“I Think We Can Officially Put Dirk Koetter On The Hot Seat”
October 31st, 2017
“When I worked with this Lombardi character, you would have thought he was Vince’s son.”
The more Joe thinks about this, the more Joe thinks this is a plant.
Man, things change in a hurry. In the span of a week, winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter went from having the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL that shredded a top-shelf defense like Buffalo on the road to, seven days later, having an offense with all the passion, drive, energy and desire of Hugh Hefner’s corpse.
And in the same time span, Koetter seemingly went from being lauded throughout NFL circles to considering quotes from U-Haul for its services.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, who learned the ways of running personnel departments as the right hand man of Bill Belicheat and Al Davis, isn’t the biggest fan of Koetter, so he explained in a recent edition of his podcast with “The Ringer.”
With the vision of the Bucs offense puking all over itself in an embarrassing effort to all but close the door on any playoff prayer, Lombardi went all in on Koetter, stopping just short of saying he’s a goner after the season.
And who does Lombardi believe is standing in the on-deck circle waiting to pounce on a Bucs coaching vacancy? Well, none other than his former Raiders colleague, Chucky.
“I think we can officially put Dirk Koetter on the hot seat,” Lombardi said. “I think Dirk Koetter has all this talent, [the Bucs] spent all this money and I think Dirk Koetter is going to be on the hot seat. Could he make it through the end of the year? Perhaps. But I think you are going to start to hear — a lot of people in the NFL are telling me that the name they are hearing is Gruden back to the Bucs.
“He made up with the Glazers. The Glazers could easily bring him back because they need somebody to help their franchise out because right now they have all of this offensive talent and they can’t score any points. … Everybody I talk to in the NFL is talking about that Bucs job and they think it’s going to end up being over with for Dirk Koetter if he doesn’t get this thing turned around quickly and it doesn’t look like it will get turned around quickly at all.”
This isn’t the first time Lombardi has floated the notion that Koetter’s job security is dangling by a thread.
Now first, let’s take a deep breath and sober up for a moment.
First, until that total shat show by the Bucs offense Sunday, Koetter, again, had the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL. So all of a sudden because of one game — albeit, a horrendous showing — he’s a dead man walking? In October?
Joe (and Bucs fans) have hammered defensive coordinator Mike Smith for how toasty the defense has been. But lost in the freakout over the offense Sunday was perhaps the best showing by the defense all season. And that was without a pass rush (what edge rush?) and with two starting cornerbacks who 95 percent of Tampa Bay area residents wanted thrown off one of those cheesy Pasco County gambling boats that cruise the Gulf.
So it’s not like the Bucs don’t have the talent. Additionally, it’s not like Koetter and Smith haven’t gotten (some) results, just not with any consistency. If nothing else, what the defense did Sunday gives Joe renewed hope that Smith might be able to turn things around.
The more Joe thinks about it, the more Joe is smelling a plant here. If Joe had to wager, Joe wouldn’t mind laying $10 that Lombardi might be getting fed info either directly from Chucky or through a third party.
(Another thing to think about with Chucky: He makes a reported $6.5 million a year to work roughly 70 days a year with BSPN. Those type of gigs don’t come along very often. And it seems after the 2021 season, BSPN may be out of the NFL business. Chucky just may decide to squeeze that TV lemon dry before he commits to working 90-hour work weeks for about the same amount of cash.
Now Lombardi is correct on one thing: Team Glazer and Chucky appear to have patched things up. For the longest time, Chucky was bitter about being jettisoned by Team Glazer. Those things happen when you ignore or mock the desires of the folks who sign your paychecks.
In fact, Chucky notoriously spoke to a group in Ocala a few years ago and called an unspecified member of Team Glazer a “son of a b!tch.”
Joe fully understands the outrage of Bucs fans over this pitiful season. And as Koetter said Sunday, if anyone is going to point fingers, point a finger at him first. But Joe isn’t quite yet ready to buy that Chucky has a moving van warmed up with Koetter’s address saved on his Google maps.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:03 am
Still with the winning Bucs coach crap? Seriously?
October 31st, 2017 at 8:05 am
Sad….but true….oh how the team’s fortunes have changed from Playoff potential to NFL top 10 draft pick!!!!
so sad
October 31st, 2017 at 8:10 am
……and no….chucky isn’t coming back to coaching either
he will never give up the best job in the world working not even a fraction of what a coach does while making hooters and beer commercials
cmon now joe….this is reaching
October 31st, 2017 at 8:11 am
I like Dirk, but this team is under acheiving on his side of the ball. The D isn’t great but has done enough to beat the Bills, Panthers, and Pats. We should be a top 5 offense and it stinks for the talent we have. I’m sick of reading how good our offense is… yeah, it’s great for yards but sucks for points and you need points to win. It seems like we have scored the bulk of our points in the fourth quarter and we also have to wait to score untill we get behind. Jameis doesn’t look any better today than he did halfway through his rookie season and this is year 3 of Jameis and Dirk. I agree he is on the hot seat and has to turn this thing around. I love Chucky, but I think he stays in the booth or goes to coach Andrew Luck.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:17 am
Chicken or the egg….Jameis throws too many incomplete balls…..poor playing calling….patience grasshoppers…2018
October 31st, 2017 at 8:19 am
Like I said in another thread. This offense has peaked under him. I would love to be wrong. But I see teams with far less talent on offense doing way more. He relies way too much on big plays that never develop. Can we throw a quick slant to Jackson?
It’s not like teams are running some exotic defense against them. The patriots beat us running a vanilla defense. Every week it’s the same old excuses.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:20 am
I am convinced now that Joe is playing with his readers when he refers to Dirk as a winning coach the way a Hooters waitress messes with him when she touches his elbow and says “I’m so glad you came in honey I was SO bored before you showed up”.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:23 am
I agree with the last part that Gruden doesn’t have a moving van ready for One Buc. If Koetter were to be fired I think Gruden would be a terrible hire. Gruden is going to be inducted in the Ring of Honor in a few weeks. How bad would it look with his name in the Ring of Honor only to come back and possibly go 5-11. In my opinion once your name is honored that’s it. The Bucs cannot put themselves in a position to tarnish that name.
As for this tin foil hat conspiracy about Lombardi being fed talking points. C’mon, you’re better than this.
Yards do not equal points or wins.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:25 am
Don’t know about the Gruden hire, I wish, but Dirk is definitely on the hot seat. The trust fund babies expect improvement. Having the number 1 passing offense on a potential 2-14 team, is not the improvement they are looking for.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:28 am
If that means ditching Dim Licht then I’m all for it
October 31st, 2017 at 8:30 am
The last time I checked the coaches don’t play on the field. QB, DE, CB and OL positions and players need to get the criticism for the poor play on the field. The coaches can only do so much. Its up to the MEN on the field to establish the play by being physical. This team is not physical up front on either side of the ball. The OL has regressed as well as #3 this year.
I hate to say this but I am confident that #3 will NEVER win an NFL playoff game after 2.5 seasons. While he is good, good doesnt make the NFL playoffs. I think I have seen enough missed targets and fumbles to say that. Where is the criticism for #3 inability to get 6/TD in the first half? In the NFL, it all starts with the QB and I find it dishonest to be pointing elsewhere. I think #3 needs to sit and get healed; his 80% is not equal to Fitz at 100%. He played hurt and did a disservice to his team. JW is simply not that much better than Fitz and I think its time to see what someone else can get done.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:32 am
Not Kotter, not Smith. The problem with the Bucs this year is Licht ignoring the team’s biggest needs during the offseason: RB & DE.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting Licht needs to be canned, but it is a head scratcher he ignored the DE position that has not had double digit sacks in over 10 years and that he relied on a RBs who have demonstrated to be unreliable!
October 31st, 2017 at 8:35 am
Licht not addressing our defensive needs is the problem and Mike Smith not adjusting is to blame too.. Dirk needs talent on defense to match the offense. We need DE, S, CB and a DT… Thats pretty damn pathetic
October 31st, 2017 at 8:38 am
@HarrynCosta… I agree. I think alot goes back to Jason and that idiotic kicker pick. Use those picks on a safety and a cb and in this years draft you can take hunt in the 2nd. Not sure why we targeted Baker and not campbell when a proven sack man was so desperately needed.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:39 am
He should be on the hot seat. We’re a mess right now. We regressed from last season. This team still has no identity and frankly no heart. The practice schedule has been weak from the get-go and it shows. It’s the head coaches job to make sure ALL the pieces of the puzzle are in place each week and that is not happening. We have been unprepared on one side of the ball or the other each week seemingly. You think there ever has been a week where a Belichick team was so unprepared for the game? We should expect the very best from our head coaches, and we have not been able to for a very long time. I doubt Chucky is the answer or that he would be interested. If Koetter turns in a 5-11 season he should go. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I have a whole closet full of jerseys I bought with my hard earned money and spend $30-40 a game watching at a bar in Denver EVERY week. I expect better, and frankly we all deserve better. In the words of Paul Stanley from KISS “If you ever go see a show and the band don’t give you the show you deserve, for your hard earned money, never go see them or buy their stuff (paraphrase on “stuff”) again!”
October 31st, 2017 at 8:45 am
Aah yes, the scapegoat hunt continues on. Apparently instead of ‘Welcome Back Koetter’ it’s now ‘Good Bye Koetter’? Not so fast Lombardi. His starting point … ““I think Dirk Koetter has all this talent, [the Bucs] spent all this money” … is bogus. The Bucs aren’t nearly as talented in several critical positions as many thought they were (as in DLine, Secondary, RB & yes OLine). And no, we didn’t spend a lot of $$$ (look at what we still have available then compare that to our ‘holes’ on defense especially).
This is a good to very good coaching staff. Could it do better? Probably. Should our HC also be the OC? No way. Bucs biggest problem is that they lack B-A-L-A-N-C-E. And that won’t change this season (or if it does, it’d change for the worse through injuries). The biggest stumbling block right now is Jameis, and personally I think that’s largely because of 2 things. First, he’s hurt (to whatever degree) & that looks like it’s impacting his throwing motion. Second, Koetter & Bajakian have been trying to make him into something he’s not. They’re trying to mold him into an automaton of their design … and it’s not working. Look at how Jameis played in 2015 (much more free-wheeling) versus what we’re seeing now (classic pocket passer … relatively few rollouts & throws on the run). Jameis needs to sit until that shoulder heals, and in the meantime watch Fitz. Don’t know that Fitz will win more games, but my gut tells me that he can put up more than 3 points a game running this offense.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:45 am
Screw it, let’s make this an even bigger shat show and bring in Jim McElwain instead! Par for the course for the loser trust fund babies!
October 31st, 2017 at 8:50 am
Last time I checked a head coach is responsible for the play of his entire team.
Let’s take Chucky for example. In the year he got fired it was the defense that collapsed down the stretch, costing the playoffs. Offense played well. Remember all the circus catches by Bryant?
Bottom line is always wins and losses. The only way Dirk avoids the hangman is wins, not stats.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:53 am
Lombardi also stated the eagles coach doug pederson was gone after this year and worst coach in the league…but the eagles are the top team in the league with best record
October 31st, 2017 at 8:55 am
i like Dirk, think he needs to give up play calling. Get Norv Turner and go for John Dorsey. Build the Defense up.
October 31st, 2017 at 8:58 am
The man is 1 game under .500 in his 2nd year and you want to run him out of town. Amazing.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:00 am
Tired of hearing this talk that Gruden won’t coach cause he has a cush job. Dude still is up at 4am watching film and it’s not about the easy way out. You don’t attain the level of success he has had in life by settling for the easy way. It’s about passion and it’s about goals and if you think for a second he wouldn’t come back when this team is as loaded on offense it’s ever been, he still lives in Tampa? He’s made up with the glazers now that’s the biggest hurdle. Nothing would be more appealing to him than redemption IMO
October 31st, 2017 at 9:02 am
agree!!!!….dirk is on the hot seat and will get canned….not making it to the playoffs with this team is unacceptable….
and for those that say we lack talent, BS….this team has more talent than we’ve had in years and this coaching staff is underachieving….
its time to clean house!!!!!…look at what other teams have done….you get a competent HC in here and it will be a quick turn around just like other form bottom dwellers(jags, dolphins, bills, rams)….
dirk has shown he’s only an OC…he has lost the players and the fans….BYE FALECIA!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 9:05 am
Bad coaching may be the problem, hate to say it too because I really like Dirk. Another option is to sit Jameis and play Fitz this week, let’s see if he lights a fire under this offense.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:06 am
Yes Dirk we are pointing the finger at you then Jason licht then everyone wearing that C patch
October 31st, 2017 at 9:07 am
Dewey Selmon Says:
October 31st, 2017 at 8:58 am
The man is 1 game under .500 in his 2nd year and you want to run him out of town. Amazing.
its not the loses, it how we’re losing!!!….
we’re getting blown out….we come out unprepared….we come out flat….we don’t make adjustments…..predictable play calling….bad personnel….poor clock management…..faulty game planning….the list goes on and on….wake up man!!!!….dirk is in over his head….GO BUCS!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 9:08 am
My biggest issue problem with the Bucs has been evident in most of their games, from the get-go, they do not play with urgency, they do not come out sharp and focused and most of all they get manhandled. It sure looks to me like the other teams are playing tackle football and we are playing like they practice, in shorts.
To see a team that cannot even cancel out the line of scrimmage game after game. Just holding their ground on defense is better than being knocked around, defensive line grades out “E” all year. LB’s play well. Secondary played well last game but most of year they are “D” performances.
Offensively, scoring and red zone success is most disappointing. I’d have thought this offense would be scoring 3-4 touchdowns per game but Jameis cannot hit a receiver that is behind coverage downfield, he must have had 10-12 opportunities this season and only hit on 2. The Howard catches don’t count because he wasn’t covered and all Winston had to do was play catch.
Koetter deserves a “D” for the way he game manages and prepares team.
Still with all the bad play, if they would play with intensity and fire, they could overcome some of the bad plays.
This team is in need of leadership and it needs to be held to a higher standard by coaches. 9 games to play and if they continue to play with no enthusiasm I don’t see how they can beat anyone on the schedule.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:12 am
I think Gruden just wants a chance to pull a Bill Parcells on the Glazer boys. And Monday Night Football ain’t going away, even if BSPN can’t afford it. Chucky will have a TV gig as long as he wants one.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:17 am
I have said for a long time the only place Gruden would coach is the Bucs.
I think there is a very good chance he would take the job.
However, the Bucs need to make sure Gruden is not in charge of free agency or the draft. He can have final say on the 53 man roster, but I do not want him in charge of the draft or free agency.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:22 am
My company had the honor of cleaning Jon Gruden’s roof fairly recently !
However, we never got the chance to actually meet him.
We never even talked with Jon himself.
Quite often, famous sports figures like himself have professional property managers who hire us.
I think if we don’t turn this season around quickly, there will be several changes coming to Tampa, and not just coaching. Jason Licht may be not offered a new contract, because the new coach will certainly want his own people.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:26 am
Knock off the Gruden talk. Not chance. Btw, the uniforms suck.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:35 am
I was looking at the schedule. I see one winnable game the rest of the year: Miami. A record of 3-13 with the tent we have would be inexcusable. If I am right, Koetter won’t need a moving van. He will be made to walk the plank and Buc fans will have the Bay Furniture Party (like Boston Tea Party) throwing all of Dirk Koetter’s furniture in after him. Top 10 pi Tampa may end up with the top pick in the draft. AGAIN! What a bunch of losers. Country club living mother f~~~ers. Gruden may be available. If ESP drops Monday Night Football, it could happen this year not 2021. If the ratings are low enough, ESPN goes back to Olympic Dwarf tossing this year in the slot for cancelled MNF. Then Gruden is available. If Gruden is available, he coaches the Bucs.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:39 am
Gruden is not coming back to the Bucs. He and the Glazers have not “made-up”.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:53 am
This is silly. Ok, let’s fire Dirk, question, who do we hire? Remember multiple high profile coaches have told up no in the past, leading to last minute rush hires that didn’t work out. We for coaches every 2 years, that isn’t very enticing. Face it we are not a destination that quality coaches want to come to as it likely ends any further head coaching aspirations they may have. Let’s not forget, out greatest coach hire was Gruden, who didn’t choose Tampa, we traded 2 first round picks for him. Sorry, no proven coaching commodity wants to relocate to this coaching Siberia.
October 31st, 2017 at 9:53 am
@Defense Rules
I agree with your observation that though Good Coaching staff, talent is not, We have a lot of holes on defense, OL, and RB. Yes we added 2 good Draft picks and DJax in the off season and one would think if nothing else we should be scoring a lot more points. Thats not the case. Add that to a weak DL and mediocre DB play and our preseason lofty expectation have gone down the tube. Unfortunately we are not going to get better. Winston is at some point going to miss some time with that shoulder and we are headed into the meat of our season.When you think of some of the players we could have picked in the draft and still got OJ Howard, like Kareem Hunt, Jackson DB out of Alabama and others it suggest the inability to recognize talent.
October 31st, 2017 at 10:02 am
Imagine if Jeffrey Vinik owned this team… sigh… one can dream.
But sorry Bucs fans, the problem is the crappy owners of this team.
October 31st, 2017 at 10:12 am
@CONTE
you think we cant find a competent innovative HC that will want to coach:
Winston, evans, djax, brate, oj, hump, godwin,
kwon, LVD, beckwith, GMC (maybe), VHG, and j.evans
GTFOH….GO BUCS!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 10:12 am
Having the #1 passing offense is a result of teams being so far in the lead, Minn, Az, that their defenses sat back in prevent, and let us pile up garbage yards. It’s a stat that like others is for losers which we are. Here’s a stat for you Joe. Worst red zone offense in the league under winning,lol, head coach Koetter. That’s a stat that matters, because if you can’t score, you can’t win.
October 31st, 2017 at 10:13 am
Not sure how I feel about this….other than it would make tennesee fans sad..so for that…would be worth it lol
October 31st, 2017 at 10:17 am
If Mr Vinik owned this team there would would be at least be a competitive product on the field if not a constant contender .
October 31st, 2017 at 10:37 am
Even prior to this week, having the #1 passing offense (combined with the amount of points we score) is an indictment of Koetter’s scheme as much as an accomplishment.
October 31st, 2017 at 10:43 am
They will clean house after this year. It makes sense. Licht contract is up and GM’s don’t get to survive 3 coaches. I think we should hire a young offensive coach and bring in a seasoned D coordinator. McDaniels or KC offensive coordinator. Maybe Gettleman as GM. He built that Carolina defense
October 31st, 2017 at 10:49 am
Word is, Marvin Lewis will be available soon
October 31st, 2017 at 11:15 am
Bucs overreacted in rushing to hire koetter. I get firing lovie but why hire a coordinator who if was any good for the job would’ve have been a head coach before last year .
October 31st, 2017 at 11:19 am
I’ll take chucky
October 31st, 2017 at 11:20 am
Matt Patricia from New England is an interesting name
October 31st, 2017 at 11:25 am
“So it’s not like the Bucs don’t have the talent.”
EXACTLY… that’s why the seat gets hot. You can give me Dale Jr.’s car, but I can’t do jack squat with it because I don’t know how to drive 200 mph.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:26 am
On HALLOWEEN, let’s treat it like the H20 Halloween Sequel: we will just IGNORE everything that came after Halloween 2 and pick up where we left off with Jamie Lee Curtis… I MEAN GRUDEN.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:28 am
The way I see it Dirk had to know this town wasn’t happy when he brought a 3 game losing streak back home. It was a pressure game knowing his squad was going to be under the microscope. If the guy was any good at his job his team would have stood up for him and play with determination.
All we got was a choke job with sloppy football all first half. Then we got destroyed and beaten to a pulp in the 2nd. His QB and his team laid a collective egg in a showme game. He’s officially on the hot seat for good reason. Let’s see how they show up this week. Some have already lost faith in this guy. If we egg another choke more will lose faith.
Dirk you said all offseason that you want a badass football team….So do I buddy, so do I.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:33 am
Yes, the Bucs had the #1 passing offense in the NFL but that stat is misleading due to garage yards the Bucs rolled up after falling so far behind ingames like the Vikes and the Cards. And yes, some people think the D woke up on Sunday….Newsflash; the Panthers scored 9 against the Bills and got 3 vs the Bears (and also gave the Bears 14 points vis the turnovers) and yet they still did enough to bury the Bucs and Cam did not even receive on qb pressure all day…. Suppose the offense did its usual 4th quarter wake up and somehow got the game to 17 all or to a 3 point game; does anyone think the Bucs D would somehow hold of Carolina if Carolina had a couple of trime outs and more than 90 seconds on the clock? I bet the D would have let Cam pick them apart and Carolina would have got the W regardless. Carolinas O did not need to score points they just had to chew up the clock and watch the Bucs O implode; if they needed points late they would have found them. The idea of Chucky coming back is going to get more and more traction as this team continues its trek to 4-12 which is the record that got both Sciano and Rah canned. Even if the Bucs beat the following: Miami, the Jets, the Pack and perhaps an upset; that still is only 6-10 and given this roster that should still get some people the pink slip……The Bucs have already squandered 3 winnable games: New england via Folk, Buffalo via the D and Arizona via Koetter throwing away 3 points before the half and then chasing 2 pointers through the ret of the game….. That was the difference between a potential 9-7 club and one that will be 6-10 at best…. Last year the Bucs won a few of those garbage games, this year they have lost all of them except for the Giant game and they really tried to give that one away as well…..
Roof Cleaner: Marvin might make a great DC for the Bucs next season.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:35 am
Dirk deserves no pass for his nonscoring top ranked passing attack.
Why should he when his team plays such bottom tier football they can’t even hang with Minnesota or Arizona this year.
How about his team getting embarrassed by a Rams team last year that learned how to score in our own house? Or looking like they didn’t belong vs Arizona last year? His team collapsed vs Oakland and gaged their playoff chance in back to back games?
Dirks team has only proven that they are pretenders in this league wrapped up in a flashy offence that is unable to get one yard when it is needed. We shall see how it goes this week but based on the track record Dirks teams crumbles when they face a touch of pressure.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:53 am
The reason the Bucs have been abysmal for a decade is because they keep firing coaches every two years without allowing any continuity of players or system. So the obvious solution is to… fire the coach?
Do you guys hear yourselves when you write your comments?
Look up the definition of insanity and you’ll see why the Bucs owners should have been committed due to their impatience over the past decade.
If the Gruden talk is serious – and it will reach a fever pitch when he is inducted into the Ring of Honor later this year – then Gruden needs to demand an unprecedented ten year guaranteed contract or he’d just be setting himself for a bad case of deja vu.
October 31st, 2017 at 11:59 am
And somebody please tell me why Dirk is the only Head Coach in football that gets judged on the offense.
This is his freaking team he is responsible for both sides of the ball. I realise he and Smith are buds but maybe they could have spent the last two years revamping the defence rather then bring in another guy who relys on front four pressure without having the players to provide it. That or hire somebody different to work with what you got…..And does anybody remember when he had to hire a guy to help him with timeouts on the sideline? Maybe that’s a sign he doesn’t know how to piece a staff together because he has consistently been critisized for his game management. It didn’t get any better last game when he leaves his 3 first half timeouts in his back pocket which essentially took a possession away from our O. His little plan to defer every kickoff has never worked neither and handed the lead/momentum to the other team most weeks.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:05 pm
@jimmyjack because he’s one of the few coaches that have 4 to 6 pro bowlers on that side of the ball, because hes an offensive guy, because he got the job based on bringing along the #1 pick, because we poured alot of resources into that side of the ball, because the d is good enough to win, becaused the O has regressed. Because we hired an ex coach in Mike Smith to be in charge of the D like when we had Gruden and Monte running things.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:05 pm
Let em go!!! C U DIRKY BOY!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Oh yeah DIRKY the Quirky take Smith with you when you leave and don’t let the door hit either of you in the Hiney!!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 12:19 pm
I knew the game was lost on Sunday, after the first possession. We had a 1st and five. Three plays and we couldn’t get five yards in a must win gme at home. Sheesh
October 31st, 2017 at 12:20 pm
Yeah well mike it doesn’t work that way. If it does for a few of you fans that’s your perrogrative.
But when Dirks bosses want an answer to what the malfunction is with this defence giving us a no show more then half the time…….I guarantee you they hold Dirk accountable.
It’s extremely irresponsible and grounds for dismissal if a Head Coach is to have no answers for that side of the ball. You don’t hire a Head Coach in this league to handle one side of the ball. And you can put the kibosh on your Gruden/Kiffen theory because Warren Sapp has shared many a story about how He and Gruden had quite the relationship. I vividly recall an interview where Sapp was demoralised when we lost in Philly in that SuperBowl year and how Gruden promised him he had their defence figured out and that his offense was going to have a better showing the next time. Sapp credited his HC there saying that Philly had our number and Grudens confidence was a key factor in giving confidence to a defence that was starting to lose it.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:25 pm
JMark…..You are smarter then I am…..I officially gave up when Dirk sat on his timeouts and let them control the clock just before the half.
By the looks of the 2nd half that’s the same time quite a few players gave up too………I know this guy wants a badass football team but wanting it doesn’t mean they won’t play soft, which is what they do.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Dirk is only on the hot seat if there is great replacement available and Gruden is not available. ESPN will have to pull Gruden out of the Monday night booth before he leaves. Coaching doesn’t pay enough for Johnny even consider it. ” Come on man, I left a Superbowl winning coach”.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:43 pm
Had nothing to do with Koetter or his placating. He is a PROVEN PLAYCALLER!!!!
Jameis looks like s 7th round qb this year. He is not good. He has slow footwork, average pocket awareness, he has stopped running for first downs until this past week, he’s inaccurate. I don’t get it. How can someone regress so much with added talent?
October 31st, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Dirk let us all down this year. This product on the field is hot garbage No one is playing up to their potential and that’s on coaching.
October 31st, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Draft UP FRONT on defense. Begin with the BEST on the board with our 1st pick. Then draft the NEXT BEST DL or DE available on the 2nd pick. We have a great core of LB’s. We can get better on the back end immediately with a better pass rush. Next, spend money on some proven offensive lineman. Not that our ours are bad, but we either have to run block better or get a new running back. In regards to running back, all of them are second and third team talent at this juncture. I like our receiver depth. AND now on to the part that either makes or break the offense, the QB. We have to bring in someone that can push JW for his job. NO ONE on the depth chart can beat him out. Competition brings out the best in a player, or it reveals them. We need to bring in “the next guy” so we can find out if JW’s talented personality equals the talent needed at the most important single position in football. I don’t care about anyones passing numbers. I care about throws on 3rd down, and consistency. I would also, bring in a NEW QB coach who can help JW. Whatever that QB coach is doing now is not working. However, we cannot give up on JW. This may seem like an oversimplification of the Bucs woes, but we can be fixed if we evaluate correctly and apply strategies to fix those shortcomings. I am available as a consultant if the Bucs want to talk, lol.
October 31st, 2017 at 1:04 pm
BucEmUp…….Dirks team also has a proven track record of choking.
His best play calling came in 2015 too, when he wasn’t setting the gameplan.
But that doesn’t matter……what does matter is if this coach has shown us that he looks like a guy who can lead us to a SuperBowl one day. His teams get blown out quite often, they choke away huge leads, have trouble beating bottom tier teams and his teams fold and show no effort in pressure games. We have been consistently manhandled physically under Dirk and that’s a calling card for bad teams. It doesn’t matter what calls you play when your team is getting their asses kicked.
Still waiting on this guy to show Tampa what a contending team looks like. Til then he can take his playbook and his offensive statistics and stuff em
October 31st, 2017 at 1:13 pm
BucEmUp Says:
October 31st, 2017 at 12:43 pm
Jameis looks like s 7th round qb this year. He is not good. He has slow footwork, average pocket awareness, he has stopped running for first downs until this past week, he’s inaccurate. I don’t get it. How can someone regress so much with added talent?
^^BINGO^^
GO BUCS!!!!
October 31st, 2017 at 1:45 pm
11-12 career record isn’t winning coach anymore
October 31st, 2017 at 1:47 pm
Joe, the only reason we have the “number 1” passing offense is because of garabage time yards when we are already down by two touchdowns. I would love to see our stats when we actually have a lead in a game. Probably dead last. Dirk goes full conservative mode if we are tied or have the lead and it’s pathetic. It’s the primary reason we are 2-5.
Dirk is afraid of opening things up early and it’s losing us games. Notice the only time we actually move the ball is late in games when dirk feels comfortable to pass because we are already down a couple scores. Jameis is an agressive qb who plays best when we actually want to open things and get him into a rhythm. There is no rhythmic or flow with this offense. ZERO.
October 31st, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Koetter=College coach or pro coordinator simple as that
October 31st, 2017 at 1:54 pm
Dirk coaches with the mindset of trying not to lose rather than try to Win. Watch how the Eagles play football, Dirk, I can assure you that they are playing to win and I can also assure you that they don’t have any skill players better than what the Bucs have on offense. But they are actually getting results with even with less talent at their skill positions. Why? It’s because they play and coach with a fearless and aggressive mentality. Let Jameis loose for once! We let Jamies loose his rookie year and he thrived, why does Dirk all of sudden call plays like we have Alex Smith or Matt Cassel at QB?
October 31st, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Tbbucs3,
Jameis racks up yards against zone defenses. His inaccuracy shows up more against man when guys are open or NFL open. Teams up 2 scores late in games play a lot of zone, hence padding yardage stats and stats overall.
Just watch a Bucs game. Most opponent incompletions are pass defenses or throwaways. Bucs incompletes are mostly missing open receivers. We have tremendous talent on offense outside backup RBs. Those guys are open. JW can’t get the the ball.
October 31st, 2017 at 5:01 pm
Give me Josh McDaniels as the coach with those quick passes that help the running game and give Marvin Lewis as dc once he’s fired
October 31st, 2017 at 6:22 pm
Let me just sum up all of the comments listed here. Its a hard..hard life..Being a Bucs fan. Why its enough to make one..Drink..excessively!!
October 31st, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Love to have Chucky sign my Chucky doll again!
November 1st, 2017 at 12:14 am
Come on Joe . I like a lot of your articles but to say that Jon Gruden could be feeding info to Lombardi seems far fetched . It doesn’t seem right that you can bash Gruden like that . It actually seems irresponsible . If I didn’t know better I might think that you work for CNN and make up stories about our President also . Let’s give props to our Super Bowl winning coach instead of making stuff up .
November 1st, 2017 at 12:54 am
Not bashing Chucky at all. Joe just knows how the NFL works. It’s cutthroat. More likely, it is Chucky’s agent feeding Lombardi info. Why do you think for every two-bit football job that opens up, Chucky’s name is in the thick of the discussion?
November 1st, 2017 at 8:25 am
Because its Jon Gruden… lol
November 2nd, 2017 at 3:57 am
#1 Passing Offense with all the garbage yards in the 4Q when we’re desperately trying to get back into the game and the defense is playing zone to just keep our players in front of them? Oh that #1 offense?
This is a joke of an offense. Garbage.