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Deal off Bucs back away from Lewis in 11th hourPosted: Friday February 08, 2002 1:24 PMUpdated: Friday February 08, 2002 11:16 PM
By Don Banks, Sports Illustrated The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not going to hire Marvin Lewis. In another shocking development in the search for a new head coach, Bucs general manager Rich McKay told the agent of the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator that the team's owners were not comfortable with hiring Lewis. "I'm disappointed, obviously, and I feel sorry for my family and the Ravens and all the families whose lives have been put on hold because of this," Lewis said. "But I'm going to move on. I guess this is the way it goes. "I had been told it was practically done. I don't know anymore. I guess until things happen, they don't happen." The hiring of Lewis was so anticipated that McKay had talked to Ravens head coach Brian Billick about what time the Bucs were going to release a statement announcing Lewis' hiring Friday. The two agreed that the press release would be issued at 10:30 a.m. EST. But by 11, Lewis told Billick that he still hadn't heard from McKay.
Lewis and McKay spoke twice Friday -- at 8:15 and 9:30 a.m. "I talked to Rich and he said everything was going to be fine," Lewis said. "But then I never heard anything." When Lewis told his agent, Ray Anderson of Octagon, of his concerns, the agent again reassured him that the deal was basically agreed to before Lewis met with the Glazers on Thursday evening. Lewis met with Bucs vice-presidents Joel and Ed Glazer for five hours Thursday night in Washington, D.C. Bucs vice-president Bryan Glazer was ill and did not make the trip. From all appearances their meeting with Lewis went well, and McKay was expected to open contract negotiations with Anderson on Friday morning. "Nothing went wrong in the meeting [last night]," Anderson said. "We were told all systems were go. And the next thing I know, Rich is calling to tell me the Glazers couldn't go through with it. No reasons. Just that they weren't comfortable." Lewis said he has not spoken to a member of the Bucs organization since he and McKay completed their second conversation of Friday morning. McKay asked Anderson to relay the news to Lewis, saying he couldn't stomach the thought of telling Lewis personally.
By the time Lewis and the Glazers opened their five-hour get-acquainted session at a Washington D.C. hotel at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, McKay and Anderson already had had a pivotal phone conversation about an hour earlier. In that call, McKay told Anderson that he would get back with him on Friday morning to hammer out a contract agreement and that Lewis was indeed the team's choice as head coach. But while no problems arose during their meeting, which ended around 12:30 a.m., Lewis said by the end of the evening he got the feeling that things were not quite as done as his agent and McKay believed. Rather than feel like the winner of the team's chaotic coaching derby, Lewis said he left the Glazers feeling more like just a candidate. "I knew right away last night it wasn't all in place," Lewis said. "At the end, one of them thanked me for my time and the other one said I should be very proud of my accomplishments in Baltimore. That didn't sound like they were about to hire me." The Glazers are said to be insistent that Tampa Bay gets a head coach and offensive coordinator who can address their offensive problems. That more than anything was apparently Lewis's undoing. While McKay was confident that Lewis was the best man for the job, irregardless of offensive or defensive specialty, the Glazers apparently weren't buying his sales pitch. "Every conversation with them comes back to the fact that they were 25th in offense," said a source. "They don't really understand what a head coach does. They want to hire an offensive coordinator more than a head coach. That's all they're thinking about." Lewis had an agreement in place for former Indiana University head coach Cam Cameron to become his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. But that hire apparently wasn't enough to sway the team's owners in Lewis's favor. Anderson was waiting for a phone call with contract figures Friday, but instead was stunned by the news from McKay around noon. "Rich said that the Glazers at this point just weren't comfortable in agreeing with Rich's choice of Marvin," Anderson said. "They said there weren't going to authorize the hiring. "Rich, with great reluctance and embarrassment, called to inform me of their decision. Rich was, frankly, in a semi-state of shock that at this point they had determined that Marvin was someone they weren't willing to support." With the Glazers spurning Lewis, the Bucs will apparently make another run at Oakland head coach Jon Gruden. If trade negotiations with Oakland go nowhere, it's possible the Bucs would simply elevate defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to the head coaching position for the 2002 season and then take another run at Gruden next year when his contract expires in Oakland. If the Bucs don't acquire Gruden or elevate Kiffin, their choices are rather slim at this point. Two names to keep an eye, however, are Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Brad Childress and Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Lewis wanted to hire Childress as his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, but couldn't get him. Kubiak has been a head coaching candidate at various times in recent years, but has never shown an overwhelming desire to leave his position with Denver. As for Lewis's immediate future, he is likely to remain with the Ravens as defensive coordinator. While he is currently working for Baltimore without a contract, and this week was given permission to speak with Washington about its vacant defensive coordinator position, Lewis has said he appreciates the loyalty shown to him by Ravens owner Art Modell and would like to continue his tenure with the team. The Ravens, who were set to elevate wide receivers coach Mike Nolan to the defensive coordinator position, replacing Lewis, are expected to open contract talks with Lewis shortly. This is the third time in the past two NFL offseasons Lewis has lost out on a head coaching job. He interviewed in Buffalo last winter but the Bills hired Tennessee defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. This year, Lewis interviewed two weeks ago in Carolina, just before the Panthers made Giants defensive coordinator John Fox their choice. Lewis also interviewed for the University of California head coaching job in early December, but turned down the Bears' offer because he wanted to remain in the NFL.
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