By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano was once thought to be the replacement for the late Joe Paterno at Penn State. He did not get the job as the position went to former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
And it is likely that he never applied for the job after the situation that has happened to Penn State in recent months. But we don’t know that to be a fact.
We do know that he was not one of the names interviewed, according to media reports. While O’Brien leaves for the college ranks, Schiano has decided to take a shot at the NFL.
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Schiano has been hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their new head coach. He has signed a five-year contract to leave Rutgers University.
The Bucs are hoping that they have found lightning in a bottle with this hiring. The San Francisco 49ers found it last year when they went to the college ranks to hire Jim Harbaugh away from Stanford.
Schiano was one of three finalists for the position. The other two were Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and former Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman.
Schiano’s name was kept quiet throughout the entire process. Now, he leaves right before National Signing Day on February 1st when many high school seniors pick where they attend to play next season.
After years of rebuilding the Rutgers football team, he would eventually be able to take the team from being a doormat to a respectable team. They were once a national power under Schiano, but in recent years, could not repeat their best season of 2006 when the Scarlet Knights went 11-2.
At that time, it was the school’s first top-25 ranking since 1976. He was 68-67 in 12 seasons at Rutgers, including winning the Pinstripe Bowl in December at Yankee Stadium.
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His offensive system is primarily a smash-mouth rushing attack, with passing second. The Bucs will rely heavily on LeGarrette Blount, but his main job will be to turn Josh Freeman’s mindset around.
Freeman, the Bucs quarterback, struggled last season, by throwing a career-high 22 interceptions. He was also sacked 29 times, which affected his mindset.
One year prior, he threw 25 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions. The Bucs just barely missed the playoffs in 2010.
Only time will tell if the Bucs made the right decision, or if they will be in the same place as they currently are, with a 2-14 mark.
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