Greg Schiano Hired by Tampa Bay Buccaneers, May Be Bad News for Josh Freeman

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a bold move on Thursday, hiring Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano to fill the same position with the franchise. Schiano has been given a five-year deal with a mandate to turn around a Bucs team that opened the year at 4-2 before losing its final 10 games.

Schiano has a reputation as a no-nonsense guy and he won't take losing lightly. His first task on the job will be to fix Tampa Bay's awful defense, but don't be surprised if he puts his stamp on the team's offense immediately.

This year quarterback Josh Freeman regressed badly. The Kansas State product completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,592 yards, but he had 16 touchdowns and a whopping 22 interceptions. His passer rating of 74.6 ranked 26th of the 34 quarterbacks who qualified league-wide. 

That came after a season when Freeman led the Bucs to a 10-6 record and looked like a really solid franchise quarterback. In 2010 Freeman had 25 touchdowns, threw just six interceptions and had a 95.9 quarterback rating. 

If Freeman struggles again next season, Schiano and the Bucs will have a decision to make. Tampa Bay has made a long-term commitment to its new coach and if he thinks the team will be better with a different guy under center, then he'll probably get what he wants.

Schiano's hiring means the Buccaneers are looking for a tough, hard-nosed approach. Don't expect him to coddle Freeman and just stick with him because he's on the roster. Freeman will need to step up his game and get back to doing what made him successful in 2010.