Thoughts On Gruden

There seems to be a topic that none of the “pundits” or Sports Talk shows seem to bring up, but almost everybody else (outside of broadcasting) does:

Gruden’s Superbowl win was a lucky result of “inheriting” Dungy’s Team; and since completely having his own system and trade/draft picks put in, he’s lousy.

Some Things to Think About For Our Discussion

  1. A Coach will almost ALWAYS bring in his own system, even his first year.

  2. Tampa has been racked with injuries in VERY key positions.

I think he’s still smart, young, hungry and is overall a good Coach. I also think that he will eventually get back to the Super Bowl…

But I’d like the thoughts of my “Nation” friends.

Thanks!

Mufasa


By the way; it’s not ALL bad in Tampa Bay!

Mufasa

The worst thing that’s happened to Tampa Bay since Gruden’s arrived in the Bay, is that the incumbent GM Rich McKay left following the Superbowl (went to Atlanta). Since then they’ve:

a) drafted mostly offensive personel (atleast in the early rounds) while allowing the defense to grow old (Brooks, & Barber) and letting key players leave without viable replacements (Sapp, Lynch, McFarland…)

b) stuck with an offensive line that has been abominable, no big free agent signings to sure up the o-line and no real player developement…when they do draft offensive linemen its usually later in the draft and those players haven’t panned out

c) with the players Gruden has on offense, his system hasn’t really worked…they’ve developed no running game and his west coast passing attack isn’t really working with these recievers and tight ends

Side note: Chris Simms was on Dan Patricks radio show this week, I know he hasn’t panned out as an NFL QB but I really like him and his personality I hope somebody gives him a shot next season.

I think you need a bit of luck to win the super bowl. The gru-dog has had is share, especially that year, in that he faced 2 teams that he was very familiar with. (Phila, Oak)

I agree that the biggest problem with TB has been the loss of Rich Mckay.

Tampa has a talent problem, not a coaching problem.

Some good points here.

Don’t forget although he inherited Dungy’s team his old team went to the Super Bowl the same year.

When people make that argument that he inherited an already good team from Dungy, I remind them that he made a very good Oakland team that was superbowl ready, too.

So, yes, Tampa was built and primed to go to the superbowl, but yet, with Dungy they didn’t. So Gruden came in and did something right. It’s similar to Phil Jackson’s arrival in Los Angeles. The Lakers were perennial playoff contenders, but something was missing until Jackson came.

I think Tampa is about as far away from being back in the Superbowl as you can be. They don’t have much on offense and the defense is aging. Unless they hit the jackpot in the draft and get a frachise QB and some O-linemen who can play together for five to eight years, I don’t see them doing much.

Are any of you guys real familiar with Tampa’s owner/owners?

Are they the type of people to give Gruden time? Or will they tend to “pull the plug” if he doesn’t turn things around soon?

Again…I think that he’s a good Coach, and should eventually do well again.

(By the way; GREAT point about Gruden being a pivotal part of BOTH the Teams that played in the Super Bowl the year he won).

Mufasa

[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Are any of you guys real familiar with Tampa’s owner/owners?

Are they the type of people to give Gruden time? Or will they tend to “pull the plug” if he doesn’t turn things around soon?

Again…I think that he’s a good Coach, and should eventually do well again.

(By the way; GREAT point about Gruden being a pivotal part of BOTH the Teams that played in the Super Bowl the year he won).

Mufasa[/quote]

The Glazer’s knew they were mortgaging the future to win the super bowl.

The pushed the salary cap to the limit for one run at the title, very similar to the strategy that Baltimore employed during their run.

You will notice that the “genius” Billick has not been able to get them back to that level either.

In the day and age of parody, teams have to put all their chips on one year and give it a run. In the following years they skimp on talent to fit under the cap, and injuries can decimate them.

Great points UL.

Mufasa

A couple of thoughts…

  • As a result of a few things (including actually getting Gruden), Tampa Bay has had virtually no draft picks since Gruden arrived. That changed this year and, as a result, should begin to have an impact.

  • Additionally, when Gruden arrived, the team had major salary cap issues…once again, that has been largely resolved now and should begin to have a positive impact.

  • While you can’t use injuries as a crutch, there have been some serious injuries on both sides of the ball that have had a negative impact this year.

  • The team has also lost some big impact assistant coaches. That’s part of the game, but it has hurt.

NOW…despite those things, Gruden has shown a propensity to play to his “favorites” and ignore other players. While his offensive schemes are very good, he doesn’t (IMO) utilize all of his tools (ala the “A” Train).

The Bucs have a lot of talent, and I think Gruden can turn the team into a real powerhouse, but I think it takes another year or 2. He finally has some young talent on the O-line, which will prove its worth in a year or two. On defense, he needs some younger blood to take over…that’s where the challenge will be.

Just my 2 cents.