Paraphrasing what Morpheus once said in The Matrix: Reloaded, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dreamed a dream, but now that dream is gone.
The dream was hiring Mike McDaniel as the replacement for Josh Grizzard at offensive coordinator, but that all went up in smoke on Tuesday. Instead of the Titans swooping in to steal McDaniel away, it was Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers who ended up winning the sweepstakes.
It's hard not to feel a little jilted by the decision, but who can blame McDaniel for chasing his experience with Tua Tagovailoa by linking up with Justin Herbert -- the guy he nearly coached in Miami had the previous regime made the right choice.
With McDaniel off the board, the Bucs are forced to look in another direction, but that might end up being a blessing in disguise.
In the immediate aftermath of McDaniel choosing the Chargers, one name that popped up was Zac Robinson. He's one of a select few candidates who interviewed in-person with the Bucs, and is widely seen as a notable target.
He shouldn't be the top option, though.
Buccaneers have an obvious offensive coordinator choice after missing on Mike McDaniel
Rather than default to Robinson, the Bucs have an opportunity to return to their roots and do what worked in the past. Amid the hubbub about McDaniel, Nate Scheelhaase's name has gotten lost but needs to be circled and underlined on Tampa Bay's list of candidates.
McDaniel, Robinson, and even guys like Joe Brady and Brian Daboll fit the mold of experienced play callers but don't check the boxes that helped the Bucs before. Neither Dave Canales nor Liam Coen were top candidates in either cycle they were hired, but both have been Top 5 hires not only for the Bucs but in the entire league this decade.
Scheelhaase is cut from that same cloth, and he'd be plucked from the same Sean McVay coaching tree as Coen.
He's the Rams pass game coordinator in a season where Matthew Stafford might win the first MVP trophy of his career. While McVay gets the lion's share of the offensive credit in Los Angeles, his staff has been ripe with guys who help contribute in meaningful ways. Coen did that, Kevin O'Connell and Zac Taylor did as well, and Mike LaFleur is a name that will pop up in coaching conversations in the next few years.
Scheelhaase is still green, but that shouldn't stop the Bucs, even if they're looking for experienced play callers. Narrowing the target like that could prevent them from being early on a guy who has head coach potential, something we saw blossom with Canales and Coen.
He also offers a fresh approach to calling an offense. From pre-snap motion, condensed formations, and personnel multiplicity, everything Scheelhaase is doing feels like what the Bucs are missing on offense. Josh Grizzard was new in name only, as he simply ran back Coen's offense without adding much to the mix. With Scheelhaase, a sprinkling of McVay's offense plus some of his own flare could be exactly the recipe to unlock the best in weapons like Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan while bringing what he did for Stafford to Tampa and Baker Mayfield.
In addition to the X's and O's, his leadership and connection with players has been praised by McVay and others in the Rams locker room, which is something the Bucs would benefit greatly from. Think about how well-liked Canales and Coen were, and you start to get an idea of why the vibes weren't what they've been in the past last season.
Scheelhaase is also just three seasons removed from being in the college game, something that shouldn't be overlooked. Coen spent a year at Kentucky between leaving McVay's staff and joining the Bucs, and it's no coincidence that his schemes were fresh and creative after having spent time absorbing things at the college level.
Beyond all of that, the Bucs already have a foot in the door with Scheelhaase. He was interviewed last season before the team ultimately promoted Grizzard, so the bridge has been built. It's a risk to wait, especially if the Rams make it to the Super Bowl, but the Bucs would be wise to walk across and finally make a connection that should have happened a year ago.