Bucs Cut Michael Koenen
September 1st, 2015
Gone.
Michael Koenen is no longer a Bucs player. The overpriced punter was cut loose. Joe sheds no tears.
Koenen was signed by the Bucs to a heralded six-year, $19.5 million contract. The Bucs have been horrible ever since.
So spare Joe how important punters are. Punters are a white flag, a show of surrender, and when your team is one of the worst in the NFL while you are on the roster, some say they’re unnecessary.
Koenen was the second-worst punter in the NFL in average yards per punt. He will not be missed by Joe, and Joe guesses some fans.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:36 am
Finally!!!!, That is good news to start the day… Nah Nah Nah Nah…..Nah Nah Nah NAh…… Hey Hey Hey Goodbye!!!
September 1st, 2015 at 8:38 am
Licht is on FIRE this year!
In Lovie & Licht I TRUST!!!
September 1st, 2015 at 8:38 am
He sucked.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:39 am
I elect Licht as the comeback GM of the year!
September 1st, 2015 at 8:41 am
I’m waiting for some more 0-linemen…
September 1st, 2015 at 8:44 am
If Lovie Smith is picking the offensive coaching staff and players on the O-line, then a punter is a very important player!!!!
September 1st, 2015 at 8:46 am
What took so long? I’m surprised Koenen wasn’t cut during the season last year.
I wonder if the new kicker they just traded Wright for will be handling punts and kickoffs? Maybe he will handle all kicking duties and provide the team an extra roster spot? If not, they will likely keep Barth for his field goal accuracy.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:49 am
🙂
September 1st, 2015 at 9:06 am
Unless Brindza is retained as our punter…..it is unlikely Connor Barth makes it because his kickoffs are weak…….we will probably go with a punter TBD and Brindza unless the TBD punter can do kickoffs…..
September 1st, 2015 at 9:18 am
Pretty much a no brainer in my book. The new kicker will do kick offs and FG and can punt if needed. Schum will punt and flip the field when we go three and out on the first 3 drives until the offense warms up. (takes a while unfortunately) Koenen could not do that very often if ever.
GO BUCS
Now lets find some linemen on the waiver wire??? Although that will be dicey at best.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:18 am
Koenen was an overpaid and underperforming player, maybe parting ways with him will be like cutting out a malignant tumor.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:19 am
Another awesome free agent signing by the master Mark Dominik…
Adios amigo…
September 1st, 2015 at 9:19 am
Thank God! I was so afraid that a mediocre punter would ruin our season and put us in the NFC South doghouse! Now that Koenen is gone, we are unstoppable! 12-4 here we come! Jason Licht for President!
September 1st, 2015 at 9:32 am
Our special teams is in disarray 🙁 …no nice way to explain it
September 1st, 2015 at 9:38 am
I won’t miss Koenen but I shall miss his former skills. I do not know how a guy goes from close to 45 yard average to 41 yards right in the prime of his career.
You guys seem to forget what a weapon this guy USED to be. JFro had one good year…his meltdown is not so amazing. But Koenen had a half dozen good years and then simply came apart in the prime of his career.
I honestly do not know what happened unless it was the money.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:56 am
I still can’t believe a guy who was the coffin kick master his first year lost his foot. I am convinced he was told to kick short to force fair catches and not given the chance to do what he does best.
September 1st, 2015 at 9:57 am
it’s possible that we got better at punter, i really don’t konw. but this cut is a win for meritocracy. it has to be disheartening for guys putting their all into help ing the team win when they see a punter who his terrible at his job continue to get paid in the neighborhood of $250k per regular season game. if you are going to have a lousy punter, at least get one who isn’t paid like the leagues best. that being said, i think our problems on special teams begin on coaching…so holding koenen accountable for his awfulness was nice, but unfortunately there is no easy swapping out of the coordinator of our penalty-ridden, mistake-prone ST unit.
@SPBF – the bucs in their worst years counted on the strong punting of koenen and his predecessor (name escapes me right now) to keep the field position battle close when the points weren’t coming, and i remember his precision and reliability well. haven’t seen that punter since 2013 – i suspect some combination of a requested change in approach (the team kept throwing out some line about more directional punting, which made no sense to me since koenen had no problem with that skill) to support a different punt coverage philosophy, and i think the money probably made less eager to remake his game. i wouldn’t be surprised to see him doing well for another team after this reality check, but i wasn’t holding out hope that a return to form was possible in a bucs jersey. it just makes me scratch my head that a coach who believes in the importance of ST more than most (and his hand-picked coordinator) could just ruin a weapon like that
September 1st, 2015 at 10:02 am
this also undoes one of the final Mark Dominick Specials on the roster, if i am recalling correctly. Dominick LOVED to sign players to the richest contracts at low value positions. during his tenure he handed out league-best contracts at C, TE, SS, P, K (franchise tag for barth once, IIRC), and G (twice!)…and then when the CB market softened for maybe the first time in a decade, we minted the highest-paid CB in NFL history
September 1st, 2015 at 10:04 am
He should have been cut last year….what a waste of money….could have certainly used it elsewhere…..
September 1st, 2015 at 10:04 am
maybe not C – trying to recall who made jeff faine a very wealthy man, possibly bruce allen
September 1st, 2015 at 10:13 am
Faine was a Rockstar deal. I don’t think it was a bad move. He paid big money to a position of need to a player that didn’t perform as he had in years past.
No excuse for paying a punter that much though.
September 1st, 2015 at 10:25 am
“So spare Joe how important punters are. Punters are a white flag, a show of surrender,”. Once again JOE displays his spectacular inability to be logical. JOE’s good friend and drive time “dean” of sports radio will be proud!
September 1st, 2015 at 11:04 am
Tampabaybucfan Says:
September 1st, 2015 at 9:06 am
Unless Brindza is retained as our punter…..it is unlikely Connor Barth makes it because his kickoffs are weak…….we will probably go with a punter TBD and Brindza unless the TBD punter can do kickoffs…..
Simply not true. The combination should be Conner and Schum. Schum was the guy booming the last 4 punts for the Bucs last week. He kickoffs consistently 7-9 yards deep in the end zone. I’m interested watching Brindza but I’ve never seen a combination K/P K-off specialist stay consistent and healthy throughout a season. I’m sure Barth is the better kicker between he and Murray.
September 1st, 2015 at 11:12 am
Punter Schum was a sorely needed bright spot in the Cleveland game. 4 punts Adj 45 yards with a long of 55. Yes- THIS GUY KICKS OFF TOO.
Schititz can boom it but lacks consistency and hang time. He had 4 punts too adj 27 yards, long of 56 and gave up the TD return, although I don’t think it was his fault.
September 1st, 2015 at 11:41 am
Yes! I almost missed this article, lol.
Michael Koenen was good a couple years ago, but last year his play dropped horribly. He was no longer worth the money.
Wonder who will replace him. Will they bring someone in?
ALSO: is it possible they are clearing cap room for a special signing? “Hester may become available.
September 1st, 2015 at 11:42 am
@Stanglassman
Yeah, I don’t thing the return was his fault either. He was good in the other games though.
September 1st, 2015 at 11:45 am
ah…looks like we’re getting Tim Jennings. At 31, he isn’t exactly a spring chicken. I hope they don’t break the bank on him, because if Hester is released, I want him!
September 1st, 2015 at 11:46 am
He could fix the middle issue pretty quick though.
September 1st, 2015 at 11:47 am
And the first veteran signing this year that doesn’t have injury issues!
September 1st, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Schum is the guy who they brought in to replace him.
I don’t get it is everyone just confusing the names? Schititz & Schum
Schititz- Bucs brought in 3 weeks ago from Denver, Elway saw him on youtube to give him a NFL tryout. He has some big punts but is inconstant doesn’t kickoff.
Schum- We had him on our practice squad last year and recently cut by the Jets, brought in last week. This guy kick offs well and has punted extremely well so far. The Bucs should have kept Schum and Conner last season.