Marvin Lewis hasn't been named the Buccaneers' head coach yet, but reports indicate that will happen within the next day or two. At the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, Bucs players talked about Lewis and the challenge that awaits him in Tampa.

"I just know from watching the Ravens. I'm a great admirer of his defense and what he's been able to do there," said Bucs safety John Lynch. "I've learned some stuff from some of the guys here (Hawaii) this week -- Rod Woodson and Sam Adams speak very highly of him."

One of the questions surrounding Lewis will be why the Buccaneers decided to bring in a defensive-oriented coach when by all accounts their biggest problem in recent history has been on the offensive side of the ball.

Lynch admitted that there will be pressure on Lewis to build a good offensive staff, but said hiring the right head coach was more important than which side of the ball he specialized in.

"I think it's important that (they) go and put together a great offensive staff. I'll be anxious to see that," Lynch said. "But I think (Bucs general manager) Rich McKay's approach is the right approach -- to get the best guy regardless of what side of the ball he's on. The guy he thought long-term would be the best guy for the organization, and if that's Marvin, that's great."

There also is bound to be some fallout in Tampa over the Bucs' failure to land high-profile coaches like Bill Parcells and Jon Gruden.

"You can't make everybody happy," said fullback Mike Alstott, when asked if Tampa fans would be disappointed. "What just matters is the organization and how we come together as a team after we get a head coach."

Lynch reminded fans that it doesn't take a big-name coach to be a successful coach.

"Obviously Jon Gruden and Bill Parcells are big names," Lynch said. "It would have been exciting if either of those happened, but Tony Dungy wasn't a big name when he came to us and he did some darned good things."

One thing is for certain, though, if any of the Bucs players talk to their fellow Pro Bowlers from Baltimore this week, they'll hear nothing but praise for Lewis, who has built the Ravens into one of the best defensive teams in football.

"Marvin's a great guy. Even though he wasn't my coach, I enjoyed working with him," Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "He understood the game and made sure that his 11 players were ready to play football every week. I think that's the thing that made us a great football team, is that Marvin had that defense ready to play every single week."

One claim after the Bucs fired Dungy was that they needed to bring in a coach who was more of a taskmaster and disciplinarian. Parcells certainly would have fit that mold, and players on the Ravens say that Lewis does, too.

"They're going to get a guy who's big on discipline, and understanding what you have to get done on the football field and off the football field," said safety Woodson. "He wants intensity out of all his players. He's very intense, especially come game day. They're getting a good coach -- I think it's well overdue for Marvin."

The Bucs' search for a high-profile didn't land Parcells or Gruden, but it apparently did produce a hard worker who will demand discipline from his players.

"My advice to them would be to come to work," said Adams, a defensive tackle. "If you don't come to work, it's going to be a hard time for you or you won't be there."