No-Neutering Policy
June 9th, 2015
Greg Schiano wanted his quarterbacks terrified of making a mistake.
Lovie Smith? He nailed his audition for Fear Factor in Game 2 last season.
But perhaps things have changed under Dirk Koetter, the Buccaneers’ new offensive coordinator.
Asked about Koetter by Casey Phillips of Buccaneers.com, Jameis Winston’s first reply was, “Coach Koetter loves big plays.”
Thinking about the fear pulsating through the Bucs offense in recent years, Joe also remembered how Greg Olson and Raheem Morris were determined to stop Josh Freeman from running after his superstar 2010 season. That was the year in which Freeman was the second-leading rusher among quarterbacks, in addition to throwing 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
Damn, those guys insisted on neutering Freeman’s instincts to escape and strike fear into defenses.
Of course, Lovie and Koetter want Jameis to protect the football and play within the offense. But Joe was pleased to hear Jameis’ quick and smiling response. It’s obvious that nobody is trying to brainwash all the dynamic football out of America’s Quarterback.
June 9th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
“Coach Koetter loves big plays.”
Yea, but does he prefer Les Miserables or Cats?
June 9th, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Arroyo’ was singing tunes from The Book Of Moron last season.
June 9th, 2015 at 2:23 pm
the other coaching staffs liked big plays too (remember taking shots down the field under Sullivan’s time as OC?), so it’s not just Koetter. The main difference is Koetter is the most accomplished OC the Bucs have had in 5 years. That said I hope he finds a balance between letting QB’s be aggressive without becoming reckless with the football. Turnovers can be very tough for bad teams to overcome.
June 9th, 2015 at 2:53 pm
I hope Koetter makes a huge difference. One thing that really irks me is when trailing in the 2nd Qtr and having possession of the ball with a few ticks left on the clock, is kneeling and going in at halftime. Some will say that it is to avoid a costly mistake right before the half, however if you at least try to complete a long pass, maybe you score or at least draw a pass interference penalty and go for 3. I can’t stand just going through the motions and not trying to get points at any part of the game. We need a confident and aggressive offense. This is just my opinion though.
June 9th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Joe, was it really those coaches that wanted Freeman to stop running the ball, I thought it was Free himself who didn’t want to anymore.
I remember him taking a big hit on a scramble during the beginning of the 2011 season, and never seeing him run much after that.
June 9th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
This just in: “Winston to have better feild position than McCown last year as Spencer Lanning will replace Koenen at Punter”…..Good waiver pick! Go Bucs!!
June 9th, 2015 at 4:04 pm
Oar said:
“Yea, but does he prefer Les Miserables or Cats?”
Les Miserables, of course. There are no fans more miserable than Buc fans.
June 9th, 2015 at 4:28 pm
Whoa JOE. It was Schiano. He made him wear the brace on his front knee. In 2012 Freeman ran a lot less and for a lower average than he previously had in his career.
June 9th, 2015 at 4:29 pm
So, the problem with Freeman is he had no balls? That explains it. Please don’t neuter Winston.
June 9th, 2015 at 5:02 pm
Watching Cowboys OTAs on nfln wondering why they are hitting each other like they got pads on? No tackling of course but the DL and OL are engaging. Meanwhile the bucs aren’t even high fiving out there.
June 9th, 2015 at 5:34 pm
Bucs cut Wilder…..Jameis will have a new locker neighbor…..
June 9th, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Maybe when their punter kicks it to us we can return it past our 12 yard line. Or on a kickoff.
June 9th, 2015 at 7:14 pm
To this story I need a beer! !!!
June 9th, 2015 at 7:48 pm
Come now…I’m sure Dirk wants big plays, but the offensive line will take time to gel…at least 2 months from the start of the season. There might be steady improvement, but at first it will be baby steps and the run blocking will be better than the pass blocking at first.
So, if Dirk doesn’t “neuter” Winston for the first few weeks, our star QB will get injured.
June 9th, 2015 at 7:49 pm
ToesOnTheLine! Says:
“The main difference is Koetter is the most accomplished OC the Bucs have had in 5 years.”
10 years. We didn’t have an OC under Gruden.
June 9th, 2015 at 8:24 pm
I’d prefer consistently moving the chains to “big plays” – but I’m not an OC in the NFL.
June 9th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
I thought it was Schiano who was to blame for Freeman not running as much either. Whatever the case, what it came down to was a lack of balls on Freeman’s, whether it was standing up to his coach or the defense.