Jon Gruden: The Buccaneers' Future or the Next Nick Saban

Maybe this comparison isn't fair but I can't help but bring it up. Is Jon Gruden really what the Buccaneers of the future need or would he be a better head coach in Tennessee and belongs in college. Gruden says absolutely not and says he wants to stay with the Bucs as long as they will have him, but if he turns out to be lying...

He won't be the first head coach to be such a despicable liar. Nick Saban has would have beaten to the punch and they are both shockingly similar. Let's learn a little bit about these two head coaches and you might be surprised how similar they really are.

Nick Saban

Saban was an assistant coach at Kent State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, Navy, and Michigan State, and with the Houston Oilers and Cleveland Browns in the NFL. Having worked under Bill Belichick in Cleveland, he is part of the Belichick coaching tree.

As an assistant coach, Nick would prosper and gain experience, so he could lead LSU to some of the best years of the college's existence as far as the football program is concerned.

Under Saban the Tigers would be National champions for only the second time in the program's existence. Naturally, with so much success and experience at the college level, it's only natural for the dolphins to pick up Saban after the retirement of Don Shula and mediocre years that followed.

The Nick Saban era had begun with a 34-10 blowout against the Denver Broncos. He had instant success with the dolphins with such a great scheme but he couldn't coach the players and Miami had little other success.

Many of the Dolphins players despised Saban and was given the nickname the "Nicktator." Only one player liked Saban and that was all pro defensive end and linebacker, Jason Taylor.

In the middle of the season rumors were brewing that Saban would leave. He insisted that it was crazy to be talking about a college job opportunity when the season was still underway. "I'm not going to Alabama," Saban insisted, but in the end he went to Alabama in January after a loss to the Indianapolis colts.

A combined 15-17 record isn't that bad, but how he was despised by his players and the fact he left the dolphins landed Saban a No. 7 spot on the NFL Network's list of coaches who belonged in college.

Jon Gruden

Coming out of Muskingum college, Gruden did not have the skills to be a player in the NFL, so he stuck to coaching. In college, Gruden was a behind the scenes type of guy. A quarterbacks coach and Wide receivers coach from Southeast Missouri and the University of Pacific, Gruden entered the NFL for the 49ers as an Offensive Quality Control Coach after the departure of Bill Walsh.

Gruden began his career as a Head coach with the Oakland Raiders. When he was there he was a pretty good coach and was unfortunately robbed blind by the Tuck Rule in 2001. I can't blame him for wanting a fresh start to a team that officials might be kinder to. So he packed his bags for Tampa Bay after Tony Dungy got fired.

When he went to the Bucs, he had instant success, winning a Super Bowl. But the reason that team won the Super Bowl was because Tony Dungy rebuilt that team from the worst team in NFL history to a team of all-stars. Credit should be given where credit is due, and I think they Bucs front office should give Dungy the ring on Gruden's finger.

After that Super Bowl, Gruden has done nothing to make me think that Super Bowl XXXVII wasn't a fluke. In Tampa Bay, Gruden has had absolutely no playoff victories so far, and a completely mediocre record of 53-52. Of course the only reason his record is that good is because of a 6-3 start so far into the 2008 season.

This year Gruden has had success but with a team full of aging veterans. He can't win a ring with these guys they are all going to retire soon. Jeff Garcia, Derrick Brooks, give me a break. Warren Sapp is already retired and pretty soon so are these guys.

The comparison and what should the Bucs do

They are strikingly similar. They are both, in a way, micro-managers and dictators on the practice field and during game time. Neither one is that popular with football players currently playing. In a recent survey, Gruden was one of the top five coaches players would least like to play for.

And with the exception of Jason Taylor, just about no one on the dolphins liked Nick Saban. They both have had about .500 records in their time in the NFL. Nick was a little bit below the .500 mark and Gruden is a little bit above.

You like the success you are having now Bucs fans, but if you care about your future, you will fire Gruden before he quits. The Bucs team is winning, but they won't be when their veterans get too old and retire. Age can ruin a team's Super Bowl success. Just ask the New England Patriots.