Mike Zimmer Watch: Why The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Be Taking Their Time To Name A Head Coach

The Cincinnati Bengals are facing a Floridian-assault with their coaching staff this year. Jay Gruden was courted by multiple teams -- notably the Jacksonville Jaguars -- before the Bengals signed the offensive coordinator an extension. Recent reports has Miami's newest head coach Joe Philbin targeting defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle for the Dolphins open defensive coordinator position. Mike Zimmer, once a reported favorite with the Miami Dolphins, is a candidate in Tampa Bay with lukewarm interest in Indianapolis.

From Cincinnati's perspective they can't allow Miami permission to pursue interest with Coyle, whose secondary generated 125 interceptions during his nine-year run with multiple Pro Bowl cornerbacks, while Mike Zimmer remains in limbo. Coyle remains a favorite to replace Zimmer as the team's defensive coordinator, along with former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio. But before any of that can be determined, the Bengals need to know Zimmer's future because if he and Coyle leave for promotions, the team will have to fill not one but two critical coaching vacancies.

What might be taking the Buccaneers time to sign a head coach could be Tampa Bay's ownership, according to the National Football Post's Dan Pompei.

One of the reasons the Bucs are taking so long to hire a head coach and they seem to be looking in all directions is the Glazer brothers are very involved in the process. This is really the first time they have gone through an extensive interview process to hire a head coach, and they are educating themselves as they go.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times argues that the coaching candidate should be someone that can help quarterback Josh Freeman grow -- actually Stroud uses the word "saving" him. In that respect the list of candidates dwindle to former Packers and Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman, Packers quarterback coach Tom Clements and Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Clements is also a favorite to replace Philbin, who became Miami's head coach, as Green Bay's offensive coordinator.

In my opinion the longer Zimmer is a candidate, the less likely he'll get a promotion as a head coach. It appears to us that while Zimmer may have a strong presence and a great gameplan to organize structure, owners also may appear too reluctant to give him the job due to his personality that respective front offices may fear could generate friction. It's already happened in Miami and wouldn't be too hard imagining happening with his existing candidacies.