Lovie Needs Koetter To Succeed
January 20th, 2015
An interesting thought crossed Joe’s mind upon reading an ode to Marcus Arroyo, the ill-suited former Bucs quarterback coach/acting offensive coordinator who parted ways with Tampa Bay last week.
It took the Bucs and Arroyo about as long after the season to wave goodbye to each other as it takes to thaw out a turkey.
Not that it was any surprise. The only surprise would have been if Arroyo stayed, if only to fetch bagels and coffee from the Panera near One Buc Palace.
Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida wrote about Arroyo’s exit, and for Joe, stumbled upon why Bucs coach Lovie Smith needs new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to succeed so badly.
Well, it depends what comes next. If Koetter succeeds, Arroyo’s time with the Bucs will be viewed no differently than a crumpled rough draft or a chemistry experiment gone wrong. If Koetter succeeds, Arroyo’s time with the Bucs will be viewed as a necessary means to a desired end, one that includes playoff berths and Super Bowl contention after a long, frustrating drought.
But if Koetter fails, if the Bucs continue to slide rather than soar up the NFC South standings, Arroyo’s time with the Bucs will be viewed as a large reason why the current regime’s lifespan was brief.
Here’s a dose of reality: The Bucs must go 9-7 next season for them to match their mark after Greg Schiano’s first two campaigns. They must go 11-5 to tie Raheem Morris’ record after two years.
Joe nearly spit his Bud Light all over his computer monitor. Lovie needs an 11-win season to match Raheem Morris — Raheem Morris, people!
That’s a jarring factoid that should sober up any Bucs fan trying to wash away memories of 2014 with a bottle (bottles?). That’s how bad the first year of Lovie’s administration was: He would have to turn in one of best seasons in Bucs history to match Raheem’s first two years.
And if Koetter cannot turnaround the offense this season, it not only paints Arroyo to look like a scapegoat, but Lovie would be on thin ice after another rough year. That’s just how things roll in the NFL.
January 20th, 2015 at 6:17 am
Dirk should instantly improve this offense….Lovie can then focus on the D with GMC and Leonard Williams.
January 20th, 2015 at 7:12 am
And that’s why he needs Jameis. There’s no more grace period. 2-14 in year one actually got people talking about firing Lovie.
January 20th, 2015 at 7:24 am
@ MadMax,
If we draft an OL, DE, DT, or WR with our first pick…. we will go 2-15 again.
January 20th, 2015 at 7:44 am
Lovie deserves all the criticism that comes with being a head coach, that’s the deal throughout the league. However, the unbiased mind would ask: How many past Buc coaches lost their OC in the fashion that Lovie lost Tedford? My imperfect memory says “not one”.
January 20th, 2015 at 8:07 am
Bye, bye, Lovie.
January 20th, 2015 at 8:17 am
@Bill
Good point. There has been multiple reasons put forth explaining the 2014 season. Of course it all lands on Lovie’s shoulders. The FA failures, the QB debacle, the O-line, ad nauseum. The OC is extremely important and a poor stand-in OC as we have seen is disastrous. I don’t blame Arroyo, he did his best but in very few situations have we seen a coach lose his OC before the season and succeed. Lovie’s mistake was not hiring a qualified candidate mid-season. I think we see a much different offense in 2015 under Koetter.
January 20th, 2015 at 8:48 am
Lovie need Koetter like Tedford needs stents….
Koetter will pump life into the offense…..with a couple of Olinemen…..contiued development from rookies….ME13,ASJ & Sims…..and even with McCown or Glennon if we have to sit our new QB…the offense should show great improvement.
January 20th, 2015 at 8:50 am
Bill Says:
January 20th, 2015 at 7:44 am
How many past Buc coaches lost their OC in the fashion that Lovie lost Tedford? My imperfect memory says “not one”.
Rah in 2009 lost both coordinators. they were both fired, OC in preseason games, and DC about 5 or 6 games into the season.
January 20th, 2015 at 8:51 am
I’ve said it before, Lovie will go down as one of the worst HC decisions ever made by the Bucs. He has and always will be a glorified DC, that is the height of his ceiling, he is unable to evaluate talent, and I’m not just talking about offensive talent, defense too. Until he was given power over personnel in Chicago he never had a say so in the people he coached, he wasn’t in the draft room for the Bucs or Rams, and was only a by-stander in the Bears Draft room when Angelo was in charge, Jerry Angelo built those Bears teams that Lovie coached, then when given the power over the personnel, we all saw what happened in Chicago, they went to the play-offs once and within two years of that post-season appearance Lovie was gone. No, this was a disaster waiting to happen, and it has now happened, anyone who has followed Lovie’s career even just in passing knows what he is and what he isn’t, what he is is a good defense co-ordinator, what he isn’t is what we’ve witnessed, he isn’t HC material, he just doesn’t have the capacity to evaluate talent or to outthink or out coach a majority of the HC’s in the league. Sadly we have to witness his last HC job in the NFL and sadly we have to watch our team lose week in and week out, but happily he’ll be gone by next January and we’ll have another high drfat pick to add to our collection and maybe then Helfrich, Shaw or Sumlin will be ready to make the jump to the NFL….
January 20th, 2015 at 9:05 am
MG8 is Smith’s savior.
January 20th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Barry…that would be total irony.
January 20th, 2015 at 9:24 am
MG8 is a career backup with a future in radio. Smiths savior is Famous Jameis get your 5 Jersey today Barry
January 20th, 2015 at 9:25 am
Arroyo was doing a job he wasn’t hired to do. The situation with Tedford was unfortunate, but what’s more unfortunate is Lovie looking for someone to blame. His decision to remake the offensive line and bring in McCown to be the unquestioned starter is all on Lovie. Those decisions are the real reason the team is in possession of the first overaal pick in the draft.
Koetter should do well as long as the offensive line is fixed in a hurry. There will be growing pains with a rookie QB, even with an improved line. The team needs a QB, but they need a whole lot more.
January 20th, 2015 at 9:29 am
Go with MG8,draft defense!
January 20th, 2015 at 9:49 am
Lovie needs a brain
January 20th, 2015 at 10:01 am
Lovie needs another job. There is no way the offense or lack thereof, should be blamed on any one but him. He kept McCown as QB, he approved all the free agents, he made Arroyo the OC, he put up with the offensive scheme, he didn’t replace Arroyo when he could have.
If koetter saves his bacon, so be it, but if the Bucs don’t have at least a 400% increase in wins, I believe and certainly hope that Lovie is gone.
January 20th, 2015 at 11:11 am
For all the people that want Lovie to fail:
1) Will you promise to leave this site forever if he does not fail?
or if he succeeds…
2) Do you just plan on changing your username and claiming that you’ve been on here a long time but just never commented?
You people make me sick.
January 20th, 2015 at 11:21 am
@celly
We do not want Lovie to fail. He is FAILING and we are pointing it out.
where were all the lessons he learned from Chicago? No will be patient when you finish last.
January 20th, 2015 at 11:35 am
Celly- Lovie has been a complete failure by every observable measure as the Bucs HC and overlord of all football operations. For observable reference see every decision he has made since he was hired, including but not limited to Licht, McCown, Johnson, Collins.
If he turns things around and makes this team a winner I will still be here as DallasBuc and praise his efforts as we bask in all the glory of success.
So it sounds like you may want to stock up on barf bags to handle all sickness you get from fans like me!
January 20th, 2015 at 11:46 am
I would be satisfied with 8-8 and have a tough team that’s improving and looking to build for the future. We know Morris had a tough 3rd season, Schiano had a tough 2nd season, let’s see how Lovie’s 2nd and 3rd seasons go. If he’s the right guy for the job, the team will be continuously getting better with him at the helm.
January 20th, 2015 at 11:51 am
@The Buc Realist
I do not want you to fail. You are an IDIOT and I am pointing it out.
Where were all the lessons you learned from all the other idiots? No one will be patient with you for being so stupid.
January 20th, 2015 at 12:12 pm
OneLove is just like The Kevin or maybe is The Kevin! All these walking, talking cases in irony do is reflexively call people idiots that they disagree with. It is interesting how such highly intelligent individuals would spend their time coming on a sports site to call people names without any thought or explanation. I guess that’s what all the smart people do!
January 20th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
If Lovie delivers another losing team next year it won’t be so easy for him to escape the responsibility for it, like he somehow did this year.
January 20th, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Lovie Boy will be good as gone after another losing season. Fact!
January 20th, 2015 at 2:29 pm
“Lovie needs an 11-win season to match Raheem Morris — Raheem Morris, people!”
Hahaha. He needs a 9 win season to match Schiano. Lmao rotf
He’s on the verge people.
January 20th, 2015 at 10:17 pm
Lovie needs to do a much better job assessing the talent on the field, in free agency, and in the draft. Lovie needs production but most importantly he needs to lead and establish some sense of culture. I’m sick of hearing about Johnson or Mankins or anyone else missing their former team.. this franchise is a mess – feel like actually doing this year what you were previously lauded for Lovie?
January 21st, 2015 at 1:04 am
He doesn’t need to try and surpass RM or GS’s record. He just needs 2 Lead this Team. Just do your JOB people nothing else. If Everyone just simply DO THERE JOB, I Guarantee a better Record, better Team & a F–K##G Franchise!
January 21st, 2015 at 1:10 am
I Hear Eagles hc CK, might wanna trade up. Do I Hear 3 first rd pks in our Future???
January 22nd, 2015 at 11:59 pm
I think the Bucs would have gone 6-10 or 7-9 if Tedford actually was the OC. Games like the both Carolina matches, Rams, Vikes, Saints game 1, Cleveland and the saints game 2 (no tanking) could have been Ws, heck if they won them all they would have run away with the division, probably losing in Seattle like Carolina did…. .