Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk began speculating that the Bucs, specifically the Glazers, might be interested in acquiring Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in the offseason.
I wrote about Florio’s comments on PewterReport.com on Sunday Before the Bucs lost 27-20 to the Colts, let me be clear: I am not at all in favor of Belichick coming to Tampa Bay. In fact, quite the opposite. I think it would be a scary and desperate move for the Bucks, but more on that later.
But I can understand why Florio put forward his theory. In the end, the Glazers made a trade for Raiders head coach Jon Gruden in 2002, sending multiple first-round picks and second-round picks to Oakland, plus a multi-million dollar deal for Al Davis. I sent cash. This trade resulted in a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl championship in 2002.
But Gruden, then 38 years old, finished a 12-4 season in 2000 and a 10-6 record in 2001. He was full of energy and one of the hottest coaches in the league at the time.
The same can’t be said for Belichick, who turns 72 in April. Belichick has lost three games in four years since future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay in free agency in 2020. Despite winning Super Bowl LV, Belichick’s Patriots failed to advance to the playoffs, finishing with 7 wins and 9 losses.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Belichick and New England bounced back to 10-7 the following year, but the Patriots lost 47-17 to the Bills in the first round of the playoffs. Belichick and the Patriots finished 8-9 and missed the 2022 playoffs. New England is now 2-9 after suffering an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, leading to speculation that owner Robert Kraft will try to trade Belichick in the offseason. . And then there will be a change of direction under a new head coach.
Belichick, a future Hall of Fame coach, will find a replacement for Brady as Cam Newton, 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe are unproven starters. I’m having a hard time. Without a great quarterback, the legendary Belichick seems pretty deadly.
Of course, the same goes for NFL coaches who don’t have a great quarterback. And current evidence suggests Belichick isn’t immune to that situation either.
Warren Sapp slams Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick has a 264-117 (.693) record with the Patriots, including 19 seasons with double-digit wins, 18 of which were with Brady at quarterback. It was a great season. Without Brady, Belichick has gone 27-34 (.443) over the past three and a half years, which has led some to criticize Belichick’s success in New England, primarily due to Brady as a quarterback. This suggests that it is due to the genius of
One such critic was Bucks legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who made similar remarks during his recent appearance on “FEARLESS” with Jason Whitlock.
Patriots QB Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – Photo courtesy of Getty Images
“The reason you’re Bill Belichick is because of Tom Brady,” Sapp told Whitlock. “The reason you’re Bill Belichick is because of Lawrence Taylor. Probably the greatest offensive football player in the history of the National Football League, and maybe the greatest defensive player. Bill, you. I owe you that debt.”
Sapp went on to say that at 71 years old, Belichick is past his prime.
“All that Patriot-style crap is out the window. Ask Bill O’Brien. Ask Romeo Crennel. Ask Josh McDaniels. Ask any of them. It’s out the window. You can’t recreate it anywhere else because it’s outside and no one cares. No one respects it except you and the old-school football players. What he was running was great. But that’s gone now. He’s like Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski. Time to go to the couch, game’s over.”
I don’t think Sapp, with his red eyes and white eyes, is too keen on the idea that Belichick could be Todd Bowles’ successor.
The Bucks have tried a retread coach before, with disastrous results.
Buccaneer Magazine featuring Sam Witch
The Glazers acquired the Bucs from Culverhouse Estates in 1995 and fired Sam Wych, who went 7-9 that season. Witch was hired by the late Hugh Culverhouse in 1992 and had previous Super Bowl eligibility. He led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1988, but they lost to Joe Montana and the 49ers late in the fourth quarter.
Wych finished 12-4 in 1988, went 8-8 the following season, 9-7 in 1990 and 3-13 in 1991, his final year in Cincinnati. left behind. In reality, it had been several years since Wyche led a good team, but the Bucs hired him anyway, believing he could turn Tampa Bay around.
But Wich came to Tampa Bay at age 47, going just 61-66 (.480) in eight years with the Bengals. Bill Belichick turns 72 next year, but how many more years does he plan to continue coaching?
Unless Tampa Bay has a quality quarterback on contract next year, trading Belichick would be a foolish move for the Glazers. If the Glazers thought that hiring Belichick would generate buzz and lead to season ticket sales because Belichick won six Super Bowls with Brady all those years ago, they’d be sorely mistaken. .
Bucks fans know more than that.
(Glazer family, if you don’t believe me, read the bottom of this article or the comments in X.)
Former Bucs coach Lovie Smith – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
And the Glazers should know that, since they hired former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith as their retread coach in 2014. The Bears have an 81-63 record (.563 batting average) under Smith since 2004, and Smith actually had a decent record when he was hired. -In 2012, they lost to Tony Dungy’s Indianapolis team in the 2006 Super Bowl. Chicago had five winning seasons, three losing seasons and one 8-8 season under Smith.
The Glazers knew Smith from his time as Dungey’s linebackers coach with the Bucs from 1996 to 1999, and thought he could restore the old winning tradition. But at age 53, the NFL game was already starting to overtake Smith.
Smith’s Bucs went a dismal 2-14 in his first season in Tampa Bay in 2014, the year before Greg Schiano went 4-12 in his final year as Bucs head coach. It was a continuation of the. The next season was not much better, as Smith’s Tampa 2 defense proved to be outdated and he was fired after a 6-10 season.
Acquiring Bill Belichick would be a huge mistake for the Bucks.
Bucks GM Jason Licht – Photo by Matt Matera/PR
Outside of Tom Brady’s departure in 2020, part of the reason for New England’s recent decline is Bill Belichick’s personnel. His draft picks and free agent acquisitions are below average at best. Belichick has maintained that he makes personnel decisions while in New England, and that will likely be no different in his new destination.
Bucks general manager Jason Licht has a good relationship with Belichick, dating back to his time as New England’s personnel director from 2009 to 2011, but Licht has a strong relationship with Belichick when it comes to personnel matters in Tampa Bay. They will not want to give up their decision-making authority. He should. He built a Super Bowl-caliber roster that captivated Brady in 2020 and proved to be one of the league’s better general managers as a result.
The last thing the Bucs want to do is have Sam Wych or Lovie Smith come to Tampa Bay again, get a lot of buzz at first, and then quickly disappoint.
It might make sense if Belichick were younger and the Bucs had a very good quarterback and a more playoff-ready roster. But this is not a scenario that will lead to Bruce Arians 2.0, and the Glazer family needs to realize that.
Bucks should get a familiar face in Todd Monken
Former Bucs OC Todd Monken – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
If Todd Bowles is replaced in the offseason, the Glazers, Jason Richt, and the Bucks will need another offensive-minded head coach with vigor and energy, and a head coach who will hold his players accountable with fire and brimstone. I need to find a coach. They should realize what type of coach they won each Super Bowl with and legitimately try to find the next Jon Gruden, or a much younger version of Arians.
I’d recommend casting a very wide net for Richt and the Glazer family, but start your head coaching search with Todd Monken, who fits that description.
Last January, I selected Monken, who was the Bucs’ receivers coach (2016-17) and offensive coordinator (2018) in Tampa Bay, to replace Byron Leftwich. Apparently, the Bucks heard his story and interviewed him.
Perhaps it’s time for him to get a chance as an NFL head coach. He was the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013 to 2015, turning around a program that went 0-12 the year before he arrived. Before taking over as wide receivers coach at Tampa Bay under Dirk Koetter in 2016, Monken turned around at Southern Miss, posting a 9-5 record and a 7-1 conference record in his final season. However, they lost to the Washington Huskies in the bowl game. , 44-31.
Monken, 57, interviewed to be the Bucs’ offensive coordinator in the spring, but ultimately chose the Ravens instead due to head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback stability in Pro Bowler and former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. I chose.
Who could blame him?
Georgia OC Todd Monken – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Since leaving Tampa Bay, Monken has served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, but not as play coordinator. He worked for Baker Mayfield in 2019. Monken was then hired by Georgia’s Kirby Smart to be his offensive coordinator next season. Monken led Georgia’s prolific offensive line to back-to-back national championships in 2021-22, and as a result has extensive experience working with young players and has been immersed in the innovation that exists in the college game.
Monken, Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, has a high-powered offense that ranks sixth in the league, averaging 27 points per game. Baltimore improved to 9-3 on the year with a 20-10 victory over the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Don’t you think Monken, who coached Mike Evans for years, wouldn’t want the Bucs’ star receiver back next year? Hiring Monken could help convince Evans to stay in Tampa Bay, perhaps taking advantage of his hometown discount.
Let’s see what happens in the next few months. There are still six games left in the 2023 campaign, and somehow Tampa Bay is only one game away from first place in the division.
It will be interesting to see how the Bucks finish the season and if Bowles survives and remains the head coach in 2024.
But if that’s not the case, then Bill Belichick shouldn’t be his successor.
