Good news, bad news -

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

In a stunning move that throws the franchise even deeper into chaos, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers abruptly broke off negotiations Friday afternoon with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, and will look elsewhere for a head coach, ESPN.com has learned.

 

General manager Rich McKay informed agent Ray Anderson that Bucs ownership, principally vice presidents Bryan Glazer and Joel Glazer, would not authorize the hiring of Lewis, who was to have been introduced next Monday as the new head coach.

 

The move came after the Glazer brothers met with Lewis for five hours on Thursday evening at a site near Baltimore. They returned to Tampa and, on Friday morning, apprised McKay of their decision. McKay, who is almost certain now to leave the franchise, was said by team sources to have been stunned by the sudden reversal.

 

"I feel badly that Marvin had to be the victim of what appears to be a power struggle between the Glazer family and Rich McKay," said Anderson. "Rich acted in good faith through the process but the treatment afforded Marvin by the Glazer family was shabby, to say the least."

 

There is no indication of where the Glazers, who clearly are seeking a higher-profile coach to succeed the deposed Tony Dungy, will turn next.

 

ESPN.com

 

Thats just ashame.  On one hand, being a Ravens fan, Im slightly selfish because I want Marvin Lewis to be back to coach the defense next year.  On the other hand, I fully realize that hes ready to be a head coach in the NFL.  Tampa Bay probably wouldn't have been the best situation anyway, but it still a very conflicting situation..

[Guest Army Eye]

Wow.  What a joke the upper management in Tampa Bay is.  Is there any way they DON'T crash and burn next season?

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Im trying to figure out who they could possibly hire for the job.  I mean, the few coaches who could be available probably will think twice before even considering talking to them.  

This also will put a strain on their draft if they cant find a coach soon, plus how many free agents do you think they will sign in the offseason?

[Guest asdffasdf]

I have a feeling that TB is going to be bad. Like real bad. Like pre-Dungy days. For a loooong time.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Tampa is going to suck big time.  They are just lucky that they are moving away from Green Bay & Chicago.

 

The Colts on the other hand should greatly improve.

[Guest Tony149]

Tampa Bay screwed themselves. They thought they had "The Tuna" in the bag, so they let Dungy go. He gets hired by the Colts, Bill turns down Tampa because I belive he wanted to own some of the team. Now Tampa has no coach. They're going to suck all right.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

They made a big mistake by commiting to Parcells before he committed to them.  I don't think hiring Marvin Lewis would fix it, though.  The reason they weren't getting anywhere was their offense, not their defense.  Lewis is a defensive minded coach and would focus most of his time on defense.  They need someone who will fix their offense.  Pittsburgh coordinator Mike Mularkey is the perfect man to do it.  By changing their scheme he turned Pittsburgh into one of the best offenses in the NFL this year.  That's what Tampa needs.  Although going from Tight Ends Coach to Offensive Coordinator to Head Coach in two years may be too much for him.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

I'm not sure how much Mularkey fixed the Steelers offense vs. how much it improved when they sacked the incompetent Kevin Gilbride.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

I see Tampa Bay just wants to be the joke of the NFL again.

 

I mean, the ownership still wants Jon Gruden, and Rich McCay has just had his legs taken out from under him.

So, if I were McCay I'd leave town also.

 

Welcome to 1980 Tampa Bay...your back to being the NFL laughingstalk.

 

What a joke.

[Guest KingOfMen]

I move from Cincinnati to SW Florida.  I'm just poison to what ever NFL franchise is in my area.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

Unfortunately for the Ravens, Marvin Lewis, is probably going to leave anyway to be the new Defensive Coordinator for the Redskins.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

Why would Marvin Lewis go to a defense that isn't as good as the one he already has?  If he wants more money he could just sell his Super Bowl ring on EBay.

[Guest CanadianChris]

It'd look pretty good on the ol' resume if he could turn the Redskins defence around.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

Also, that Ravens Defense is going to be broken up this year, because of the cap, and Saragusa's retirement.

I've heard that all of the defensive linemen, that start, Saragusa, Adams, McCrarey and Barnett are possibly gone.

Sharper's gone in the expansion draft probably, so with all those changes, a move to Washington might not seem that bad.

[Guest Tony149]

About the Raven's defense...I also have to say Sharper gets picked up by the Texans. I belive Capers is going to build his team on defense.

[Guest El Hijo Del Lunatic]

Unfortunately for the Ravens,Marvin Lewis, is probably going to leave anyway to be the new Defensive Coordinator for the Redskins.

::SPOOGE::

 

Actually, the Redskins' pass defense isn't all that bad.  they've got strength at the cornerback and outside linebacking positions.  Their run defense, however ... let's just say "atrocious" doesn't begin to cover it.

[Guest DrTom]

Marvin Lewis is gone no matter what.  It looks like end up as the Redskins' defensive coordinator, which isn't a bad gig considering they finished #10 overall last year.

 

Sharper is gone (hell, he should be the first pick in the expansion draft; he's easily the best defensive player available), Burnett is gone, Siragusa is gone.  The Ravens still have cap problems.  I would say getting rid of Elvis Gay Shitty Asshole Fuckhead Grbac would be a good cap move, but Billick still creams over the guy, so it looks like we're stuck with him.  Shannon Sharpe is probably gone, too, as a cap casualty.  I'm hoping they keep McCrary and Adams around, but it won't be easy.

 

My big concern is the Ravens are talking about promoting Mike Nolan to replace Lewis.  He's the Receivers Coach.  What happened to Jack Del Rio, who's the Linebackers Coach, and always presumed to be Lewis' successor?  Why not keep the system intact?

[Guest CanadianChris]

Well, hold everything...

 

According to published reports in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and Washington Times, Lewis -- less than 24 hours after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backed out of hiring him as head coach -- has turned down a big-money offer from the Washington Redskins to become their defensive coordinator and agreed in principle to a new deal with the Ravens.

 

"I'm tired of putting my family through this," Lewis told The Sun. "(Ravens owner) Art Modell, (senior vice president of football operations) Ozzie Newsome, right straight down the line through the organization have been loyal to me. I'm at peace with this decision."

 

According to a league source, the Redskins were ready to hand out an NFL-record deal for an assistant, offering an annual base salary of $850,000 plus an additional $500,000 in incentives. They wanted Lewis to make the visit to Washington so badly that they were going to bring him in by helicopter from his home.

 

But Lewis, the Ravens' only defensive coordinator in their six-year history, decided to stay put.

 

Newsome told the Post on Saturday night that he had spoken to Lewis earlier in the day and felt that Lewis had committed to staying.

Does ANYONE in this league make a move without changing their mind about it three or four times beforehand?

[Guest CanadianChris]

In response to my question above, apparently not...

 

Despite published reports that he would return to his post as Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, ESPN.com has learned through several NFL and team sources that Marvin Lewis on Sunday agreed to accept the same position with the Washington Redskins, culminating a three-day emotional wringer for him.

 

One of the NFL's most respected and coveted coordinators, Lewis will sign a three-year contract that makes him, "by a wide margin," one source said, the highest-paid assistant in the league in terms of annual average. The deal could reach between $1 million to $1.1 million annually counting incentives.

 

The contract will dwarf the nearly $700,000 per year contract that the Atlanta Falcons recently gave to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

 

"For the kind of money they are going to pay him, I guess you can't blame the guy," Ravens vice president Ozzie Newsome told ESPN.com.

 

It appeared that Lewis was headed to the Redskins on Friday evening, after the stunning events earlier in the day, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers abruptly broke off negotiations that were to have resulted in a contract to make him the team's new head coach. But the Ravens also made a strong pitch to keep Lewis, and newspapers in both Baltimore and Washington reported Sunday he would stay, a contention denied early in the day by agent Ray Anderson.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

Dr. Tom, I think Jack Del Rio is the new defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.

I know for sure he's left the Baltimore staff, and I'm fairly certain he ended up in Carolina.

 

That expansion draft should be interesting...and I think Sharper is the number 1 pick.

If I were Houston I'd also take a good look at Charlie Rogers for a returner from the Seahawks. Not a bad pick up, with a cheap price tag.

[Guest DrTom]

"Dr. Tom, I think Jack Del Rio is the new defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.  I know for sure he's left the Baltimore staff, and I'm fairly certain he ended up in Carolina."

 

That would explain it, then.  I wonder, if the Ravens knew they were going to lose Marvin Lewis, would they have given Del Rio permission to seek out a better job elsewhere?  Or maybe his contract was up; I admittedly didn't pay much attention to the Baltimore assistants this offseason so far, with the exception of Lewis.

 

It still makes sense though, especially if you're rebuilding your defense, to put a defensive guy at the helm of it.  Maybe Ray Lewis would want to be player/coordinator?

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Ralph Friedgen on Tuesday withdrew his name from consideration as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' new head coach.  He's going to stay at Maryland.  Whoo!

 

I would have been pyssed if he had left for that job.

 

Its looking like the Bucs should have a gameshow called who wants to be an NFL head coach? 'Because thats about the only way they'll get a new coach it looks like.

[Guest El Satanico]

Well most likely they will just sign a Coach that they can get rather cheap to a one year deal so they can go after Gruden next year.

 

Them hiring Marvin Lewis wouldn't have been that great of a move. If they wanted a good defensive head coach they would've kept the one they had.

[Guest Bones and a Blade]

Apparently the Glaziers will have to coach the Bucs themselves.  Marv Levy actually TELEPHONED the Tampa offices to offer his services for ONE-YEAR (i.e. - I'll get you through the year until Gruden becomes available).  They not only don't return his calls, but publicly state that "he's not a serious option to us at this point."  Hello?  When DO you hit the panic button when you're a team without a coach for going on 5 weeks now?  When everyone you want is turning you down, and you keep pulling the rug from under legitimate candidates, you can't afford to quibble.

 

As for me, I burned my Bucs hat and became a Colts fan the day Tony signed with them, because I KNEW Tampa wouldn't be able to pull it's head out of it's own ass.  Might as well bring back the Dreamsicle Orange uniforms, 'cause it ain't gonna be pretty in 2002.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

When did the Glazers ever say Marvin Lewis was there choice. McKay thought he was, but the Glazers do own the team and have the final say. The media never considered that Lewis is Dungy 6 years later, more than deserving but this isn't the right situation.

When the Glazers decide that Lewis isn't a canidate the media starts playing the blame game and they where the one's wrong all along.

[Guest Choken One]

The glazers are getting annoying and I'm getting tired of false rumors. What happened to Dennis Green? Did He sign somewhere else or something? Why haven't I heard his name yet? Who Cares? Maybe this can shut Sapp up for once. Just sign Jerry Glannville and salavge a 6-10 record and watch yourself fuck up with Gruden.

[Guest El Satanico]

Dennis Green basically said he won't return to coaching for the time being unless an opening on a Bay Area team came up

[Guest Choken One]

So could we Expect him to Replace Gruden?

[Guest arejay]

I heard lots of rumbling when Tampa was negotiating with Al Davis on acquiring Gruden that Denny would come to Oakland.  That's about all that I know though.

 

Its looking worse for the Bucs more and more each day. College coaches are shunning this team.  Mike Billoty(sp?) of Oregon basically said no before Tampa could even ask about him. Not to mention Big Boy in Maryland-who's only been a head coach for one year-turned them down.

 

Dungy's got to be laughing his ass off.