Will Mike Smith Be Scapegoat?
November 5th, 2017
Scapegoat for season?
The problems with the offense? Joe could point to one area and the offense is fixed: running the ball.
Defense? Too many issues to count.
But the one issue that may just mean the end of Mike Smith as a defensive coordinator is not the topsy-turvy, home-game-good, road-game-gross play. It’s the apparent disconnect between the coaches and the players.
As you likely read earlier today, the words from fan favorite Chris Conte were, well revealing. Joe had asked Conte if the defense, which played very well against Carolina, had turned the corner? If, like last year, the defense found the issues and had resolved them?
Conte began talking preparation, being ready to play, communication.
Wait?
Joe thought this communication nonsense was resolved last year? So it has cropped up again? Joe has heard way too much over the past few weeks that guys weren’t ready to play or communicating? How. Why? That is directly on the coaches.
Joe has sensed a disconnect on the team in some way, but never could put a finger on it. Now Joe is certain the defensive players have tuned out coaches, or at least enough of the players to drag down the defense.
Joe simply cannot point to a lack of turnovers as the reason why this defense, especially in road games, looks like a jailbreak.
Notice only defensive players have whined?
Of course, T.J. Ward and shy, belly shirt-wearing, practice-hating, kicker-heckling, tree-grinding , non-contact-football-loving, chicken-wings-grilling, playing-time squawking, TV cooking star Swaggy Baker have belly-ached publicly. Warren Sapp has said Gerald McCoy is frustrated out of his mind. GMC’s body language two weeks ago when asked about a three-man front said much more than his words — when he basically said he’s not the coach and he’s not calling formations and just does what he is told.
It is difficult to believe that the Bucs, barrelling toward a top five pick in the draft, won’t have changes. It is hard to grasp that a shakeup of some sort by Team Glazer isnt coming.
While there sure seems to be a need to weed out the malcontents and to run them off, it is becoming more difficult to believe as each week and rotten game passes that Smith returns as defensive coordinator.
November 5th, 2017 at 4:57 pm
Nah…he deserves another lucrative extension. Don’t let him get away!
November 5th, 2017 at 4:58 pm
No, you will blame a player like Baker who has been here half a season. How about McCoy’s disappearing act for two solid weeks when they needed him most?
November 5th, 2017 at 4:59 pm
We don’t have the talent, that Buc’s fans think we do. Linebackers are overated too.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:00 pm
I don’t know who it is, but somebody has got to die!
November 5th, 2017 at 5:02 pm
if smith is scapegoat that would be another coordinator but to the pasture by captain blowout cancer93. cancer93 is getting close to lovie smith territory in destroying coordinators careers. not even midseason and cancer93 captained / led defense has quit on yet another regime. pathetic that joe ignores the obvious. the losing culture is real and it’s very clear who is the leader of the losing culture. cancer93 should have turned the C in 8 r 9 blowouts ago. get rid of the holdover loser have NO desire nor do they know how to win. clear out the heartless hold overs in gmc, martin and dotson and watch these young guys thrive. the face of the basement years cancer93 is the teams biggest problem good player but a career loser who is killing this locker room.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:02 pm
Why get rid of “Winning” Coach Mike Smith?
November 5th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
200 total yards on offense
Leading passer 68 yards
Leading rusher 34 yards
Leading receiver 25 yards
November 5th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
Mike Smith should definitely go. In fact, Smith should never have gotten the gig in the first place. Schwartz should have been the hire. Ask the Eagles how that is working out. Kwon has been terrible. The only guy still balling on this defense is LVD. McCoy is easily taken out of games and the rest of the line is a sorry excuse for linemen. Licht has not been good but there is more talent on this team than the results that are achieved. Mike Smith has to go but as much as I hate the carousel, it looks like Dirk does too.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
I hope the do not pick up D. Smith option because if cannot play right tackle let him go. If you can let Penn leave you shouldn’t have any problem letting Smith arse see the door. Smith is the new QB killer…
November 5th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
Put ME13 on defense…..we saw that he has passion and can tackle…..
November 5th, 2017 at 5:05 pm
De joe
Lol don’t have Talent? This is the most talented bucs team in recent memory, and one of the more talented teams in the entire league. Give Bill Belicheat this roster and watch him go to the super bowl. This is purely on coaching. Weather it’s a bad scheme fit, or they are just not getting thru to the player, purely a coaching issue.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Adios smith. Adios dirk. The offense is just as bad. N it all falls on the head coach. Unprepared, soft! Its inexcusable. Fire them tonight. Dirk is in way over his head. N jameis comes off the bench to start a fight…n here dirk is post game n still doesnt know what started the fight. Inexcusable by jameis too. Team is a mess. Adios to all tbe coaches!!! To the new head coach….Please hold an intense training camp next year…practice tackle football. Thanks. Bye bye coachies
November 5th, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Joe, Mike Smith’s defense didn’t put up 3 first have points, that’s on winning head coach Koetter,lol. Firing Smitty isn’t enough, Licht, Koetter Smith, they all need to go.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:06 pm
jameis’ inaccuracy is also costing this offense.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:07 pm
There are no scapegoats. Everybody needs to go.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:08 pm
Gmc needs to go
November 5th, 2017 at 5:08 pm
running game fixed, what are you kidding me, Parker is the only one who looked like he had a decent game. Kamara could have been a buc, martin could have been handed a copy of the home game, Jackson could have stayed in Washington, we could have devoted the off season to establishing a top tier offensive line, a running back, defensive pressure from our d-line. The problem is sitting in the gm office and the head coach, Mike smith didnt get stupid, he doesnt have what he needs. Again that falls on the gm of this team who i pray doesnt get an extension on his deal. Theres the door, dont let it hit you on the way out and please take MCCOY with you.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:12 pm
He’s not a scapegoat his defense really is bad and I think it’s stupid for a coordinator to have multiple safeties starting and Ward has to complain about it before they fix it? His defense sucks and even the players don’t like it, no one said that last year so what did he change? That entire defensive coaching staff should get the axe.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:18 pm
I hate to break it to JBF posters….but the Glazers will give Dirk another shot (not sure about Smith or Licht)
Unless……he loses the locker room…..and that is unlikely with Tmax there to lead.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:21 pm
People need to realize that Jameis’ accuracy has been off this last month because he has a shoulder injury that this mentally disabled team has continued to keep him on the field. Maybe he’s never been good deep, but he is an accurate QB when he’s healthy and was showing his improvement at the beginning of the year. So stop with the “get rid of Jameis” talk folks.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:25 pm
@Tampabaybucfan
Why the hell would they give Koetter another chance. HC is suppose to know how to run an entire team. I don’t think Koetter even knows how to write up or call a defensive play.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:29 pm
As with Lovie ans Schiano, the responsibility lies with Mr. Koetter. He is the captain of this sinking ship. If Smith is the problem? Then so is his Head Coach.
You sorry pom pom waivers praised koetter to the high heavens when he was hired. I can only think of 3 here along with me who said Koetter was not..the man. I say Mr. Licht, along with Smitty and Koetter need to go..yesterday. This team is only going to win maybeeee 3 more games this year. MAYBE
November 5th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Wait!!!! I thought this was going to be a top 5 unit??!!!! LMAO! This guy cant coach defense I said it the day he was hired.
It has destroyed the teams confidence, the swag the will to play. I have never seen so many players look like they didnt even want to ve on the field as I did today.
With that said Ive been a huge dirk koetter suporter and he lost my confidence today. When your team is doing thia bad you dont just stand there with your arms crossed. You rally your troops you coach!!!
Dirk better make the move tomorrow. Mike Smith needs to go. Im not watching another game until hes gone. This all started with him and had the saint not taken theyre foot off tge gas it would have been 60 points up on that scoreboard.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:31 pm
SOEbuc
They will give him another chance because he is a “Winning” coach..
Just ask Joe.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:36 pm
the entire team is bad …Winston is NOT accurate with all the receivers and tight ends on this team and make poor decisions on the field. Defense needs so much more talent and to learn how to tackle . Bucs best player is really the punter!
November 5th, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Koetter – “Hey Mike didn’t we play a good defensive game last week playing press coverage?”
Smith- “Yeah.”
Koetter- “I think we should probably go back to the drop coverage though. You know everyone is always trying to go deep every play.”
Smith- “I know, right.”
November 5th, 2017 at 5:47 pm
It’s one thing to have a weak pass rush….to have NONE!!! That makes it next to impossible to stop a QB like Brees with our back seven.
Worse still when I watched what was going on the Buc defensive backfield looks lost like they have not mastered their responsibilities…they are always confused and out of position.
November 5th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Glazers have no clue how to put the right people in place. They’ve done it for years now. Glazers, Licht, and Smith must go.
November 5th, 2017 at 6:09 pm
Need to blow it up in the post game conference of game 16 – don’t even let them come to the podium – one of the Glazers should just walk in and say we are sorry – time to start over bye Jason/Dirk/Mike Et al
Can we get some coaches that have some passion and can teach these men some fundamentals it seems very Team but we have…
November 5th, 2017 at 6:49 pm
Dirk is who some of us thought he was….an OC….an average one at that….Winston made dirk look better than he was in 2015….now he’s being exposed….harbaugh please!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
November 5th, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Scapegoat???
Now that’s funny. Thanks for a laugh after that tragic comedy of errors we witnessed earlier.
#Hardknocks