The Buccaneers have hired 45-year old Greg Schiano to be their new head coach.  Schiano rebuilt a Rutgers’ football program that was in the dumps when he took over.  He compiled a 68-67 (50.4%) record during the regular season in his 11 years at Rutgers.  He was also a very impressive 5-1 (83.3%) in bowl games at Rutgers.  Schiano was a defensive assistant coach for the Bears from 1996-98, so he does have some experience in coaching in the NFL, but, it was a long time ago.  College coaches usually have a lot of trouble in the NFL as they can’t make their own schedule and they all have the same amount of money to spend on salaries.  I think the Bucs should have hired a veteran NFL head coach.

The Buccaneers have fired 35-year old head coach Raheem Morris and his whole coaching staff.  The Buccaneers finished 4-12 on the season and they are currently on a 10-game losing streak.  The Buccaneers averaged 17.9 points per game this year and they gave up a pathetic 30.9 points per game.  Morris was also the defensive co-ordinator for the Bucs this year!  The Buccaneers were 17-31 (35.4%) in Morris’ three years in charge.  The Buccaneers got outcoached almost every week over the last three years, so Morris had to go.

The Buccaneers are sending 28-year old OG Davin Joseph to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Bucs so far this year.  He has now played in 83 games (82 starts) in his first six years with the Buccaneers.  The Buccaneers have had a solid offensive line the last few years and Joseph is the best player on it, so he deserves this honor.

The Buccaneers have signed 29-year old DT Jovan Haye.  Haye played in 1 game for the Lions this year and he had 2 tackles.  Haye has now played in 70 games in his first six years for the Bucs and he has 183 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes defensed.  Haye started his career with the Bucs and he had his most success playing for them.  So maybe he will provide a spark on the interior of the D-Line as the Bucs need help there badly.

The Buccaneers have placed 25-year old cornerback Aqib Talib on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a hamstring injury.  Talib played in 13 games for the Buccaneers this year and he had 34 tackles, 2 interceptions (both returned for TDs), 1 forced fumbles, 11 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 54 games in his first four years for the Bucs and he has 161 tackles, 17 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), 46 passes defensed, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  This is a big loss for the Bucs as Talib is one of their best players.

The Buccaneers have signed 24-year old DE Nick Reed.  Reed played in 7 games earlier this year for the Bears and he had 6 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 23 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 23 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 passes defensed.  Reed will probably get on the field against the Cowboys this weekend as the Bucs are lacking depth along the D-Line due to a recent rash of injuries.

The Buccaneers have placed 28-year old DT John McCargo on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a triceps injury.  McCargo played in 4 games for the Bucs this year and he had 5 tackles.  He has now played in 37 games in his NFL career and he has 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 5 passes defensed.  The Buccaneers won’t miss him much.

The Buccaneers have placed 23-year old LB Jacob Cutrera on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to an undisclosed injury.  Cutrera  played in 8 games for the Buccaneers this year and he had 3 tackles.  He has now played in 16 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 7 tackles.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Buccaneers going forward.

The Buccaneers have placed 26-year old DE Tim Crowder on the Injured Reserve List due to a nasty concussion.  Crowder played in 10 games for the Buccaneers this year and he had 14 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 41 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 88 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 7 passes defensed.  The Buccaneers are going to miss Crowder as head coach Raheem Morris likes to rotate his DEs.

The Buccaneers have waived 26-year old linebacker Zac Diles.  Diles played in 7 games for the Buccaneers this year and he had 1 tackle.  He has now played in 57 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 224 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 inteception and 3 passes defensed.  This isn’t going to be much of a loss for the Bucs, as Diles literally didn’t help too much with 1 whole tackle.