He went back and forth and, after several days of deliberation, Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin decided he will be back with the Bucs in 2006. Kiffin, 65, was sought by St. Louis officials earlier this week to interview for the Rams' head coach vacancy. But on Wednesday morning, when he was to fly to St. Louis, Kiffin changed his mind and told the Rams he was staying put. He then had second thoughts and put himself back in the running but then decided Friday he wouldn't pursue the Rams job. "After further discussions today with [general manager] Bruce Allen and coach [Jon] Gruden, I have decided to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Kiffin said in a Friday evening statement released by the team. "As I stated on Thursday, there is no doubt that this is a great place to coach. I like the makeup of our team and I'm looking forward to working with the returning players on defense. I appreciate the interest that the St. Louis Rams have expressed in me and really think very highly of their organization, starting with [team president] John Shaw."