Well, it was fun while it lasted.
With a style that made him a successful as a college head coach and no reluctance to send packing any veterans who were deemed to be unable or unwilling to accept his “toes on the line!” tendencies, coach Greg Schiano lifted the Bucs into contention via four straight wins.
But 6-4 has since yielded to four straight losses, culminating in a 41-0 blowout loss in the Bayou, to the Bucs’ NFC South rivals.
And the frustration is showing. The incident between assistant coach Bryan Cox and linebacker Adam Hayward was public; privately, the grumbling has begun.
“Can we send these coaches back to college?” one player privately said after the game.
Schiano won’t be going back to college any time soon, and the fact that several of the assistants have NFL experience make them other than college coaches. But the reality is that Schiano’s college-style approach to grown men will work only if the team wins. When losing takes hold, NFL players will complain about college tactics.The question moving forward is whether Schiano will adjust his style, or whether he will continue to do things the way he sees fit, continuing to identify those who don’t like doing it his way -- and sending them down the highway.Based on the way Schiano has handled the victory formation issue, we’re guessing it’s the latter. And it may work. But if the Bucs don’t win, eventually there may not be enough players left to field a team.