Greg Schiano: Former Rutgers Coach Joins Tampa Bay Buccaneers as New Head Coach

After failing to land Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and flirting with the idea of bringing in former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have settled on former Rutgers head man Greg Schiano as their next head coach.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that a source says the finalized deal is a five-year contract.

What It Means

Sherman emerged as the favorite to land the Tampa Bay job after scoring a second interview, but Schiano was quietly granted a second interview as well. Schiano has never held an NFL head coaching job, although he did serve as a defensive assistant with the Chicago Bears from 1996 through 1998.

Schiano has been the Scarlet Knights' head coach since 2001, and he holds a career record of 68-67. Schiano was never able to lead Rutgers to a Big East championship, finishing second twice, but he does have a career record of 5-1 in bowl games.

After four consecutive losing seasons to begin his tenure at Rutgers, Schiano led the Scarlet Knights to a winning record in six of the next seven years. The fiery Schiano played linebacker at Bucknell and served as a defensive assistant at Penn State, so he will be charged with improving the Bucs' disastrous defense.

What's Next?

While Schiano certainly has to be pleased to have landed an NFL head coaching gig, his job obviously won't be an easy one. The young Bucs looked like a team on the rise when they went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs in 2010, but the wheels fell off this past season as they went 4-12, losing their final 10 games.

The Buccaneers ranked near the bottom of the league in defending the pass and last in defending the run. They weren't much better on offense, ranking 16th in passing yardage and 30th on the ground. That is a complicated way of saying that Schiano has a ton of work ahead of him.

Promising offensive players like quarterback Josh Freeman and wide receiver Mike Williams took a step back, while the defense proved that an infusion of talent is needed. Not only will Schiano have to coach effectively, but he and the front office will need to have a great draft with the Bucs picking No. 5 overall.

The hiring of Schiano will likely be second guessed by many due to his lack of experience at the NFL level in any capacity, but he will certainly bring a great deal of intensity and enthusiasm into what looks like a bleak situation.