Feb. 18, 2000 SportsLine wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher said offensive coordinator Les Steckel is in Tampa Bay interviewing for the same job with the Buccaneers, The Tennessean reported Friday.

	Related Links: Tampa Bay Buccaneers team report Tennessee Titans team report Forum: Will Tampa Bay hire Steckel?
	T O P   N E W S

Steckel's contract expired after the season, but he had been working toward a new deal with the Titans. Tampa Bay has been hunting for a new coordinator since it fired Mike Shula two weeks ago.

Fisher told the newspaper Thursday night that he started "the process necessary to replace" Steckel when the offensive coordinator called him from Tampa Bay on Wednesday and made him aware of the interview.

"I want to do it as soon as possible. There are a lot of possibilities," Fisher said.

"I could promote from within or there are a number of quality coaches out there who can come in and improve this offense with the stipulation being that the system stays the same."

In his three seasons as coordinator in Tennessee, Steckel has occasionally been criticized for the conservative approach of the offense, which strived to minimize turnovers.

The Titans turned the ball over just 22 times during this past season, matching the second-lowest total in the NFL. Tennessee's offense was rated 13th in the league, peaking at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs during the Titans' run to last month's Super Bowl.

Steckel, 53, has been coaching since 1972. His resume includes stops at Brown, Colorado and the U.S. Naval Academy. In the NFL, he's worked for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.

He had a one-year stint in 1984 as coach of the Vikings, and went 3-13.