dirk cutter the 11th head coach in bucs history. good evening. welcome to a very special edition of the bucs bonus show. welcome back cutter. i like that. >> that's the only time we will be able to use that. >> the sweat hogs here with you. two more sweat hogs will join us in a little bit along with roy cummings. we will take you all the way to nbc's coverage of the nfc divisional playoff game between the cardinals and packers. >> who do you have in that game? >> you will find out later. >> deep tease. >> yesterday an apollo 11 type of day in tampa bay. one small step for the bucs organization, one giant leap for dirk cutter. he's got plenty of experience. over 34 years of it in fact spanning ten destinations. coordinator. most notably with the jaguars, falcons, and bucs last season. the college level for nine years state at boise state and ohio state. now he will take the reigns on the big stage. >> this franchise is is heading in the right direction. easy to say, harder to do. because competition in this league is the best of the best. ready for

when you think of the job that winston has not only done with dirk cutter but the job cutter did with the atlanta falcon's office. and so the grazers repleased a statement and it reads: after careful consideration we informed lovie that we have decided to make a change. i want to thank lovie for his hard work and dedication to the bucs during his time here. the decision was difficult on a variety of levels. i am disappointed that they were not more successful the past three seasons but we are committed to giving our fans the winning team they deserve. as we move forward, general manager jason licht with oversee the process for finding our next head coach. we stopped by the press box tonight to see what the fanning >> it's the second year of the contract. i mean, the guy went from 2 wins to 6 wins. really shocked t's crazy. it's unbelievable. >> lovie is a player's coach. he is a true 100% player's coach, and i will tell you right now, lovie got the raw end of the deal just like he did in chicago. >> i don't necessarily agree with that. i don't think he got the raw end of the deal. i m

dirk cutter, i'm speculating on the dirk cutter thing. but if indeed he takes over, you could see some continuity at least on the offensive side of the coaching staff. >> still, it is not one and done. two and done. that doesn't give a coach a lot of time. >> i'm trying to do my math here. we will have probably three head coaches on the payroll going going into 2016. >> that are not actually. >> there is a lot of this on social media. on wfla.com. you can chime in your comments there. follow us on twitter, dan will be all over this breaking news alert. you can download the a. it is free to download. get everything you need to know about this big decision tonight concerning the bucks. thank you dan. >>> well, there is a man hunt in polk county right now. investigators are searching for whoever is responsible for killing three people in a lakeland home. congressmannewschannel8's jamell is live. >> reporter: felix campos is in critical condition. he is holing onto night as the detecterrives search for the person or people who shot and killed

and that is dirk cutter if you heard josh in the last segment. he was the architect of not only the improved bucs offense but struck up a wonderful operation. i asked roy cummings at one buc place today about winston's why losing cutter could be huge. >> when he says that he absolutely like what is these coaches do for him and how they challenge him, he is being honest. i think that relationship is very strong. it's a good bond. obviously you saw success with the offense with winston and cutter. it could be devastating but at the same time dirk cutter is not the only good offensive coordinator out there. he is the best the bucs ever had. that is why i think people are passionate to have him back. this is not about keeping dirk cutter in the fold. that ultimately may be what happens. but if they lose him, i think they are confident they can find a good offensive coordinator. >> all right. dirk cutter by the way was a head coach twice both times in the college ranks but he's led the offense on three different nfl teams and enjoyed success each time

a lot of concerns were soothed today with the hiring of head coach dirk cutter. the general manager made it official just after 2:00 this afternoon, welcoming the 11th head coach in buccaneers franchise history. cutter was emotional today, a lot of family members on hand to see this historic moment. he thanked his family and every player and coach he's worked with in his 34-year journey. then he addressed the buccaneer fan base, assuring them he's the man for the job. >> this franchise is headed in the right direction. easy to say, harder to do, because competition in this league is the best of the best every week. every week. i'm fully aware of that, ready for the responsibility, ready for the challenge. it's going to be a heck of a journey but we've got some great guys with us along the way and can't wait to roll them up and get started. >> coach cutter said as soon as he heard the news, the first call he made was the quarterback jameis winston, both of them very happy. hear more from his family and other members of the organization on later editions of newschan

dirk cutter is definitely one of those. he's a strong candidate. we had a chance to work with him one on one last year. >> teams want the architect behind the bucks ark tech in 2016. and for winston himself, high expectation in year two of his career may depend on the coach he praises as one of the best. >> i think any coordinator, quarterback coach, in that role that's an important bond, that's a strong bond they need to have. that was present, but we'll make the best decision for this football team. for the future. >> reporter: by the way, lovey smith's game has already popped up on the rumor radar of other nfl openings. that later in sports, and if cutter does win the offensive job, there's a lot of thing that is he has to face. it just makes the most sense right now. they're going to do a thorough search. we'll see what happens. >> you have to give it this time to breathe and go interview some other people and cutter is doing his interviews in miami or wherever he's going. i'm curious of what james winston is saying about all of this. >> i aske

. >> there's a lot of interest in dirk cutter. the clock. teams want the architect behind the bucks turn around in 2015 and for winston himself, high expectations in year two of his career may depend aopb -- depend on the coach he praises >> i think any quarterback and coach there's a strong bond they have to have, but we will make that change for this team. for its future. >> >> there was a story reported jen that smith was fired over the phone by buck's ownership wednesday night. turns out that report was true only it was smith on the phone who declined a meeting that was scheduled for today when he learned he was going to be fired. so the phone thing is true but lovie smith is out today as the buck's head coach. >> there will be much more coming in the days ahead because this will probably unfold more quickly. >> seven openings, seven coaching openings in the nfl. a lot of names being thrown around. it's all speculation. dirk cutter is coveted by at least four teams, five if you count the bucks. about this decision that's because fans hav

. >> and the reports say dirk cutter will be the new head coach of the tampa bay buccaneers. let's check in with our 10 sports director. >> reporter: although three dirk cutter was really the only guy seriously considered. he will be the 11th bucs' head coach in franchise history. they're finalizing details of the contract, although there has been no official word yet. after going through the 2014 season without an o. c., dirk cutter came on board in 2015 and immediately established a rapport with the rookie quarterback jameis winston. in fact, three rookies started the season on offense, yet they set a franchise record for total yards. >> you look for a guy that is very authentic, and honest, and can tell you the truth, not sometimes necessarily what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. >> that was jason light a week ago when announcing who he was looking for. so now only did he lead winston, but it rejuvenated doug martin's career. he was second in the league in rushing. coming up in sports, will he have some damage control to deal with with players? how did he get

. >> press conference marked the start of an over 3 decade career for dirk cutter. he turned a gun slinging type into a man over come with emotion which surprised everyone including his >> this is the new head coach of the tampa bay bucs dirk cutter. >> dirk cutter has been coaching football for 34 years but nothing could prepare him for the emotions as being introduced as the head coach of the tampa bay buccaneers. >> it's emotional on a day like this. it's one of the happiest days of my life but one of the most humbling. >> i was surprised that he was emotional. i don't see him like that ever really. i can think of like one other time. so that caught me by surprise and made me emotional. >> a lot of years there's been a lot of speculation, a lot of chances and then here you are. this is it. it happened. >> i've got to thank my parents, jim and barb in idaho. i know they're probably watching right now. man, if you only knew the things that they instilled in me along the way that led up to today. everything he does, he's the best guy . the way people talk about him

nfl coaching carusel is still spinning but it appears the bucks have selected their next horsie. dirk cutter as their next coach. adam schefter as well as every local beat writer. seems like it's just a matter of minutes or hours before the buccaneers make it official. cutter who was the buck's offensive coordinator led tampa bay to the largest ever season yardage total and has been the favorite since the day lovie smith was dismissed. the dominoes began falling since chip kelly who was fired in late december was named head coach of the san francisco 49ers. the 49ers were the only known team with a head coaching vacancy to interview cutter. the eagles later announced they'd be naming former chief coordinator peterson as their next head coach. meaning the tennessee titans are now the only nfl team still searching for a coach. light will have to go back to work to look for a coordinator. robinson who's from union city tennessee spent the last two seasons with the bucks organizization. so not necessarily a surprise to anyone who has ties with the bucks, but this cutter deal now that it's offici

the favorite is dirk cutter. we talked to rick stroud of the tampa bay times about the timeing for the hiring. >> i have seen these things last as long as 36 day when is they hired jon gruder and as short as one day when they hired raheem morris. within a week or so, you'll probably have a new head coach. >> last question, would you be surprised if they have not reached out to dirk cutter within a week of lovie being fired. i was surprised by that decision. you have to understand whether cutter wants to be the head coach. you imagine he would but you want to have a feel for him and his thoughts about places like miami where mike tank en balm is, who was his former agents. it may be difficult to lose bother dirk cutter and lovie smith within one year. i think they do have an idea. >> what does this mean for the current bucs? possibly a scheme change, maybe not on offense but on the defense. that means that players cannot spend the offseason perfecting their craft. >> what happens is you change a system so what you

he is referring to offensive coordinator dirk cutter. apparently cutter, in his opinion, has been the man from the very beginning. lovie smith finished the season 6-10. they go decide to move forward. dirk cutter may be the guy. an experienced coach for nine years on the collegiate level. offensive coordinator for nine years. he's been interviewed by the browns, chief, and eagles in 2013. a lot of teams this year are very interested in dirk cutter, including the philadelphia eagles. cutter will be the guy. there's a news conference, i don't{!"*jjz thald be announced but it's going toab more like what's going to be happening in the next couple of weeks. but clearly dirk cutter will be on the top of the list. >> ryan: a lot of players will need be to smoothed over because they're not happy with the news. >> ryan: let's check in with jayme king. they have gray skies there as well. >> jayme: everyone across the central peninsula from orlando to the brevard beaches and tampa and north of that point, gray skies and misting. look the a the nati

we are talking about offensive coordinator dirk cutter. the team's gm said they fired head coach lovie smith. they hope cutting brings to the franchise a focus on how the team can move forward. as a bucs fan this is probably a frustrating time for you. this will make the fifth coach since 2008. bucs are still paying a large price for lovie smith for the remainder of his contract. the franchise is moving forward. they believe cutter's relationship with jameis winston and the offense will make him the right guy for the job. >> i don't need a piece of paper to tell me something my eyes can see. >> cutter seems to have the someone who doesn't hold back and will keep players accountable. dirk cutters daughter sent out this tweet. the bucs set to make this announcement today. we understand they have scheduled a news conference at one buck place at 2:00. once we find out more information we'll have updates on our app and wtsp.com. >>> it seems like over the last few years there have be a lot of coaches. morris was 2009 to 2011. greg from 2012 to

dirk cutter he coordinated the best offense in the history. this time though they did. cutter is was the 11th coach in franchise history, he hopes he is not the 99th with the losing record when he leaves, at 56 years old he is a coaching liver and teacher, offensive coordinator in the nfl, dirk what about your offense as well. >> i will continue to be the play caller for the bucks l is a lot of hard work that goes into football, one of my favorite parts of football is the strategy and game management part, i think i would be foolish to give that up. >> so that make essence, cutter improved from 30th in the league to 5th. his role as head coach will affect how much time he spends with winston. >> you can spend as much time >> i am going to to rebudget my time, i am always going to have a great relationship with winston, looking forward to have a relationship with david, and alexander, that is what a head coach has to do. is he getting back to tell it like it is, i can't tell you how important it is in this building, arm the building if you go and ask dirk what do you thin

tom coin takes a look at what dirk cutter's promotion now means to the team. >>> good morning. i think we're all getting a little antsy waiting for the buccaneers to name the new head coach and they made their decision and as expected, dirk carter will be promoted. dirk's daughter tweeted out last night that it was at first time that a family meeting was called that did not involve moving. the day after lovie smith was fired, the list would be few. cutter was the odds on favorite to be promoted. >> i think any coordinator or coach in that role with a quarterback, particularly jamison, that is an important bond that is a strong bond that they need to have. and that was present. he's put a good resume in front of him this year. he is the best offense we have had here in tampa bay. these a great communicator. >> and we expect a formal news conference today, he'll also fill another position, his gm of the personnel. >>> a big night tonight at amelie i can't arena. the bolts will host the penguins. one of the few teams that they are battling it out for in a playoff spot this is a sl

the bucks are finalizing a deal to promote offensive coordinator dirk cutter. late last night, rumors surfaced that cutter was making plans to put together his coaching staff. >>> a school in oklahoma has figured out a way to preserve chalkboards complete with drawings that date back to the 1800s. the school in oklahoma city uncovered the chalkboards during renovation. long ago the school had simply covered them up complete with drawings, maps, a calendar other lessons. now the chalkboards are covered in plexi glass and sealed air tight. some will be on display others will once again be hidden to be rediscovered some day in the future. >>> remember the snake smuggler from portland who smuggled a snake in his pants. the snake that endured being shoved into a guy's you know what region. the snake doing just fine. he has a feeling that the guy who returned the snake is a friend of the thief. but for now, no arrests has been made. >>> good to know that one turned out all right. >> oh, yeah. okay. >> the snake is okay. that's the most important part. >> a few rain d

dirk cutter is definitely one of those. he'll be a strong candidate. had a chance to work with him day-to-day over the last year, and i like dirk. even if cutter ends up running the show, there will be change. new assistant coaches, new players, former buccaneer who joined us for thursday's broadcast of light's press conference said players better buy in no matter who gets hired. >> when your one coach leaves, we love lovey. they're being real. when the next guy comes into the locker room, you better smile and embrace whatever he brings. it doesn't matter if you agree with it. >> some sound advice. >> yeah. happy buccs news tonight? tony dungee finalist for the pro football hall of fame. it will be announced on the eve of the super bowl. let's get one of them in. that is fun. >> we ended on a good note. thank you for that. >>> we'll be back with your winning lottery numbers. yeah, that's right. deal diva coming through. you see all my bogos, my weekly ad. just wait till you see my savings. and brace yourself. the digital coupons are coming next. look at

there's one internal manager, dirk cutter. the box offensive coordinator. cutter became a star this year around the nfl for the way he handled the development of rookie jameson winston and helped turn around the bucks defense. the price for that is fear that cutter will be let go soon. there's three other teams that have expressed interest so if the bucks are going to make that move, they better be quick. matt ryan praises him so i think it would be necessary to keep him here if it weren't for jameson winston. position is a lot more than the general manager. >> think john grudden, he called plays, handled the offense. all cutter would have to do is keep things in place on the offense. redo the defense. let the coordinator run things. that might bring this team all together next year. >> the bucks see something in him as do the other teams. >> many other teams, yes. >> you called it last night. so the speculation begins, thank you mike. >>> well the firing of lovey has taken over social media. and many athletes reacting. >> and after some of the reaction, ca

dirk cutter's first task as buccaneers head coach is hiring a new coaching staff. cutter hired todd munkin as the new offensive coordinator. he spent the last three years at southern miss. the golden eagles went 9-5 this past season into a bowl game. dirk cutter said in a press he will still call the plays on offense no matter who he hires as coordinator. >>> the big game is set. super bow 50 is now set. panthers pounded the cardinals in the nfc championship. cam newton will try to become the third quarterback ever to win a college national title and a super bowl. >>> lightning had the day off yesterday after saturday night's loss to the panthers. sports net out of canada reported that the lightning allegedly offered an eight year, $68 million extension to the lightning captain in the last few weeks. he has declined to comment on the report. would earn $8.5 million a year. stammer will become an unrestricted free agent on july 1st. >>> women's college hoops, jose fernandez's ladies playing without alicia jenkins yesterday. she's out with an ankle injury. courtney w

and an in-house candidate, dirk cutter, the name that surfaced immediately after the announcement that smith had been fired. out there. it's like a rocher. >> just showed from the interest that we've received that people want to come to >> reporter: bucks general manager jason leit says the search is underway to replace levy smith. of the number of coaches up for grabs, dirk cutter, already rising to the top. >> i haven't talked to any outside candidates yet. >> reporter: tony dungy talked to me via facetime about the process and the firing. >> i thought they were on the right track. >> reporter: dungy now a sports analyst coached the bucks from 1996 to 2001. he told me the process boils down to speed versus quality. >> the best thing to do is take your time, don't worry about how fast it goes and make sure you get the right person to really go along with the vision. >> reporter: so who will it be? an online search will give you every scenario known to man. every sports analyst on earth has an opinion. possibilities i found. lions defensive coordinator teryl austin, mike shanahan, josh

the bucks coaching search added offensive coordinator dirk cutter, the perceived leader in the clubhouse for the bucks job has interviewed with the san francisco 49ers. now, the niners reportedly have a favorite. and bengals offensive coordinator hugh jackson. but cutter picks up a little leverage in his status with the bucks. you can scratch one team and one head coach candidate. the dolphins have hired adam gase to be their next head coach. it was reported miami wanted to interview dirk. so there is one threat out of the way. while the job interviews take place, the real show begins. the nfl playoffs kickoff today with wild card weekend. four games including a third meeting between division rivals tonight. yes. the steelers travel to cincinnati where they beat the bengals less than a month ago. bengals quarterback andy dalton ben has seen enough post season games in his career to know none of those story lines matter. >> it is the post season. so everything feels a little different. but i guess you are playing out of a divisional opponent for the thinker time. a rubber match. whatever

. >> reporter: jason light did say current offensive coordinator dirk cutter is a strong candidate to become the next head coach. he seems a natural fit after coming up tonight at 6:00, we will have much more on the coaching search and why they're not the only team interested in dirk cutter's service. john sabol, abc action news. >> thank you, john. >>> a brief rebound on wall street collapsed this afternoon and the great sell-off of 2016 continues through the closing billion. the dow plunging nearly 400 points in trading today. the nasdaq also down 146 and change. continuing wall street's worst start to the new year since 2008. >>> the downward spiral on wall street triggered about i a nose dive in china's stock market. triggering an automatic shutoff after just 30 minutes. now, that automatic shutoff mechanism in china triggering for the second time this week. in hopes of easing concern in the country and preventing stocks from sliding even further. but some argue the shutdown is causing more concern among some sales until the market reopens tomorrow. >>> but, you know, she did wron

miami has shown interest in dirk cutter now they are out of the competition but this just in late this afternoon. cutter is interviewing with the 49ers today in tampa. that according to the sacramento newspaper. bucs have not confirmed this as of yet. cutter isn't locked up yet for the bucs. still five other teams that need head coaches it's looking like the detroit lions might be shopping as well. new general manager could mean that jim caldwell will be out of work. jason light is conducting his second due today with carolina defensive coordinator sean mcdermott but everything i'm hearing is that the bucs still want cutter. also today the bucs denied permission to the san diego chargers to talk with defensive line coach joe can you tellin. a decision from one buc place could come at any time. i asked sean xing if he believes lovie smith was fired solely to keep cutter >> we'll find out if cutter becomes the new head coach then it was driven by dirk cutter and their fear of losing them. i think dirk cutter is a -- when the coordinator becomes the head coach it's generally the second ti

he was supposedly the top candidate for the sow san francisco 49ers job right ahead of dirk cutter. is he assembling a staff to head out west? that is not a farfetched scenario. great stuff in the nfl world tonight. all right, far from the world of coaching drama, potential future stars for the rays are development program including workouts at tropicana field. with football being the theme of the day, it is only fitting that they are laid out for the east west shrine game. among the football wannabe prospects, garrett whitley gearing up for his first spring training next month. >> i think it is to see where we are. i think for me especially, i'm valuing this situation as like i said a time where i can make sure i'm going what i'm doing before i actually get to spring training where all the hard work is done. >> and a couple of basketball games tonight. florida state was up at nc state, devin booker there with a nice three. they took an early lead. and they managed to hold on. boris. watch this ally-oop. their first conference win of the season. they got over the hump. usf women wer

the bucs also officially coming up for competition with dirk cutter. paying the bucs oc a call. what it (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. on car insurance, you switch to geico. r it's what you do. where are you?r it's very loud there. are you taking at 3 3 if the bucs are going to hire dirk koetter to replace lovie smith... they $. >> well, if the bucs are going to hire dirk cutter to replace lovey smith they better do it fast. once a team falls in love with a coach they usually act prey quickly like miami did when they named adam gace the 12th head coach in franchise history. hugh jackson set up for tomorrow, viewed as the front runner so that will factor in. so the bucs don't have cutter there are still five other teams that need head coach. met with carolina defensive coordinate ire sean mcdermott in charlotte. the bucs also denied permission today to the chargers to ta

and if there is someone that i think could take over this franchise it is dirk cutter. if you look at doug martin and charles simms, both of those running backs were the best combination in the league and he discuss it all with two rookies in the offensive line. plus as i reported to you earlier this week, dirg dirk cutter was in the rumor mill for the philadelphia eagles job, and you have to look at also what he has done with philadelphia and matt ryan. his name has been swirls around head coaching position and it would not surprise me at all to >> he was at boise state and he has been there done that at the college level. >> and we are seeing tweets from players that are not happy about this, lavonte david saying that lovie was a great coach and great person, and i guess we'll see reaction coming in all night and tomorrow. >> that is a good point because everybody loves him, do they not? >> that is true, it's not as if he lost the team, because lost his ability to coach in the nfl. he was a year out of the game and joked that he spent the year in his basement watching

. >>> if you do the math it may add up that the bugs are leaning towards promoting dirk cutter to be there next head coach. the general manager said he is yet to arrange an interview. keep this in mind, smith was can for his defensive deficiency . if mcdermott became the bucs head coach, light could still them away and keep cutter in his current role. >> when you are hiring a head coach you are deciding your future. it is who you are going to be married to, when her lose. i don't know if that is going to be dirk. i think the bugs have to think about the possibility they will be able to go out and get the coach they want and still have dirk doing offensive coordinating. >> wild card playoff showdown, washington scoring the first points of the game. score, 17 - 11 at the break. in minneapolis, feeling like the temperature was -6 a gametime. third quarter, blair walsh, his third field goal of the game,. as the driven snow. seattle will come back 10 -9.and take the lead take another look. the vikings go down 10 - 9. they will face the vikings in it was shaping up to be usf's best shot to

@dirk cutter with going to be @tameed the tampa bay bucs head @coach. @the titans are the last one @remaining. @how about this deal? @ohio state extended their deal @with nike for another 15 years @to supply uniform, $252 @million. @cleveland state at rice state @tonight. @andre led with 14 points in the @game but they lose 70-53. @they've lost five in a row. @they're 5-13 on the year. @tough year for gary waters. @>> >: we'll be right back. @we're going to take you to this @year's annual boat show, and a @look at the impact it has on @>> why parents are spending @more time on facebook than the @kids. @ @>>> help the brother out. @i appreciate that. @we'll see you tomorrow. @see you friday. @>> thanks for watching channel @3 news. @take was you.

could the glaciers be looking at elevating offensive coordinator dirk cutter. greg and i contemplated that if you wanted continuity for a new quarterback in jameis winston, dirk would give that you even in a coaching change. he's been a head coach before, only at the college level. not necessarily the same success but no, he's probably been the best thing they had going for them this season. you think about jameis winston for 4,000 yards and martin second in the nfl in rushing. they've done that with the new offensive line under the offensive coordinator. >> of course dirk will have to hire himself the very well qualified defensive coordinator. we'll have more clarity on the why and what next when we speak with the general manager later this afternoon. that's your morning sports update. enjoy your day. >>> a semi burst into flames on a massachusetts highway. coming up, an update on the injuries and what the driver says happened right before this fire. >> janet jackson is responding what she says she's really dealing with and when she'll continue her scheduled >>

phe's refers to dirk cutter. pcoach lovie was the truth. pcoach lovie drafted alexander pwho, by the way, is a great plinebacker in the nfl, expected pto have a career in the nfl as pwell. plovie finished his second season pwith the buccaneers 6-10. pthe team showed improvements but pbuccaneer ownership felt it pwasn't enough. pa familiar face could take this pjob as the head coach of the ptampa bay buck nears and that's poffensive coordinator dirk pcutter. phead coach. pin 2013 he was actually pinterviewed by the cleveland pbrowns, kansas city chiefs and hiladelphia eagles. plovie smith talked about pcutter's prospects as a head pcoach in the nfl shortly after pthis season. plisten in. p>> dirk will be here to continue pthe growth we had. pthat's just a base part of it. pfootball team out there looking pfor a good football coach, look pat cutter, too. pso again, that's just part of eople seeing you have success. p>>reporter: and dirk had psuccess, bringing in jameis pwinston and putting him right ptop 15 quarterbacks in the nfl. pin fact,

pwho that's going to be, i'm psaying it's dirk cutter. pthat's the direction the bucs pwill be turning to. pfirst they have to satisfy the prule by interviewing an pafrican-american coach but pultimately, they will land on pcutter. phe's going to be the next head pcoach. pcutter really has a terrific prelationship with jameis winston pand that's the one player, and peveryone knows, that everyone pcenters around. pcutter was a head coach at boise pstate and arizona state before pmoving into the nfl as an poffensive coordinator with pjacksonville, atlanta and coming pto the bucs in 2014. pjust a couple of weeks ago, pcutter was asked if he's pinterested in becoming a head pcoach in the nfl. p>> can you imagine if i had to panswer all the questions of the phead coach, how pissed off i pcall out the media in phoenix pand ask them. pi was fortunate enough to be phead coach for nine years in two pdifferent schools and high pschool coach at one time in my plife. pthat was fun. pi have a great job. pi have the greatest job in the pworld. pi love

dirk cutter was interviewed by the 49ers. jason light conducted his second interview. met with sean mcdermott in charlotte. everything is pointing to cutter being the bucs top choice. defensive line comb joe cullen was denied the right to talk. lloyd and haley. have. that's going to do it for the fox 13 11:00 news. >> have a great night. realtime closed captioning provided by u.s. captioning company realtime closed captioning provided by u.s. captioning company during this extended visit from your extended family, all you want is a peaceful moment to stream your show. and you need enough bandwidth to share with a full house of hungry users. lightning internet from bright house networks. and now connect to... premier tv, 15 megabit internet and hd-dvr service... only $92 a month

.>> reporter: that sounds like dirk cutter. cutter is a strong candidate to become head coach after his success in developing jamison winston -- jame's winston.>> he put a good resume in front of us this year. coaches out there.>> reporter: what if 18 steals him away? why should a coach come to the bay after all the recent coaching turnover? >> ownership is not afraid to spend money. a franchise quarterback is a strong asset have not one many teams have.>> reporter: the 49ers and dauphin's are officially interested in cutters services. he is still recovering from hip surgery and has not officially spoken with them yet. john sabol, abc action sports. >> we would be naove to think that the interest in cutter did not have an impact on cutter. it's not cutters fall. the players should not hold what happened to lovie against him. this was a glazier decision. if cutter comes the head coach, my only concern as a player is in as the defensive coordinator. >>> we have continuing coverage on our top stories on our website.>> have a good

just like dirk cutter the other day, the a train is lobbying back doug martin after his magical 2015 season. >> you have to keep the chemistry together. obviously, buffalo and the eagles are learning a little bit right now right. with all the whole thing of swapping bags and stuff. it doesn't need to be fixed don't fix it. >> good advice. >> five straight wins and as the nhl games begin tonight. the lightning find themselves in third place in the atlantic division but the margin for error remains minimal. have to keep on winning. >> it's just, natural geographic rivalry if we ever i think you would really see something build. i think it's good for hockey and good for everything down here in the state of florida. and for both our teams to be doing well. >> and usf women's basketball continues to climb up the basketball rankings. the bulls are 15 in this week's ap polls. and courtney wins the american conference player of the week for the second time this season. they just keep on winning games. keep on climbing the rankings and it's fun to watch. >> go bulls. >>> final check on the we

bucks fans have their eye on offensive coordinator dirk cutter and what the architect holds for him. office has landed an interview with the tennessee titans for their general manager job. his name is john robinson. she the man on the left of your screen next to jason light. he is the bucks director of player personnel. he keeps a watch on available players and the master plan for the bucks nfl draft. of this season, robinson helped discover with an nfl.com survey called the top rookie class in the nfl. jameis winston was no drainer but donovan smith paid off. the bucks enter this off season with major needs on defense and they have to fix it through free agency as well as a less predictable draft. robinson has earned the right to run his own front office, but the bucks could sure use his services for at least another year. well, at the end of the month, the nhl all-star game will stage a four-team three on three tournament to cash in on overtime format. and two lightning players will take part. congratulations to a well deserved goal tender ben bishop. he is joined by the captain of

and this reunion between smith and buck's head coach dirk cutter will be official. >>> the profootball riders rookie team this afternoon. quarterback jameson winston certainly made that list. but how cool was this. three more bucks rookies make this team including quan alexander and donovan smith. you think they drafted well last year. >> jaime bird hopes he can show the talent this year. three interceptions in his senior season at usf. but byrd feels he has to perform well because he's not as big as your typical nfl back. >> i play with a chip on my shoulder every time i play because i'm not the biggest guy out here. i have to play with that chip everywhere i go. that's going to put me to put extra stuff out here. to get them to love me not just like me. all the shiny new seats are in. that's the entire project which is part of the massive three year renovation. comfy seat too. finishes one month before this year's daytona 500. they widen the seats. they widen them so they're more comfortable. they gave up a little capacity. it's only 101,000. >> is that all, of your closest friends.

of the number of coaches, dirk cutter already rising to the top. >> i haven't talked to any outside candidates yet. we have a plan. >> reporter: former head coach tony dungy talked to me about the search process and about smith's firing. >> i thought they were on the right track. >> reporter: dungy now a sports analyst coached the bucks from 1996 to 2001. he told me the process boils down to speed versus quality. let the games begin. >>> the rays looking to hillsboro county for a possible new stadium site. whether the team leaves or stase, st. pete is living on a gold mine named tropicana field. >> reporter: where will the rays end up? a proposal put forward by st. petersburg's mayor allows them to look for sites around tampa bay. the team must inform the city of how it will evaluate potential sites. that evaluation must be a minimum of six months to allow the city to make its case that the rays should stay put. >> the site they're on provides the best opportunities of any other site in our two counties. >> reporter: developing the trop will provide the city with a boatload of cash. that could

chip kelly, mike shanahan, and dirk cutter. the bucks offensive coordinator had a good interview over the weekend and is reportedly a finalist for the 49ers job. they are celebrating the rams today in los angeles. but in saint louis? not so much. angry fans echoed their mayor when discussing the city's effort to keep the rams. in fact, the mayor directly contradicts rams owner in his claims he could not get a new stadium built in saint louis. >> the nfl ignored the facts. saint louis fans. they ignored a viable plan for a new stadium. and they ignored a strong market which demonstrated beyond a doubt that it can, and did, support an nfl team. >> in less than six weeks, the rays pitchers and catchers report to spring training in port port charlotte. baseball season will be underway. the rays are holding their annual winter development program. you may not know all the names now, but some of your household rays players web through this camp. this is a program designed to teach major league life on and off the field. >> you perfor

they hired dirk cutter. he was thought to be the leading candidate for the job. each pro soccer team fix the player of the future. berry. he will be the first ucf player hershey' s miniatures. we pour ' em! we pass ' em! em! delicious fun for everyone. hershey' s miniatures are jason: we are working on new stories for our 5:00 hour. jazmin: astronauts are preparing to go for a walk outside the international space station. we will tell you what they will be fixing. three people have been arrested in connection to a deadly terror attack in indonesia. the new details on the investigation. then, a travel alert for pregnant women. the virus the cdc is warning about this morning. and the orlando pride will get some new team members today. we' ll preview the soccer league' s college draft, next on wesh 2 news sunrise. jason: that is very exciting. let' s turn back to the forecast. we are going to be watching for the potential there could be heavy storms. on. you will want to send the kids with the rain gear and the umbrellas. storms will be developing, they will be scat

finally an interview with dirk cutter. . it has officially taken place. that makes three interviews by the bucks for their head coach opening. that's not many considering the eagles interviewed five candidates and wrapped up that process without the cutter interview. he was on the original list of eagles candidates. we don't know if that took place or not. i mentioned the nfl owners meetings. the next 24 hours critical for the rams, chargers and the owners will listen and vote on proposals to move at least one of these franchises to los angeles as early as this year. it is an ugly situation. if you stayed up for the end of the alabama clemson game last night it was beautiful. what a classic we got to watch for the national championship. the key moment in the fourth quarter, an on side kick with the game tied at 24. the crimson tide right there converted. scored immediately on their way to a 45-40 win. it's bama's fourth national title in seven years. >>> the lightning finish up their western road trip tonight in colorado. and a win would be huge on the he

>> well, folks, buccaneers gm jason lithe said that the firing had to do with lack of wins not dirk cutter's sudden popularity looking for head coaches. that's a half truth. the popularity had a lot to do with it and his friendship with the quarterback. the quality that lithe is looking for in the new head coach fits cutter to a t. >> reporter: what a difference two years make. >> it was obvious he was the right man at the right time for the tampa bay buccaneers. >> reporter: fast forward exactly inform years after brian glacier introduced lovie smith, his brother joel fired him late wednesday night. lovie is the fourth bucs head coach in the last eightaers to be canned. for the glacier family, the reason was simple. >> when you have eight wins in two years, three home wins in two years, i think they have been patient enough. >> reporter: unlike two years ago, gm jason lithe will be in charge of the search for the he has never hired a head coach in his career. this is what he is looking for. >> you look for a guy who is very authentic, honest, will tell you the truth, not sometimes -- doesn'

dirk cutter is the name, and heel be at the helm next season. he was previously the bucks' offensive coordinator. >> he got pretty emotional over the new job. dan lucas and is paul ryan have team coverage. >> reporter: he mentioned his parents in idaho probably watching on the website. [ laughter ] >> reporter: one thing about this hire, those who are in favor of dirk koetter taking over on this team, it's very conferring to see a guy who's you're not thinking much change at all. but he does have some work to do. >> reporter: it was the most efficient offensive season in the history of the tampa bay buccaneers. and he said as soon as he got the job, the first guy he called was jameis winston. and they were both happy about this hire. dirk an offensive genius. but he does have to reassemble a defensive staff. smith and frasier being gone, there's a lot of gaps. he talked about that today, and broke the news to us that he had already made a hire at defensive coordinator. >> the majority of the offensive staff will be returning. there will be some

coaching candidates they like and we're going to find out pretty quick how enamored they are with dirk cutter, we're hearing mike shanahan could be the guy and cutter is the top candidate for the bucs' job. and also hearing that cutter is assembling a staff just in case he gets the 49ers or buccaneers job. and like i said, it's been very quiet over there. which could signal the calm before the storm. so so far though no white smoke coming from the one buc chimney. and that is your morning sports update. enjoy your day. >> it is 4:51. >>> coming up at 5:00, big developments in the oregon standoff. the county official who those protesters. >> but first, madonna collapses on stage. the emotional tribute she gave the oscar nominations come out this morning. watch it live at 8:30 and also be streaming it live on the mobile app. >>> a musicians and stars around the world are paying tribute today to david bowie from died monday from liver cancer and madonna is among them. >> her tribute is going viral after she got so emotional during her concert in houston she collapsed. you can see a picture there

coming up, more on dirk cutter. >> plus the bolts are are back in town. can they ride the lightning from their west coast trip? in this line of work only the freshest ingredients make the cut it's important to me to know every dish i serve is the best it can be. especially for this food critic. publix bakery scratch made bread we bake it in store every day with pride so you can serve it with some publix. where shopping >>> you ever lose something, search tirelessly for it, and that was the bu ccs coaching search in a nutshell. smith's replacement already had an office and it said offensive coordinator cutter to the door. he's expected to be officially introduced as the 11th head coach in franchise history tomorrow. the last domino fell this afternoon when san francisco hired chip kelly. the 49ers were the only other team to interview cutter. this would be his first head coaching gig in nfl. he did hold that position for a 9-year period of time at the college level. he's worked as an oc in eight different places. he helped matt ryan post franchise season r

light confirmed that dirk cutter is a strong candidate for the job. jameis winston has often credited this man with his success this season. other nfl teams with head coaching vacancies like the eagles and 9ers have expressed interest in him. light said cutter had no bearing on his firing. tackle donovan smith tweeted, "shocked." wright and brandon meyers was not a shock tweeting "dirk has been the man since he walked in >> david tweeting, quote, "this is stupid. we can't even have a consistent coach. three coaches in five years." david has taken the tweets down. but he's right. >> he's not wrong. >> right. >> that's for sure. >> thank you, jayme. we'll be right back. >> actually, we want to take a look at breaking news right now. we have a car fire on the 417 at the moment. we're currently trying to get more information on this for you. you can see our shot is glitchy there. crews have just arrived on scene. it looks like you can see on the left shoulder there, there are some lights flashing. yeah, that's right. deal diva coming through. you see all

. >> and the bucs finally had their interview with the dirk cutter for their head coach position, cutter is the leading candidate on a list that has three confirmed names, and no hint that more interviews will take place, and we're reaching a week where the team fired lovie smith. >>> the lightning had a wonderful tournament to close out the -- opportunity to close out their -- they are in colorado, as we speak, victor had been there as a shot and assist. it is now 1-0. in the second period, watch this pass, right, right there. to stamkos. and -- he scored twice in the period. bulls are still looking for their first conference win of the season. the green wave pulls away. 81-70 is your final. usf now 0-5 in the american, but we have the women's team in the top 20, so good for them. l.a. rams are in l.a., the chargers have to die if they want to be in -- decide if they want to be in l.a. >> i need to read more about it. >> connect all the dots. >> we still have the bucs. wow, you changed my old bedroom. with a little help from a havertys designer. he helped us, uh...reinvent the whole spa

in the sports zone, tampa bay introduces dirk cutter as their new head football coach. he has been promoted from his role as offensive coordinator to replace lovie smith. gig. he helped tampa bay improve from the league's 30th overall season. and since we're talking football, the seattle seahawks will take on the carolina cn panthers in the nfc division playoffs on sunday. the game starts at one p.m. and you can watch it right here on and the ucf knights will host east carolina saturday afternoon on national television. ucf has a chance to both sweep the pirates and move near the top of the conference standings. fox 35's adam shadoff was at the practice today and has the story. >> they say it's tough to beat the same team twice in one season, but if you want to win your conference you've got to get it done. ucf has a chance to take down ecu for the second time in a 2-week stretch. >> we were fortunate enough to be able to rally down the stretch against them. we know it's a tough task, it's a different game, the adjustments you gotta make, we know it will be a new challe

the bucs, mark dominick saying on-line overnight he thinks the bucs' own offensive coordinator dirk cutter is actually the lead candidate for the job. if the bucs do decide to hire from outside the organization they will have a lot of competition. take a look at the list of open positions in the nfl. six teams including some pretty big names fired in the offseason including tom coughlin of the giants and chip kelly of the eagles. we also spoke to the lead bucs' bay times" also surprised by the decision. you'll hear from him in the next half-hour. >>> we'll be there when the bucs' general manager talks about the firing, 2:00 this afternoon. watch the live stream really from anywhere. go to the web site on abcactionnews.com or open up our free mobile app from your smartphone. >>> 5:35. developing this morning, investigators are working to identify the gunman behind a triple murder in lakeland. >> deputies found the bodies just about 24 hours ago in a home off east magnolia drive. a fourth victim survived the attack. abc action news anchor list lindsay logue is live at the polk county sheriff

dirk cutter has had two interviews, one with the 49ers and the other with the buccaneers. even if he doesn't get the head job, we don't foresee but the