The man vested with the challenge of reinvigorating slumping quarterback Josh Freeman and the slumbering Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense breaks the task down to five words.
New offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan enumerated them methodically Wednesday afternoon at One Buc Place in his first session with the local media, laying out the traits he sees as cornerstones for the unit he will now run.
“Tough. Physical. Disciplined. Smart. And Explosive.”
It has been a whirlwind week for the longtime New York Giants offensive assistant, lured away from the Super Bowl champions in a surprise move late Friday by the Glazer family. After coaching Giants receivers under Tom Coughlin for six seasons, and spending the past two guiding star quarterback Eli Manning, Sullivan moves into his first coordinator’s job with a mix of excitement and sense of mission.
Sullivan spoke of both Wednesday in discussing how the opportunity arose last week, with the glow of the Giants’ 21-17 win over the New England Patriots still burning strong. Amid mounting frustration in their search for coordinators — marked rejections and denied requests to negotiate with assistants — the Bucs suddenly zeroed in on Sullivan to help reverse the 4-12 misery of 2011.
A former Army Ranger and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he is no stranger to discipline, and he intends to instill that as a foundation of his offense. His approach — including relying on unorthodox practice drills for his quarterbacks to escape pressure — certainly paid dividends with the Giants.
In his last season as receivers coach in 2009, New York’s receiving contingent hauled in 236 passes, highlighted by Steve Smith’s club record of 107, making him the first Giant pass-catcher to earn a Pro Bowl nod in 41 years.
His first season with Manning ended with a mixed bag: 31 touchdowns and 4,002 yards, along with the quarterback’s career high of 25 interceptions. But this season, Manning soared with 29 TDs and 16 interceptions while passing for 4,933 yards.
Sullivan’s enthusiasm was hard to miss Wednesday, and his sense of protocol unmistakable. His first move was to thank the Glazers, general manager Mark Dominik and new head coach Greg Schiano, then the Giants’ ownership of the Mara and Tisch families, head coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese for making the move to Tampa Bay possible.
Here’s a sample of what followed:
On the opportunity:
“It’s an incredible opportunity. I’m so excited, so blessed, and I also need to thank the New York Giants. … I’m extremely grateful and will forever remember that Coach Coughlin was the one who gave me the opportunity at Jacksonville. He gave me a chance to come up to New York and coach the receivers. He gave me the chance to coach the quarterback. And I’m forever going to be in debt to him and Jerry Reese for allowing me to pursue this incredible opportunity.”
On his first meeting with Schiano:
“Last Thursday when I met Coach Schiano, I was immediately taken by the man, by his passion, his conviction and the sense of commitment that I knew he had and as he’s described, the Buccaneer Way. The following day I met with some of the outstanding men he’s assembled as part of his staff. I had a chance to visit with Mark Dominik and see the vision, see the goals, see the aspirations of this great organization — I immediately knew that this was not only what I wanted to do but what I had to do. This was a great opportunity and a great challenge.”
On his conversations with Coughlin last week when the offer arose, knowing the Giants could have blocked the move:
“Coach Coughlin, of course, was initially hesitant, which made me feel very appreciative. Words can’t describe the amount of respect I have for him as a person, as a leader, as a coach. As you’d expect, he wanted to make sure that the things that had gone so smoothly, the successes we’ve had and the relationship with the quarterback would continue to go well. But I think it’s a testament to his character and his loyalty that ultimately he decided to support me and to allow this to happen. … Those were difficult conversations. There’s a great amount of loyalty I have and always will have. But at this point, he’s the opponent, and he’s trying to get his team ready to go, and I’m a Buccaneer and fired up to be here.”
On what else impressed him about Schiano:
“I’d known of him, and his reputation had been one of a man who’d instilled great discipline in his team, that he was very organized and very detailed. The sense of family and family values — those types of things that come about as you’re having dinner with somebody and getting to know them and look them in the eye and get a sense of what they’re about. … To see how he described his wife and his children and, to be quite honest with you, the difficulties that he felt he had in leaving so many special people at Rutgers. I felt very similar emotions, if you will.
"I think that looking at what he was able to accomplish and what his focus and approach is going to be, the type of commitment that he wants to make, was something that was very attractive and I was instantly drawn to.”
On the nature of the opportunity he has as Bucs offensive coordinator:
“As everybody knows, this is a quarterback-driven league. No matter how you slice it, and ultimately defenses win championships, no doubt about it, but you’ve got to have a quarterback. I think a lot of things you look at with a guy like Josh Freeman, with the skill set he possesses — the youth, the ability, the size, the strength — there’s an awful lot there, and I’m just chomping at the bit to work with him. Take that into consideration and the big picture of a veteran offensive line and some hard-running backs. … I would be misleading if I said I have a thorough scouting report and I’ve (evaluated everybody). But I’ll be honest with you, it was the attraction of having an opportunity to work with a special talent like Josh Freeman.”
On the goals he wants to instill into the offense:
“When it’s all said and done, it would be very gratifying and would mean we’re winning games and we’re doing things to help the Buccaneers work toward climbing this mountain if this offense could be described in five words.
“Tough, physical, disciplined, smart and explosive.
“And everything we’re going to do as a staff — all of the work that’s going on right now … — all roads have to lead to those five words. In terms of how we want to be known throughout the league, the product we present to the fans that they’ll be fired up about and the way our opponents will describe us at the conclusion of the game.”
