Buccaneers receive a double-dose of bad news on Super Bowl Sunday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of their search for a new offensive coordinator and said search took a hit on Super Bowl Sunday. Well, it took two hits, actually. The first blow came when NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Sunday morning that Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher is staying in Cincinnati. […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of their search for a new offensive coordinator and said search took a hit on Super Bowl Sunday.
Well, it took two hits, actually.
The first blow came when NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Sunday morning that Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher is staying in Cincinnati. The Buccaneers have interviewed Pitcher twice at this point, so there is obvious interest, there.
Well, that scenario is obviously no more.
The second blow wasn't as direct, but it still affected the Buccaneers. ESPN's Adam Schefter later reported the Indianapolis Colts plan to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their head coach on Monday after the Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers weren't interested in Steichen, as far as we know. But, Steichen's likely journey to Indy means that Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson is very likely off the table. Johnson is a very intriguing candidate and while he has yet to speak with the Buccaneers in an official capacity, it's very likely his potential candidacy is a moot point, now.
That's because Johnson is likely to take over as the Eagles offensive coordinator once Steichen leaves. Johnson has been with Jalen Hurts for the last two seasons, so it makes all the sense in the world to keep the current scheme -and his personal coach- in place.
Now, obviously, the Colts should know that nothing is final until the ink is dry (remember the Josh McDaniels debacle a few years ago?), but, it certainly sounds like things are in play for Steichen to be the Colts' next head coach.
It'll be interesting to see how things go with Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown this week. The most encouraging aspect of the Buccaneers' search is they are looking for candidates that run a completely different system than what is currently in place. And, the candidates are coaches in more modern-style offenses, which is also something the Buccaneers need.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
