Darrelle Revis Ready To Move On From Greg Schiano and His Stressful, Stubborn Style

Dec 8, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) is congratulated by defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) after he made a sack against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

During the season, Greg Schiano came under fire from all angles, as stories and reports about the coach and the team would come up on a regular basis. Whether it was a former player comparing playing for Schiano to Cuba, or rumors that Darrelle Revis wasn’t happy with the schemes, there was not a shortage of negative information about the way things were being run at One Buc Place.

But a majority of the harsh comments were made anonymously, meaning some of the venom is lost. However, now that Schiano is no longer the coach of the Buccaneers, opening up on the record about the failed head coach is fair game.

Darrelle Revis did just that to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

In an interview with Stroud, Revis admitted that guys didn’t like coming into work for Schiano, and that he created a stressful environment.

• That’s one of the things you have to have, a stress-free atmosphere and environment. You’re going to get everything out of everybody if it’s stress-free and let people be who they are. I just didn’t feel he did a very good job of that.

This may be one of the biggest criticisms of Schiano, who ruled with an iron fist, and didn’t allow things to remain open and flexible. Reports of Schiano’s control of air conditioner temperatures and meal schedules prove that he prefers rigid structure. That may have worked in college, but it doesn’t translate to professionals.

This stressful, strict style showed up on the field, as well.

• I wish he would have listened to some of the players a little bit more, especially the veterans and some of the older guys. We can go down the line like Dashon Goldson, Davin Joseph, Carl Nicks, Vincent Jackson and those type of guys and listen to them. But he was the boss, and you’ve got to fall in line.

No coach should accept everything they hear from a player as gospel.

But the Buccaneers lost 12 games in 2013 not because of a lack of talent of a frustrating quarterback situation, but because the talent on the roster wasn’t used to its fullest. Warren Sapp would go on weekly rants about how poorly Gerald McCoy was being used, fans saw the interesting ways Darrelle Revis was lined up every Sunday, and the offense seemed far too outdated and predictable to get anything done, yet was still too complicated for Mike Glennon to truly grasp.

Revis now gets a chance to work with Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier, and he looks forward to the opportunity. He told Stroud that he’s heard good things about both men, and that he wouldn’t even mind playing a lot of Cover 2.

• I love to play ball, and if we’re going to run the Cover 2 scheme, I have to master the Cover 2.

It’s quite obvious that Lovie Smith is not going to line Revis up in a zone on every play, but there may be some Cover 2 looks mixed in. So yes, Darrelle Revis will play in zone in 2014.

The good thing about that? He’s the best corner in the NFL, and he can handle playing in a zone now and then.

Rex Ryan used Revis in a very aggressive fashion, and molded his defense around that tactic. Smith and Frazier come to Tampa with their own ideals on defense, and are unlikely to totally scrap them to cater to Revis exclusively. But Revis is confident he’ll be used properly.

• I feel confident in Lovie and Leslie Frazier, too. They have a lot of experience in the league with unbelievable players.

Good coaches don’t make a habit of alienating good players. Frazier and Smith have never coached a corner as good as Revis, and they will figure out how to best fit him into their schemes.