Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors: Could Ray Rice Leave Ravens to Join Former Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano in Tampa?

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

BaltimoreRavens.com

By Bob Evans
Senior Writer

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers convinced Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano to leave college football to coach in the NFL, and with that move could have put themselves in the running for one of the NFL’s premier running backs.

The Buccaneers’ running game struggled mightily in 2011, as LeGarrette Blount followed up his 1,000-yard rookie campaign with just 781 yards. As a team, the Bucs rushed for 1,458 yards and scored nine touchdowns. With a bevy of running backs available via free agency and the draft, you better believe Tampa Bay will be weighing their options.

The biggest option of all those players comes in the smallest package, as 5’8” Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is set to hit free agency. While many people expect the Ravens to slap the franchise tag on Rice if they cannot get a multi-year deal worked out, you cannot deny the connection between Rice and his former coach Schiano.

Schiano was the one who got Rice to switch his recruitment from Syracuse to Rutgers back in 2005 and was the man who helped mold Rice into the player that ran for 2,012 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior in 2007.

Immediately after Schiano was announced as the head coach of the Buccaneers, Rice took to twitter to offer congratulations to his former coach. Rice tweeted, “Congrats to coach @GregSchiano the Bucs are getting a great man and a great coach.” Clearly the two have maintained a relationship since Rice left early for the NFL, and it could play a big role if Rice were to want to leave Baltimore.

The Ravens are not in the business of keeping running backs for a long time, as Jamal Lewis spent six years there and Willis McGahee just four. With the 25-year-old Rice just finishing his fourth season (third as the featured back) with the Ravens, one has to wonder if the team is willing to dish out the type of money Rice is likely going to want in the offseason.

Baltimore obviously has the right to slap the franchise tag on Rice, thus rendering it nearly impossible for Tampa Bay to sign him unless they are willing to give up first and third-round draft picks in the process. However, if the Ravens put an exclusive franchise on him, they are essentially guaranteeing he will make in the neighborhood of $10 million next season.

Rice has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Ravens since taking over in 2009. He has amassed 4,377 yards and 24 touchdowns rushing for Baltimore, while adding in 2,235 yards and five touchdowns receiving. He is the epitome of a dual-threat running back in the NFL, and the Ravens would be foolish to let him go.

But if for some reason the Ravens and Rice decide to part ways, the man who rushed for nearly more yards than the entire Tampa Bay team would have to consider teaming up with his old coach first. With a superstar running back like Rice in the backfield, it could mean big things for Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers’ offense.


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