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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Jason Licht as their general manager yesterday, but it seems they weren't the only ones interested in his services. The Miami Dolphins tried to hire him after they found out that the Bucs were interested in Licht, according to Ian Rapoport.
This seems to be an offseason of firsts, then. The Bucs beat out the Detroit Lions for Lovie Smith, then beat out the Miami Dolphins for Jason Licht. I can't recall the last time anything like that happened to the Bucs.
If anything, it's a good start to the new regime. Whereas under Greg Schiano turned into the laughing stock of the NFL, especially during the first half of last season, Lovie Smith has given them respectability -- and they're now at least seen as more desirable destinations than the Lions and Dolphins -- and presumably the Browns as well.
Moreover, the team's decisions this offseason have earned them near-universal acclaim. Hiring Lovie Smith was lauded by everyone except a handful of scorned Bears fans -- and even most Bears fans were more than complimentary of the hire. Jeff Tedford was hailed by NFL insiders as a genius offensive coordinator. And now the reaction to Licht's hiring is almost entirely positive as well.
Hurray! Respect! Now if only we could get some wins to go with it.
