March 2015 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wiretap

Eagles Will Try To Move Up For Marcus Mariota

Jan 22, 2015 10:17 AM

The Philadelphia Eagles plan on trying to move up in the 2015 NFL Draft to select Marcus Mariota.

The Eagles have the 20th overall pick and Mariota is expected to be one of the first five selections.

"From No. 20, it's certainly not going to be easy,'' said the person, who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the subject. "It's probably going to take moving up twice to do it. There's going to be some wheeling and dealing involved.''

 

Chip Kelly coached Mariota at Oregon during his first two collegiate seasons.

Most recently, Kelly compared Mariota to future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

 

"Obviously, [with] my relationship with Coach Kelly, it'd be a lot of fun to be a part of that offense and be a part of that team," Mariota said.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the top overall selection, while the Tennessee Titans own the second pick.

Mark Eckel/Trenton Times

Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Draft, Draft Misc, Misc Rumor, Trade Rumor

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Rod Marinelli Agrees To Remain With Cowboys

Jan 13, 2015 5:05 PM

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed upon a new contract with Rod Marinelli to remain as defensive coordinator.

There were reports that Marinelli could leave the Cowboys for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reunite with Lovie Smith.

Ian Rapoport/NFL.com

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Misc Rumor

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Rod Marinelli Expected To Leave Cowboys For Buccaneers

Jan 11, 2015 7:31 PM

Rod Marinelli is expected to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, likely as the defensive coordinator. 

Marinelli is without a contract for 2015.

After Lovie Smith was fired by the Bears, Marinelli joined the Cowboys, serving as defensive line coach in 2013 and defensive coordinator in 2014.

Mike Florio/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Misc Rumor

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Buccaneers Hire Dirk Koetter As Offensive Coordinator

Jan 8, 2015 9:20 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Dirk Koetter as their new offensive coordinator.

Koetter had spent the previous three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to that, Koetter was the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville for five seasons. He also has been a college head coach at Boise State and Arizona State.

"I'm very excited to welcome Dirk to our staff," Lovie Smith said in a statement. "With over three decades of experience at both the college and the NFL level, Dirk has a proven track record as a top offensive coordinator. During his time in Atlanta, he led one of the most productive offenses in the league and I believe he will enjoy similar success here with the exciting young players we have on offense. It became very apparent early in our conversations that we share some of the same philosophies regarding the offensive side of the ball and I look forward to working with Dirk as we begin preparing for the 2015 season."

Pat Yasinskas/ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Misc Rumor

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Jameis Winston Leaves Florida State For NFL Draft

Jan 8, 2015 10:56 AM

Jameis Winston will leave Florida State for the 2015 NFL Draft, his father said Wednesday.

Initially, Antonor Winston said his son planned to wait until after the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T to announce a decision, but instead, Jameis Winston came to a firm decision Tuesday night that he was ready to enter the NFL draft.

ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. has Winston rated as the second-best quarterback behind 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and the sixth player overall on his latest Big Board. Kiper believes that Winston has special pocket instincts and the necessary vision, size, arm strength and athleticism to make it in the NFL.

In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, ESPN's Todd McShay said he believes that Winston is a better pro prospect than Mariota.

"[Florida State quarterback] Jameis Winston, to me, is the better prospect,'' McShay said. "Marcus Mariota is still a very good prospect but needs developing. They both have a chance to be great. But they both come with red flags. Winston's red flags are off the field.''

David M. Hale/ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Draft, Draft Misc, Misc Rumor

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Jameis Winston Won't Announce Decision Until After Championship

Jan 6, 2015 4:06 PM

Jameis Winston won't announce a decision on whether he'll enter the NFL draft until after the College Football Playoff National Championship, his father said Tuesday.

Antonor Winston said the timetable for an announcement will be sometime after Monday.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare is Jan. 15.

Winston redshirted in 2012 as a true freshman, but in his two seasons of action, he threw for nearly 8,000 yards and 65 touchdowns, was 26-1 as a starter and won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship in 2013.

David M. Hale/ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Draft, Draft Misc

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Bills Request Interview With Greg Roman

Jan 6, 2015 10:54 AM

The Buffalo Bills requested permission to interview Greg Roman for their head coaching vacancy.

Roman was a sought after head coaching candidate in previous offseasons, but he became the target of frustration for fans of the San Francisco 49ers this season.

Roman previously interviewed this offseason with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their offensive coordinator job.

Roman is not expected to return to the 49ers in 2015.

Paul Gutierrez/ESPN

Tags: Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Misc Rumor

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Titans Deny Request From Buccaneers To Interview Mike Mularkey

Jan 2, 2015 1:00 PM

The Tennessee Titans won't allow the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to interview Mike Mularkey for their offensive coordinator position.

Mularkey is currently the Titans' tight end coach.

Mularkey would have been a logical fit in a lot of ways. He has plenty of experience as an offensive coordinator and worked as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. But Mularkey’s biggest success came as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.

Pat Yasinskas/ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Misc Rumor

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Jameis Winston Offers No Hint On Decision

Jan 2, 2015 1:09 PM

Jameis Winston offered no hints about his future after Florida State's loss in the Rose Bowl to Oregon.

"I'm not focused on that at all," Winston said when asked whether he would leave school early. "I'm looking forward to next season and playing baseball. So I'm just trying to get better every day."

Winston, a redshirt sophomore, has until Jan. 15 to declare for the NFL draft.

While Winston mentioned his baseball career, whether he does play his second sport for the Seminoles remains to be seen. Winston has played baseball at Florida State the last two seasons, and is considered a professional prospect in that sport as well.

"Have to wait and see what the future holds," Jimbo Fisher said.

Andrea Adelson/ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Draft, Draft Misc, Misc Rumor, NCAA

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