Michael Bennett disses Greg Schiano, says Peyton Manning cussed Schiano out
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano reacts to a play in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 31-23. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a huge gaffe in the offseason when they decided not to re-sign Michael Bennett, who was easily one of the best players on the Bucs defense last season. Bennett actually expressed interest in re-signing in Tampa despite the presence of head coach Greg Schiano, but the Buccaneers were unwilling to sign Bennett due to a torn rotator cuff. They weren’t the only team to screw up, though, because Bennett had to settle for a one-year, $5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s safe to say that things have worked out extremely well for Bennett on the Seahawks, because he is going to get a very rich contract next offseason. Bennett is one of the league’s best and most underrated two-way DEs, and he is playing for a Super Bowl contender, too. He also no longer has to player under Greg Schiano, who is probably the worst coach in the NFL and is on the fast track to getting fired. Not only that, but it sounds like Bennett hates his guts.
He told the NFL Network’s Michael Silver, “He has small [man’s] syndrome. I still talk to guys who are there, and trust me, there’s not much respect for him in that locker room.”
Other players told Silver that Schiano treats them like “children”, and one player even went as far to compare playing with Schiano as living in Cuba. The man has no respect in his own locker room, and you can’t employ a “my way or the highway” approach when you haven’t accomplished a darn thing in the NFL- let alone coach a winless football team.
And oh yeah, his victory formation rush ticks players off too. Bennett even said that Peyton Manning cussed out (yes Peyton Manning cussed someone out) Schiano over that move.
Schiano is good friends with Bill Belichick, but that doesn’t give him a free pass to act like a jerk. The MVP of the Buccaneers only Super Bowl appearance, Dexter Jackson, stated a few days ago that Greg Schiano barred Jackson and underprivileged youth from attending a Bucs practice session due to them being a “distraction”.
I highly doubt Belichick acts like this, because he doesn’t seem to treat players like children and doesn’t blitz victory formations. Most importantly, he’s actually a legendary coach, whereas Schiano’s accomplishments as a head coach are simply restricted to Rutgers. He was great there and his dictatorship-style worked in Rutgers, even if a scout told Silver that he hated visiting Rutgers due to Schiano’s stubborn ways.
Here’s one last quote from Bennett, “He’s trying to be Belichick. Yeah, some people think Belichick’s an [expletive], but he’s a legend. When this guy acts that way, it’s a whole different deal.”
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