In news that won't sadden many Bucs fans, Brian Schottenheimer will be hired as the offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams per Adam Schefter of ESPN. This is not a big loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even if they were planning on hiring Brian Schottenheimer's father Marty Schottenheimer. Brian Schottenheimer reportedly did not want to work for his father to avoid riding his coattails.
While this hire doesn't directly impact the Bucs, it does illustrate why their delay in hiring a head coach is hurting their ability to hire good assistant coaches. Brian Schottenheimer is only the latest domino to fall, after top-notch coordinators like Mike Nolan and Steve Spagnuolo have been hired by other teams. As the hiring of assistants continues, the Bucs will struggle to find the assistant coaches they want.
There are still some big names as potential coordinators out there, including Miami DC Todd Bowles, former Vikings head coach Brad Childress and former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson. But the longer the Bucs wait, the more important the future head coach's network becomes in contracting the right assistant coaches.