Koetter’s Words On McNichols Not New
August 28th, 2017
Rough training camp.
Yesterday it really raised Joe’s eyebrow hearing winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter all but say Jeremy McNichols better shape up quickly or his days with the Bucs may be very short.
Koetter, if anything, is usually very supportive of rookies and bubble players. He often has encouraging words for the players, but at the same time doesn’t mince words noting the best players get jobs.
Koetter’s comments about Riley Bullough are a perfect example. He really likes Bullough, likes his football intelligence, likes his intangibles, but Koetter notes how Bullough very easily could be a victim of a numbers game through no fault of his own.
With McNichols, however, Koetter said he was less than pleased overall. This isn’t something new. Joe’s reviewed Koetter’s comments about McNichols during the recently ended training camp and there is a sad pattern.
It just seems McNichols’ head is not in the game.
Back on Aug. 8, Koetter confessed he erred in having McNichols too high up on the intial 2017 depth chart.
“I screwed up and I put Jeremy McNichols ahead of Peyton Barber,” Koetter said. “That was an accident.”
The next day, Koetter suggested McNichols didn’t have a grasp of his playbook.
“I think Tim [Spencer] said in [Hard Knocks],” Koetter began. “He [McNichols] needed to get in his playbook, and I would agree with Tim. He needs to get in his playbook.”
(Joe will have more on that in a moment.)
On Aug. 18, Koetter offered guarded praise of McNichols but noted he still had a ways to go.
“I think in McNichols’ instance, he’s a lot like Peyton [Barber] was a year ago,” Koetter said. “He’s a little indecisive, he’s still feeling his way. He’s improving and we like a lot of things about him, but he’s just a little tentative out there and that just comes with reps.”
The next day, judging by Koetter’s words, McNichols may have taken a step back and again. He invoked Barber in the conversation.
“[Jeremy] McNichols looks like a rookie, he’s learning, he’s making rookie mistakes, playing a little bit tentative but how a rookie should be,” Koetter said. “McNichols reminds me a lot of where Peyton Barber was last year at this time.”
Then yesterday in his day-after presser, Koetter admitted McNichols is making too many errors on offense and because of that and allowing a sack on a blown pass protection play, he got pulled on Saturday against Cleveland.
Now to be fair, Koetter said McNichols is doing well on special teams. Bubble players must be special teams players and not just return men. They have to play well at a variety of responsibilities. McNichols could win a spot on the final-53 provided he continues to play well on special teams. But Koetter’s Sunday words of “one final chance” in regards to McNichols for the final preseason game sure sounded rather ominous.
As far as not knowing the playbook, Joe finds that irresponsible. Through underwear football season, McNichols couldn’t participate because he was going through rehab from shoulder surgery. He was on floppy hat patrol. Since he couldn’t fully work out with the team, both on and off the field, why didn’t McNichols have his head buried in a playbook from April until the end of July when training camp began?
The Bucs must have seen something in him for McNichols to be working with the first-team offense in the first couple of days of training camp. But it’s hard to justify putting a guy on the field if he doesn’t know where he is supposed to be, or what he is supposed to do.
August 28th, 2017 at 8:09 am
So much for Koetter’s supposed “Boise State Favoritism” towards
McWeapon huh ?
August 28th, 2017 at 8:12 am
And the goobers thought we had a superstar.
August 28th, 2017 at 8:27 am
Because reading about something and actually doing it are two different things.
August 28th, 2017 at 8:28 am
So many better back we could of taken in the second instead of a safety that might not see the field
August 28th, 2017 at 8:31 am
The old adage of big dumb football player is a myth. Most lineman, quarterbacks and all of the defense are fairly smart.
The only position that could apply to is RB.
McNichols seems to fit the mold, good rb, great hands but not very bright.
Just a hunch
August 28th, 2017 at 8:38 am
I get it, its they’re right to go to the rookie symposium. I just can’t stop hearing coach Spencer comment on the fact he should have been in the building instead learning this book. He appears to have been right.
August 28th, 2017 at 8:46 am
Huge class of RBs that could have been had in round 2 on and the bucs passed and all of those RBs that were talked about here are all contributing in huge ways to their teams and at least 2 from round 2 on are starting now, jaquizz did look good friday though and doug martin has looked really good thus far
August 28th, 2017 at 10:24 am
Some ppl called him mcweapon ? LOL
More like mcflurry
August 28th, 2017 at 10:39 am
Wait, so McNicols is not the steal of the draft? Does that mean Licht is or is not a genius for drafting him in the 5th?
Again, not what I have been told. So McNichols is not better than Martin, not making Martin expendable and not winning the starting job?
But that’s not what all the experts here told me when he was drafted. Hmmm
You have a very vivid imagination.–Joe
August 28th, 2017 at 10:40 am
2-words: JOE MIXON
August 28th, 2017 at 10:42 am
Some players are great athletes, but football I.Q retarded… McNichols may be one of those players. It may not be that he’s been lazy or irresponsible, some players just can’t figure things out. I am still bitter about us taking a safety in the 2nd and not trying to make a move to pick up D.Cook. Having said that, we wouldn’t have Godwin if we did go that route.
August 28th, 2017 at 10:45 am
I can’t believe with a mentor like Snoop he would not be totally on top of his game.
August 28th, 2017 at 10:53 am
“You have a very vivid imagination.–Joe”
Yet you combine my two separate comments into one and in the wrong order. That’s quite imaginative, no?
Joe often combines comments on the same subject. Easier for the readers. –Joe
August 28th, 2017 at 10:55 am
I have to laugh at these comments so far, talking about draft regret and practically labeling McNichols a bust already. We are still in the preseason. It takes some people a little longer than others to learn and get better. Let the coaches determine if his potential is worth his slower learning so far. We will see if something clicks for him this week in the game. If not, then we still have very capable running backs on our roster. Does anyone really think having Dalvin Cook or some other RB in the second round would win us a game this year that we otherwise won’t with our current group?
August 28th, 2017 at 11:06 am
“Joe often combines comments on the same subject. Easier for the readers. –Joe”
Changing comments. That’s odd, no? [Remainder deleted]
Joe combined comments from the same poster. Really not a big deal. Heck, commenters change names all the time. Commenting here is anonymous. You act like comments are the trancsripts of a town council meeting. –Joe
August 28th, 2017 at 11:09 am
Jeebs
How dare you bring facts and logic to JBF. Some people would have nothing to post if they couldn’t constantly whine about “what could have been”.
Hindsight is 20/20!!! Nobody here gets credit for claiming they knew something all along…AFTER it happens…except of course for Realist who apparently is willing to go the old posts. LMAO
I get sooooo tired of the posts…if only they had drafted who I told them to draft. Notice those posters rarely…there are actually a couple here who will admit mistakes…but most never point out the draft picks they would have made that are failures.
The draft is a crap shoot. When you ask why didn’t we draft this position or that position realize until this season we’ve had very few positions that did not need help.
I think we all want a DE next year. Outside of that we may have finally reached the position of BPA…wouldn’t it be nice to be like the Pats?
And I agree Jeebs…RB is an undervalued position in the NFL for a reason. Next to NOSBOS I was the biggest Dalvin supporter here but I’m far from crushed that we didn’t get him. Love to have him but it didn’t work out.
Many of the same people who were here crushing NOSBOS and me pointing out that RB’s are just not that valuable are now whining.
Doug is a hard runner who appears to have regained his form. He can’t take it to the house…he NEEDS blocks…he doesnt’ create his own space….but we have depth in Quizz and Barber and Sims is good in open space. We have such a potent passing attack with at least three legitimate deep threats including our new TE that our offense should be fine…IF the OL plays like it has in the first quarter of the Bengals and Jags game.
What the f ever happened to not crying over spilt milk. Coulda…shoulda don’t mean squat!!! We have our team…let’s hope DK’s OC skills carry the day and Smitty can produce a solid D.
August 28th, 2017 at 11:53 am
A rb to watch out for is Brian Hill, he was my 2nd favorite back in the draft and the failclowns stole him a few picks ahead of us in the 5th. He has been outplayed by Tyron Ward and is in danger of being waived. He is a bigger version on Peyton barber with better receiving skills.
August 28th, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Learning the playbook is a minimum standard. Watching Winston tutor him on hardknocks was hard to watch. Jameis clearly drilling him but something is not clicking for McNichols. I remember a video that was associated with this article, but this really jumped out to me. His attitude and the lack of eagerness to learn the playbook was evident. You could tell he was dreading it.
http://www.ktvb.com/sports/nfl/unable-to-practice-mcnichols-dives-into-bucs-playbook/437620284
Reading this tho you can see the lack of urgency.
August 28th, 2017 at 12:16 pm
I will be first to say, based on everything I could find, and I dug hard, I liked the pic. I really still do. Based on his ceiling McNichols was ABSOLUTELY worth a fifth round pick. My current consternation has nothing to do with the pick. Those saying we should’ve drafted this guy or that, is fine as long as you say, instead of this guy. The only chance we had to pick Mixon or Cook was at the OJ80 slot. If someone wants to argue, that was a mistake and they would have picked either Mixon or Cook vs OJ80, fine…. you are wrong but at least you are speaking your mind and making a fair argument. If you want to say, you would’ve tried to trade the 2 and 3 pick for a chance at Mixon or Cook, I’ll listen. But you are saying bye, bye to Godwin. Movement up in the second round was very costly. I have looked it up and tried to put together an argument that didn’t involve losing our third round pick. I couldn’t.
I’m not a fan of the Evans pick yet, but converting him to Mixon or Cook would have meant no Godwin. (i wanted Godwin in the second, really bad)
I have a really hard time arguing with any pick Licht made, other than Evans this year. McNichols was a solid pick in the fifth round. Hopefully, a little pressure helps him focus. We will see this week.
August 28th, 2017 at 12:19 pm
JMc hasn’t played a lot in the preseason, and buried on the depth chart doesn’t lend him to get many reps, he’s 5th on the depth chart, you need reps to know what you’re doing, even if you know the playbook real time reps are the only way to get better…..and a 5th round pick cant be a bust since little is expected
August 28th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
that’s why I screamed for donta foreman(3rd round)…..james conner(3rd round)…..kareem hunt(3rd round)….time will tell….GO BUCS!!!!
August 28th, 2017 at 12:48 pm
You know what they saw during week 1 of training camp when he was playing with the 1’s?? They saw Doug Martin’s 3 game suspension coming and wanted to see how well Mcplaybook would perform when given the chance…if it comes down to keeping either Riley or Mcplaybook, they NEED to keep joe dirt over this guy… dirt would get snatched off the practice squad in a hurry, Mcplaybook on the other hand…very doubtful.
August 28th, 2017 at 1:22 pm
I hear you Mo_Downs, “THE MITIGATING FACTOR”…”THE CREAM OF THE CROP”…”THE VERY BEST”…”IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK”…Joe Mixon!!
August 28th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
Bighog
Obviously u didn’t read what tnew wrote above. Godwin will b our #2 wr (probably a top notch #2) for a long time across from ME13. If we trade up to take Mixon that means no Chris Godwin. I’m not ok with that.
August 28th, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Get your head out of your BigHogHaynes.
August 28th, 2017 at 3:40 pm
GOAT.. I have no problems with people saying we should’ve taken Mixon… I just want to know what they want to give up. Is it OJ80? That would’ve been crazy and I will go on record. Saying trade up isn’t so easy. People assume that we could’ve trade up to the Bengals spot, but the thing is THEY WANTED HIM SO THEY AREN’T GIVING THAT PICK UP. So… now you have to look forward. What spot was even available? By many accounts Licht was trying to move up in round 2 but a deal wasn’t done. This was one of the best second rounds in the history of the draft. How a 4.41, polished, NFL body receiver like Godwin slipped to the third without any character or injury concerns is an indicator of how good the second round was.
August 28th, 2017 at 3:57 pm
Godwin, Mixon = Super Bowl
How to get both and OJ is the GM’s job. Perhaps a trade for one of our overhyped DL..??
Bengals figured it out with a talented and crowded backfield and also got the 2nd best TE in the draft….So…????…What’s up, Jason..??
And while we’re on the “What Up, Jason” subject, Kap instead of Fitz will haunt us.
Bring your best or stay home.
Go Bucs..!!
August 28th, 2017 at 4:07 pm
Mo
How in the world does Kapernick even closely fit into our system? U are showing your lack of football knowledge. And the Giants got the 2nd best TE in the draft, not the bengals.
August 28th, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Mike,
I strongly support your right to have an opinion.
I strongly disagree with personal attacks on and among fans of this site.
I would also support a full battery of concussion syndrome tests for our rookie RB. Memory problems (playbook??) can foretell brain injury. Beating up women is also on the list. Funny how the players who have high collision positions seem, IMHO, to exhibit more acts of extreme anti-social behavior.
Winston/Kap are mobile QB’s who are accurate passers on the run. Our current OL would suggest mobility and accuracy are highly desirable traits in our QB’s.
ATC, the best players should be on our squad. If you’re looking for a bargain, go to Walmart, not the washed up QB section.
Jus Sayin..
August 28th, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Kap scrambles to RUN. Winston scrambles to PASS. Kap would be much more useful on a team such as the Panthers or the Seahawks. Both QBs are runners first not passers. Everyone is complaining that Chris Bakers antics are a distraction, what do u think Kapernick would bring? If we lose Winston the season is lost with or without Kapernick. Plus BLAINE FREAKING GABBERT beat him out for a job on a garbage team. This isn’t fantasy football.
August 28th, 2017 at 6:05 pm
Furthermore
Kapernick has played 16 games twice in his career, and never threw for more than 3400 yards.
Whereas Fitzpatrick has played 16games 3 times in his career and never threw for less than 3400 yards in those years. (3900,3400,3800) and they both have about the same completion percentage (59.7 Fitzpatrick, 59.8 Kapernick) so really there is no difference besides Kapernick doesn’t fit in our system and he would be the distraction of distractions.
August 28th, 2017 at 7:22 pm
We don’t want no scrub, USA hating, flaw of society, uniformed crybaby, handsitter here in these parts of Tampa FL. This is the gitter done town town and we don’t need any useless creeps wasting our time and space with their crying while they accomplish absolutely nothing.
The doors of One Buc Place are closed for wastes like Colin. The guy is so useless he couldn’t even hack it in San Fran and La La land don’t even want him. Dude is a walking ng joke
August 28th, 2017 at 8:09 pm
Mike,
Good points..I strongly disagree. I would suggest most of your stats are not context based. But, knowing this team (blocking..??) and the plethora of weapons available,
I would find it difficult to knock the HC’s ability to add relevant plays to the mix for
Kap.
FWIW, injuries are a part of the game and we are not as deep at OL as some of the hype would have us believe. Again, having a mobile QB is always a good thing.
Having a mobile QB that isn’t prone to pics is even better.
I agree that the Panthers or Seahawks would also be a good fit for Kap. I disagree that Fitz is anything near a good fit for TB. He was the living contradiction in 2016 of a game manager who cost his team as many wins as losses based on his TD/INT ratio that was appalling.
And, since you want to talk stats, here are some CURRENT stats that more accurately reflect their value to the 2016-17 FA market.
Ryan Fitzpatrick 2016: TD-12 / INT-17 (Games:14 / Games Started: 11)
Colin Kaepernick 2016: TD-16 / INT- 4 (Games: 12 / Games Started: 11)
So, there’s that…!!!
This ain’t about MERIT, it’s POLITICAL.
August 28th, 2017 at 10:40 pm
Ok, fitz had a bad year last year, but explain the 31 Td year he had the year b4.
And yes it is political, we don’t need the massive distraction that is Kapernick on this team. He’s not here and he never will b here. He doesn’t fit into this equation.
August 29th, 2017 at 5:17 am
@Eric, I know your not singling me or any other person, but your blanket statement of the goobers thinking we had a superstar is a bit unfair and off the mark. I work 85 hours a week, so unfortunately I do not have much spare time to input much on the board here. I do however try to read almost everything at some point. I don’t recall anybody stating that Mcnichol’s is the next superstar. A few others as myself had noted that the team MAY HAVE found a mid round steal early on after the draft ended. I based my judgement (as I’m sure the others did) on game footage of him at Boise. Having the benefit of hindsight now it’s becoming apparent that he was just getting away with pure physical talent in college. Of course in the NFL it takes that talent AND the mental aspect along with extreme dedication and drive to be exceptional. Jeremy doesn’t seem to want it bad enough!!
August 29th, 2017 at 8:24 pm
Mike,
Perhaps you would feel differently about BLM and Kaps protest if you take a good look at the racial make-up of the people who comprise your favorite football team.
Keep in mind, since you’re a stat-man, that almost every player on the Bucs are the right age, gender and race to be profiled, targeted and victimized by unlawful police violence.
Perhaps the fact that ALL African-Americans are at risk of unlawful police violence, including JW3, might give you pause and make equitable social justice your cause as well.
Go Bucs…!!!