“Dirk Koetter Deserves A Chance To Be A Head Coach In The National Football League”
November 25th, 2015
Uh, Oh!
With every Buccaneers win and every success of America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay stands a greater chance of losing its offensive coordinator after the season.
It’s a sobering reality that needs Team Glazer’s attention.
In the CBS Sports Bucs-Colts preview video below, you’ll see NFL insider prickly Pete Prisco grab his pulpit and declare that “Dirk Koetter deserves a chance to be a head coach in the National Football League” after his great work with Jameis and Matt Ryan.
Former Jets personnel chief and linebackers coach Pat Kirwan, the premier daily voice on SiriusXM NFL Radio, firmly agrees with Prisco in the video.
Just imagine the Koetter chatter if the Bucs finish, say, 9-7 or 8-8 and Jameis is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Koetter will have had undeniable success with three quarterbacks. The third is David Garrard in Jacksonville.
Does Koetter want to be a head coach? He’s interviewed for head coaching jobs previously, and he clearly has the leadership personality and pedigree for the position.
The day Koetter was introduced to the Tampa Bay media, Joe asked Koetter if he wanted to be a head coach in the NFL. Koetter sort of laughed off the question saying one job at a time. But he sure didn’t say, “No.”
At the NFL Owners meetings in March, Joe asked Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, who Koetter served as offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, if Koetter was head coach material. Del Rio got real serious with Joe and dove into what a fantastic head coach Koetter would be and how he deserves a shot.
Yes, Koetter is under contract with the Bucs. But only coordinators officially labeled “assistant head coach” are not permitted to talk to other teams. If the Bucs want to protect Koetter, then Team Glazer likely would have to step in, offer Koetter that title and a raise, and extend his contract.
Of course, if Koetter doesn’t want to play that game, then the Bucs might lose him.
Enjoy the Bucs-Colts breakdown below. And add Koetter to your list of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
November 25th, 2015 at 9:39 am
“I like the Colts because 4 and 0 is 40.” STHU Pat, what a stupid reason. The Bucs have a grrrrreat chance to go to 6-5 this Sunday. The game has slowed down for our young Jedi. I don’t think the Colts D can handle our O. I see a close one like Quinn predicted with the Bucs coming out on top. 3 in a row and it will take a whole lot of BS to wipe a smile off my face after Sunday.
Win.
Go Bucs!
November 25th, 2015 at 9:43 am
That thought is scary. The best thing for the young offense is stability.
Offer the man a bunch of money and two more years.
November 25th, 2015 at 9:50 am
Dirk also has success with producing outstanding running games, obviously this year with Doug and don’t forget in Jax , when MJD is ALL he had wth the Jags.
November 25th, 2015 at 9:59 am
The Glazers can make things better for Koetter and more difficult for others to lure him away but in the final analysis…..If Koetter wants to be a head coach now….we’ll lose him.
The good news is that there are probably many capable OCs that would like to work with Winston, Evans & our new Oline.
And, with James’ attitude and positive outlook….I think he would handle a change well.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:01 am
We all should’ve seen this coming. I’m a Lovie supporter, believing he & Licht are building a beast of a team, but if we were to fire Lovie Coach Koetter would be the guy I’d want to be our next head coach.
Let’s hope he enjoys working with Jameis too much to leave after just one year.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:10 am
I have no doubt that Dirk Koetter will get offered a head coaching job within a year or two. I know this is selfish, but after what the Bucs have gone through these past few years however, I kinda hope that it’s not next year. The second year is just as important as the first year to a franchise QB like Jameis … stability is essential if he’s going to continue to grow at the same rate as this year. I also hope that we’re grooming Dirk’s eventual successor.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:12 am
Noooooooooo!
November 25th, 2015 at 10:13 am
I recall someone say years ago, and I don’t remember who it was, there are a lot of coaches in the NFL who are great “darkroom guys” but end up doing poorly as head coaches. Norv Turner, Charlie Weiss, Romeo Crennel, Rod Marinelli, Josh McDaniels, Wade Phillips, Eric Mangini….all of these guys seemingly had the “leadership personality and pedigree for the position” but all failed to achieve any actual success.
It obviously takes a lot more than that to be a successful head coach. I have no idea how some of you commenters can possibly evaluate whether or not Koetter would be a good coach. Being charismatic in press conferences doesn’t mean he’d make a good coach.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:20 am
PAY DA MAN!!!! Hope he stays. FUK!!!!
November 25th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Sorry lovie….I like what you are doing with the team but I said this day one….dirk koetter is the single most impirtant part of this football team. Keep him at all costs. He the best offensive mind this team has ever had and a critical peice of winstons progress. If he goes we will be screwed.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:36 am
I watched Ditka’s 85 Bears win a Super Bowl in dramatic fashion. The next season they lost Wilber Marshall (Lavonte David?) to free agency and signed Doug Flutie to replace oft injured Jim McMahon. Every member of the team, especially Ditka, became a celebrity and they never were the same after that.
Ask any Chicago Bear fan who was the MVP and they’ll tell you it was DC Buddy Ryan and his genius 4-6 defense, not Ditka. When Ryan left in 86′ to become HC for the Eagles both he and Ditka never enjoyed the same success apart as they did together.
The moral of the story is this: “Success is hard to repeat when ego outweighs effort”
Lovie is not an egotistical coach. He has grown tremendously and has changed for the better. If Koetter starts giving in to his well deserved accolades, he’s toast. Ditka and Ryan were fools to break-up the band because 1) Ditka’s ego wouldn’t allow him to praise Buddy for building a historic defense and and innovative scheme. 2) Ryan thought his defense would work with any players. Both were fools.
Koetter hasn’t completed the job here in Tampa Bay. Becoming the “Next Big Thing” PR stunt for some owner with flagging ticket sales may be good for his bank account, but beware the ghost of Buddy Ryan.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:42 am
If you want him that bad simple solution, demote Lovie to DC and promote Koetter to HC. Everybody is happy except Lovie.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:45 am
he’s gotta stay 1 more year, prefer 2, but at least 1 more year.
He definitely deserves a pay bump for this year though but how big it will be is yet to be determined.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:45 am
If he wants to be HC then promote him to HC. I’d rather have Koetter than Lovie.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:48 am
Awesome point on the Chicago Bears, Mo_Downs.
That said, I loved the Super Bowl Shuffle when I was 10.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:50 am
This is what I’ve been saying for the longest. Give Koetter a promotion to Assistant Head Coach and increase his salary. Continuity for Jameis is KEY to his development.
Otherwise, if Koetter does accept a head coaching position, I hope Bajakian has been absorbing EVERYTHING he possibly can to take over if need be.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:52 am
My heart says he’ll stay with the Bucs next year, but my head says he’ll go on to a head coaching job.
November 25th, 2015 at 10:55 am
I suppose I’ll get a ton of heat for this….but a really good QB can make a OC and HC look better than they are.
Koetter is good & I’d like him to stay….but there are probably several other prospects that can take over this already rolling train!!!
November 25th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Keep Koetter, if you can, but keep an eye out for Jay Gruden if he becomes available.
November 25th, 2015 at 11:13 am
I love Koetter. Not sure he’d make great head coach or not but he’s defintely one of my favorite OCs we’ve had. Here’s to hoping he stays
November 25th, 2015 at 11:28 am
OK Team Glazer:
Now is your chance to prove that you really care about this team and that you want to win as much as the fans.
Make Koetter Asst HC and give him a big raise.
November 25th, 2015 at 11:57 am
He hasn’t won at all yet…I think he needs to prove he can win first.
November 25th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Where would be a good fit for him? I think the Indianapolis job with Luck will be one of the best to open up the last decade, but I can’t see them going the coordinator route and will instead try to make a splash. Cleveland could be appealing to him if they get the #1 pick and he likes Lynch or Goff. I don’t see him going to New Orleans (don’t think he wants to be part of a rebuild with no young QB in place) or Tennessee (if he liked Mariota enough he would’ve drafted him). The only places I could see him possibly landing would be Detroit (but who wants to live there?) or San Diego (relocating stuff would be a headache for the HC).
The Bucs offense is going to be damn good for years to come. Koetter can wait for his ideal scenario, and fortunately for us I don’t think that’ll be this offseason.
November 25th, 2015 at 12:27 pm
a big concern. just look at matt ryan’s trajectory under the new guy.
November 25th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Hmmmm…. You know what…. If he wants to walk let him walk….
L&L can find a guy to do just as good… Seriously, I like what the guy is doing but the simple answer is…. NEXT MAN UP….
This is the L&L show… They brought him in just like everyone else… No need to change things up for a coach….
And likeTBF says above…. A great QB makes everyone look better… Add in a running back a WR and an OL with TE talent… Yeah, all we need from our OC is a level head and an understanding of game planning mixed with hard work and dedication …. His talent is offset by the players talent….
Sorry to brake it to hall but DK is expendable if he trys to hold us hostage… L&L can manage without him.
And don’t mistake last year as an example because last year the guy got sick and we never had anyone…. Still worked out good for us in the end 🙂
November 25th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
This guys has at least half of the credit by himself for our record.
Ask him what he wants and give it to him.
“It’s simple as that”
November 25th, 2015 at 12:45 pm
@draftjameis, all good points, although the titans could make an aggressive push to see if he could work the same magic with the #2 overall pick of the 2015 draft that he did with the #1 overall pick. scuttlebutt had it that koetter was actually more of an advocate for MM, if i recall…
November 25th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
the Glazers have broken out the Golden Handcuffs before with Monte Kiffin, they know the value of a good coordinator. only the chance to work with his son (wonder how he feels about that now) could make him change his mind. Unless Koetter believes his life would be incomplete without trying his hand as a HC, there is something we could offer him that should be acceptable to both the owners and the coaches. there is no salary cap on coordinators and the 2 most important investments you can make in your QBs success are a strong OL and an excellent coordinator
November 25th, 2015 at 1:44 pm
Exactly. They need to do the same thing they did with Kiffin.
Promote him to some type of assistant head coach / offensive coordinator, pay him some big money and keep him here for as long as possible! His value to this team can not be overlooked.
November 25th, 2015 at 1:47 pm
SMDH at people saying let Koetter walk, next man up, we don’t need him to keep this train rolling, etc…
Who do you think is primarily responsible for the revived o-line, and play of our QB? How many times have you heard JW rave about his play calling, and others rave about how much he knows about o-line play? Seriously. smdh.
November 25th, 2015 at 2:05 pm
keep lovie as defensive coordinator, if you must and move koetter as hc/oc.
worked temporarily with gruden, until he got out of control. time to move on from dungy-clone like last time?
on another note…i thought miguel payasito would want chip here as oc if koetter moves on instead of gruden, since it seems his job might be up in philly.
November 25th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
People saying promote Koetter to OC and demote Lovie to DC….give me a break. Imagine the dynamic inside the meeting rooms. That’s just flat out not a practical idea, get out of Madden-land.
November 25th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
dang, jab, you just spouted some foolishness if you do not believe koetter has made a difference. smh.
methinks you give lovie smith too much credit.
November 25th, 2015 at 3:15 pm
I knew Koetter was a wise move by Lovie cos of his background working with the Falcons under Mike Smith. K is coaching a young O that could turn out to be the best one in Bucs history. Wow!! Shaking my grizzled pld fart head at the thought. This O is already better than the one that was on the SB team. Well, whatever, go Mighty Bucs!!
November 25th, 2015 at 7:34 pm
This is the L&L show but don’t make a tragic mistake and undervalue
Koetter. Howard is a scathing judge of character and he gives Koetter
10 out of 10 stars (so far) as OC.
“Next man up” is foolish concept when you have a stellar employee.
EJ Biggers was next man up to Darelle Revis too.
Howard has spoken.
Let it be done.
November 25th, 2015 at 7:54 pm
It’s the first time in Lovie’s career that he has had a quality OC and a franchise QB at the same time. Dirk Koetter has taken an offense with a rookie QB and a suspect OL and made it into a contender. Pro Football Outsiders rated the Bucs OL 32nd last year, rated 8th this year. NFL.com rated the offense 30th last year and is rated 9th this year (Yds/Gme). Offensive average yards gained per game (7.7) is ranked 7th. Offensive rushing yards gained we are ranked 2nd overall. That is quite an accomplishment so far this year for the future head coach.
November 26th, 2015 at 2:56 am
I warned about this all last offseason, but nobody wanted to listen. When an OC does good things with a rookie QB, they seldom end up staying an OC for long.