“He’s Been Giving Every Player An Opportunity To Get A Definition Of Discipline”
August 17th, 2018
Dirk Koetter brought what appears to be his favorite August shirt to Tennessee for practice this week, but the head coach took a pass on Joe’s question Wednesday about its deeper meaning.
But other Bucs have been willing to talk about it.
It’s been a few weeks since Joe shared the new theme of the year for your Bucs: “Discipline Driven.”
Koetter presented it to players at the start of camp, and he and coaches have been wearing shirts like the one you see in the photo above.
It’s an interesting psychological play, and Joe bases that on several conversations with players about the theme. Koetter believes this Bucs team is dripping with talent and he believes playing a fat stack of close games against good teams last year means you’re oh so close becoming a winner. An extremely heightened focus on discipline, Koetter thinks, represents a major fix waiting to happen. Hey, if you have the horses, and capable coaches, and players simply do their jobs, then everything will take of itself.
It’s a nice concept, though Joe finds the close-games chatter to be a pile of hooey.
Regardless, this summer has been about discipline, discipline, discipline.
What Joe finds interesting about Koetter’s mantra is that he’s very much letting players define discipline for themselves and then own it completely.
It’s not a cookie-cutter mentality that only applies to in between the white lines, Gerald McCoy explained to Joe yesterday.
“He’s been giving every [player] an opportunity to get a definition of discipline. Everybody’s definition of discipline is different,” McCoy said. “There’s not one way to explain this approach to fans, but regardless as a whole, our discipline has to be better than it’s been in the past in order for us to get where we want to get.”
Lavonte David explained to Joe that it’s an off the field focus as well as on the field, and it’s become a different way for some guys to view themselves as professional football players.
Joe invested the keyboard time into this because it’s a clear emphasis through Koetter’s 2018 program. Joe would love to learn more. But Koetter wants Joe to wait it out.
“That’ll be a very long talk and I’ll just pass on that one,” Koetter said.
Joe just hopes this all works and translates into a healthy diet of Ws before November. The potential in this roster is too high to tolerate another early mess.
August 17th, 2018 at 5:19 am
We shall see when the season starts how disciplined this team is.
August 17th, 2018 at 6:00 am
So by that assessment Fatty Baker could have and should have said he was one of the teams most disciplined players and he was simply letting the palm tree know it. What a bunch of garbage. Ask a navy seal or any other member of the military if in boot camp they tell all the recruits that the only discipline that matters is what they individually think it is.
August 17th, 2018 at 6:04 am
Since each player has different responsibilities, discipline will take on different forms to each. All I’ll say is its a good message, and to paraphrase John MacKay
I think we should have some.
August 17th, 2018 at 6:51 am
Totally disagree Buc Believer
In Baker’s case he would be wrong and that is exactly why Kwan called him out.
IMO team captains and other leaders,or friends may be need to step in when a player’s lack of discipline hurts the team. And to your point on the military, the only discipline is the DI’s and his superiors think,if you don’t get that then you may have an extended stay in basic until you do.
August 17th, 2018 at 7:05 am
Joe keeps on harping, which may be a valid point, that defensive coaches have ruined the bucs CBs, (ie. Hargreaves, Ryan Smith). If Hargreaves and Smith continue to play poorly and our new rookies, Carlton Davis and MJ Stewart continue to shine, then we know it was not the coaches or system but rather the players themselves.
So far the rookies DBs are outperforming the veterans. Ryan Smith in my opinion should be off the team if he plays poorly throughout preseason. Hargreaves has been solid as a slot cornerback but has not proven himself to handle the outside.
August 17th, 2018 at 7:16 am
In other words, they are trying to get thru to JW3 ( on and off the field) But the whole team has to hear it!!!!!!!! At least they tailored it some what for the rest of the team to meet future goals!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 17th, 2018 at 7:23 am
In other news, I was disappointed with the release of last year’s seventh round draft pick, Stevie Tu’ikolovatu but excited to see the DT we signed yesterday as his replacement. We signed former Panther DT Drew Iddings. He was undrafted 2 years ago from South Dakota State. Iddings is 6-5, 290 pounds and TWICE won the state championship high jump at 6-9. Plus, as a big guy, he ran a 4.7 40 at the NFL combine. If he does not make the 53 roster, he should be a good practice squad player and may shine in a few years.
August 17th, 2018 at 8:17 am
@AlabamaBucsFan, intriguing. Nice pickup.
August 17th, 2018 at 9:02 am
Here’s to hoping a first quarter defensive penalty doesn’t suck the life out of the players for the rest of the game.
August 17th, 2018 at 9:16 am
I understand what Koetter means by “discipline.” He does not have to define it himself in words; often words are meaningless beyond the context of football.
All he had to do is show a 3 minute compilation of how lack of discipline on the field led directly to losses: a blown coverage, jumping offsides at a critical moment, a bad pursuit angle, missing the snap count, not protecting the ball, etc. Talent being equal, lack of discipline on the field is what separates the winners from the losers.
The key is relating personal discipline and focus to lack of discipline on the field with the message of “the discipline you exhibit in your personal life translates to the discipline you exhibit on the field.”
I think it’s a good and important message because Buc fans have not seen a disciplined Bucs team for years. Think about this: when the Bucs play the Patriots, what is your fear? Mine is matching team discipline with a Belichick team because you KNOW they won’t beat themselves because discipline is part of Patriot DNA. Same with the Saints and a few other teams.
Say what you will about Dingy and Gruden teams, but one thing you knew: they would be in every game because they rarely lacked discipline. Talent? Maybe. Discipline? Rarely.
If Koetter and staff can get through to a few knuckleheads (thankfully a few knuckleheads are gone) there may be a chance for a stellar season. Alexander, Smith, Dotson, McCoy, Spence, I’m looking at you.
August 17th, 2018 at 10:40 am
dirk is full of it…..lol….
so the new excuse is discipline….we weren’t discipline enough….lol….
lets see if anything changes….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
August 17th, 2018 at 12:01 pm
I am “Anonymous” ^^^above.^^^
August 17th, 2018 at 12:13 pm
I wonder if this is directed at his coaching staff as well? Hmmmmm…..
August 17th, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Hey Joe, how do us humgle fans get one of those discipline t-shurts. Inquiring fans want to know?
August 17th, 2018 at 3:52 pm
Not sure if the Bucs are selling them.
August 18th, 2018 at 2:26 pm
All though it is only one preseason game, something has changed about the demeanor of this team. I have never seen a dirk Kotter led bucs team with more laser focus and determination than the Miami game, at least on the offensive part of the game. I hope this is a good owmen for the new NFL season. I truly believe that tonight will show if it was just a fluke.