"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun the search for the franchise's ninth head coach. Team co-chairman Joel Glazer, representing the ownership family, indicated on Monday he did not want to limit the list of candidates by suggesting there is a type of coach the team wants to hire. The decision will be made jointly by the Glazers and general manager Mark Dominik. Here, then, are a variety of candidates the team could consider:

Top Tier

Mike Sherman

Sherman, 57, seems a good fit for the Bucs – a former NFL head coach who comes from the offensive side of the ball. Sherman coached the Green Bay Packers for six seasons, compiling a 57-39 record in six seasons and winning three consecutive division titles beginning in 2002. A disciple of the West Coast offense, his success in Green Bay came with QB Brett Favre. Sherman was fired after a 4-12 mark in 2005, Green Bay's first losing season since 1991. He served as offensive coordinator of the Packers in 1999 before assuming head coaching duties. Most recently, Sherman was fired a month ago as head coach at Texas A&M after compiling a 25-25 record in four seasons. Sherman had an infamous post-game altercation with then-Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp after Tampa Bay's 21-7 victory against Green Bay in 2002, accusing Sapp of taking a cheap shot at Packers tackle Chad Clifton during an interception return by Tampa Bay's Brian Kelly. "What you did was wrong,'' Sherman screamed at Sapp before the coach and player had to be restrained."