Greg Schiano vehemently denies interest in Penn State job
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Rams during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Buccaneers 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano has been squarely on the hot seat for almost the entire season, and even a brief spell of wins hasn’t been nearly enough to take away a noticeable amount of the criticisms against him. His team is continually out-coached, he doesn’t use his players’ talents correctly (Buccaneers fans are frustrated by his extreme usage of stunts), and Schiano’s coaching methods have drawn the ire of former players and front office workers alike. He runs his show in a stubborn manner, but it doesn’t work when you are losing, especially when your team is playing well below its talent level.
That’s why it would be an absolute shock for Schiano to retain his job beyond this season, and he squandered what should have been a promising year for the Bucs. Mark Dominik definitely did his job by prying Darrelle Revis, signing Dashon Goldson (he’s overpaid and overrated, but he was still a massive upgrade in talent for Schiano), and his draft pick of Lavonte David continues to look amazing. Schiano has three terrific defensive players in Revis, David, and Gerald McCoy (three of the best at their respective positions), but the Bucs season has been in the wastebasket.
Schiano doesn’t seem like an attractive candidate for other openings due to the turmoil in Tampa Bay and the fact that he’s viewed as the root cause of it (largely thanks to his coaching style), but he is rumored to be a candidate in the Penn State Nittany Lions head coaching search, should Bill O’Brien leave for the NFL (he already has suitors and is hotly-discussed option in NFL front offices).
Today, Schiano addressed the rumors linking him to Penn State, and the Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings reports that Schiano stated he has “zero interest” in the PSU position. The former Rutgers head coach took things a step forward by saying that the only job he wants to have going forward is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching gig. We’ll see if he’s able to hold onto that, since significant interest from Penn State is still far from a guarantee (not only that, but O’Brien’s departure is far from a guarantee as well).