“Are You Going To Fistfight Dirk Koetter?”
May 9th, 2018
Saints coach Sean Payton revisits 2017 incidents.
Sean Payton will have you know there is no issue between him and Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.
Why would there be?
Well, last year the Bucs were alley-beaten by the Saints behind a seedy Chartres Street gin joint in the French Quarter. In that game, Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans went all Macho Man Savage on Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore along the Bucs sideline after America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, got into a hassle with Lattimore.
Evans’ move to defend Jameis sparked a melee resulting in a one-game suspension for Evans, who drilled Lattimore in the back.
Payton was clearly miffed at Evans, and it seems Koetter as well.
Video immediately after the near-brawl appears to show Payton hollering at Koetter. After the game, Payton gave Koetter a quick Bill-Belicheat-like f-you, brush off handshake while running off the field past Koetter.
The Evans’ incident seemed to fester for Payton. After Jameis hooked up with Chris Godwin for a 39-yard game-winning touchdown pass to close the season, Payton got slappy with Koetter immediately after the game. It was like Payton tried to leave the imprint of his palm on Koetter’s chest as some form of reprisal.
After the season, both coaches not only downplayed the incident(s), they publicly said they respect each other. Koetter went so far as to say he strives to be like Payton and win a Super Bowl.
The testy nature between the two — real or imagined — was brought up again in a “Pardon My Take” podcast where Payton sat down with the Barstool Sports gang. Payton was asked a very direct question after he brought up facing the Bucs to open the 2018 season.
“Are you going to fistfight Dirk Koetter, on Week 1?”
Payton responded like you would expect Joe to answer if one of Joe’s readers asked if Charles Sims might run for 1,500 yards this season.
“Nnnooo!” Payton bellowed before breaking out in a laugh. “Dirk and I have a great relationship.”
“But you hate each other?”
“No, that was our Adrian Peterson moment.”
The Adrian Peterson moment Payton referred to was when Payton and Peterson got into a spitfight on the sidelines over playing time last year.
Payton acknowledged he was hacked at Koetter (and the Bucs?) about the chaos in New Orleans last year but he’s moved past that.
“We had that moment,” Payton said. “All of it is good.”
This isn’t shocking as Payton all but said the same thing to Joe back in January in Orlando at a Pro Bowl practice.
If it truly is all good as both Payton and Koetter have stated publicly, all eyes will be on the two in the postgame gathering Week 1 for evidence.
As the NFL knows full well, drama sells. Just like the NFL made sure the Bucs opened up with Tennessee and Marcus Mariota three years ago, and had the Bucs open the 2013 season at the New York Jets weeks after the Bucs traded for Darrelle Revis, Joe believes the season-opener with the Saints isn’t just a scheduling quirk.
Hat tip: @mwrigh10.
May 9th, 2018 at 3:46 pm
Punch him in the mouth and take his lunch money after we torch them in their own building Dirk!!!
May 9th, 2018 at 3:46 pm
What has never been told about this photo…Koetter is goosing Payton….hence the following reaction
May 9th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Just get a win in N.O. and I don’t care if Dirk wants to go all Brad Marchand and lick Sean on his neck.
One of the greatest sports headlines this year. The morning after the Lightning eliminated Marchand and the Bruins…”Lightning can’t be licked.”
May 9th, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Dirk “We were done by Halloween” Koetter better hope he doesn’t start 0-3. Just imagine how happy the fans would be with Dirk “We were done by Columbus Day” Koetter.
May 9th, 2018 at 3:57 pm
Payton is such a punk.
I’d like to punch him in his puckered pie hole!
May 9th, 2018 at 3:58 pm
We gonna rock that place
May 9th, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Koetter might have a bounty with his name on it week 1.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:03 pm
Koetter would beat his ass in my opinion.
Then Payton would finally have a legit excuse for his painkillers.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Koetter should patrol the sidelines with a 2X4 to emphasize the big F*cking stick movement
May 9th, 2018 at 4:12 pm
During Week 1, I hope that the Bucs send Payton, his pursed lips, and the entire Saints football team back to New Orleans with a big loss!
May 9th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
All of their “who dat, we dat” jit gets old.
“Go take dat W Coach K and Bucs” make it 2 in a row…..thats all i want.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
We definitely will be ready to unleash our new team. Mainly new defense and put the whole Nfl on notice week one ! I envision our Dline rotating nicely and under Buckners tutelage unleashing hell on Brees, Payton and company. WHY NOT US !?!?? WHY NOT NOW?!?! And I love that they can fly under radar, go ahead and crown the AINTS, crown the RAMS, but soon our Bucs are gonna be one of the baddest, nastiest teams in the Nfl. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF CIRCLING US ON THE SCHEDULE AS A WALK IN THE PARK. Actions will speak louder than words. Go BUCS !
May 9th, 2018 at 4:15 pm
@Doc, theyre playing in orleans…..just a heads up buddy.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:16 pm
That was worse than what Jaboo did but no suspensions for the coaches. Funny how that works.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:18 pm
C’mon JOE!! Are you effing kidding with this “…after America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, got into a hassle with Lattimore. Evans’ move to defend Jameis sparked a melee…” ???? Got into a hassle? He freaking STARTED the entire “melee” !!! America’s Jerk in that situation!!!
May 9th, 2018 at 4:21 pm
@LC….lol thats funny, I immediately though of hacksaw jim duggen..from my youth watching wrestling…
May 9th, 2018 at 4:23 pm
I said it at the time but Dirk got totally punked by Payton and looks like a limp wristed fruit for at the press conference just saying he hopes Payton does well. What a d-bag.
What he should have said is I hope Payton breaks a leg… see that would be brilliant since the Bucs have already broken Payton’s leg. Let’s get a rivalry going instead of this cupcake we’re all buddies nonsense.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:26 pm
We must have seen something different rod. Peyton looked like a bitch to me when he ran away mid sentence. He also got that scurred look when koetter pushed him back.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:32 pm
They hate each other. And I’m perfectly ok if our team are a bunch of villains this year too.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:49 pm
Walter Seidel Says:
May 9th, 2018 at 4:18 pm
C’mon JOE!! Are you effing kidding with this “…after America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, got into a hassle with Lattimore. Evans’ move to defend Jameis sparked a melee…” ???? Got into a hassle? He freaking STARTED the entire “melee” !!! America’s Jerk in that situation!!!
So telling someone who is talking trash on OUR sideline while walking up and down OUR sideline is starting it????
I said it then and I will say it now Jameis did what many others on that team should have done. Told that punk to go back to his sideline and then showed him since he didn’t have enough sense to listen. He got what he was asking for by being where he didn’t belong and running his mouth. That is the problem with this team and fanbase, we are always taking teams crap and then saying our players did something wrong.
Last time I checked the field has two sidelines one for our team and one for theirs and he was on the wrong one. In fact he should have been given a penalty for being over there in the first place.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:51 pm
@Buccernutter
Painkillers……..nice one.
May 9th, 2018 at 4:55 pm
payton will have the saints ready to rock and roll….this will be a very physical week 1 match up…..
hope dirk has the boys ready to go….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
May 9th, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Buccernutter – I don’t know, someone punks you like that, you start to say something and they blow you off and you just smile and say good game and wish them the best, to me that just sort of makes you either oblivious to what is going on, or so anti-confrontational you’re scared to do anything about it.
In any case this would have been a perfect moment to stick it to Payton and to create a real hateful rivalry. Would Gruden have just said good game and smiled? If Payton had pulled something like this on Dungy what do you think would have happened? Sure Dungy would have been polite, but the players would have went and grabbed Payton off the Saints team bus and broke his leg again.
This happens to Dirk and he just smiles and everyone says they’re buddies. Ugh. This is entertainment, be entertaining, sell some tickets, talk about how Brees is going pay for the sins of Payton, etc. Make it interesting.
May 9th, 2018 at 5:23 pm
Payton is not respected by other NFL coaches after bountygate. Choking thing in ATL…Peterson thing referenced in article…etc.
Here is a better video of the full midfield exchange from Tampa Fox13-Scott Smith.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/947938001254002689
94 days until the NFL announces that #3 will be suspended for 1 game.
May 9th, 2018 at 5:53 pm
donuts,
Why August 11?
And how do you know?
May 9th, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Payton was truly pissed, ready to fight, and Koetter freaking laughed at him.
Koetter showed no fear, because if he had, I am convinced Payton might have taken a swing at him.
May 9th, 2018 at 6:27 pm
StPeteBucsFan Says:
May 9th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Just get a win in N.O. and I don’t care if Dirk wants to go all Brad Marchand and lick Sean on his neck.
LMAO!!
May 9th, 2018 at 6:28 pm
The saints are too busy trying to get to a Superbowl to worry about that old news, things like that fired the players more than a coach. Sure he’ll want payback for losing to us the last game of the season though. For once I want to see the bucs sitting at the top of the NFC South even if we lose in the playoffs in our first game
May 9th, 2018 at 6:34 pm
Jameis should just mentally prepare for a play when he knows he has to throw it away and aim for his head….that would be perfect. Then Dirk can knock his teeth backward.
May 9th, 2018 at 6:59 pm
About forgot about that. Fck that lemon sucker anyways. Him and Brees are a perfect pair whine bags when something don’t go their way
May 9th, 2018 at 8:24 pm
August 10 (Friday). I don’t know the # of games, but I think it will be between 1 and 3. I am basing it on my review of the NFLPA contract with the NFL at the time of the incident (3/16). The wild card is still the interpretation and Goodell. JBF went over some of the NFLPA contract details on the site here. I am hoping for 1 game like all Buc fans. A principle of my date theory is that the NFL is a business robot and there is rhythm to their announcements.
May 9th, 2018 at 10:11 pm
Boy, Brees sure is a whiner, isn’t he?
May 9th, 2018 at 10:41 pm
ndog……….Jameis (not even PLAYING in the game), coming OFF the sideline to thump Lattimore in the back of the head is not something ANY player “should have done”…and no other player HAS. I guarantee you, the Bucs coaches were NOT supportive of his actions.
May 9th, 2018 at 11:35 pm
Sean is a zillion times better coach then what we have had since Chucky.
May 10th, 2018 at 2:28 am
Eric – You mean zillion times better coach THAN Chucky – and all those since then. However, in fairness, Sean is an elite coach and has been for nearly his entire head coaching career.
May 10th, 2018 at 7:08 am
I’m not sure why Payton was mad, it wasn’t Like we put a “BOUNTY” on Lattimore, lol, word of the day is Hypocrite brought to you by icy-hot, just place on your bruised ego for relief.
May 10th, 2018 at 7:21 am
Only way to shut payton and brees up is to beat them and as of right now, the saints and payton have no respect for koetter or the bucs at all and have no reason too, bucs are the Indiana or Illinois of the NFC South, the team you schedule for Homecoming
May 10th, 2018 at 8:30 am
Rod
I still completely disagree. Koetter was obviously being sarcastic and called him out while gripping his hand. Peyton put his hand on him to punk him out and koetter did it back. Peyton got nervous and walked away mid sentence. Then koetter approached him and Peyton mumbled some more as he stumbled away.
I agree he could have taken more advantage of it to influence a rivalry but no way in hell did Peyton punk koetter out. Not how I perceived it at all. In fact from the comments around when it happened most agree with me.
May 10th, 2018 at 12:05 pm
F— Sean Payton. I hope the Bucs can deliver a curb stomping of their own to the Taint’s. Hope they make a pretzel out of Drew Brees.
I want to see our defense murdering other teams so our defense is feared.
May 10th, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Buccernutter – Uh no, Payton wasn’t scared of Dirk – come on, that’s ridiculous. Payton is just dismissing Dirk mid sentence and isn’t going to bother to stick around to hear what Dirk has to say. Also my main issue isn’t all about the moment since it’s unexpected – although I bet you anything someone like Gruden, or certainly even Schiano (who I hated) doesn’t just stand there and act like a goof like that. Anywho my main issue is that you get embarrassed like that and later at the press conference it’s just all the generic good game, I hope they do well, blah blah garbage.
Sell some tickets, talk some trash, flip over a table, say we’re not going to be a laughing stock anymore, say you’re going to destroy the Superdome worse than Katrina did.
Also it wasn’t just this event, remember at this same time the story is out about how Winston had to talk emo Dirk off the cliff after the Carolina loss when Dirk kept saying “if” I come back and some other emo stuff and Winston had to give Dirk a pep talk.
May 10th, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Destroy the Superdome like Katrina?
I’m done.
May 10th, 2018 at 4:01 pm
Btw schiano did stand around when coughlin was upset about diving at his QBs legs.
Also, I’d love to see proof of the alleged emo incident.
These are professionals. Not frat boys.