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[California Husker]

I'm sure if T.O. wanted to coach again he would have said at the press conference that he will search for a new coach and also think about throwing his hat in the ring. That way he would get recruits ears to perk up throughout the nation!

Sorry, I keep forgetting to use the little I know Dr. Tom doesn't want to coach, but I do think that although Kiffin is a great coordinator, he is too old to start fresh and rebuild a program. IMHO. So my hire Dr. Tom reply was a sarcastic way to say we should not hire the elderly.

[BigRedWeatherman]

Heres the TB link about Kiffin: http://www.buccaneers.com/team/staffdetail.aspx?coachid=33

 

 

 

 

Monte Kiffin

Defensive Coordinator

NFL Experience: 25

Years with Buccaneers: 12

The longest tenured defensive coordinator in the league, Monte Kiffin enters his 25th season in the NFL and 12th with the Buccaneers in 2007. Father of the often imitated 'Tampa Cover 2' defense, Kiffin has established himself as one the NFL's best defensive minds of the modern era.

 

Equal parts talent and scheme, Kiffin's defense has been the NFL's benchmark for more than a decade. The 'Tampa Cover 2', while often described as simplistic, has remained successful by consistently creating turnovers and pressuring the quarterback utilizing its trademark speed, discipline and cohesiveness. In his 11 seasons (1996-2006) with the Buccaneers, Kiffin’s unit has registered 340 takeaways to rank 10th in the NFL while also posting 441 sacks to rank tied for 11th during that span.

 

In 2006, Kiffin had to endure the loss of several starts by three of the defense's main contributors. The Buccaneers best pass rusher, DE Simeon Rice, missed eight contests because of a shoulder injury while shut-down CB Brian Kelly was lost for the season after only two starts because of a foot injury. LB Shelton Quarles, the quarterback of the Buccaneers defense, battled injuries throughout the season and missed a total of four games. Despite the challenges, Kiffin's unit finished the 2006 season strong by totaling 13 sacks and forcing nine turnovers in the last seven games. Additionally, the defense limited opponents to less than 200 yards passing in four of the final seven games.

 

Statistically, Kiffin’s defense has been the league’s most dominant unit in the NFL during his time at the helm. Tampa Bay’s defense finished the 2005 regular season as the top-ranked unit in the NFL for the second time in a four-year span (also 2002) and ranked in the NFL’s Top 10 for nine consecutive seasons (1997-2005), the longest streak in the league at the time and tied for the second-longest streak in the NFL since 1970. The 2005 season also marked the seventh time in 10 seasons (1996-2005) that the defense finished the year ranked in the top five in the NFL.

 

Additionally, Tampa Bay’s defensive unit finished 2005 in the Top 10 in passing defense for the ninth time in 10 seasons, ranking sixth in the NFL. The 2004 season saw the Buccaneers pass defense rank first the NFL after surrendering just 161.2 yards per game passing. It was the second time Kiffin’s group led the league in pass defense, joining the 2002 team. After ranking just 19th against the run in 2004 (123.3 rushing ypg allowed), Kiffin’s run defense was dominating in 2005, finishing the season as the sixth-ranked unit in the NFL against the run (94.7 rushing ypg allowed). The 94.7-yard rushing average allowed by the Bucs in 2005 was the second best in team history. The Buccaneers defensive dominance was on display in the 2005 Wild Card playoff contest against the Washington Redskins. Tampa Bay limited the Redskins to 120 total yards of offense, the fewest yards gained by a winning team in a game in NFL playoff history.

 

The catalyst for Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl championship in 2002 was Kiffin’s suffocating defense that finished the season as the top-ranked unit in the NFL. The Buccaneers became the first team since the 1985 Chicago Bears to lead the league in total defense (252.8 ypg), fewest points allowed (196) and total interceptions (31). Under Kiffin’s command, the Buccaneers were one of only four teams in the NFL to rank in the top 10 in all three defensive categories during the 2002 season, ranking first in pass defense (155.6 ypg) and tied for fifth in rush defense (97.1 ypg).

 

Employing an attacking style that is predicated on speed, Kiffin’s unit continued its impressive play in the 2002 postseason, shutting down some of the league’s best offenses. During the divisional playoff win against the San Francisco 49ers and the NFC Championship victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay allowed just 16 points. They turned it up a notch in Super Bowl XXXVII, taking center stage in the Buccaneers’ 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders. Tampa Bay recorded a Super Bowl-record five interceptions, including three picks which were returned for touchdowns (also a Super Bowl record) off NFL MVP Rich Gannon. The Buccaneers allowed the Raiders just 269 total yards, including 62 total yards in the first half, and 19 total rushing yards. Tampa Bay’s ferocious defensive line posted five sacks, capping off one of the most dominating defensive performances in Super Bowl history.

 

The Buccaneer defense was just as impressive in 1999. Boasting four Pro Bowlers and three first-team All-Pro selections, Tampa Bay’s defense electrified the league with one of the most dominating defensive stretches in recent memory. The Bucs rallied to win eight of nine games to capture their first NFC Central title in 18 years. In the playoffs, Tampa Bay’s defense posted phenomenal performances. The Buccaneers held Washington’s second-ranked offense to 157 total yards and no offensive touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 14-13 divisional playoff win. Both of the Buccaneers’ scores came off Redskins turnovers. In the NFC Championship Game, Kiffin’s lightning-quick defense held the top-ranked Rams offense to 11 points, 22 below their season average.

 

The Buccaneers allowed just three 100-yard rushers in 1999 and set then club single-season marks for fewest opponent first downs (228), fewest opponent rushing yards (1,407), fewest opponent rushes (361) and lowest opponent completion percentage (52.7 percent).

 

As is a trait for any great defense, Kiffin’s unit has been proficient at keeping opponents off the scoreboard. The Buccaneers have finished in the NFL’s top 10 in points allowed in 10 of the 11 seasons Kiffin has been defensive coordinator and have also allowed the fewest points (2,733) in the NFL since 1997. Tampa Bay’s defense ranked first in the NFL in points allowed in 2002 (12.3 ppg), fourth in the league in 2003 (16.5 ppg), tied for ninth in 2004 (19.0 ppg) and eighth in 2005 (17.1 ppg). The 196 total points surrendered by the Bucs in 2002 eclipsed the previous team-low of 223 set in 1977. Since 1998, the Buccaneers have posted seven shutouts to rank second in the NFL, including a team-record two shutouts in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Additionally, the 63 rushing touchdowns surrendered by the Tampa Bay defense since the 2000 season ranks second in the NFL.

 

While Kiffin’s defense has been characteristically stingy since his arrival in 1996, it has been its ability to provide an abundance of scoring that routinely distinguishes the unit. The Buccaneers defense scored 30 points en route to the Super Bowl in 2002, led by LB Derrick Brooks’ four defensive touchdowns. The five defensive touchdowns and four interception returns for touchdowns in 2002 matched team records set in 1981 and 2000. Additionally, CB Ronde Barber and Brooks, both who have developed into perennial Pro Bowl players under Kiffin, rank first and second in team history for most touchdowns by a defensive player with nine and seven touchdowns, respectively.

 

The defense has also pieced together some impressive streaks during Kiffin’s tenure. From 1999-2003, the Buccaneer defense established an NFL record by posting at least one sack in 69 consecutive games. Tampa Bay also recorded a takeaway in 54 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the NFL over the previous 20 years, until the defense failed to post a takeaway in Week 15 of the 2003 season. Additionally, the defense registered at least one sack and one takeaway in 50 straight contests, the longest streak in the league since 1963, before the streak was snapped against Green Bay in Week 11 of the 2003 season.

 

Clearly, much of the success of Kiffin’s defense can be attributed to the abundance of talent discovered and cultivated under Kiffin. Under Kiffin’s guidance, two Buccaneer defenders earned Pro Bowl honors after the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Barber and Brooks. The 2006 selection marked Brooks’ 10th consecutive selection to the Pro Bowl, tops in team history for most total and consecutive appearances. It also marked Barber’s third consecutive and fourth appearance in the all-star game. During Kiffin’s tenure, the defense has produced 34 Pro Bowl selections over the last 11 seasons. Prior to that, the Buccaneers’ defense had just 12 Pro Bowl selections in the previous 20 years. Kiffin has had at least one player named to the Pro Bowl in every season he has served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL (Minnesota, 1991; New Orleans, 1995; Tampa Bay, 1996-2006). Additionally, Kiffin has had two players earn AP Defensive Player of the Year honors under his tutelage, Brooks in 2002 and DT Warren Sapp in 1999.

 

Kiffin came to Tampa Bay after spending the 1995 campaign as the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. In 1995, the Saints tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks with 44. Prior to coaching in New Orleans, Kiffin spent four seasons (1991-1994) as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings, serving as defensive coordinator for head coach Jerry Burns in 1991 and as inside linebackers coach for head coach Dennis Green and defensive coordinator Tony Dungy from 1992-1994. During that tenure in Minnesota, the Vikings led the league in both total defense and run defense in 1994.

 

In 1990, Kiffin tutored the linebackers for the N.Y. Jets under head coach Bruce Coslet and defensive coordinator Pete Carroll. Kiffin originally joined the Vikings as the team’s linebackers coach from 1986-1989. During that time, he coached standout Viking linebackers Scott Studwell, Chris Doleman and Mike Merriweather. In both 1988 (255.7, 4.3) and 1989 (261.5, 4.1), Minnesota was the league leader in both total defense and yards allowed per play.

 

From 1984-1985, Kiffin coached linebackers for the Buffalo Bills, overseeing players like Darryl Talley and Jim Haslett, who later coached with Kiffin in New Orleans. Kiffin’s first professional coaching job came in 1983 as the linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers under Bart Starr.

 

Kiffin was the head coach at North Carolina State from 1980-1982, compiling a 16-17 record, including 6-5 marks in 1981 and 1982. Former Philadelphia Eagle Pro Bowl WR Mike Quick played for the Wolfpack under Kiffin. From 1977-1979, Kiffin was defensive coordinator for Lou Holtz at Arkansas while also serving as assistant head coach in 1979. Arkansas led the nation in scoring defense in 1977.

 

Kiffin began his coaching career at Nebraska, where he worked from 1966-1976 under both Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Kiffin directed a Cornhuskers defense that led Nebraska to consecutive national championships in 1970-1971. When Osborne became Nebraska’s head coach in 1973, he named Kiffin as his defensive coordinator.

 

As a player, Kiffin was both an offensive and defensive tackle at Nebraska from 1959-1963. Following graduation, he sat out the 1964 season because of a knee injury before playing defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 1965.

 

Kiffin was involved with the first-ever “Buccaneers Coaching Academy” in 2003. The hands-on clinic for area high school coaches focused on several essential areas of football knowledge and player development.

 

A native of Lexington, Nebraska, Kiffin was that state’s High School Athlete of the Year in 1958. Monte and his wife, Robin, live in Tampa. They have three children, including daughter Heidi and sons Lane and Chris and three grandchildren, Preston, Landry and Presley. This past offseason, Lane was named as the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders, becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history. Chris currently serves as a graduate assistant at the University of Mississippi.

 

KIFFIN AT A GLANCE

 

# 1959-63…Nebraska, player

# 1965…Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL), player

# 1966-72…Nebraska, Defensive Assistant

# 1973-76…Nebraska, Defensive Coordinator

# 1977-78…Arkansas, Defensive Coordinator

# 1979…Arkansas, Assistant Head Coach

# 1980-82…North Carolina State, Head Coach

# 1983…Green Bay Packers, Linebackers Coach

# 1984-85…Buffalo Bills, Linebackers Coach

# 1986-89…Minnesota Vikings, Linebackers Coach

# 1990…New York Jets, Linebackers Coach

# 1991…Minnesota Vikings, Defensive Coordinator

# 1992-94…Minnesota Vikings, Inside Linebackers Coach

# 1995…New Orleans Saints, Defensive Coordinator

# 1996-2007…Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Defensive Coordinator

[BigRedWeatherman]

Hell, Kiffin's defense alone beat Cally's Raiders team in the superbowl! LOL

[BigRedWeatherman]

I'm sure if T.O. wanted to coach again he would have said at the press conference that he will search for a new coach and also think about throwing his hat in the ring. That way he would get recruits ears to perk up throughout the nation!

Sorry, I keep forgetting to use the little I know Dr. Tom doesn't want to coach, but I do think that although Kiffin is a great coordinator, he is too old to start fresh and rebuild a program. IMHO. So my hire Dr. Tom reply was a sarcastic way to say we should not hire the elderly.

 

I know I know, you weren't being serious with the T.O. comment. But just because Kiffin is old (yet younger than T.O.) doesn't mean he isn't sound of mind! If him being too old is your excuse than way let T.O. who has Kiffin by a few years be the deciding factor in the most important decision for the football team in the past decade? Respect your elders, they might know a thing or 2 you don't!

[Washusker]

I believe this has been talked about on this forum before and most think he is to old and he has been quoted as saying he is very happy at Tampa and has no plans to change.

 

 

Yep. No interest in a guy who will likely retire in the next five years or so. Too old.

[California Husker]

I'm sure if T.O. wanted to coach again he would have said at the press conference that he will search for a new coach and also think about throwing his hat in the ring. That way he would get recruits ears to perk up throughout the nation!

Sorry, I keep forgetting to use the little I know Dr. Tom doesn't want to coach, but I do think that although Kiffin is a great coordinator, he is too old to start fresh and rebuild a program. IMHO. So my hire Dr. Tom reply was a sarcastic way to say we should not hire the elderly.

 

I know I know, you weren't being serious with the T.O. comment. But just because Kiffin is old (yet younger than T.O.) doesn't mean he isn't sound of mind! If him being too old is your excuse than way let T.O. who has Kiffin by a few years be the deciding factor in the most important decision for the football team in the past decade? Respect your elders, they might know a thing or 2 you don't!

Having Dr. Tom sit in an office and make decisions about a good fit for the next head coach is quite different than the grind of recruiting, spring football, and a season. I know Kiffin is coaching now, but I think he is at the end of his career. I don't see him as a guy who is ready to jump into a new challenge like rebuilding the Huskers. Remember, in the NFL all he has to do is plug a few new player a year into a well established defense. There is no recruiting involved. I know the NFL has become a year round job, but I think the college game can be more of a grind. I just think 67 is too old to start something like that. And I do respect the elderly...I am quickly becoming one of them

[BigRedWeatherman]

Good points Cali. Husker!

[CO-Husker]

Love this guy. Great coach. Two problems. 1. He is 67 years old 2. He is an NFL coach for a team that will likely make the playoffs which means he couldn't take over until at least the second week of January. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't national letter of intent day the first week of February? That would give him only about 3 weeks to recruit.

 

Should have been hired instead of Callahan - now I think its just too late.

[Roxy]

Age to me is just a number in the mind period..I don't care how old Monte Kiffin is...I think he would be a great coach...he knows defense! The Husker defense needs a makeover big time!! I hope Monte is offered the job. He knows all about the Nebraska program and wouldn't keep the media out, players etc. The man has class and brains:) Please take the job Monte if it is offered to you:) I will bake you alot of cakes if you do..cookies...you name it:)

[DaveH]

RUMORVILLE. PLEASE.

[BigRedWeatherman]

How was this post a rumor? LOL I just stated a something that was broadcast on national T.V. oh well another one bites the dust!

[Husker Deb]

besides, aren't we in Rumorville?

[SkerMin8r]

Kiffin would be my number 2 pick behind Paul Johnson. I agree he's getting up there in years but he could conceivably coach for another 7-10 years. I believe he would need to bring in someone like Turner Gill as associate HC and begin to groom him to take over. I can see his son Lane coming in at some point after "Crazy" Al is done with him...

[Hunter94]

I'm just dreaming here but maybe he'd (M.Kiffin) be head coach long enough to get everything rolling in the right direction again (say 6 years) and then have his OC Turner Gill become Head Coach!

Sound good to anyone?

 

Remember it's only a dream.......

 

 

plausible if gill comes soon as an assistant of some type. could lead to a natural succession of sorts.

[kjstrouble]

Look, if we are going to go with a guy that is that old...I know another old guy who isn't coaching anywhere right now. Dr. Tom!

 

 

And who has said his wife would leave him if he went back to full time coaching.

 

Deb and Baph - why would you think Turner Gill would give up a HC position for the posibility of an HC position in 4-6 years? He should either become the next HC or continue where he is. Give it up, the man stayed on at NU after Callahan came on to help in the transition, look how he was treated.