‘The icing's already on the cake'

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The damn cake was already in the oven. It was just a matter of when it came out. All Jon had to do was put the icing on it.

This was the quote former Tampa Buccaneers All-Pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp stated when his team won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002.

Jon Gruden arrived as Tampa Bays new head coach after Tony Dungy was given his walking papers after years of stagnant offenses. The Buccaneers went on to become Super Bowl Champions with Gruden tinkering, while injecting life into an underwhelming unproductive offensive group led by veteran quarterback cast off Brad Johnson.

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One could make a great case for Gruden becoming the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. The team has the same exact Tampa 2 defense is in place with some great players, as what Dungy had built in Tampa. Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is already on staff and was Grudens defensive line coach with Monte Kiffen serving as defensive coordinator. Also note that Monte is available, as he just stepped down working as the defensive coordinator at University of Southern California.

Furthermore, Gruden has historically worked with veteran quarterbacks and could be magical with Jay Cutler. The two are along the same lines of intensity and would enjoy working the Xs and Os of football together, along with competing every Sunday.

This type of move keeps the defense intact along with some of the current coaches on staff in Chicago. There really is no reason to fire special-teams coordinator Dave Toub, Marinelli, or even quarterback coach Jeremy Bates, who was also with Gruden in Tampa.

He also has a history with the Green Bay Packers when he was cutting his teeth coming up the coaching ranks. In my experiences with Gruden, he is a football historian who loves and respects rivalries. He would also provide a dig back at Green Bay when one of their own would return to Lambeau, only to defeat the Packers as a Chicago Bear. Having Gruden as the leader in the clubhouse as the next head coach for the Chicago Bears could prove successful.

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