Koetter: “I Really Am Not Qualified”
December 8th, 2016
The refreshing and endearing candor of head coach Dirk Koetter went down an interesting road yesterday.
Joe mentioned to Koetter that Pro Bowl voting ends Tuesday and that he called Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith “jackpot” players out of last year’s NFL Draft.
So Coach, Joe continued, how have Marpet and Smith evolved and have they reached “top-level caliber?”
“You know, I’m really not qualified to say about the top-level caliber and Pro Bowl voting because I know zero about it,” Koetter said.
“I don’t know one thing about Pro Bowl voting, as far as following it or where it is or anything like that. I’ll say we’re happy with both those guys; we’re glad they’re on our team. You know, I don’t get a chance to study every guard and tackle in the league. I think as a coach you’re always hardest on the players that you coach. I mean, your guys, you beat your guys up the most, you’re trying to get the most out of them. You know, we’re constantly trying to develop both those guys – all of our players, but those two [as well]. But there might be five guys out there having great years that I haven’t seen one snap of, [on] teams we don’t come across. We’re happy with those two guys, but I’m not putting it in Pro Bowl perspective. I really am not qualified.”
The irony here is coaches vote for the Pro Bowl. Their votes count for one-third of the selection.
Joe presumes, without official confirmation, that head coaches get ballots, possibly all coordinators, too.
Joe isn’t knocking Koetter here. The situation just illustrates how goofy the Pro Bowl selection process is.
What exactly should Koetter know about, say, defensive tackle Leonard Williams of the New York Jets, who leads the AFC in sacks at his position? Nothing. That’s what.
As for Marpet and Smith, Joe has voted many times for Marpet, and you should, too.
December 8th, 2016 at 10:32 am
Jeez, what a click-bait title
Yeah, that’s real click-bait, the head coach’s direct quote, the exact message he wanted to send on the topic.–Joe
December 8th, 2016 at 10:42 am
“Koetter talks pro bowl voting”
December 8th, 2016 at 10:50 am
Just a tad click-baity because the quotation style title implies something more serious than the pro bowl. Not a big deal though. Nothing but love here Joe
December 8th, 2016 at 11:13 am
You clowns would complain if a Bucs’ Cheerleader was sitting on your face. Idiots.
December 8th, 2016 at 11:20 am
He probably isn’t scouting offensive players on other teams… he may have had more perspective on defensive players. I think he’s referencing not being qualified because he’s not looking at OL of teams we’ve played or will play…
December 8th, 2016 at 11:25 am
Joe’s guilty of click bait sometimes I don’t think it’s intentional MOST of the time. For instance there was a post title about Koetter calling the “family motto” cheese but after reading the direct quote it was totally taken out of context to what Koetter actually said. It definitely got me to click it tho.
December 8th, 2016 at 11:28 am
In a nutshell, I think Koetter is saying he doesn’t care about the Pro Bowl. He cares about wins. Half of our draft picks would be the talk of the media if they were on the Giants or Cowboys for example. VH3 and Noah would be getting all kind of love. I cherish flying under the radar. Even in our late 90’s and early 2000’s. the respect we got nationally was marginal. It pained the media to talk about the Bucs when we played the Raiders. I’ve learned to appreciate it.
December 8th, 2016 at 11:43 am
I’ve been saying that for years. Same reason I hate college coaches voting for stuff, they only see about 10% of the teams.
There is not a good fair way to do it though. The fans, coaches, media, even players, are all biased.
December 8th, 2016 at 11:46 am
And to think some around here wanted Leo Williams. Thank you for seeing the light Mr. Licht.
December 8th, 2016 at 11:54 am
If he’s not qualified… maybe I shouldn’t vote 😀
December 8th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
the pro bowl is supposed to be an individual award, but without doing hard research i’d guess most years the teams with the most wins end up with the most pro bowlers. you can get caught up in whether pro bowlers result in wins or wins result in pro bowlers, but the best thing to do is just win and let the chips fall where they may
December 8th, 2016 at 1:30 pm
I don’t think the coaches or players really vote, I think its just an NFL thing and they decide who goes, its about ratings.
December 8th, 2016 at 4:29 pm
It’s always been a popularity contest…measured by either fans, coaches, or peers. The concept is flawed anyway…especially in football which is so dependent on large teams. A couple of great guys and you can do well in the NBA or NHL but even #3 needs receivers and OL and running backs.
And besides what is best anyway. Stats? The only stat that matters is W’s…and we crown the SB and NFC and AFC Champs every year. I’ll take guys on winning teams ahead of guys with amazing numbers and skill.
December 8th, 2016 at 5:08 pm
The pro bowl is not designed to put in only the best of the best. People forget that All Pro is about being recognized as the best of the best. Pro bowl is a novelty game to see what it would look like to have the fans favorite players play in one game. It really isn’t as seriously an honor as being an all pro. The pro bowl is meant to be a popularity contest, that is why it is voted on by fans. If you want to be known as the best of the best, then earn an all pro. That is where elite status sits.