Building Trust – With An Eye On Leaving
July 29th, 2016
JoeBucsFan.com columnist eye-RAH Kaufman, the Custodian of Canton, caught up with newcomer veteran Bucs linebacker Daryl Smith to explore the Mike Smith-Dirk Koetter team. Daryl Smith, a veteran of 174 NFL games, was a key figure on the Jaguars’ 2007 playoff team led by Koetter, Mike Smith and Jack Del Rio.
BY IRA KAUFMAN
TAMPA – It seemed like old times for Daryl Smith as the Bucs opened training camp with Mike Smith and Dirk Koetter roaming the sidelines yesterday.
When Daryl Smith broke into the NFL with Jacksonville in 2004, as a second-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech, Mike Smith was his defensive coordinator.
Three years later, when the Jaguars broke through with an 11-5 record and a playoff win, Mike Smith ran the defense while Dirk Koetter was in charge of Jacksonville’s attack.
“When we had those two guys, we were pretty damned good,” said Daryl Smith, who is expected to start at strongside linebacker after signing a one-year deal for $2 million in guaranteed money. “We were running the ball well and playing some serious defense.”
That’s not a bad formula for any team with playoff aspirations.
The Bucs ran the ball often and effectively in 2015, averaging a gaudy 4.8 yards per carry, but they didn’t make the critical stops that separate winners and losers.
Viva Lavonte
Tampa Bay coaches believe Daryl Smith, even with 12 seasons behind him, will prove to be an upgrade from Danny Lansanah, who was basically invisible last fall.
“It was not a hard decision for me to come down here,” said Daryl Smith. “I’m joining a young team that has a lot of talent, a team that nobody around the league really knows much about. For me, this is family, and I’m excited about it. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve got everything we need right here in Tampa.”
Koetter and Mike Smith were reunited in Atlanta in 2012, when Smith called the shots and Koetter called the plays. The result was a 13-3 record and a narrow loss to San Francisco in the NFC title game.
The arrival of Mike Smith should be applauded by Lavonte David, who hasn’t showcased his versatile skills since 2013. In Greg Schiano’s final season in Tampa, David posted 144 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
In the past two years combined, David registered three sacks and three picks.
David never complained publicly about his role under Lovie Smith, but he wasn’t the same player. Those comparisons to Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, fair or unfair, ended abruptly after David’s second pro season.
“One thing I know for sure about coach Smith is he’s going to put us in position to make plays,” said Daryl Smith. “He’s going to get the most out of every player. His defense definitely won’t be passive … and we’ve got plenty of ammo.”
Koetter waited a long time for his opportunity to forge an NFL club in his image. On the same day he was introduced as the 11th head coach in Bucs history, Koetter announced Mike Smith as his defensive coordinator.
Smart move, Mr. Koetter.
All-In, For Now
Every Buc fan acknowledges the impressive job Koetter turned in last year with an attack that averaged 376 yards and 21.4 points. While Koetter’s responsibilities have grown, the Glazers expect him to remain focused on Jameis Winston’s development.
Hiring Mike Smith gives Koetter a comfort level that his defense is in reliable hands.
That’s critical going forward because Koetter must make an immediate impact. Schiano and Lovie Smith lasted only two years apiece, so job security is very much on Koetter’s mind.
Mike Smith is equally motivated to make this collaboration work once again.
After sitting out a year, honing his already-sharp golf game, Smith interviewed for several NFL head coaching vacancies in January. If Tampa Bay’s defense improves markedly, Smith could find himself a hot coaching candidate in five months.
“Hey, I didn’t want Coach Smith to leave the Jaguars, but I understood,” Daryl Smith said. “He had to do what’s best for him and he had a good run in Jacksonville. It would be the same after this season if he gets another shot as a head coach, but I’d miss him. He cares about his players — and that’s huge. That goes a long way. That’s how you build trust.”
Koetter and Smith, together once again, this time at One Buc Place. It’s a tried-and-true partnership, eager to take on the next challenge.
July 29th, 2016 at 8:37 am
Don’t agree LVD was invisible under Lovie…was still one of, if not the best WLB in NFL and will continue to be
July 29th, 2016 at 8:41 am
Sounds great Ira! Thank You for not referring to Jameis as America’s Quarterback like the Joe’s. It’s nice to see a bit more professional coverage of the Bucs here. Keep up the great work!
July 29th, 2016 at 8:46 am
MJB
The numbers and obviously the results do not support your statement. Lvd had a very slow start last year… lovie did his best to make pro bowl players look average including lvd….
July 29th, 2016 at 8:48 am
LVD wasnt invisible, but went from looking like a future HOFer to a.. good player.
VERY excited to see what mike smith does this year. I was always of the mind that we have the talent to be successful. In Mike Smith’s scheme I would actually be confident with just Banks and Verner as the starters because I know how much talent they both had. Of course its even more comforting knowing we got Grimes, VHIII, Josh Robinson, and others in the fold.
If this defense takes the leap I am hoping for and the leap I know it CAN do. we could have a very dangerous team this year.
July 29th, 2016 at 9:01 am
Great piece! Maybe we can recapture a little bit of that football magic.
LVD was stuck in a bad scheme with worse players. There are a lot of guys, carry-overs if you will, that need to step up, LVD’s one of them.
I’m extremely optimistic that we will see a significant turn-around.
July 29th, 2016 at 9:33 am
I think Daryl Smith was a great pickup….$2 mil for 1 year…..there is no risk there and the upside could be huge.
July 29th, 2016 at 9:46 am
Lavonte David was used differently but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been showcasing his versatile skills the entire time. Last season he led the team in tackles, assisted tackles, passes defended, interceptions, and he was the only one with an interception returned for a touchdown.
Honestly Ira, what the heck?
July 29th, 2016 at 9:51 am
Third time pairing Koetter and Smith could lead to the Super Bowl charm. If the Bucs are much improved this season that doesn’t necessarily mean Smith will be lured away as a head coach elsewhere. He may stick right here in Tampa to continue building a defense he won’t walk away from. I think he stays more than one year.
July 29th, 2016 at 10:13 am
It’s nice to see a bit more professional coverage of the Bucs here.
JB
I worked for more than a decade in the 80’s and 90’s as a sports journalist.
Even though I was reporting “sports” we were expected to obey journalistic conventions. We reported sports news just like our news department covered the rest of the day’s news.
But in the 80’s cable exploded and ESPN changed all of that. We had Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann along with others like Chris “Boomer” Berman bringing “schtick” to their coverage. At first as a journalist I found this offensive.
Then I realized sports is entertainment and it was time to lighten up. Now the internet has just expanded the “schtick”.
Yes Ira is an “old school” journalistic and Joe is new age…a blogger on the internet.
IMHO Joe has ridden the line between journalism and “blogging” and entertainment as well as I’ve seen done. The Joe’s maintain the high entertainment value (for most of us YMMV) but haven’t abandoned actual journalistic coverage and they are clearly hard working and have provided me with some terrific insight and good reporting in the 2-3 years I’ve followed this blog.
Bottom line for me is that I beg to disagree. I think the Joe’s are excellent professionals for the industry and the medium in which they work.
July 29th, 2016 at 11:06 am
@D-Rome:
Anyone who saw Lavonte David play in 2013 knows he hasn’t been given the same degree of freedom the past two seasons. Mike Smith, known to build defenses around his talent base, will be more aggressive in maximizing David’s impact this fall.
— Regards
July 29th, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Yes. Let LVD attack. So much you can do with David, Kwon and Noah Spence. Plus Jac Smith on third down. This front seven has so much speed.
July 29th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
I agree….@d-rome….GO BUCS!!!
July 29th, 2016 at 1:30 pm
Stpetebucsfan
well said…
So what’s your take on the new journalistic philosophy that the industry seems to follow now sports and news alike which in my opinion is “It’s more important to be first than accurate.” Obviously the new medium (CMS, Blogs etc) allows for easier corrections and deletions of misinformation which was impossible in traditional print…
July 29th, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Nice article Ira.
Daryl Smith ain’t done yet. He’s gonna make some nice plays for us this year – and pass on some valuable wisdom to LVD and Kwon and the young LBers along the way. Daryl Smith knows this defense better than any other player and probably any other coach as well aside from Mike Smith of course.
For those who may still be doubting this FA signing or thinking its inconsequential – I’ll re-post Daryl Smith’s stats from the last 3 years in Baltimore (ages 31, 32, 33)and let them speak for themselves:
48 games started – 0 missed. 371 tackles (5th most in NFL), 9 Sacks, 5 Ints, 29 passes defensed, 4 Forced Fumbles
– and a playoff stats bonus. In 2014 the Baltimore Ravens played in 2 playoff games. In those 2 games, Daryl Smith had 16 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 Int and 2 Forced Fumbles.
Needless to say – the dude knows how to make some impact plays and we are fortunate that he wanted to end his career here in Tampa Bay.
Additional fun fact – Add up last year’s individual stats on our starting 3 LBers and you will see that the Buccaneers have the best and most productive starting LBer group in the entire NFL!
July 29th, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Let’s get the best we can from Mike Smith..because once we get that SB ring, he’s outta here! And deservedly so..
And LVD still played very well..but the spirit of the team got knocked out early and everyone just lost hope..He went from GOAT player to excellent player and now back to GOAT!
Good article Ira.
July 29th, 2016 at 9:14 pm
Stpetebucsfan:
Sorry am late to the party. Thank you very much for the gracious words. You get it!
That was very kind of you.
July 30th, 2016 at 12:23 am
@Ira or @Joe…..Mike Smith isn’t going to go man coverage and/or try to blitz the Panthers is he? I realize this isn’t going to be a passive defense meaning more blitzing. If he does those two things against Newton we will get slaughtered as man defenses are vulnerable to running qbs, and Newton was among the very best in throwing against the blitz. We have the speed at LB to spy on Newton….if we stay in a zone package. Just need to generate pressure with the front four as Denver did. That’s how we dominated Vick…..if were too agressive vs. Newton it could burn us…..what do you guys think??
July 30th, 2016 at 12:33 am
Feel:
Two things:
1) It is way too premature to guess what the Bucs will do against the Panthers.
2) No defensive coordinator in his right mind is going to broadcast how he’s going to attack a team nearly three months before they play. Besides, right now Smith likely doesn’t even know who his starting-11 will be. Kind of hard to gameplan if you don’t know who is going to be on the field for you.
July 30th, 2016 at 1:16 am
Feel:
Two things:
1) It is way too premature to guess what the Bucs will do against the Panthers.
2) No defensive coordinator in his right mind is going to broadcast how he’s going to attack a team nearly three months before they play. Besides, right now Smith likely doesn’t even know who his starting-11 will be. Kind of hard to gameplan if you don’t know who is going to be on the field for you.
————————————————————
I agree Joe…in that regard….I am just saying I’ve been hearing how offseason how were going to be aggressive and mix coverages (more man to man compared to our old Tampa two scheme). My point is sometimes being too aggressive can kill you. I recall the 1999 NFC title where we sent Ronde Barber on the blitz trying to knock the Rams out of field goal range (score was 6-5 at the time)….and we got burned on a perfect td pass to Prohel (sp?) form Warner. I guess my point is, there is a point where aggressive can actually hurt the defense depending on opponents strengths. I just hope we game-plan or learn to game-plan against the opponents weaknesses like Bellichick does in New England.
July 30th, 2016 at 11:12 am
Ira, it’s great to have you back. You haven’t missed a beat.
Joes, thanks for making it possible. You keep finding ways to make my favorite Bucs news site even better.