Koetter Talks About What Makes Him “Happy”
May 27th, 2016
That explosive blowup by wide receivers coach/offensive coordinator Todd Monken yesterday? Man, it was fun.
Nothing like juice to a May practice.
After practice, Joe asked head coach Dirk Koetter if he was happy to see Monken getting all fired.
Koetter said he wants more of it — from all angles. “I’m happy when everybody is fired up. You know, I’m happy when every single guy is out there fired up. But when you’re going against yourself all day, you got half the people are sad and half the people are happy. So it’s great, you know, we got a good energy across the board.”
To most easily define what Joe is noticing from the Buccaneers is how they appear to be taking on the personality of their new head coach and defensive coordinator: loose, energetic but extremely focused.
It’s a refreshing combination.
May 27th, 2016 at 10:59 am
The more I learn about coach Koetter and this new coaching regime, the more I’m intrigued by the direction we’re taking. He is the first coaching hire that we’ve had that seems to be aimed at winning since Gruden. Raheem was hired because he was cheap. Schiano because he needed to change the culture. Lovie because he was a throwback to the glory days. Koetter is the first coach we’ve had in a long, long time that is here simply to win games and maximize talent.
May 27th, 2016 at 11:13 am
He’ll coach them up to a 8 – 8 record. I would say a little higher with the only issue being; having to play a tougher schedule with more talented teams.
May 27th, 2016 at 11:20 am
@uckinator – I think that there is more to the story than wins and loses. Of course, the record is a huge part of the story, but if we have a .500 record with a tough schedule but we look like we were coached well, aren’t committing a ton of penalties, have the talent to compete and generally belong on the field with the more accomplished teams, then I think that goes a long way. The games we lost because we couldn’t stop beating ourselves, or because we decided we didn’t need to get more points when we had a chance, or because we were easily figured out by the other teams cannot happen anymore. Nobody thinks that we have a Super Bowl roster right now. We have talent in key areas, but we’re another offseason away from being true competitors probably. The key is that we see that we’re getting solid play out of the players we do have and there is a strong handle on game management.
May 27th, 2016 at 11:28 am
If our offense is significantly challenged by our new defense…..it should perform better during the season.
We must sustain drives on Offense and get off the field when we should on Defense…..and, like I’ve been saying….(and, Joe…..I think there needs to be some more attention to this)…..our Special Teams likely have improved.
I think some of these draft picks along with some of the younger returning players are good ST players.
We may also end up with the best Punter & Kicker in the league.
May 27th, 2016 at 11:33 am
@TBBF – To your point about the offense challenging the defense and vice-versa, I think that the shift from the rigid adherence to a defensive scheme to a more adaptive approach will be incredibly valuable for Jameis in terms of preparing for the season. With Jameis and Mike Smith constantly going head to head throughout the offseason, they’ll only make each other better and, by extension, the teams their leading.
May 27th, 2016 at 11:34 am
Its hard for me. I know this team can be miles above last years team. But as others are saying its going to be hard to show that with via a win loss record. I would be disappointed with another sub .500 year. But it depends on how. Our schedule is so effing tough, if we are competing in every game and not humiliated by garbage garbage garbage teams then I think I can live with another 6-10 or 7-9 team as long as we look like we are on the verge of flipping those 3-4 of those close games against good teams,
May 27th, 2016 at 11:45 am
@Patrick in Va and Jolly Bucs Fan:
Both excellent posts. If the teams on our schedule are as good this year as they played last year, I think that 6-10 might be the result, but even then may show a significant improvement compared with this year.
tickrdr
May 27th, 2016 at 11:48 am
I personally think it’s the Jameis Winston Effect.
For DB55…..#CultureChage
May 27th, 2016 at 11:53 am
Though our schedule appears to be pretty tough, Bucs gotta prove to those teams that they are not looking at the schedule and checking off a win before they get here, they better game plan for GMC, LVD, the Spence’s, Kwon and Grimes on defense and definitely for DM22, JW, ME, ASJ and Sims, this team can no longer give away wins just because the other team showed up
May 27th, 2016 at 12:03 pm
Don’t forget about our QB has a new best freind on the feild a superback, 10 wins.. Oh Ya..
May 27th, 2016 at 12:05 pm
@ 87
There is no doubt in my mind that Jameis’ enthusiasm is contagious…and it is likely that Kwon affects the D that way. I am hopeful that Hargreaves brings some of that……this is essentially a young team and it seems to be responding…..
Hell, Jameis is probably influencing the coaches…..
May 27th, 2016 at 12:12 pm
TBBF….yep agree with everything 100%.
May 27th, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Let’s just say this. The days of joking and yucking it up in the locker room after a loss are OVER!
May 27th, 2016 at 12:29 pm
Todd Monken is more than a college coach, he was the Jags WR coach under Koetter and Jack Del Rio for 3-4 seasons.
May 27th, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Someone the other day, I think it was Ayers or Donnovan Smith, said lots of things are contagious. Winning is contagious, losing is contagious, enthusiam is contagious. I think that is exactly right and one of the reasons we can’t judge wins based on last years strength of schedule. Once this team starts believing it can win, good things will happen. There is something beginning here, you can feel it like the change in the air on that first cool day in the fall.
I can’t wait till the season starts! I will be truely shocked if we get blown out again on opening day!
May 27th, 2016 at 1:23 pm
I don’t know how anybody can judge the talent on this team based on the last two years of train-wreck coaching.
May 27th, 2016 at 2:02 pm
Good stuff Joe. We have had too many “players” coaches in here for the last decade plus and it hasn’t worked. I want to see these guys having fun, showing passion, demanding accountability and raising the level of their game. Feeding off each other’s energy is how that gets accomplished. I think Koetter is going to be a great coach for us and I like what I’m seeing out of this staff. We are building a special team ( and we are young). The Bolts lost last night. This is all I got. Go Bucs!
May 27th, 2016 at 4:38 pm
It should be fairly obvious if the team has really improved. I don’t know how many wins it will translate into but, the product has been so dreadfully awful that I’m willing to cede wins for better play.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s 16-0 or bust for me!!!
May 27th, 2016 at 5:33 pm
Im telling you this guy will go down as the best coach in franchise history. So glad they didnt let him walk I may have had to boycott watching bucs games
They made the right choice
May 28th, 2016 at 1:33 am
Hi from across the pond. I’m in my 31st year as a Buc fan and have been to about 50 games over the years.
I agree with everything said on this thread, but I want to pose a couple of questions.
1. Tough schedule, but in my experience you ‘raise your game’ when playing against better teams. Do we think that equalises things, and will push us to an extra win or two. ?
2. It seems to me that the balance of power is shifting. The consistently good teams all have elite QBs, Brady, Manning, Big Ben etc. These guys are coming to the end of their careers where as the up and coming teams that now have a great QB are almost ready to take their place. We now have an elite QB, and I can see the bucs, Jags, Raiders improving and the likes of the Pats, Broncos, Steelers dropping down the pecking order. Thoughts anyone.
If you don’t believe I’m a die hard fan, I’m one of a group of Bucs UK members that will be in Arizona, then Tampa for the Broncos and Rams games. See you there.
May 28th, 2016 at 12:22 pm
I agree with all the excellent posts above. I will add that I am counting on Monken to get the most out of our WRs this year. We also will have great speed from Bell and and our veteran Gator speedster who is back from injury to get behind the Safeties on long passes and keep them from bringing up a safety to stop our running game. We have Jackson and Evans and our TEs for intermediate routes and red zone plays. I think our new FB will help our blocking, and our short yardage third downs, and can catch passes and get big gains with his 4.6 speed and then run over people and break away from tacklers with his strength and 235 pounds. I just hope our OL develop their pass blocking this summer to keep Winston upright and give him time on five step drops. We would then have an explosive offense to score on any of the elite teams. You know DC Smith with Kwon back and pass rushing DEs and improved blitzes and CBs will be twice as good in stopping other teams than Lovie’s pathetic defense too, and I expect much better Special Teams too. I really think we will surpass 8-8 and get the respect we deserve.