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Bucs fire OC Jagodzinski with opener looming

Staff photo by BOB HANSEN

Raheem Morris takes questions as he explains the decision to replace Jeff Jagodzinski with Greg Olson as offensive coordinator. Jagodzinski was hired on Jan. 29.

By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 4, 2009

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TAMPA - The first sign of trouble came early in training camp, when a couple of Bucs officials noticed that offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski was often relying on his top assistants to develop and install some of the more detailed aspects of the team's offense.

Soon after that, the players caught on. Finally, when it became apparent to almost everyone in the organization that Jagodzinski was something of a novice play-caller as well, the Bucs decided something had to be done.

That something was done Thursday, 10 days before the team's regular-season opener against Dallas, when the Bucs dismissed Jagodzinski and gave quarterbacks coach Greg Olson the added duties of offensive coordinator.

"I have a lot of respect for Coach Jagodzinski and for all the effort he put in here and for the way he did his work," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "But we're at the point now where we need to be more precise, more detailed. We're trying to grow here, and if we're not growing constantly then it's time to make a change. That's what we did.

"We need to have more direction to where we're going, and we just don't have it."

The Bucs believe they will get that direction and precision from Olson, who was offensive coordinator for Detroit (2005) and St. Louis (2006-07) and was considered for the position here but never interviewed for it.

At the very least, Olson, 46, gives the Bucs an experienced play-caller. He also will be in charge of expanding the Bucs' offense beyond its basic foundation, which was laid by Jagodzinski and will remain in place under Olson.

"The (offensive game) plan has not changed," Morris said. "We're still going to be a zone blocking (team), a downhill (running) team. We're still going to be a vertical passing team. A lot of the things will remain the same. I mean, this offense was going in the right direction. Coach Jags did get it started going in the right direction. But now we have to finish it off with some of the other guys."

Jagodzinski was offered a chance to be one of those other guys, but the man who came to the Bucs following a two-year stint as the head coach at Boston College turned down the opportunity to stay on as quarterbacks coach.

"I felt the timing for such a move was not in the best interest of either side," Jagodzinski said in a statement released by the Bucs. "I appreciate the opportunity given to me and wish nothing but the best for the organization."

The timing of the firing left many wondering if the Bucs waited too long to make it. With one exhibition game left, the Bucs believe they made it in the nick of time.

"You've got to let things go and let things play out a little bit," Morris said. "We're still in the preseason here, so I think we did it at the time we needed to do it."

Morris said the change in coordinators should have little effect on his players, because none are being asked to learn a new scheme. At least one of those players is confident his new coordinator will do a good job.

"I've always felt great about Coach Olson," center Jeff Faine said. "I thought he would have gotten a coordinator job last year, because we had a pretty successful offense for the most part last year.

"It was Coach (Jon) Gruden's offense, but Coach Olson has definitely had his hand in quite a bit of it. I have a great respect for him and I thought his time would be coming eventually anyways."

That it comes now is largely a result of Jagodzinski's dependency on running backs coach Steve Logan, a rookie NFL assistant who was Jagodzinski's offensive coordinator at BC.

Though he developed the power running scheme and the deep passing attack that will be staples of the Bucs' offense, Jagodzinski leaned heavily on Logan for expanding the offense and calling plays on game day.

"I think Jags may be a better head coach or he may be a better position coach, to be honest with you," Morris said. "The way things were, (the firing) just made the most sense for both parties."

Along with line coach Pete Mangurian and receivers coach Richard Mann, Logan is part of a group of coaches Morris referred to Thursday as his "Dream Team."

Morris and the rest of his staff quickly realized, though, that their dream was in danger of becoming a nightmare. That's why they decided to pull the plug on it now and release Jagodzinski.

"When you hire a staff, you try to hire the best staff you can," Morris said. "You want to put the Dream Team together. It didn't work out. So now you have to make a decision."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 731-8027. Reporter Anwar S. Richardson contributed to this report.

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