The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud is reporting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will interview Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray for the head coaching position. This interview would satisfy the Rooney Rule, which requires any NFL team to interview at least one minority coach for an open head coaching position.
Jerry Gray is a former defensive back who played in the NFL from 1985 to 1993 after being a first-round pick for the Los Angeles Rams out of the University of Texas. Gray made the Pro Bowl four times and finished his playing career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993. He then moved on to coaching, serving as the defensive backs coach for the Titans, as the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills under Gregg Williams and now as the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. The Seahawks' website has an interesting profile on the veteran coach, written in 2010.
As a defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, his defenses were up and down. He presided over two elite defenses in 2003 and 2004, but the other three years were mediocre at best. In his one year as the Titans defensive coordinator his defense improved from one of the worst in the league to a solid if unspectacular unit despite losing LB Stephen Tulloch and DE Jason Babin in free agency.
Previous Experience
Secondary coach, Southern Methodist University, 1995-1996
Defensive Quality Control coach, Tennessee Oilers, 1997-1998
Defensive Backs coach, Tennessee Titans, 1999-2000
Defensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills, 2001-2005
Secondary Coach, Washington Redskins, 2006-2009
Defensive Backs coach, Seattle Seahawks, 2010
Defensive Coordinator, Tennessee Titans, 2011
What do you think, Bucs Nation?