No school is more represented on the Buccaneers' roster than Rutgers University. Rutgers is, of course the school Schiano was head coach at prior to joining Tampa Bay. Including C Jeremy Zuttah and DE George Johnson, both veteran Buccaneers, the Bucs have seven former Scarlet Knights. After Rutgers, the University of North Carolina is represented by six players. UNC just happens to be the school Schiano's special assistant, Butch Davis, coached at before he was fired last year. Out of the 13 players that come from Rutgers and UNC, all but one have played for Schiano and Davis. Schiano says the Buccaneers are not showing favoritism to players he is familiar with.
"If a guy is available and I think they have a chance to help us (we'll try to sign him),'' Schiano said. "But it will never be because of my previous relationships. That will never cloud my vision on what's best with the Buccaneers. And that's exactly what I share with them. I tell them that I want them to be here and I want this to work because I appreciate your skills and your work ethic, but at the end of the day I have one responsibility and that's to the Buccaneers."
I personally don't get too worked up over the signing of "potential". Most of the time motivated talent rises to the top and the best of our best will wear the pewter and take the field. But it is very interesting to observe how being comfortable with our knowledge of a subject may lean us to go a certain direction. So I ask again, is Schiano's knowledge of his past players blinding his judgement, is his loyalty to past players forcing him to give them a chance, or is Schiano truly finding the best 90 players available to fill his roster and they just happen to be his previous players?
Time will tell.
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