Coach Jon Gruden

"It's time to get back to that style of play.  Jason Smith should be the favorite and he can be a dominant left tackle," former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden told me in a conference call with the NFL Network today. I've been advocating drafting left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs for a little while now.  Moving Brandon Albert to right tackle, selecting Smith with the third overall pick and establishing book end tackles will go a long way to improving the Chiefs' longevity on offense. Gruden cited the Chiefs' new offensive line coach, Bill Muir, as a reason why Smith would ... Read Full Story

ESPN announced earlier this week that Tony Kornheiser voluntarily relinquished his spot as color commentator in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth and that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden is replacing him. On the surface it seems like a logical move by ESPN to transition Gruden into Kornheiser’s position. Kornheiser citied his fear of flying as the reason for stepping down from the booth. No one can blame a person who’s suffering from flying anxiety for wanting to limit his air travel. Plus Kornheiser is not leaving the network; he’s remaining as co-host of ESPN’s highly successful talk show, Pardon the ... Read Full Story

Considering Connor Barth is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers third kicker this season, it's probably good he's already got a backup plan. Barth, 23, said he just finished getting his insurance license before the Bucs called, pointing out how short NFL careers can be, "you never know how long this is going to last." But Barth hopes he can stick with the Bucs, saying he learned from his experience with the Chiefs last season (going 10-for-12 in his first full pro season). The Bucs have made just two field goals in seven tries this season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers new kicker Connor Barth: "This is a ... Read Full Story

Not a whole lot out there on Bill Muir. Chime in if you find anything else interesting. Bill Muir was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator/offensive line coach from 2002 to 2008, mirroring Jon Gruden's hiring and firing. Muir was released after then Bucs head coach Jon Gruden was fired back in January. As Upon Further Review notes , Muir is a long time coach and put together a below average offense while in Tampa Bay. To be fair to Muir though, he was not calling the offensive plays. Head coach Jon Gruden was. Here are the offensive rankings for the Bucs for the ... Read Full Story

ESPN has announced that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden will replace Tony Kornheiser on the network’s Monday Night Football broadcasts. The news comes as a surprise, but ESPN says that Kornheiser is leaving voluntarily and will remain on ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption. Kornheiser said the following through ESPN’s PR department: “I am totally grateful for the MNF opportunity that I truly enjoyed the last three seasons. I feel we got better each year. My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true. When I looked at the upcoming schedule it was the perfect storm that would’ve frequently moved ... Read Full Story