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Q&A: A five-week roller coaster

By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 19, 2002

MORE COVERAGE • Gary Shelton: Gruden: Staggering, astounding, incredible triumph • Jan Glidewell: Gold medal to the Bucs in 'Goofy Coach Hunt' • Bucs players relieved, amazed • It will feel like coming home for Gruden • Living for every moment • Fans pleased with Gruden • What they're saying • Eerie resemblance

Still dizzy from the constant motion of the Bucs' 35-day coaching search? Here's a breakdown of what we know, what we think we know and what we hope to find out:

Q: What happened?

A: Well, we don't have all the details, but basically the Glazers and Steve Mariucci apparently had a pretty good idea after Sunday's meeting that the 49ers coach was going to stay in San Francisco. So the Glazers went back to their first choice (well, second if you count Bill Parcells). They called Raiders owner Al Davis around 10 p.m. Pacific time, apparently agreed to pay his asking price (four high draft picks and $8-million in cash over the next three years), and by 1 a.m., had a deal.

Q: Are the Bucs giving up too much?

A: It's too early to tell. It's easily the highest compensation package ever paid for a coach. But let's see what happens. Gruden will have to win without the four quality players those draft picks would have garnered. But if he takes this team to the Super Bowl, obviously the price will be worth it. It's really up to Gruden to prove whether the price was too high.

Q: Who's going to be the general manager?

A: Good question. Since Gruden will be only the coach, that leaves a very important piece of the front office puzzle unaccounted for. Gruden spoke with Rich McKay Monday, and McKay is expected to meet with the Glazers today. McKay could remain as GM for the final year of his contract, or the Bucs may continue to try to extract draft picks from the Falcons in exchange for allowing him to move to Atlanta.

Q: What's so great about Gruden?

A: He is considered an offensive genius, filling the Glazers' quest to find someone to fix a Bucs offense that has wallowed in mediocrity for years. Gruden is intense and passionate, but considered likable, especially by his players. You can expect the Bucs to be disciplined, yet very exciting. You can bet Keyshawn Johnson will get into the end zone more than once.

Q: Who will be Gruden's offensive coordinator?

A: Nobody knows at this point. He calls all the plays himself, so the need for a big-name coordinator may not be as great. Word from the West Coast is that he's not allowed to bring any of his Raider coaches with him, but with free agency just around the corner and the NFL draft fast approaching, figure Gruden to assemble his staff quickly.

Q. What about the Bucs defensive coaches, who have been held over from Tony Dungy's staff?

A: Again, we just don't know yet. All have one year remaining on their contracts with the Bucs, and with a high-profile coach like Gruden now aboard, may be willing to stick around. Most have been offered positions with Dungy in Indianapolis. Again, expect decisions to come quickly.

Q: What happened with Steve Mariucci?

A: Getting him to leave San Francisco was probably a long shot to begin with. Not so much because he's ecstatic with the 49ers, because he's not. But his wife and four children, including a 17-year-old son who will be a senior in high school next year, were going to make it very difficult to leave that Bay Area for this one.

Q: Will the Glazers be forgiven for the way they handled this entire situation, specifically how they treated Tony Dungy and Marvin Lewis, now that they apparently got their man?

A: Probably. Fans have notoriously short memories, and a high-profile coach like Gruden, to some degree, will give them back their credibility. Whether they get it all back is up to Gruden and how successful he proves to be.

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