Koetter Calls Out “Old Wives Tale” In Bucs History
October 4th, 2016
Dirk Koetter would find a lot of opposition among glory-days Bucs
Oh, boy.
Joe wishes Warren Sapp was around to weigh in on this one.
The glory days Bucs used to love to wear down teams and bring them to their knees. Call it Tampa Bay’s home field advantage, especially in September and October. Subsequent regimes, including the Lovie Smith Experience, loved to talk about capitalizing on that heat.
Dirk Koetter has been very down on practicing in the heat. That’s all been well publicized, but Koetter took that a step further last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
A fan sent Koetter a question, “Would the team perform better if they practiced indoors?” Host TJ Rives embellished the question to ask about how the heat could be an ally on game day.
“My own opinion on that is that I don’t believe the heat is an ally,” Koetter said. “I mean, that’s been like some kind of an old wives tale that’s been around for years. Having spent time in Arizona as a college coach, and then Jacksonville, Atlanta and now Tampa, so 16 years in a row in really hot weather, I think the heat zaps you more than it does anything else. But that said, you know, wherever you’re at, you have to practice with what you got. And so practicing indoors is not an option for us. So it doesn’t even matter.”
Koetter noted 23 Buccaneers had IVs at some point during the Bucs-Rams game, but there were a lot fewer IVs needed on Sunday against Denver.
As for a heat advantage being an “old wives tale,” Joe doesn’t buy that. Joe thinks it just “old,” since the Bucs have won the fewest home games in the NFL since 2008, and they’re currently on a 3-15 clip.
Joe’s memory is sound. There’s no question that the heat used to be a positive for past Buccaneers teams, ones that practiced harder and longer during training camp, too.
What makes this even more interesting is Gerald McCoy spoke openly on the Buccaneers Radio Network recently about how he does his very best to overheat himself during practice at all temperatures. Wearing garments and slathering a product all over himself that makes him sweat and feel hotter is part of the routine.
McCoy says many other Bucs players use the same product, as well. Getting extra overheated, McCoy believes, makes Sundays in the searing Tampa heat easier.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:20 pm
I agree I always thot buc players have a disadvantage in practicin in the heat. U can’t get the best out of those guys there. Just might just be the prime issue
October 4th, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Global warming!!!
October 4th, 2016 at 5:22 pm
Man how much fun would it have been for that old Buccaneers defense to open up a season at home with case Keenum Trevor Simeon and Paxton Lynch.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:23 pm
McCoy just proved Koetter’s point. This FL sun is a killer, literally.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:35 pm
Is he telling us this new generation of players is “SOFT??”
October 4th, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Then again, the Broncos were on the sunny side of the stadium all afternoon (Paxton Lynch’s pink arms are a testament to this), and it didn’t seem to negatively impact them.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:42 pm
I can’t believe we got pimp-slapped by a rookie with pink arms.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:42 pm
The Bucs lose in the heat,rain, snow, it don’t matter about the weather. They suck on the road, they suck at home, they just SUCKS.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:43 pm
Speaking for Pablo
“Pablo wishes he’d had nothing but “old wives’s tail” If Pablo had stuck with that, Pablo wouldn’t have so many, many, many children. Pablo was chasing everybody else’s tail…..Pablo was successful.
As for the heat…..After working hot Pasco County roofs by day….Pablo knows heat. Pablo wishes he could work on “indoor” roofs”
October 4th, 2016 at 5:44 pm
I’m starting to think maybe Dirt Koetter isn’t going to be a very good head coach. Even in the crappy 80’s and 90’s teams did better in September and October. You can train your body to excel in extreme temperatures Wim Hof “The Iceman” trains people to do it all the time. With breathing exercises, yoga, and mental concentration this is done. Instead of training to be more mentally and physically tough and well conditioned it seems Koetter by taking it easy on them on account of of the heat has made this a weaker injury prone team.
October 4th, 2016 at 5:51 pm
When I moved to Florida, my senior partner at that first practice had been a cardiology fellow at the University of Florida. While there, he and others did research on fluid and electrolyte losses due to sweating in the heat. Yes, they put football players in vinyl clothes, and collected their sweat. They subsequently analyzed the chemical composition, and developed a replacement beverage which could optimally replace the lost fluids and electrolytes, i.e. Gatorade!
My take on the practicing in the heat issue, closely matches Coach Koetter’s.
Humans have two organs called kidneys, which manage fluid and electrolyte balance within close limits, and they conserve some electrolytes while getting rid of some toxins and excess fluids. When a patient has end-stage renal disease and needs dialysis, this process typically takes place during a treatment that occurs three times a week for 2-3 hrs at a time. So the artificial kidney has to do that job in a much shorter period of time than normal kidneys which are filtering the blood continuously, resulting in most patients feeling worn out, fatigued and even hypotensive (having low blood pressure) in some patients. I suspect it is not uncommon for some of these huge athletes to lose several pounds of water weight due to sweating during a long practice in this heat. And since the make-up of sweat is somewhat similar to urine, I believe that the overall effects would be at least mildly similar to the effects of hemodialysis, and leaving the players “washed out” at the very least. Just my opinion.
tickrdr
October 4th, 2016 at 5:58 pm
Speaking for Pablo
“The last time Pablo checked, Pablo only has one organ. Pablo also hopes that energy drink the good Dr. talks about wasn’t what Kwon drank. Pablo is confused about sweat and urine…..Pablo received a golden shower once…..Pablo prefers sweat drippings…..As far as the golden showers….Pablo is only a sender, not receiver”
October 4th, 2016 at 6:03 pm
Tickrdr. Those were my thoughts exactly
October 4th, 2016 at 6:12 pm
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
October 4th, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Pablo,
hahaha
Tickrdr,
Nice write up
October 4th, 2016 at 6:21 pm
Pablo!!! That was the first comment that I can remember laughing out loud about! Good stuff!
October 4th, 2016 at 6:23 pm
Imagine today’s players doing Ray Perkins 3 adays!!
October 4th, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Just living in this environment should be enough of an advantage. Something as basic as mid day jogging will get your body acclimated to the heat at least compared to teams like Denver. Now with lack of talent you could be residing in hell and still not win!
October 4th, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Speaking of hell that is a space RESERVED for BUCS fans!! Someone Help!
October 4th, 2016 at 6:33 pm
Maybe the glory days Bucs were just better at football.
October 4th, 2016 at 6:41 pm
I think training in high altitude makes a world of difference for endurance, just look at athletes in multiple sports that train there especially cyclist. So not so sure Broncos were affected as some may think to the Florida heat.
October 4th, 2016 at 6:49 pm
you heard it all the time that old wives tale with college teams from the south too
….that they played harder and are more conditioned than players from cooler weather states….
During the Civil War. …..they always said one confederate solder can kill three northern solders cause of the same wives tale too….southerners were just tougher cause they lived rougher lives.
Whatever you believe. ………..the game of football is 90% Mental and 10% Physical……..
October 4th, 2016 at 7:02 pm
Heat not an advantage anymore. I’ve noticed all the visiting teams this season are using the air condition benches. Maybe the Bucs should start using them too ?
October 4th, 2016 at 7:29 pm
So maybe we found out why McCoy is always hurt. The special rub he uses must be causing it!
October 4th, 2016 at 8:05 pm
The “all weather Succaneers”! BTW, McCoy gets hurt in all weather also.
October 4th, 2016 at 8:17 pm
Nah man, I don’t buy that heat stuff either. You act like Koetter is some rookie coach. He’s coached in this league for ten years. Those years include time in Jacksonville and against this Bucs team in Tampa.
October 4th, 2016 at 9:55 pm
tickrdr
Excuse me sir – but how do you feel about…
Taking a spoon of sodium bicarbonate – before a strenuous workout in the heat – to buffer lactic acid levels?
October 4th, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Who cares about the heat? Hell, the Heat is on Koetter and his side kick smith to win some games unless they want to be out of a job in the cold! Win us some games Coach Koetter. You wanted this HC job so figure it out and stop wining. You got a mad Cam Newton and a..Riverboat Rivera Defense to worry about. 1-4 is..unacceptable coach Koetter. Get her done sir!
October 5th, 2016 at 12:28 am
@LUVMYBUCS:
To be honest, I’ve never heard of that one.
I suspect that would not have any effect on lactic acid levels, since the ingested bicarbonate would meet hydrochloric acid in the stomach and would in fact neutralize that acid in the stomach, likely producing a large burp,
(since NaHCO3[sodium bicarbonate] + HCl[hydrochloric acid] = NaCl [salt] +
H2O [water] + CO2 [carbon dioxide = the burp]
but no effect on lactic acid levels. The lactic acid is caused by anaerobic metabolism [short-term production of energy without burning oxygen], and occurs in the muscles. This is what causes the “burn” of repetitive strenuous exercise, and takes time to be neutralized. Think about short term bursts of energy expenditure, like a sprinter. Boy, am I on thin ice talking about biochemistry > 30 years since that course in med school. The only thing I seem to know less about is when I compare stats produced by our two young QBs over the last few years. Oh noes, do we still have the 4th best QB in the NFC South?
tickrdr
October 5th, 2016 at 12:33 am
@Joe:
I tried my best to leave all of the profanity out of those chemical equations, but I understand that you have to moderate my comment.
tickrdr
October 5th, 2016 at 1:52 am
When you start games at 4pm then heat isn’t as much of an ally as it otherwise could be. Why kill your players in the heat if you’re going to on purpose schedule late afternoon games in September. Makes no sense. If it’s about fans the fans will come at 1p or 4p or any other time if you win.
October 5th, 2016 at 8:35 am
Which has clearly translated to a lot of wins over the course of his career….
October 5th, 2016 at 11:27 am
Wow what a pic that is Joe. I Mena Lovie had hair at one time? And the other guy Mr “U play to win the game” haha
October 5th, 2016 at 11:54 am
tickrdr
Thx for the response.
October 5th, 2016 at 11:55 am
moderation?
October 5th, 2016 at 11:55 am
4 what?
October 5th, 2016 at 5:19 pm
@LUVMYBUCS:
You’re welcome. Both of my posts went to moderation as well.
tickrdr