The Great Disconnect
January 23rd, 2018
Joe will take a highly educated guess and say there are at least 5,000 serious Bucs fans who truly live and breathe Buccaneers football 24/7 and have for many years.
To those folks, Joe is sorry to report that Dirk Koetter does not understand you.
If you’re the 60-year-old dude who has spent more money on Bucs tickets, travel and gear than you currently have in retirement savings — and is damn proud of it — then Joe is comfortable saying Coach Koetter doesn’t get what you’re all about.
If you’re the guy whose kids don’t attend summer camp or have good sneakers because the family priority is investing in season Bucs tickets, then there’s a good chance Koetter thinks you’re a myth.
And if you’re the average working Joe who hates his job, buys lottery tickets religiously and literally gets his only joy and peace in life from obsessing about the Bucs at all possible times, well, the head coach appears oblivious to your deep love.
Where is Joe going here? Let Joe explain.
During Koetter’s final show of 2017 on the Buccaneers Radio Network, he had the following exchange with a fan. Joe was saddened by the coach’s answer — and Koetter is not alone in his sentiment.
Fan question: What’s one thing you wish people knew about what it’s like to be a coach?
Koetter: I just think maybe the thing would be that I really appreciate how passionate fans are for their teams. And, you know, I really appreciate how passionate the Bucs fans are. I think sometimes fans don’t realize for as much as they care if we win or lose, multiply that by 10 million, and that’s how much a coach cares about it.
Man, of all the possible answers to that question, Koetter went to the coaches-care-way-more-than-fans card.
Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to those thousands of truly super hardcore supporters of the Bucs or any other NFL team.
Those fans were there caring 24/7 long before any coach, and they’ll be there for decades after any coach departs, never wavering in their obsession with all their being.
Last week, Jon Gruden claimed he never wanted to leave Oakland for Tampa. Tony Dungy? Those in Canton when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame know Dungy’s heart was Colts first and Bucs second.
Raheem Morris? He is on his second new team since leaving Tampa Bay. Yeah, Joe suspects Greg Schiano isn’t a secret Bucs cheerleader. Lovie Smith’s post-firing actions (and non-actions) lead Joe to believe he absolutely hates the Bucs organization.
And you know what? If Koetter is fired one day without winning big here, Joe is confident Koetter will leave town and won’t be seen in Bucs gear ever again.
During past seasons, Gerald McCoy has offered takes similar to Koetter’s, stating that no fan cares more than the players.
It’s a bad, bad take, in addition to being inaccurate.
Joe has heard similar commentary from other key members of the Bucs organization, and it’s just sad that there are important people inside the walls of One Buc Palace who are so disconnected from the team’s most devoted fans.
Last October, Joe heard from a Bucs fan and reader via email. The guy thanked Joe for keeping him distracted from his battle against a terminal cancer. The fan said reading this website every day was a big part of helping him stay strong and motivated to fight the disease.
The fan explained that JoeBucsFan.com kept him connected to his one true love — the Bucs — and that fueled his desire to get healthy so he could live to see his Bucs back in the playoffs one day. Of course, in October, the Bucs’ season rapidly was slipping away, and the fan was sharing that his new goal was to live to see what the Bucs would do in free agency in 2018.
For those who remember, Joe ran the Blackout Tour. Those bus trips from St. Petersburg transported Buccaneers fans to a Fort Myers Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurant in order to watch Bucs home games that were not televised in Tampa because of NFL blackout rules at the time.
So these passengers drove five hours roundtrip to watch their Bucs on television, and many of them did so because they couldn’t afford to purchase a ticket to the stadium.
The NFL is about the fans, especially the obsessed fans. The guys employed by teams should wake up and realize there are legions of people who care every bit as much as they do — or more — for very different reasons.
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:12 am
Joe criticizing Dirk Koetter? Is the sun rising in the West?
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:17 am
It’s a business and a job to them, it’s the fans heart that goes into tatters when year after year – decade after decade – 42 years now I have been thinking Bucs first thing in the morning and all day in between
Prior to all these newfangled internet instant info sites- true fans read the sports pages cover to cover, scoured magazines for articles, watched every 6 and 11 newscast for every tidbit of info for one of the sorriest franchises in all of sports.
Yet even through all the BS, all the horrible decisions, racist owner Culverhouse, plain horrible coaches and GM’s for 30 or so of the 42 years, and still signing lazy, could care less players like fatbaker – but you know what?
It’s MY team- and when DK is back in Idaho planting taters I’ll still be watching reading and hoping my Bucs finally get fixed
I more season of this regime – they are toast next year more then likely – then we can go through the hype year again with a new unknown commodity
We are a bad franchise, but it’s MINE and at our core as humans we all must have a group to identify with – welcome to the group!
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:24 am
Much ado about nothing. Simply put Koetter said that he really appreciated
the fans. He was trying to let fans know how he and his coaches felt.Maybe
it wasn’t best way to put it,but did it really deserve this essay slamming him?
“Slamming?” Please. This is very simple. Joe’s not slamming Koetter here. The coach shared a feeling on one topic, and Joe thinks it stinks and speaks to a common disconnect in sports. Joe’s a Koetter fan but Joe’s not about to start worrying about the coach’s feelings when writing a post. You can visit the other Bucs media for that kind of approach. Like with any Bucs head coach or GM, Joe is the guy’s biggest cheerleader when deserved and the guy’s biggest critic when deserved. It’s really nothing more than that — Joe
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:25 am
Good article Joe. Yeah those guys who think like that are clueless. I was born n raised in tampa, same age as the bucs. I literally cried when they lost as a kid. Was the only kid in school growing up who wore bucs gear. The second i turned 16 and could get myself to every game I got a job and a car…just so i could go to bucs games, by myself. Lots of great stories from over the years and lots of memories. For those of us who went through those tough times at the old stadium and are still in it goin strong, comments like dirks make no sense. They make money from the bucs and we spend money on the bucs. Pretty easy to figure out who cares more. Now get to work dirk.
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:27 am
Unlike some people who claim to be one of those fans I truly am. I have had season tix for going on 20 years now (I couldn’t afford them before) I have a room in my home totally devoted to the Bucs. Hell I still have my signed Josh Freeman jersey in my closet. I go to between 2-4 away games per year and to top it all off I can honestly say I had a divorce happen because of my love for the Bucs. I shed a little tear of happiness when we won the Super Bowl and I proudly have a Bucs tattoo my only one! So YES i am a fan. Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter and the Glazers there are people like me that live and breath our team now go out and DO YOUR job and I will keep doing mine!
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:35 am
As a season ticket holder in 76….and a devout follower since, I consider myself one of the 5,000 (and I think there may be more)…..
I am not in the least bothered by Koetter’s comment….and I’m happy the coach considers himself more passionate….after all, it is his livelihood. I only wish some of the players felt that way.
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:55 am
Like a lot of things about the Bucs, and their fans Koetter just doesn’t get it.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:20 am
This is one of the best posts I have read on this site. Great work!
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:25 am
Great article. Thanks!
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:25 am
Wish we would do away with the “fan” moniker and call it for what it is customers.
customers come 1st. The nfl, the players, the owners have no clue what that actually means. perhaps the coaches do, as they pay lip service to it, but regardless…..
it’s clear as day, they care nothing for the customer.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:29 am
As fans we’ve seen more losing than winning more instability than anything else which is why they keep trying to go in house I guess but what we are going through is truly the bucs life and glazers can’t take into account what happened before they bought the team but everything positive that happened the old man was responsible for. They need to figure what their father did to be successful because the glazers kids absolutely suck at running this team
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:31 am
Of course the haters like this article. It bashes Koetter (sort of).
Heaven forbid we see some positive spin…like the fact that Chris Godwin turned out to be great or something like that. Instead we’ve been getting Accountability articles that complain about other teams moves.
I hope things get better after the Super Bowl.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:49 am
love chris goodwin and humphries
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:50 am
Look, some of are huge fans, and some are here on JBF most of the day!!!!, But the coach after win/loss is watching tape over and over again, they are pouring over tape as we speak!!!!! They will be in the office trying to make this team better, go over report to make the team better, They are living it man!!!!!!!!! I am checking the weather to see if it will be sunny, so I can ride my bicycle down the pinellas trail during lunch time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:52 am
“During past seasons, Gerald McCoy has offered takes similar to Koetter’s, stating that no fan cares more than the players.”
To be fair, The towel boy for the Edmonton Oilers cares more about the Bucs winning than GMC.
Russkies in the Russian space station enjoy a Bucs win more than GMC.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:57 am
@Bob in Valrico … ‘Much ado about nothing’. Agree completely Bob. Unfortunately, in this internet age it’s so easy to twist words & meanings, and ‘read into things’ that were never intended. The Glazer Boys, Licht, Koetter & his staff, the players … of necessity, they have a somewhat perspective on winning & losing than we fans do. Bucs lose & we fans shake our heads, whine for a while, then eventually brighten up when a new season rolls around. In the coaches & players case, that ‘new season’ may never roll around … ask Mike Mularkey. In the Glazer Boys case, millions & millions of dollars go poof. Yes, potentially it is more of a JOB to them than a TRUE LOVE, but it’s also their livelihood.
Dirk gave an honest answer & got skewered for it … once again. And the media wonders why owners, GMs, coaches & players are so ‘guarded’ in their responses to media questions. This is the perfect example why.
January 23rd, 2018 at 9:31 am
I think fans and people within the team care in very different ways, so it’s really hard to compare who cares more. For the hardcore fans (and I definitely consider myself one of the 5000), we obsess over the Bucs success (or lack thereof), because this is our team and always will be. We love football, and this is the team we are forever stuck with. For the players, coaches, etc., this is a job and their livelihood. If they don’t win or don’t play well, they will lose their job and their ability to take care of their families. However, once they are gone, they could care less about the Bucs.
I see where Koetter is coming from in regards to the Bucs success doesn’t affect us in a way where it can truly shake up our family. We don’t stay up through the night going through game film trying to determine how to fix things. We just b!#ch and moan about it. However, Koetter isn’t spending his hard earned money to support the team, he is getting paid to do it. He wouldn’t coach if he had to pay to coach, whereas we pay to cheer for our team. It’s just different, and really shouldn’t be compared to each other.
January 23rd, 2018 at 9:31 am
Joe…. here is the deal. No one cares more about winning and how well they play than the player…it is their job and their job future.
Now regarding the Bucs winning…the team…the uniform… As you said…they are wrong. Many fans care more about that regardless of their “job future”, or whatever player comes or goes.
No one wants to be on a losing team or to have one. It reflects poorly on the player to some extent and hurts the fan. But once the career is over, the pain ends for the player. And most have millions in the bank to sooth any pain.
The fans pain goes on forever when backing a perennial losing team and organization. And they don’t get paid a dime for their misery. And if they ever leave their little berg….the Tampa bay area…. the laughs and derision suffered from other fans, often unspoken because you are a big guy but still existing beneath the surface, is miserable.
January 23rd, 2018 at 9:32 am
I was 10 yrs old in ’76 when my dad bought season tickets. We sat Second Row, 30 yard line right behind the Bucs’ bench. For 20 years I NEVER missed a home game!!! I sat through 14 straight losing seasons and wore my creamsickle shirts every sunday! I left Florida 20 years ago but have Never left the Bucs! I’m sure he cares but he only cares about winning. If he went to another team tomorrow he wouldn’t give two Sh!ts about the Bucs. Difference in ‘caring’
January 23rd, 2018 at 9:53 am
I’m not sure if this is directed at me. Either way, I couldn’t care less. I loved the article because of the story about the person with terminal cancer, the blackout tour, the obsessed fans, ect… Joe’s point is spot on and I didn’t really see it as bashing Dirk Koetter. Coaches, players, people in the organization pay lip service to no one caring more than them. I don’t think it’s true. No one can convince me Dirk Koetter cares more than the season ticket holder since 1976. No way! There are probably Bucs fans out there who took a second mortgage on their home to go to the Bucs only Super Bowl and they’re still paying for it. They’ll tell you it was worth it.
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:12 am
Bonzai:
Heaven forbid the Bucs actually win games, have just an average defense and don’t rely on a washed up running back.
The Bucs were (luckily) 5-11 and only a fool would sing their praises. This team is far, far, far away from a Super Bowl berth much less winning the division.
If you want cheerleader coverage, bookmark Buccaneers.com.
Godwin is a nice story but let’s take a breath before we anoint him as the next Antonio Brown.
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:17 am
underestimating or trivializing the passion of the teams fans is one of my pet peaves. I hate when coaches or players do it. We cared about the bucs before they ever knew they were going to work for the bucs, and we’ll be here long after theyre gone. The Bucs are our team more then theyre the coaches or even players team. that being said, i dont think Koetter meant any disrespect.
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:22 am
I think their more than 5000 passionate fans and im definitely one of them….
I disagree with dirks statement……coaches care about winning because its tied to their pay check…..lose too many games and your fired…..
fans care about winning because they live breathe and bleed their teams colors….I was born and raised in tampa and i’ll always be a BUC….the old man was born and raised in Pittsburg so he bleeds black and yellow…..
coaches come and go every year….fans stay forever…..when was the last time you heard of a coach staying with a team for 60 years…..but you have fans root for their teams until the day they die…..
that was a stupid statement by dirk…..he should’ve said the pressure to win is 10million times the pressure fans feel…..but to say they care far more than a die hard fan is just dumb….
but by his playcalling and clock management I aint surprised by this stupid comment…..GO BUCS!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:33 am
I remember the 2016 Redskins Preseason game Dirks 1st year as head “koach”. It was Preseason game 4, It rained all day and was going to rain all night. I think maybe 5,000 (it was well under 10,000 for sure) people showed up for the game. There were so few people that showed up the upper bowl was closed and everyone that did show up, got up graded seats to the club level. ( a fine example of team Glazer looking out for the community) I guess the fans (self included) had absolutely NOTHING ELSE to do. Or didn’t want to see the full price ticket $$ go to waste OR were the fans that Joe wrote about in this article. It was a terrible sloppy loss! But I did finally have a seat where I caught a tee shirt during the “Pirates Life for Me song!” lol A very big highlight of the evening. Anyhoo during the presser after “the show” when Dirk was asked what his thoughts were regarding the fans that did show up. It was basically “Oh yeah those are just the diehards” Maybe not verbatim but that was the gist of it. I remember being set back a bit as there seemed to be no appreciation to the fact that anyone at all came to the game on a miserable wet evening sat through watching their teams 2nd and 3rd stringers getting their ass handed to them on a plate, summed up with a “Oh those are just” statement. At this point I believe the organization as a whole is disconnected with their fan base. Keeping the same “Koaching” staff after a 5-11 (almost 4-12) season all but sums it up for me.
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:42 am
Joe Says:
Heaven forbid the Bucs actually win games, have just an average defense and don’t rely on a washed up running back.
If you want cheerleader coverage, bookmark Buccaneers.com.
I will fix it for you J0E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want cheerleader coverage, read JBF during the dominik disaster days!!!!!!!!!! where ball washing and shining was done daily!!!!!!! Where was all the care of “accountability” during the talk show dominik and loser lovie days!!!!! When J0E was so apathetically welcoming back loser lovie for a third year!!!!!!!!!!! What the heck are you talking about and why do you make things up? At least stop calling yourself “realist,” if you’re going to type such drivel. –Joe
J0E, can you confirm the rumor that at JBF headquaters that you have gone thru 3 dart boards with Coach Smitty face on it????????? LOL!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to hear at NFL functions, J0E will ask NFL Types ” with the worst coaches in the NFC south, how are the bucs suppose to win?” Then when they give a stock answer it will be confirmation that nfl types think that the Bucs have the worst coaching staff!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!
See the truth sheep!!!!!! Fix the “real” problems!!!!! The Trenches!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 10:59 am
I aren’t care about dissecting and analyzing an answer that the gave gave on the spot.
So he cares about winning just didn’t word it the best way in the world. I can care less what a coach say……How about you figure a way to get this offense to grab us a few leads next year. Show some results and I don’t care if you say you hate the fans. Just show some effing results.
Get Winston to quit fumbling nd Evans to quit interfering and I don’t care is you say winning is not that important…….Or how about you figure out a rush attack or quit letting the Panthers passrush destroy you?
The dudes here to coach not talk……media fodder
January 23rd, 2018 at 11:00 am
“Realist” just got burnt to a crisp!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 11:25 am
@Jimmyjoke
burnt to a crisp,,,, hardly!!!!!! More like walking on hot coals, then preaching the truth to the native primitives!!!!!!!!!!!
don’t think so????? I am making stuff up?????? If I ever changed the name it would be “The Buc Historian”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but the brand is to large now!!!!!!!
“April 25th, 2015
Joe never understood the vile hatred too many had for former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. Yes, it took him a while to learn the NFL ropes, but once he did he was just fine.
Sadly, he was Pearl Harbored when leaky, sleepy quarterback Josh Freeman went mental.
Joe never hears anyone kvetch about Bruce Almighty, and his drafts made Dominik look like Ted Thompson. Guess it is easier to hate on Dominik because he was a nice guy.”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 11:27 am
This is DK’s first head coaching job, it is not that he doesn’t think the fans live and breathe Bucs, but he likely has and always will have that special place in his heart, sam with Dungy, you don’t think those guys root for the team as a coach and a fan, but they know their livelihood is tied to their teams performance. Gruden’s first HC opportunity was the Raiders, something about the first, so I understand where Coach K was speaking from.
January 23rd, 2018 at 12:10 pm
@realist
What the heck are you talking about and why do you make things up? At least stop calling yourself “realist,” if you’re going to type such drivel. –Joe
^^^^^BINGO^^^^^
DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!!!!!….LOL…..joe just spanked you on your little booty…lol….now hold this staff accountable and shout your mouth….GO BUCS!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Wow. I disagree Joe…
I heard him say that. The context isn’t represented accurately here at all. He was saying the opposite. He completely understands how much fans care and STILL says he cares that much more.
Dude, you don’t get to make stuff up. Sorry. The context is completely pure and accurate. That’s why Joe included the question.–Joe
Think about it… he KNOWS all the real trials and tribulations of each player and coach. He’s connected with them. He sees all the real work that goes into it. Even the due hards like most of us just get a surface peek into the team. He knows how badly hurt the RGs calf is and how hard he tried to plant and block all game because the team needed him. We l just go, “bleh!! We need to draft Barkley. Waaah!” Fans are like stock holders. We just want results. Coaches are literally in the factory floors and know the workers and know all the tiny details that make it work,
Huge difference. Bad take.
Fix the trenches, fix the Bucs!
January 23rd, 2018 at 12:17 pm
I’m in complete agreement. When I was in elementary school I took amazing abuse for wearing Buc colors. (I’m 46) I’ve coached High School football for 20 years. I see it from both perspectives. The Bucs provide special times for my son and I and people who are not invested that long including coaches truly don’t get it. BTW I’m sick of getting shouted down in my own stadium because of this franchise’s ineptitude. I see the signs on the stadium board that say Get Loud! I truly want to but I wish the sign said “Make a play!”. It’s deflating and difficult to watch 3rd and 13 converted consistently for the last decade. Neverless, I will always bleed RED and PEWTER and ORANGE! GO BUCS!
January 23rd, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Football is not about passion, and fans anymore. It is about dollar bills and business. Football as we knew it is long gone.
January 23rd, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Wow Joe…….very impressive article. I loved it, all of it. First and foremost the story about the fan fighting cancer, mad props to him. Keep fighting, don’t ever give up…..God bless. I also enjoyed the trip down “blackouts” memory lane. All that said, you hit the nail square on the head with this article. I don’t care how much more he says he cares about this than the fans. HE DOESN’T! Joe said if he’s fired, I’m saying WHEN he’s fired, he’s not going to give a sh$t about this team or it’s success, hell we probably will never see him in Buc gear again. Yet he cares more about this franchise then the fans like me how have lived this cluster f@$K clown show since 1989 (excluding 1997-2002)? That’s a HUGH HELL NO!!! You sir are delusional! But not as delusional as the Glazers if they think we’re (the fans) are coming back next year for another steaming helping of this mediocre sh$t! GREAT JOB JOE!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:57 pm
Somebody here says Joe slams Koetter? Not really. I actually think Joe is to soft on Koetter and Smitty. Both of those guys..suck to Holy Hell and Beyond. There..I am the Slammer!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 2:01 pm
Mike Johnson Says:
January 23rd, 2018 at 1:57 pm
Somebody here says Joe slams Koetter? Not really. I actually think Joe is to soft on Koetter and Smitty. Both of those guys..suck to Holy Hell and Beyond. There..I am the Slammer!!
Hell yeah Mike, SLAM the hell out of them!!! LOL
January 23rd, 2018 at 3:52 pm
I think age has a lot to do with it. When I was younger I lived and breathed Bucs football – if the Bucs lost it ruined my week – and this was in the 80s, so there was a lot of losing. That continued into the 90s and right up until the SuperBowl – it was like a 15 year process of going from awful and hopeless, to being the best. But then once we won some of the fun was taken out of watching them as the journey as complete. Then Gruden stuck the nails in the coffin of living and dying with the Bucs when got McKay fired and then got rid of Lynch and Sapp and brought in his stooge Bruce Allen from the Raiders. This suddenly wasn’t the Bucs, it wasn’t the team I watched slowly grow into a powerhouse – now it was Gruden signing Charlie Garner to a big contract, dragging Tim Brown out of retirement, signing every injured mid-30s offensive lineman he could find, all while saying he couldn’t afford to keep the SB team together (which of course was a lie). Honestly after that I still stayed a huge fan, I never missed watching a game, but I cut back on how many games I attended. I still lived and died with Bucs wins and losses for a bit longer, but even that faded a bit. Now I’m older and it’s impossible for me to care as much as I did when I was a kid because, well, I’m not a kid anymore – there’s a lot more to life now.
As for Dirk for him to say coaches care more, I’m not sure they care more, they just work a lot lot harder – but then again they get paid a lot of money for that work. Coaches don’t live and die with the team, if they did they’d be terrible businessmen since they wouldn’t ever go anywhere else. Unlike the bandwagon riders I can’t just switch team allegiances on the fly – my team is the Bucs and that’s it, every other team could visit northern Iraq and end up on video tape with ISIS and I wouldn’t really care, I’d just wonder if it gives the Bucs a better chance to win or not. Coaches can’t do that, they care about their players when they’re here, but have zero loyalty to the team – and again when you work for people that’s the way it should be.
January 23rd, 2018 at 4:00 pm
This is the typical taking a comment out of context and ignoring what the speaker meant in order to create a controversy. All Koetter was indicating was that he and his staff care as much as the fans do and one thing is different – they take losses personally because they put in so much time, thought, emotion into trying to win. It’s their life’s work. I have no problem with Koetter’s comment. Anyone who does is just looking for something to be annoyed about.
January 23rd, 2018 at 4:06 pm
I understand where Koetter is coming from. All I know is if the Bucs go 4-12 next year, the GM and Coaches are out of a job and my life goes on like normal. You can argue that we care more about the Bucs for life, but he cares just as much, if not more about them while he’s here. I would guess more than half of the players probably don’t care if they win or lose, like Baker. The coaches, I would say they do.
January 23rd, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Been a fan since 1977. I travel from San Diego each year to a game. I suffered through the 1980s! He cares more than we do….
Amazing
January 23rd, 2018 at 5:20 pm
This is the definition of fake news and alternative facts put together. How in the he11 can you get on koetter about this comment? Coaches are away from their family 19 hours a day going over film. They miss out on johnny’s soccer game and little sarah’s recitals. How many of you so called fans have to sacrifice your family life? Yes, believe it or not, coaches can care 10 times more than fans. When a coach is fired, its not the fans who more than likely have to uproot their family to go to an unfamiliar city. No, the fans stay put. I am not crying for the coach because this is the life they chose, but to be butt hurt that he feels coaches care 10 times as much is idiotic. Gruden held a grudge for many years after being fired and he still woke up at 3am to watch film everyday. You dont think he cares more than you jbf posters and bloggers. Get over yourselves!!!!!
January 23rd, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Wow. I just dont agree. I have a life away from the Bucs and football. Sometimes that life tears me away from football and my beloved Bucs.
Coach is just saying that its his job to care. He gets paid to care. His future is attached to success. His kids future is attached to his success. His reputation. His teams standing in the league. His teams players and their careers are attached to his decisions. I think he cares, Joe. And I think he gets us.
January 23rd, 2018 at 5:33 pm
One of your best articles. Good job Joe.
January 23rd, 2018 at 6:05 pm
But Joe our washed up running back is a probowler. So we should have a great running game right? Same argument you used to blame Mike Smith for our defense.It just doesn’t wash because at the end of the day there are two players on the defense that are not good enough.And one of them is former pro Bowler TJ
Ward and in Bakers case he gets blown up at the line,not the other way around.
January 23rd, 2018 at 6:20 pm
IMO I cannot find fault with coach’s statement. Coaches live it. It is their profession and livelihood. Their future depends on results. A profession (fireman, soldier, writer, reporter, I could go on) is more than a job and generally carries alot more personal (personal) responsibility to the task. There are always outliers, but I bet there are fewer than 5000 fans as committed to the team as the pros are. In any event, the point is arguable and the coach is not far off or out of bounds IMO. Go Bucs
January 23rd, 2018 at 6:29 pm
Rick Says:
January 23rd, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Been a fan since 1977. I travel from San Diego each year to a game. I suffered through the 1980s! He cares more than we do….
You have a year on me, Rick but I also live and breathe the Bucs. I read anything I can find and kind of resent 93’s comments. He wasn’t a twinkle in his Dad’s eye when we become Buc’s fans!
January 23rd, 2018 at 6:47 pm
I’m not one of those 5000 fans. I wouldn’t pay 50 cents to watch the Bucs play. They continue to feed the fans crap, why pay for crap?
January 23rd, 2018 at 7:29 pm
I think Koetter and Glazers care…
In case of Glazers, they maybe care too much and have been too emotional in decision making regarding coaching… I think they’re putting their faith in Licht and Licht is having final say…
If Bucs learned anything from playoffs… offensive and defensive lines win big games, minimizing turnovers wins big games , and keeping your foot on the throttle and not playing “not to lose” (Jacksonville)
Re: Dungy and Gruden- Dungy won SB with Colts, Gruden? – Coaching for Al Davis vs Malcolm Glazer? C’mon…
Big salaries have kinda separated fans from athletes and have also made athletes part of a “rich man’s club” where they care more about theit contracts than winning- not all athletes, but many. This has resulted in players and coaches disconnect from fans to an extent
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:25 pm
I am sorry but a guy who’s job is basically on the line week in and week out and has finally reached lifetime goal of being an NFL cares a lot more than fans. I get pissed for an hour or so after a loss but I don’t lie awake at night wondering if I will be able to support my family in January. No fan has concerns that deep about their football team. I couldn’t disagree more with the premise of this article.
January 23rd, 2018 at 8:35 pm
My family has had tickets since 1980. We’ve spent more than $100,000 on the Bucs. This was our last year. We’re not going to pay increased ticket prices, increased food prices, and sit in the rain to watch this team lose. No, I’m not a “hater” but I’m tired and over it. If you watch the teams in the playoffs, we’re still lightyears away from being consistently competitive.
January 24th, 2018 at 1:20 am
no disrespect intended but i think the coaches care more than the fans. When a team loses, the coaches (and the players) feel public humiliation. They get their food at the drive-thru to avoid being seen in public. Additionally, losing games multiplies their chances of losing their jobs. If they made a mistake that led to the loss, that’s a blow that can stay with you a long time. I disagree with Coach’s choice of words but I think he’s just awkwardly trying to make the point: for us, it’s a game. for them, it’s their life.
January 24th, 2018 at 8:00 am
You make a point Johnny but the coaches also get a couple of extra zeros at the end of their paychecks and when they are let go most coaches do seem to find work elsewhere such as Lovie Smith (at least for now in Champagne IL), Rah, Schiano, etc. Koetter is not just the HC for the Bucs but he also represents them in the public eye and he does seem to be a bit tone deaf at times not to mention a bit stubborn and perhaps too loyal to some players who simply do not have the talent or heart…..
January 24th, 2018 at 9:26 am
I’d say there are far more than 5,000 true Bucs fans out there.
Anyways, 100% agree. For Koetter, there is no loyalty. If we offered him 3 mil and Atlanta offered him 5 mil… where is he going?
Its a paycheck for him and nothing more. He could give a F*ck where the franchise is 10 years from now, just like he could give a F*ck where we were 10 years ago.
Pretty insulting that he says he cares “10,000,000x” more than us.
January 24th, 2018 at 11:39 am
He does Kenny. I guarantee you he lost a lot of sleep this season worrying about his future and trying to figure out a way to make the sh1t defense play better. Football is his life. No fan is as emotionally invested as an NFL head coach. In my profession there is a lot of movement in the industry and many employees often end up with companies in the future. I have done the same. However, I can guarantee you that I am 100% invested with that company employs me. I have a family and a future to worry about and it is what drives me. Whether I end up with a competitor 10 years from now has no impact on the fact that I am all in with my current employer while there.
January 25th, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Some guys on this site constantly want to argue with anything they disagree about in an article. I really enjoy this site for the in depth reporting and juicy tidbits that I don’t have the time to investigate. Give Koetter & Smith one more year to turn this ship around and support the home team. I know it aint’ easy and I’ve been involved with the team since they drafted Vinny Interceptaverde, so I am surely a vested Season ticket holder. Patience wears thin but there is a process path that they are pushing for……..let’s see how ’18 plays out.