New Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano has reputation that impresses new colleagues

PALM BEACH — Early in 1998, while coaching the AFC Central Division champion Jaguars, then-coach Tom Coughlin went looking for a defensive backs coach.

He learned of a young, low-level assistant on the Bears staff and decided the assistant was worthy of an interview, though Coughlin knew little about him.

That assistant was Greg Schiano, who later transformed Rutgers from downtrodden to prominent in college football and in January became the ninth coach in Bucs history.

As he rubbed shoulders with his new colleague at the NFL owners meetings this week, Coughlin — now a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the Giants — said what he learned about Schiano 14 years ago tells him the Bucs coach is qualified for this latest challenge.

"He was a real young guy (31) then," Coughlin said this week. "But I was really impressed."

Schiano's meticulous approach to coaching tells Coughlin his odds of success are good in his first NFL head-coaching job.

"He's a defensive coach, and I think he's very thorough, very analytical," Coughlin said. "I think he's a no-nonsense type of guy, and he's demonstrated outstanding leadership skills."

Those are sentiments shared by many. This week's owners meetings offered a chance to survey Schiano's peers and learn their views of the new guy on their block. Several themes were offered by nearly all the coaches interviewed. "Disciplinarian" was frequently used. "Structure" was a buzzword.

Though Schiano still must earn his stripes at the game's highest level, he seems to have the respect of his colleagues.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak crossed paths with Schiano when Rutgers played in the 2006 Texas Bowl and used the Texans' facilities to prepare for the game.

"I'm very impressed," Kubiak said. "His reputation in football is very structured, innovative, very motivated with his players."

Jets coach Rex Ryan, who works in close proximity to Rutgers in northern New Jersey, has a special appreciation for what Schiano did with the Scarlet Knights. He also likes Schiano's persona.

"He's an outstanding coach," Ryan said. "I thought he did a great job at Rutgers. He's a really organized guy, a passionate guy and a tough guy. He'll do good."

Mike Smith, coach of the rival Falcons, met Schiano this week.

"I don't know Coach Schiano, but I've always admired his football teams," Smith said. "At Rutgers, they've always been hard-nosed, football teams. … And the roster that he's putting together is a very strong roster."

Regardless of how well they know him, Schiano's counterparts respect that he has learned from some of the best (Joe Paterno, for one) and is wise enough to have assembled a staff of sharp football minds.

"I think that's the key for anybody," Kubiak said. "As a head coach, you get an opportunity because people think you have all the answers, but the bottom line is when it's time to get going, if you don't surround yourself with great people and let them do their job, you can't do it all. There's no way.

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"So you surround yourself with good people, let them do their jobs and make sure everybody's going in the right direction. To me, that's how things work out. The good teams I've been around, the good organizations, that's the way they do it."

Said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis: "(Schiano's) success at Rutgers did not surprise me. He's been around fine coaches who have been successful."

Schiano might have been offered that Jaguars job had the Bears not seen in him what Coughlin also did. Chicago soon shuffled its staff and promoted Schiano to defensive backs coach. Based on the accounts from Schiano's contemporaries, now many more also are seeing the impressive qualities Coughlin saw 14 years ago.

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Information from Times wires was used in this report.