By RICK STROUD, GREG AUMAN, Times wires
Published January 8, 2004
TAMPA - The Bucs are expected to announce the hiring of Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen as early as today after concluding interviews for their highest front office position Wednesday.
Allen resigned from the Raiders after nine seasons Thursday and told agents attending workouts for the East-West Shrine game in San Francisco that he was headed to Tampa Bay. He is expected to be named vice president for football operations while coach Jon Gruden will have more authority over player personnel and the draft.
The team may delay introducing Allen in a formal news conference until early next week.
The Bucs concluded their search for a replacement for general manager Rich McKay by interviewing Broncos pro personnel director Rick Smith.
Smith, who is black, is the only minority candidate to interview after Giants director of player personnel Jerry Reese canceled his scheduled meeting Tuesday.
Allen will be responsible for the salary cap and negotiating contracts. But the Bucs are considering hiring a player personnel director.
One candidate is believed to be John Schneider, 32, the Packers personnel analyst to the general manager. Schneider, who worked as a personnel director for Mike Holmgren in Seattle and Marty Schottenheimer in Washington, began his career with the Packers in 1992 on the same staff as Gruden.
The status of Bucs player personnel director Tim Ruskell and assistant GM John Idzik remains undetermined, though it seems unlikely either will have a role in Tampa Bay's restructured front office.
On Wednesday, Jets coach Herm Edwards said he has received permission from the Bucs to interview defensive line coach Rod Marinelli for the team's defensive coordinator position. However, the Bucs will not allow that meeting to take place until they hire a general manager, or in this case, Allen.
PITTMAN UPDATE: The lawyer for Bucs running back Michael Pittman filed a motion Tuesday to continue a probation hearing scheduled for Monday until after the completion of a criminal trial he will face Feb. 19.
"I've talked to the prosecutor, and he has no problem with it," said Joel Thompson, who said he expects the trial to take place as scheduled without any additional postponement.
Pittman faces two felony counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated domestic violence, stemming from a May incident at their Arizona home in which he is accused of using his Hummer to ram a Mercedes-Benz with his wife, babysitter and 2-year-old son inside.
LYNCH ONLINE: Maybe he was typing quickly, but Bucs safety John Lynch got caught up in his role as online analyst for Foxsports.com last week during live commentary as Brett Favre led the Packers on a last-minute drive for a potential game-winning field goal against the Seahawks.
"Get down there, down it! Down it!" reads Lynch's live chat late in the game. "Why am I suddenly rooting for the Packers?"
