“He’s A Players’ Coach”
July 30th, 2017
Connects with players. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
Friday, Joe typed about how the vibe of the team has changed and it is easy to sense.
Joe did some quick math (always dangerous) and figured the vibe began with America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston. Jameis is all about having fun with football. His passion for the game is sky high. And few work as hard as Jameis does honing his craft.
Yesterday, Joe learned that while Jameis is very much influential with teammates, the work-hard/have-fun mindset actually comes from winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, per Demar Dotson and Mike Evans.
“I think it starts with Dirk,” Dotson said. “That is the kind of atmosphere he wants. He wants you to work hard and have fun. He doesn’t want this place to be where you have to work hard but can’t have fun. He lets guys have fun, run around, and in the locker room we have a basketball hoop and a ping-pong table. Things like that lets guys have fun. And [Koetter] is the guy it starts from.”
Evans agreed, saying Koetter truly understands what gets players motivated.
“Yeah! He’s a players’ coach,” Evans said. “That’s why we love him so much. He knows how to get the juices going in practice and he knows how players feel. It’s good to have a coach like that.”
Dotson noted Jameis still influences his teammates, but he thought part of Jameis’ philosophy stems from his dealings with Koetter.
“A guy like Jameis, he just brings an attitude, man,” Dotson said. “That excitement, that joy and as the leader of this team, people are going to embrace that. I think it starts from the head down and Jameis picked it up and it goes down from there.
“That’s from Dirk. People respect him. I have the utmost respect for Dirk, the leader he is. He is straight-forward. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He will let you know. You have to come out here to work and improve but you can also have fun. That is the attitude. We have a lot of excitement around here, but we haven’t won anything yet. That’s what [Koetter] is always harping on. [Praise from the outside] can get to our heads and that can do more harm than good.”
The thing striking Joe is it’s brand new to hear at a Bucs training camp — all of them — say they have to improve x-amount otherwise they will be letting their teammates down, but at the same time, players have big smiles talking about how much fun it is.
Training camp, fun?
Maybe Koetter is more of a psychologist than we realized.
July 30th, 2017 at 8:25 am
How could anyone who loves the Bucs not be excited after reading something like this? As awesome as it is having a young franchise QB (finally), it’s even more incredible that at the same time we got Dirk Koetter as a coach. Obviously he’s a players’ coach; you can easily sense that in how all the Bucs talk about him. But he’s also a coach’s coach IMO … the quality of our coaching advanced light-years when we hired Dirk. And it has to be because of him & his reputation & the relationships he’s developed over the years. Does anyone think that Mike Smith or Jay Hayes for instance would’ve joined the Bucs’ staff if not for Dirk? I seriously doubt it. And the same goes for his relationship with Jason Licht … no apparent power struggles there, just a good, solid relationship built on mutual trust. This team is 100% all-in … exciting times ahead.
July 30th, 2017 at 8:43 am
A far cry from Ra’s or Shiano’s second year.
July 30th, 2017 at 9:12 am
@defense rules
I tell you how someone could not “be excited after reading something like this”. Its becaue they knew it last year!!!!!!!!!!
“Deja realist” (definition) when you post something, only to “realize” that The Buc Realist said it over a year ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its The “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Buc Realist Says:
August 9th, 2016 at 9:02 am
“Joe knows that part is absolutely true.”
That is part of it!!! as well as they saw a coach revive the run game, fixed a woeful O-line!!! Installed a scheme that works!!!! And actually coached and game planned matchups!!!
Needless to say that the Defense was very jealous of what the Offense learned and grew as they regressed and stop believing in the passive, antiquated, fiasco of a defensive scheme that the incompetent one was trying to shoehorn in!!!!!
Their vote for Head Coach Koetter was a vote for progress!!! A vote to be relevant!!! To WIIN!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 30th, 2017 at 10:27 am
But he’s also a coach’s coach IMO
Agree D.R. And it’s because he’s the son of a coach. He played QB for his father.
He has the perfect experience and background to coach an NFL team.
If you planned a resume you couldn’t do better…HC at a couple of colleges with a winning record…built one program from scratch…OC on 3 different NFL teams.
A lot to prove as Buc’s coach yet…but if he continues on his trajectory DK will become the greatest Buc coach of all time…with due respect to John McKay.
July 30th, 2017 at 10:32 am
OK guys the next comment is intended for humor so please leave the politics out of it.
Realist…I bestow upon you the blogs first “Donald Trump” award for the poster with the biggest ego and need to promote himself.
So guys can we just fall in here….
Realist…you are the greatest poster who ever blogged on a sports blog. Everybody at JBF posts in your shadow because you are ALWAYS first with every astute observation so the rest of us are merely the supporting cast to your brilliance, your perspicacity, are second to none!!!
We all bow to your greatness. It’s just an honor for all of us to even be able to post on this site with you. LMAO
July 30th, 2017 at 10:42 am
I’m happy for coach K. He paid his dues now he about to reap the benefits. May go down when its all said and done as one of the greats one’s.
July 30th, 2017 at 10:54 am
Get over yourself Rhealist. Nobody wants to read your self aggrandizing “reposts”.
Coach K is the real deal. So happy this franchise is finally on the right path.
July 30th, 2017 at 10:54 am
@Stpetebucsfan
I laugh in your humor!!!! But seriously, we all know who the “real” Great of all time is………..
That honor belongs to someone else!!!!!!! To the greatest JBF poster of all TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the 7 time banned great!!!!! Thomas 2.2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 30th, 2017 at 11:31 am
I do beleive Buc Realist wears diapers. He has to. I mean every sentence he..pees on himself after the..tail wagging. Poor guy.
July 30th, 2017 at 11:42 am
There’s still a profanity fine jar, but now the fine is if not cussing.
July 30th, 2017 at 12:02 pm
@mike johnson
If the sheep would have got it the first time around,,,,, I would not have to repost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 30th, 2017 at 1:11 pm
The Buc Realist Says:
August 9th, 2016 at 9:02 am
“ … they saw a coach revive the run game, fixed a woeful O-line!!! Installed a scheme that works!!!!”
Interesting repost Realist. Check the date: 9 Aug 2016 … BEFORE the 2016 games started. Was that supposed to be a prophecy about what 2016 would be like? Revived the run game? Fixed a woeful OLine? And I especially loved your observation about the Defense being ‘very jealous’ of the Offense. 2016’s 9-7 record was more about the defense standing up than it was about the offense kicking butt. Offense’s run game floundered. And the OLine regressed from its’ 2015 performance.
Here’s an idea: If you want to be viewed as a prophet by using reposts, best to focus on those prophecies that actually come true.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:40 pm
@Defense Rules
The “Repost” was about good coaching and the energy that a very good coach brought the year before!!!!!!! That they wanted a coach that could scheme game plans to win games!!!!!! The defensive players even made comments of how Head Coach Koetter could take over a room and they wanted the same in a defensive Coordinator!!!!!!!
As far as the offense prediction, I thought I was very clear as I posted it so much last year……..But Since you asked!!!!!!!!!!
Its another “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Buc Realist Says:
June 8th, 2016 at 10:32 am
While I was totally opposed to this, The Bucs are in a bit of a corner for WR. Old and slow and major declined numbers is not the traits that I hoped that the Bucs would have to settle for!!! The draft next year will be look for WR with terms like speed and explosiveness!!!!
If they do sign Roddy White it might be after the first game as he will still be on a couch and his contract will not be guaranteed!!!!!!!!!!