Greg Schiano told reporters after his introduction as the Bucs' new coach on Friday that he expected to bring some of his Rutgers assistants with him to Tampa Bay. While he didn't get specific, it was clear his intention is to have multiple members of that staff join him on the Buccaneers' coaching staff.

But things could get interesting in the next several days. With Rutgers naming interim coach Kyle Flood as its permanent coach on Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights' goals now turn to retaining the core of their coaching staff. That will put them in direct competition with Schiano, and it's not out of the question to suggest there could be some bidding wars. ... Read more

Lost amid all the news and fallout from Greg Schiano’s hiring by the Bucs last week was an interesting conversation we had with general manager Mark Dominik about the Bucs’ approach to this offseason.

You heard co-chairman Joel Glazer’s emphatic statements earlier this month on free-agent spending and his vow that the Bucs will do what it takes to again become competitive in the NFC South.

Now, Dominik offers similar sentiments when asked about areas of the roster that need to be improved and how the team will go about making that happen.

“We understand we’re not a finished product,” he said. “I know that there’s things we need to address on this team and I know that we’ll do it in all capacities. We’re going to do it in free agency. I don’t want people to be worried that we’re not going to spend in free agency. We’ll be involved.”

The draft also will continue to be a central part of the process. ... Read more

Greg Schiano and Mark Dominik promised to get down to the business of building a coaching staff beginning on Friday afternoon and they've already hit their first roadblock.

New coach Greg Schiano hoped to bring in Cardinals receivers coach John McNulty as the Bucs' offensive coordinator, but the Cardinals have denied the interview request and will make McNulty honor his contract, the Arizona Republic reported.

Assistant coaches who are being requested for head-coach interviews cannot be barred from pursuing those opportunities. But the situation is different when a coach is being sought for a coordinator post or other assistant coach roles. The team has the option to deny the request in such cases if the coach is under contract.

McNulty has an extensive history with Schiano. He was a member of his Rutgers staff for five seasons. This would have been the biggest opportunity of his career thus far, but it seems it will have to wait. ... Read more

Greg Schiano's first order of business after the conclusion of his press conference was to begin intense work on building his coaching staff.

It's something he and general manager Mark Dominik talked about in theory during their second meeting earlier this week, but more in-depth work and decisions lay ahead.

And when they come, the ultimate decisions will be made by Schiano.

"Again, this is Coach Schiano’s staff," Dominik said after today's press conference. "He’s going to have final say on his staff. It’s very important that people understand this is his football staff. I’m just here to help him along because of where we are in the process and really just (for) checks and balances.

"To say, ‘Hey, Coach, here are some other guys. What do you think of these?’ But I want Coach Schiano to hire his football staff. So do the owners. We will put together the best staff. . . Everybody can rest assured Coach Schiano’s going to get the guys he wants to make sure we’re a successful football team." ... Read more