Hey Glazers, Just Say No To Bill Belichick

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio started some speculation about the Bucs – specifically the Glazers – possibly being interested in acquiring Patriots head coach Bill Belichick if the team were to fire Todd Bowles in the offseason.

I wrote about Florio’s comments on PewterReport.com on Sunday prior to the Bucs losing to the Colts 27-20, but let me be clear I’m not advocating for Belichick coming to Tampa Bay – at all. In fact, quite the opposite. I think it would be a terrible – and desperate – move for the Bucs, which I’ll explain below.

But I can understand why Florio posed his theory. After all, the Glazers did make a trade for Raiders head coach Jon Gruden in 2002, sending multiple first- and second-round picks to Oakland plus millions of dollars in cash to Al Davis. The result of that trade was a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl championship in 2002.

But Gruden was 38 years old back then, and coming off a 12-4 season in 2000 and had a 10-6 record in 2001. He was full of vigor and one of the hottest coaches in the league at the time.

The same cannot be said for Belichick, who turns 72 in April and has presided over three losing seasons in four years since future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay in free agency in 2020. Brady wound up leading the Bucs to a victory in Super Bowl LV while Belichick’s Patriots failed to make the playoffs and finished 7-9.

Belichick and New England rebounded the next year with a 10-7 record, but the Patriots got demolished by the Bills, 47-17, in the first round of the playoffs. Belichick and the Patriots finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs in 2022. New England is currently 2-9 following an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, which is prompting speculation that owner Robert Kraft may attempt to trade Belichick in the offseason and change course with a new head coach.

Belichick, a future Hall of Fame coach, has struggled to find a replacement for Brady, as Cam Newton, Mac Jones, his first-round pick in 2021, and Bailey Zappe, among others, have not proven to be starter material. Without a great quarterback, it seems the legendary Belichick is quite mortal.

Of course the same can be said of any NFL coach without a great quarterback. And the present-day evidence suggests that Belichick is not immune to that circumstance, either.

Warren Sapp Blasts Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick has a 264-117 (.693) record with the Patriots, including 19 double-digit winning seasons – 18 of which came with Brady at quarterback. Without Brady, Belichick has gone 27-34 (.443) over the last three and a half years, which has led some to criticize Belichick’s success in New England, suggesting it was largely due to Brady’s brilliance at quarterback.

One of those critics is Bucs legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who said as much on a recent appearance on FEARLESS with Jason Whitlock.

Patriots QB Tom Brady and Bill Belichick – Photo by: Getty Images

“Tom Brady is the reason why you’re Bill Belichick,” Sapp told Whitlock. “Lawrence Taylor is the reason why you’re Bill Belichick. Maybe the greatest football player on offense and maybe the greatest football player on defense to ever be in the National Football League. Bill, that’s who you owe that to.”

Sapp continued, saying that Belichick is past his prime at age 71.

“All that Patriot way shit is out the window. Ask Bill O’Brien. Ask Romeo Crennel. Ask Josh McDaniels. Ask any of them. It’s out the window and you can’t go recreate it somewhere else because no one cares about it. No one respects that but you and the old-school football guys. It was a beautiful thing he had running, but it’s gone. He’s just like Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski. It’s time to go to the couch, the game is over.”

I don’t think Sapp, who bleeds red and pewter, would be too keen on the idea of Belichick possibly succeeding Todd Bowles.

Bucs Have Tried Retread Coaches Before With Dismal Results

Buccaneer Magazine featuring Sam Wyche

The Glazers bought the Bucs from the Culverhouse estate in 1995 and fired Sam Wyche after he went 7-9 that season. Wyche was hired by the late Hugh Culverhouse in 1992 and came with past Super Bowl credentials. He took the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1988, where they lost to Joe Montana and the 49ers late in the fourth quarter.

After finishing 12-4 in 1988, Wyche had an 8-8 record the next season, followed by a 9-7 record in 1990 and a 3-13 record in 1991, which was his last year in Cincinnati. In reality, it had been a few years since Wyche had fielded a good team, but the Bucs hired him anyways, believing he could turn Tampa Bay around.

Yet Wyche was only 61-66 (.480) in his eight years with the Bengals and he came to Tampa Bay at age 47. Bill Belichick turns 72 next year, so how many years does he still want to coach for?

Without a great quarterback under contract next year in Tampa Bay, trading for Belichick would be a foolish move by the Glazers. If the Glazers think that hiring Belichick would create a buzz and help sell season tickets because he won six Super Bowls with Brady years ago they are gravely mistaken.

Bucs fans know better than that.

(Just read the comments below this article or on X if you don’t believe me, Glazer family.)

Ex-Bucs coach Lovie Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And the Glazers should know that themselves from hiring their own retread coach in former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith in 2014. Smith actually had a decent record when they hired him, as the Bears went 81-63 (.563) under Smith from 2004-2012, including a loss to Tony Dungy’s Indianapolis team in the Super Bowl in 2006. Chicago had five winning seasons, three losing seasons and one 8-8 year under Smith.

The Glazers knew Smith from his days as Dungy’s linebackers coach with the Bucs from 1996-99, and thought that he could bring back the old winning tradition. But at age 53, the NFL game had already started to pass Smith by.

Smith’s Bucs had a dreadful 2-14 record in his first season in Tampa Bay in 2014 – this after Greg Schiano went 4-12 in his final year as the Bucs head coach the year prior. The next season wasn’t much better as Smith’s Tampa 2 defense proved to be archaic and he was fired after a 6-10 season.

Acquiring Bill Belichick Would Be A Big Mistake For The Bucs

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

Part of the reason for New England’s recent decline – aside from Tom Brady’s departure in 2020 – is the personnel decisions of Bill Belichick. His draft picks and free agent acquisitions have been below average at best. Belichick has insisted on calling the personnel shots during his time in New England and that won’t change at his new destination, either.

Even though Bucs general manager Jason Licht has a good relationship with Belichick dating back to his time as New England’s personnel director from 2009-11, Licht would not want to give up his decision-making authority when it comes to personnel in Tampa Bay – nor should he. He built a Super Bowl-caliber roster that attracted Brady in 2020, and has proven to be one of the league’s better general managers as a result.

The last thing the Bucs need is another Sam Wyche or Lovie Smith coming to Tampa Bay with initial fanfare followed by immediate disappointment.

If Belichick was much younger and the Bucs had a very good quarterback and a more playoff-ready roster, it might make sense. But this is not a scenario that would result in Bruce Arians 2.0 – and the Glazers have to realize that.

Bucs Should Turn To A Familiar Face In Todd Monken

Former Bucs OC Todd Monken – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If Todd Bowles is going to be replaced in the offseason the Glazers, Jason Licht and the Bucs should find another offensive-minded head coach with some vigor and high energy, and one who holds players accountability with some fire and brimstone. They should realize what type of coach they’ve won each Super Bowl with and legitimately try to find the next Jon Gruden or a much younger version of Arians.

I would encourage Licht and the Glazers to cast a very wide net, but they should start their head-coaching search with Todd Monken, who fits that description perfectly.

Last January, I offered up Monken, who spent time in Tampa Bay as the Bucs receivers coach (2016-17) and offensive coordinator (2018), as a possible candidate to replace Byron Leftwich. Apparently, the Bucs listened and interviewed him.

Perhaps it’s time he gets a shot as an NFL head coach. He was a college head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15 and turned around a program that went 0-12 the year before he arrived. Before leaving to coach wide receivers in Tampa Bay under Dirk Koetter in 2016, Monken had turned around Southern Miss, going 9-5 in his final season, including a 7-1 record in the conference before losing in a bowl game to the Washington Huskies, 44-31.

Monken, 57, did interview for the offensive coordinator job with the Bucs in the spring, but ultimately chose the Ravens instead due to the stability at head coach with John Harbaugh and at quarterback with Pro Bowler and former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

Who could blame him?

Georgia OC Todd Monken – Photo by: USA Today

Since leaving Tampa Bay, Monken had a stint as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator – but not the play-caller – where he worked with Baker Mayfield in 2019. Then Monken was hired by Georgia’s Kirby Smart to be his offensive coordinator the next season. Monken led Georgia’s prolific offense to back-to-back national championships in 2021-22 and has plenty of experience working with young players as a result, as well as being immersed in the innovation that exists in the college game.

As the offensive coordinator in Baltimore, Monken’s high-powered offense ranks sixth in the league, averaging 27 points per game. Baltimore improved to 9-3 on the year with a 20-10 win over the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles.

You don’t think Monken, who coached Mike Evans for years, wouldn’t want the Bucs’ star receiver back next year? Hiring Monken could help convince Evans to stay in Tampa Bay – perhaps for a hometown discount.

We’ll see what happens in the months ahead. There are still six games left in the 2023 campaign and somehow Tampa Bay is only one game out of first place in the division.

It will be interesting to see how the Bucs finish the season, and if Bowles survives and remains the head coach in 2024.

But if he does not, Bill Belichick should not be his successor.

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