When head coach Greg Schiano was brought in to take over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January of 2012, players were quickly introduced to a style of coaching that most had never experienced.

Former head coach Raheem Morris gave his players a ton of leeway –  that ultimately backfield on him – and Schiano knew immediately things needed to change. On Friday, while speaking to the media at the NFL Combine, Schiano said he plans to loosen the reins – just a little bit.

"You have to go overboard one way or another to get that culture established, but I think at this point, our football team understands who I am and how our football program is going to be run,'' Schiano said. "I think that happened as the season went on last year, so we'll change some things for this year, some of the mandatory things, things that I don't necessarily think grown men need.''

The attention to detail was a huge culture shock to most. From "toes on the line," to sprinting to the water coolers during practice, Schiano’s rules were similar to a military boot camp. But like the military, the need to break the players down and mold them into disciplined football players was crucial in Schiano’s mind.


Tampa Bay’s second-year head said some things – like certain practice drills – will stay the same, but thinks the team has gotten the message.

I believe that's critical, especially when you're not hitting (in practice),” Schiano said. “I believe in fundamentals. But some things can change, because I think they understand what we expect now.

"And what I'm really pleased about is that our leaders will teach the new guys that. Everyone was rookies as far as our way of doing things last year, but now only our rookies will be rookies.''