Bucs Make It Official: Greg Schiano Is The New Head Coach

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano is in the process of hiring former Cleveland Browns and North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Butch Davis, Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com reports.

Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the deal is not complete, but talks continue.

According to Marvez's initial report, Davis would serve as a senior defensive assistant on Schiano's staff. Schiano spent two seasons working as the defensive coordinator under Davis with the Miami Hurricanes.

Davis, 60, coached at the University of North Carolina from 2007-10 before he was fired last July following an NCAA investigation into Tar Heels players receiving improper benefits from agents. Davis spent last season on the NFL Network's "NFL Playbook" program. Davis has coached at the NFL level with the Dallas Cowboys (1989-94) and was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2001-04.

For more on Schiano's coaching staff, be sure to check out Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation.

Breaking from tradition, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Greg Schiano to be the ninth head coach in franchise history. Schiano will be the first Bucs coach since inaugural coach John McKay to come straight from the college ranks to be given his first NFL coaching gig. He was given a five-year contract, which as much as co-chairman Joel Glazer's words, suggest a certain level of confidence (via Buccaneers.com):

"During our thorough search, we met with numerous impressive candidates, but Coach Schiano surely distinguished himself. From his leadership skills to his impressive track record, he is, simply put, the right man for the job."

Schiano is tasked with turning around a franchise that is coming off a 4-12 season that got previous coach Raheem Morris fired after three years. That season, as well as Morris' first in which the team went 3-13, have forced Bucs fans to relive a period of their history they probably hoped was well past them. Prior to Tony Dungy leading to the Bucs to 10-6 record in 1997, the franchise had enjoyed just two winning seasons in the first 21 years of existence. The Bucs went on to win at least nine games in eight of the next 12 seasons, and also won their only Super Bowl.

In Schiano, the Bucs clearly feel they've found the man to return them to that past glory. During 11 seasons at Rutgers, Schiano took a team that went 3-20 his first two years and turned them into a legitimate power. The Scarlet Knights went to bowls in six of his final seven seasons there and won five of them. Schiano also has some previous NFL experience, having worked for the Chicago Bears from 1996-98.

"Coach Schiano is a bright, meticulous teacher who knows how to get the most out of his players," said Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik. "He built and ran a pro-style program at Rutgers, and he’s a defensive-minded coach whose teams have always been characterized by toughness and a physical style of play."

For more on Schiano's hiring, be sure to check out Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were connected to a number of candidates since firing Raheem Morris but they've decided on Greg Schiano for their head coaching position. The Bucs job is the last of the open head coaching jobs in the NFL.

Schiano's deal with the Bucs will be for five years, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The two sides spoke early on in the process and the Glazer family, who owns the Bucs, did a lot of research on Schiano as a potential NFL candidate talking to people around the league, including Bill Belichick, who spoke highly of Schiano.

Schiano is coming from the college ranks, which might be a good thing considering the Bucs are one of the youngest teams in the league. He takes over a team with a lot of unrealized talent and a quarterback situation that needs to continue to improve.

For more on the Bucs decision, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation. And for a Rutgers perspective, visit On The Banks.

Sounds like it's as close to a done deal as it can be. Rutgers Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano will take over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Adam Schefter reported, and now we have confirmation from SI.com's Peter King and CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy, making for about as convincing a case as you can get.

Also, Schiano missed a Thursday morning recruiting visit (according to Rivals) and Joe Paterno's Wednesday funeral (according to the Star-Ledger) because of the job opportunity. This is more evidence than we had during the Chip Kelly episode, to be sure.

Reactions from the Rutgers side are largely stunned. Former player Eric LeGrand, who earned Sports Illustrated moment of the year honors for leading the Knights onto the field after being paralyzed, called himself "shocked," while Ray Rice of the Ravens congratulated the coach. Rutgers administrators, however ...

@JasonBaumRU I wonder if my cell phone will have enough power to get through lunch ...

For more on the Bucs decision, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation. And for a Rutgers perspective, visit On The Banks.

Reports came out early on Thursday that Rutgers Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano was nearing a deal to become the new head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano was kept hush-hush as a candidate until late in the proceedings and the reports that he is on the verge of signing with the Bucs was a surprise to many. But now it seems that more than one team has pursued Schiano this offseason.

According to Evan Silva of Rotoworld, ESPN's Adam Schefter stated that Schiano has been on many NFL teams' lists of candidates and that Schiano spoke with the St. Louis Rams at one point.

With the current amount of head coaching vacancies in the NFL, it should come as no surprise that front offices will be targeting any and all top college football coaches.

For more on the Bucs decision, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation. And for a Rutgers perspective, visit On The Banks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reportedly getting closer to hiring their next head coach. ESPN reports that the Bucs are negotiating with Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano and that a deal is expected to get done. This will mark the last of the remaining head coaching jobs to be filled.

Schiano's rise to the Bucs head coaching job seemingly came out of nowhere as he wasn't one of the numerous Bucs head coaching candidates who were made public. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Bucs have been on Schiano's radar from the start.

Schiano is an under-the-radar coach, but Tampa Bay has been eyeing him throughout this process. Buccaneers college scout Bill Rees made contact with Schiano at the outset of Tampa Bay's coaching search, and the two men stayed in contact.

Schefter also reported that the Glazer family, who owns the Bucs, did a "massive amount of research" on Schiano and one of the people they spoke with was Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has spoken highly of Schiano in the past.

For more on the Bucs decision, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation. And for a Rutgers perspective, visit On The Banks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reportedly closing in on their new head coach: Greg Schiano. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Schiano and the Bucs are currently finalizing a contract that will make him the new head coach.

The Bucs job became available shortly after the season when they fired Raheem Morris.

Schiano, the Rutgers football coach, wasn't on anyone's radar until Thursday morning when a Tampa radio report indicated he could be a candidate. It's no surprise that the talks between the two sides were so quiet because, if they could not strike a deal, Schiano still had recruits to worry about and didn't need his name floating around a job he wasn't going to take.

So the deal appears to be getting done soon, according to the report. The Bucs are getting a guy who has spent the last decade as the Rutgers head coach compiling a 68-67 record (and 5-1 in Bowl games). Prior to Rutgers, he was the Miami defensive coordinator and before that he spent three seasons on the Chicago Bears coaching staff.

Other candidates reportedly included Chip Kelly (before the Oregon coach backed out), Jerry Gray and Marty Schottenheimer

For more on the Bucs decision, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation. And for a Rutgers perspective, visit On The Banks.

While Chip Kelly may now be out of the running, it seems as though the list of candidates for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching position is not getting any shorter. One of the names back in the mix is that of Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.

According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, the buzz is that Chudzinski will receive a second interview with the Buccaneers for the head coaching position. Chudzinski is currently in Mobile with the rest of the Panthers coaching staff but Panthers head coach Ron Rivera indicated he would like some resolution on the situation.

"We've heard nothing. Hopefully, we'll hear something by the end of the week," Rivera said. "We do know, from what I hear, they've brought in somebody for a second interview. So we'll see what happens.

For all news and information regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, please visit Bucs Nation. For more on Chudzinski, Rivera and the Panthers, head on over to Cat Scratch Reader.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were spurned by Chip Kelly over the weekend, as the Oregon coach got cold feet and decided to stay in Eugene after reportedly agreeing to a deal to coach the Buccaneers. But another coach from the college ranks remains in the running to take over in Tampa Bay, as Mike Sherman is a finalist to become the Bucs' next head coach, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

Sherman is the first candidate Stroud has confirmed will be invited for a second interview after Kelly's change of heart. He will likely have a follow-up interview with Bucs general manager Mark Dominik in Tampa sometime this week, and previously interviewed for the position on January 4.

Sherman was fired by Texas A&M in December after his Aggies underperformed in 2011, going 6-6 despite being ranked in or near the top 10 at the season's outset. He was 57-39 in six seasons as the Green Bay Packers' head coach from 2000 to 2005, but never won a playoff game.

For more on Mike Sherman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching search, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog Bucs Nation.

Sunday night, news broke that Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly was steps away from taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job. What started as farfetched became more and more believable as confirmations came in from both coasts, with late-night reports having Kelly just about to sign. Then, at the last moment, he reportedly changed his mind.

Days away from college football's national signing day, when high school players can officially begin signing up to play for college teams, Kelly's got some clarifying to do on just how committed he is to Oregon for the near future. Unless he can convince the public he's no longer interested in a NFL job (despite multiple reports that he's had it with all the non-football responsibilities entailed in working a college job), he'll have one issue to overcome in future recruiting (not to mention this year's recruiting).

Here's Kelly:

I am flattered by the interest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' organization. I enjoyed meeting with the Glazer family and General Manager Mark Dominik but after numerous discussions, I concluded that I have some unfinished business to complete at the University of Oregon.

Also, athletic director Rob Mullens issued a comment:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers asked for permission to engage in conversation with Coach Kelly, which was granted. The University of Oregon is one of the nation's preeminent college football programs and, as such, it comes as no surprise the NFL is interested in our personnel. We are pleased with Coach Kelly's decision to remain as our head coach. Coach Kelly has provided great leadership and remains committed to building on our position among the elite college football programs in the country.

Check out SB Nation's Bucs Nation for more on the Bucs and visit Addicted To Quack for an Oregon perspective on all of this.

There was quite a bit of scuttlebutt on Sunday night when reports began to surface that Chip Kelly was leaving the Oregon Ducks football program to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kelly won't be leaving one of the best jobs in college football to take over a struggling Bucs franchise, however, according to a statement from the NFL team.

The rumors that Kelly was close to a deal with Tampa Bay were apparently true, but the Bucs general manager told the Tampa Bay Times on Monday morning that Kelly is no longer a candidate after he turned them down due to a love for college football.

"His heart is with college football and Oregon and he's no longer being considered,'' Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said Monday.

According to the report from the Times, Dominik delayed his plans on traveling to the Senior Bowl on Monday as he closed in on a deal with Kelly. Once the news broke on Sunday night, though, the newspaper reports that "Kelly reversed course and told the Bucs he was remaining at Oregon."

It was quite the whirlwind 12 hours, wasn't it?

Check out SB Nation's Bucs Nation for more on the Bucs and visit Addicted To Quack for an Oregon perspective on all of this.

Chip Kelly has reportedly reversed course abruptly, turning down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to stay at Oregon, this according to Adam Jude of the Oregon Register-Guard. Kelly had reportedly agreed to terms with the Buccaneers to become the team's next head coach -- reported by Jude and confirmed by CBSSports.com -- before the sudden change of heart.

Here's what Jude had to say in a quick blog post detailing the events of the night.

The source told The Register-Guard earlier Sunday night that Kelly had reached an agreement to become Tampa Bay's head coach. "It's done," the source said.

An hour later, Kelly changed his mind, telling the source: "I'm staying."

Kelly has remained silent publicly, despite the swirling rumors and reports of his departure for Tampa Bay. KGW in Portland initial reported Kelly was close to a deal, and the Tampa Bay Times followed by confirming the report from their end. Late Sunday night, Jude and the Register-Guard reported the deal was done.

Now, it appears Kelly is staying at Oregon, if the latest reports are true. We'll be back with more as it becomes available.

Visit SB Nation's Addicted To Quack for the Oregon perspective on Chip Kelly's wild ride, and SB Nation's Bucs Nation for more on the Bucs and their coaching search.

Chip Kelly has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be announced as the team's next head coach, according to a report from the Register-Guard's Adam Jude. Citing an athletic department source, Jude is reporting the deal is done, though nothing has been announced by the Buccaneers.

Rumors of Kelly's departure for Tampa Bay began to swirl on Sunday evening, spurred on by a report from KGW in Portland. From there, the rumors snowballed, with the Tampa Bay Times confirming that Kelly and the Bucs were close to finalizing a deal. As the night wore on, more reports continued to trickle in, each indicating Kelly was NFL-bound, barring a last-minute snag.

Jude also added players and assistants were not told of Kelly's plans as all of this unfolded.

One member of the team told The Register-Guard the players have been left "in the dark" about Kelly's intentions. Players were instructed Sunday night to attend the team's scheduled conditioning workouts today, according to a source.

Kelly led the Ducks to an incredible amount of success during his tenure at the helm, including an appearance in the BCS Championship game and two Rose Bowl game appearances -- the second of which resulted in a victory over Wisconsin this January -- in his three years as head coach.

We'll be back with more as it becomes available.

EDIT: Kelly has reportedly changed his mind and will stay at Oregon.

Check out SB Nation's Bucs Nation for more on the Bucs and visit Addicted To Quack for an Oregon perspective on all of this.

So let's say the Oregon Ducks do lose head coach Chip Kelly to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's far from official at this point, and reports from both sides of the aisle only have the two sharing interest in each other, not poised to sign anything. But let's just say Kelly leaves. Leaving aside the issue of just how hard UO may be about to get hammered by the NCAA for the Willie Lyles adventure or otherwise, to whom do the Ducks turn?

Register-Guard beat writer Adam Jude has a familiar name: Boise St. Broncos coach Chris Petersen.

@AdamJude_RG If Chip leaves, source close to Oregon says Ducks will immediately target Boise State's Chris Petersen.

Petersen has been a hot name for virtually every major open job for years now. He reportedly turned down both the UCLA Bruins and Penn St. Nittany Lions just this year before signing a contract extension that also brought him a raise. While a move to Oregon would keep him in a familiar region, and Nike could pony up as much money as anybody in the country, it's not easy to imagine Petersen leaving for Oregon without clear assurances the NCAA will stay far away, if he did have any interest in ever leaving Boise for anywhere anyway. So many qualifiers!

This is all contingent on Kelly even leaving for the Bucs in the first place, which still seems like a longer shot than reports suggest.

Check out SB Nation's Bucs Nation for more on the Bucs and visit Addicted To Quack for an Oregon perspective on all of this.

KGW News Channel 8 in Portland, Oregon is reporting that Oregon football head coach Chip Kelly is close to finalizing a deal to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. So far, no one is backing up the TV station. They're the only one with the report and no other media outlets are "confirming" the report. Thus, it's highly suspect at the moment.

One Oregon beat writer says he's heard the same rumors but they're just that -- rumors. Peter King also floated the story to Tony Dungy, who has a son on Oregon's team, and he didn't know. It's also important to note where we are in the recruiting cycle, with 10 days until high school seniors sign letters of intent.

(And, really, the Glazers are going to outbid Phil Knight?)

Kelly initially joined Oregon in 2007 as offensive coordinator before getting the head coaching gig in 2009. Prior to that he was at New Hampshire since 1994 coaching running backs, offensive linemen and finally an offensive coordinator. The Ducks reached a BCS bowl in all three years Kelly was head coach.

Visit SB Nation's Bucs blog, Bucs Nation, for more on this from a Tampa Bay perspective. For an Oregon perspective, visit Addicted To Quack.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to search for a head coach. On Thursday, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN, they interviewed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. He is the latest candidate for the Bucs' job, and one of the few linked to the job that has actually interviewed for it.

Tampa Bay is looking to replace Raheem Morris, who was fired along with his entire coaching staff the day after the season ended. Morris' firing surprised no one. Tampa Bay finished 4-12 under Morris this season, losing their last ten games.

Since firing Morris, the Buccaneers have flirted with several candidates. Wade Phillips, the Houston Texans' defensive coordinator, pulled himself out of consideration. They interviewed veteran NFL head coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Sherman last week.

Philbin has also interviewed for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job, twice, and is considered by some to be a favorite for that position. Philbin has been the Packers' offensive coordinator since 2007, winning a Super Bowl with the team last year before being upset in the NFC Divisional Playoffs this year by the New York Giants. He lost his 21-year old son in a drowning accident on Jan. 9.

Philbin joined the Packers in 2003 as an assistant offensive line coach. It was his first NFL coaching job.

For more Buccaneers coverage, visit Bucs Nation.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been looking for a new head coach and they've taken the angle of trying to find a coach with experience as an NFL head coach. One of the names on the list of candidates was Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who's taken the Texans defense to one of the worst in the NFL to one of the best. Unfortunately for the Bucs however, Phillips has withdrawn his name from the list.

Texans DC Wade Phillips, who was scheduled to interview for the Buccaneers HC job Friday, told Tampa Bayt hat he was pulling out of process

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 13, 2012

"I like it here. I love it here. You know we've had such a magical year and we're going to keep it going so that's my first choice," Phillips said in comments distributed by the Texans. "You know I may not be their choice either, but I am gonna interview and you know take it from there. As far as distractions, they asked me two weeks ago, they asked permission to talk to me two weeks ago so we knew what was going on for two weeks, but we didn't let it be a distraction the week before so it won't be this week."

For more on Wade Phillips and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching search, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog Bucs Nation.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are searching for the next head coach after firing Raheem Morris and they have a number of experienced candidates on the table. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Bucs are looking at Brad Childress, Marty Schotteheimer, Wade Phillips (Houston DC) and Mike Zimmer (Bengals DC). They've also been connected to Mike Sherman and Jerry Gray.

Childress was fired by the Vikings as head coach last season and Schottenheimer hasn't been in the NFL since the Chargers fired him after a 14-2 season. He was the AP NFL coach of the year seven years ago but he is 68 years old. He's reportedly ready to coach again after leading an UFL team last year.

Phillips was previously the Cowboys head coach but was fired before landing with the Texans as defensive coordinator. He's getting another head coaching look for taking the Texans defense from one of the worst in the league to a top five unit.

As SB Nation's Bucs Nation points out, out of this group of candidates, only Zimmer and Gray have no previous head coaching experience in the NFL.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, like many teams this offseason, began their search for a new head coach after firing Raheem Morris. One name that surfaced for the Bucs was former Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman. Sherman interviewed with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Shefter.

Former Packers head coach Mike Sherman interviewed for the Buccaneers head coaching job on Wednesday,

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2012

Sherman was recently fired as the head coach of Texas A&M after going just 25-25 in four seasons, including a losing record in the Big 12. Prior to that, Sherman was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2000-2005, making the playoffs four times, but winning just two games in those appearances. He left Green Bay in 2005 after a 4-12 season.

For more on Mike Sherman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching search, visit SB Nation's Bucs blog Bucs Nation.

After firing Raheem Morris immediately after their 4-12 2011 season ended, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to interview Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray for the vacancy, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs haven't asked the Titans, who just narrowly missed the postseason, for permission to interview Gray yet, but it's standard practice in the league to grant such requests for assistants to move up to head coaching jobs.

Gray played for the Buccaneers in the early '90s — otherwise known as the Creamsicle days — and coached in Tennessee under former coach Jeff Fisher and former defensive coordinator and current Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. The Titans defense finished 14th in the league at stopping the run and 24th against the pass in 2011. The Times also reported that the Titans will interview former Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman.

For continued updates on the Titans and their coaching search, visit Titans blog Music City Miracles.