





TAMPA, Fla. – This seems like a good spot for a mutiny. What could be more appropriate on a winless team that features a pirate ship in the end zone and a taskmaster head coach one star calls "Hard Core Schiano"?

The chatter this week in the NFL is not about if the scowling Greg Schiano is going to be made to walk the plank here, but how soon. He said too little about the MRSA outbreak that got Lawrence Tynes tied to an antibiotics line. He was alleged to have rigged the captain's vote that unseated quarterback Josh Freeman from that leadership role. Even the new star, Darrelle Revis, was reported to vent about the coach's hard-charging ways. The Bucs are 0-2, and Schiano has become as much of a cartoon villain as Bucco Bruce.

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Unfortunately for those who smell blood in the water, the sharks are going to have to circle just a little longer. The storyline doesn't match up with the reality. At least not yet.

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"You guys are trying to throw the kitchen sink at us," Bucs offensive tackle Donald Penn blared as he stood outside his locker Wednesday. "You're trying to bring us down. It shouldn't be like that. We're good. I talked to Revis. He's good. I talked to Josh. He's good. We are unhappy we lost the last two games, that's it. I love my head coach; I love all my teammates. We're fine."

The fact that Penn stood up and blamed the media is not insignificant. The anger in the locker room may be as much outward as inward (among teammates) or upward (toward the head coach).

"People on the outside are telling me what's going on," linebacker Jonathan Casillas joked. "I think this is going to bring us closer."







Schiano's rep is no secret. He's brutal. The practices are grueling. He's the second coming of Nick Saban in Miami, and even his early track record is similar: decent first year followed by issues at QB in the second season. There wasn't a third year for the Nicktator and a lot of people don't think there will be a third year for the former Rutgers coach. There is heavy skepticism about whether any demanding college coach can succeed in the NFL, and it's easy to write off Schiano as another example of why it won't work.

But there are a few caveats. First, the Bucs brought in Schiano because the prior coach, Raheem Morris, was too lax. And the first year was a marked improvement, from four wins to seven. Dumping Schiano now sends a message that couldn't possibly be more mixed. Second, this year's two losses were both narrow. One came because of a poor penalty on Lavonte David, and the other on a missed field goal after Drew Brees struggled for most of the game. Third, and this is most important, there isn't any outward sign of exasperation.

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"We were ready to get at them today," David said about Wednesday's practice. "Everybody was hyped up. I honestly don't see any difference between this week and last week."

And the Revis revolt? Well, the former Jet came to Schiano's office to make peace Tuesday. Schiano called the meeting "brief" and "not necessary." He said the chat went something like this: "I love coaching you; I love playing here. Let's go."

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