the field. Ray Rice: that's just a pipe dream. It wouldn't happen, but it would be interesting to see if he'd like to reunite with his former coach. We need O linemen bad. Target them as well. As for defense: "Yes, I'd like one of everything please." I'd build through the draft though. Maybe a free agent line backer. Curtis Lofton, Anthony Spencer, Stephen Tulloch or maybe end/linebacker hybrid. Mario Williams would do.

At the 5 spot in the draft, I say we take Richardson. We don't know if Blount is "the guy" but remember last time we were 4th and we skipped on a talented RB? His name was Adrian Peterson. He'd be nice to have, don't you think? Maybe we don't make that same mistake twice? (No I'm not comparing the 2, but Richardson's talent is undeniable.) We need a corner. Ronde is a legend, and is welcome in my book for as long as he's willing. But is he?

Talib, his talent is there but is his brain? He's trouble with a capital T. I'm still not sold. If we take Richardson at 5, and b/c of his troubles (which I'm not a fan of since Talib), Janoris Jenkins drops to the 2nd round, that's best case scenario for me. I'd play the best available game from their on. I'm just a fan though. A fan with high hopes, and high expectations.

T.B.A Coach? Ok. I'll buy in. I'll Trust you. I'll Believe in you. And yes, I will definitely hold you Accountable!

Well, it's been a nice decade of West Coast Offense in Tampa Bay, but it looks like we're done now. No more dink-and-dunking down the field. No more Benn'd around, a receiver tackled for a loss, followed by a sack. No more quick slants, hitch routes and quick out routes. All of that is gone, if we can believe new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano.

Instead, we will see physical offensive football and shots down the field. That's Schiano's offensive philosophy, and it's one we've heard before. That's basically what Jeff Jagodzinski said he would bring to Tampa. And then he got fired before coaching even one regular season game. Oops?

But Schiano does seem committed to this philosophy. He noted that it's hard to move down the field on long drives, the kind of thing the West Coast Offense is built around. Instead he wants to manufacture big plays - and that's something I saw in the few Rutgers games I've watched so far. The Rutgers offense tried to be aggressive down the field, although the actual results were mixed. This isn't just talk: he tried to do the same thing before.

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NFL.com news: Schiano makes sense for Bucs; assessing other new hires
Wait, Michael Lombardi likes something the Bucs did??

Filling Schiano's coaching staff won't be easy for Bucs | TBO.com
Better get a move on.

Johnson Excited To Reunite With Schiano | Pewter Report
George Johnson talks about his former (and current) coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' pick of Greag Schiano makes no sense - Michael Rosenberg - SI.com
No sense? None?

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano: Expect accountability, physical play - Tampa Bay Times
He talks the talk. Can he walk the walk?

Schiano Recruits Himself Right Into The NFL - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
On coaches moving from college to the NFL.

Most important Buc buys into Schiano - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Josh Freeman.

Bucs Introduce Schiano As Ninth Franchise Head Coach | Pewter Report
Yay.

Greg Schiano will have final call on assistant coach hires | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
Of course he will. It'd be silly if he didn't.

Dominik: Schiano To Have Final Stay On Staff Hires | Pewter Report
Now can he find the good ones?

Five impressions of Greg Schiano's introductory news conference as Tampa Bay Buccaneers' new coach - Tampa Bay Times
Just five?

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"There is going to be a Buccaneer Way, there are going to be Buccaneer Men."

Greg Schiano made an impression in his first press conference as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach. He was clear, collected, and had a presence to him. He looked like, for lack of a better term, a football coach. One thing was abundantly clear: this was not Raheem Morris, and things are about to change around One Buc Place. Schiano wants to build this team around three things: Trust, Belief and Accountability. TBA.

Schiano wants to build this team around a "humble, unselfish attitude of sacrifice". That Trust, Belief and Accountability will play a role in that.

"Trust. 100% honesty, there's no room for 99%. 100% honesty and do what you're supposed to do, when you're supposed to do it."

"Belief. Belief in yourself, number one. Belief in the Buccaneer way. There is going to be a Buccaneer way, there are going to be Buccaneer men. You've got to believe in that, otherwise this isn't the place."

"Accountability. All those things are great, but as a coaching staff and a team and an organization we have to hold each other accountable. That's not always easy, that's where it gets sticky, that's where it gets tough. That's my job as the head football coach, to make sure that's happening throughout the football team and the organization."

Schiano also has a clear vision of the team he wants to see on the field: great defense, winning the special teams battle, and being a physical offensive football team that takes shots down the field.

"It's very hard to go 12-, 13-, 14-play drives. If we miss on a shot we line up and play defense again, get the ball back, go after them again. Physical, run the football physically and take shots down the field. That formula works. As long as you play great defense and win the kicking game that formula works."

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Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson. Mock drafts are getting a little one-sided for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No tackles, no pass rushers, Justin Blackmon doesn't even pop in regularly. I need some diversity in my mock drafts, guys, this is boring.

But hey, Don Banks of Sports Illustrated just released his first mock draft of the year. He has the Bucs picking, of course, cornerback Morris Claiborne out of LSU. The pick makes sense: with Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib likely leaving this offseason, the Bucs need cornerbacks. A lot. Claiborne is the top rated cornerback, so the pick makes perfect sense. Let's see what Don Banks says:

The Bucs have plenty of options that make sense, but in a division where Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan come calling six times a season, landing the draft's top cornerback qualifies as a no-brainer, especially since Ronde Barber turns 47 any day now. Some mocks have Tampa Bay going for Alabama running back Trent Richardson, but a rusher in the top five sounds a little rich to me.