This Guy Sounds Perfect. Hope he can recruit Too.
December 26th, 2009 05:30am
Bisaccia coaching tree sprouted Tomlin, Morris
by Tom Balog
TAMPA _ Not many, if any, other special teams coordinators around the National Football League can claim, like Rich Bisaccia of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that hes sprouting his own coaching tree.
Two of his former part-time helpers have become NFL head coaches.
Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and of course, his current boss, Raheem Morris, once helped coach the Buccaneers special teams as entry level assistant coaches, under Bisaccia, whose gave them both some background that still remains vital to them.
Thats why when Morris took over for Jon Gruden as head coach of the Buccaneers, Bisaccia knew that 1) his job as special teams coordinator was secure, and 2) the transition would be seamless, on his end.
Bisaccia has been around the Buccaneers organization just as long as Morris, who was defensive quality control coach on Grudens original staff in 2002.
He recalled how Morris first got involved,as a grunt, with the special teams, which he still helps coach even today.
Coach Gruden called me into his office when I first got here and he said, I got this guy, hes from Hofstra, see what you can do with him, see if you can get some help from him somewhere out there on the field, Bisaccia recalled in a recent interview. Thats kind of how it started with him and I, way back when. Raheem was a part of it in the beginning, so I think thats why he bought into it, also.
Bisaccia said that Morris and Tomlin, then Tampa Bays defensive backs coach, used to wage warfare coaching opposite sides of the punt team drills from 2002-2005, before Tomlin left to become the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings on his way to Pittsburgh.
One would coach the outside contain men, known as the flyers and the other would take the vises, the two punt return unit players trying to squeeze the flyer to delay his sprint downfield to tackle the return man. Thats when Morris and Tomlin began developing their friendship that continues to this day.
Him and Mike Tomlin used to go against each other doing that, Bisaccia said.
Bisaccia whom Morris gave the title of associate head coach/special teams coordinator, is like a head coach in his own right, overseeing the six phases of special teams and integrating most of the coaching staff, all players on offense, except quarterbacks, defense and the practice squad, into his units and scout teams.
I was fortunate coach Gruden thought that was great and he was always big on special teams time and allowing us to use all the players except quarterbacks, Bisaccia said.
He even formed his own staff of assistants, which in the early years included Tomlin and former running backs coach Art Valero, Morris and linebackers coach Joe Barry.
Barry ranks Bisaccia among the best coaches the Buccaneers have had, bar none.
Rich Bisaccia, from a motivational standpoint, to a coaching standpoint, to a schematic standpoint, he is the best Ive ever been around, Barry said. Everybody knows the names of the people that have been here, Monte (Kiffin), Lovie Smith, Herm Edwards, Rod Marinelli, Mike Tomlin
.and Ive worked with all those guys. Ive been with every single one of them. Theres not a doubt in my mind that Rich Bisaccia is in that group.
Now his core assistants include assistant defensive backs coach Dwayne Stukes, defensive line coach Todd Wash, Barry and Morris.
The special teams units of the Buccaneers are nicknamed the We-Fense, because most all players who have passed through the Buccaneers over the past eight seasons have been involved with Bisaccia.
Even Tampa Bays former Pro Bowlers like John Lynch, Shelton Quarles, Derrick Brooks and Mike Alstott.
Thats how the we-fense mentality got started, Bisaccia said. Some linebackers, some running backs, some tight ends, defensive backs were thrown in next to each other trying to make a play.
In training camp, he divides the team into three units and they all rotate the various phases of returns and coverage units, as jobs are determined.
In the regular season, Bisaccia only gets 10 minutes of a practice session to use the whole team and the whole field. So he makes sure the organization is precise for every player.
You get a 10-minute period and we want to get at least nine plays off, Bisaccia said. So we like to have great tempo.We coach it on the run. They know the plan thats already gone in. They know where theyre supposed to be, now lets go play. They know theyre getting graded.
Bisaccia explained why return Clifton Smith, a Pro Bowl selection in 2008, has become such an exceptional return specialist.
Hes a double-cut guy, Bisaccia said. He can make two moves in a short space area. But the best thing he does, he catches them all, makes great decisions and he goes north-and-south right now.
