As the Buccaneers' search for a new head coach endures on, new candidates emerge and more interviews are scheduled. This is frustrating for some, who just want them to sign someone already and a fearing that nobody wants to come to a potential suicide situation in Tampa Bay, whose players have proven that they quit on their coaches and whose owners have proven not to spend money. However, the more insensive the search, the better the end results will be, so in my opinion it's good that they are taking their time.
That said, out of all of the candidates so far, the most popular from the fans' perspective has seemed to be Marty Schottenheimer. Of course, this is possibly due to the some of the other names being completely unnattractive (who wants Brad Childress after the disaster with Favre?). Many are just old retread coaches, which usually doesn't produce good results. But Schottenheimer is a bit different.
The main things going against Marty Ball is his age (68) and his playoff record (5-13). But these things do not really concern me that much.
First of all, with that age comes a lot of experience, something that the Bucs players and coaches lacked the last few season. He's seen it all, and he would know how to properly handle the issues that could arise out of a young team, such as players quitting and legal issues.
Not only that, but pretty much all of Schottenheimer's former players have good things to say about him. He is a vastly respected coach and his players would do anything for him. He is a leader and a motivator, as well as an authority, something Raheem Morris lacked. Marty would be able to build a tough football team (both mentally and physically), and a team that was disciplined, both on and off the field. He also has a history of turning around struggling franchises, a situation the Bucs currently are in. And in addition, his experience and respect would seemingly allow him to create one of the best coaching staffs possible, as he has had a tremendous amount of insight throughout the league. Marty might be too old to do all the intricate work of a coordinator, but he could be a leader and concentrate on the basics of discipline and fundamentals.
His playoff record is pretty much irrelevant at this point. Yes, he has only 5 playoff wins (and no Super Bowl appearances) in 22 years of head coaching. But much of that is due to just pure dumb luck. And at this point, the Bucs aren't near the playoffs yet. They have 17 wins in three years. What they need now is someone to right the proverbial ship, in this case a pirate ship, and help develop these young players for the future. Even if Marty only coaches for a few years before retirement, he can help to build the foundation of this planned dynasty that hopefully comes out of this mess.
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