Koetter On Kicking Woes
October 15th, 2018
Not just the kicker.
Joe feels awful for Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.
The guy has one of the best offenses in the NFL and one would never know it because the defense has virtually collapsed and all anyone wants to focus on is the wrong-headed notion that America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, lost the game yesterday.
Joe feels bad for Koetter because the man has been snakebit by kickers ever since he became Tampa Bay offensive coordinator in 2015.
There is no telling how many Bucs games Koetter has lost due to lousy kicking. Yesterday was another example. Chandler Catanzaro missed his first extra point attempt and the team was chasing points after that. It came back to bite the Bucs at the end.
So Joe asked Koetter after the game if he felt there was some hex on him with kickers through the years.
“It hurts to miss an extra point right off the bat,” Koetter said. “You know, you get a fast start and it’s a little bit deflating to miss an extra point. Chandler feels worse than anybody else. It’s not like no one is fired up about it.
“We got guys making mistakes, and I mean different guys make different mistakes on different plays and that was his. You’re chasing points the rest of the game, but would it have mattered at the end? That’s hard to say.”
Koetter isn’t wrong and he was playing the part of a good coach protecting his player. He knows he needs Catanzaro down the road so why mess with his confidence by throwing him under the bus.
The thing is, with so, so many other players making mistakes, just a hint of consistency from Catanzaro would have all but erased the sins of others had the Bucs won.
Joe could only think of the irony of the guy who sealed the win for the Dixie Chicks, ageless Matt Bryant, who the Bucs let walk away because they nickel and dimed him out of town.
How many games in the past decade the Bucs lost because they didn’t have someone as reliable as Bryant.
October 15th, 2018 at 5:10 am
#dontblamejameis
October 15th, 2018 at 5:19 am
#jamieshasapartinthelosstoo
October 15th, 2018 at 5:29 am
[Joe has no idea if any of this was true and besides, it has zero to do with the Bucs. — Joe]
October 15th, 2018 at 5:33 am
Jameis is lucky he only had 2 interceptions. He may not have single-handedly lost the game but he didn’t help either. Yet ANOTHER TEAM effort on the loss,
October 15th, 2018 at 5:35 am
Man, mornings like this are far too frequent; it sucks to be a Bucs’ fan. The team is 2-3 and riding a 3 game L streak. The kicker is below averagte andf the defense is worse than Leeman Bennett’s 2-14 bunch of 1986. Mike Smith should have been fired during the bye week or at least reassigned. I read an article last night of how Koetter is running neck and neck with the Bronco coach for the favorite to be first head coach fired and as he discounts accountability and the team looked horrible after a bye week. 4-12 seems likely and that is counting a win over Cleveland and actually the Brownies are probably going to win….. Bucs a 3 point fave but I bet it is down to even before kickoff!
October 15th, 2018 at 5:38 am
Scotty, I agree, JW put up numbers but yet another L. Could Fitz have won this game? Perhaps! It is a bad time to be a Buc fan, why can’t Koetter reassign Smitty. That was a disgusting effort against a bad Falcon team that could go 4-12 right along with the Bucs…. Bad football all around…..
October 15th, 2018 at 5:41 am
Didn’t the Rockstar Dominik let Bryant go?
October 15th, 2018 at 5:49 am
Scotty and Dave – you’re both right. Winston could have thrown at least 3 INTs. The play before his first TD, the DB dropped a poorly thrown pass. 4 INTs in less than 2 games is not a good look. Not to mention the Falcons defense is so burnable yet all you hear is 395 yards and 4 TDs…
October 15th, 2018 at 5:50 am
I hope hands he’s traded to the Jags. We, Bucs fans don’t deserve him.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:19 am
“Why mess with his confidence by throwing him under the bus “
– because the whole team is soft- reflection of their soft, likeable coach. Mistakes are tolerated too much.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:25 am
We don’t deserve him? Really he’s not a god who is trying to show us the devine way…he’s an average QB who has padded his stats because of the team constantly being down. He’s a 1x probowl alternate who has not shown much growth in his ability to hit a moving target, lead the team, or produce a winning record. You’re right….we don’t deserve this, we’ve been punished enough.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:31 am
Its never JW fault thats why we keep losing. Two redzone INTs and almost a 3rd no its not JWs fault we lost the game its always something els the kicker the defense the coaches WHEN IN THE HELL R U GONNA REALIZE JW IS JUST NOT THAT GOOD MAYBE IN YEAR 6 OR 7 AFTER HE ROBS THE GLAZERS. JESUS
October 15th, 2018 at 6:31 am
So what now Joe,the kicker is the scapegoat in yesterday’s loss and we’re going to pretend the last 3 STRAIGHT LOSSES haven’t been on Mike Smith?!
October 15th, 2018 at 6:39 am
That missed kick hurt but we can’t blame the entire game or loss on it.
It’s like having a bogey on the first hole…..you have many, many opportunities to make it up. Does it show up in the final score, yes.
As for Jameis…..he didn’t lose the game for us…..he didn’t win it either.
Mike Smith’s defense lost the game…..got blown out….got soft at the end of the half and end of the game….bent just enough to allow a FG with 26 sec in the half and bent enough to allow the last FG to force us to score a TD with no time outs.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:40 am
I’d blame the kicker if we lost by a point, but we didn’t. The last drive by Atl they were missing their #1,2 receiver, without their starting R.B., and they still drove down the field, ate clock, and scored. All we had to do was guard one player, Jones, and we couldn’t. Maybe if the kicker was covering people we could blame him, but I didn’t see him giving up play, after play. We’re losing because we suck from G.M. to the bottom of the roster, and all points in between. Don’t feel sorry for Koetter Joe, feel sorry for us fans.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:51 am
This year nothing is more disappointing that seeing a deep ball connection come and go like chicken wings in front of Joe.
35 points or more will get us a win from now on.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:52 am
An XP though?! I mean it’s the only kick where there are zero variables other than weather, same spot, same distance. This kick should be automatic.
I like how we’re straight to blaming Jameis. Did anyone bother to tell the defense a game was being played?!
Where’s the coaching? Anyone? Bueller?!
October 15th, 2018 at 6:54 am
When a 73% completion rate, 395 yards and 4 TDs isn’t good enough to win its time to RUNJAMEISRUN
October 15th, 2018 at 6:56 am
We are going to end up with the NO. 1 offense and draft pick at the same time.
We probably make history at the end of the year again. SMH
October 15th, 2018 at 7:00 am
Jameis made a few bad decisions, and to all the Jameis sycophants: Jameisis the QB and his mistakes result in turnovers; thus making them more impactful.
Couple in the fact that he’s the #1 overall pick. Fans also want more from GMC bc of his draft status/salary cap number.
How do we justify paying $20million next year to a QB who makes 2-3 poor decisions a game that hold a team back from winning.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:03 am
At this point the defense is irrevelant since we don’t have one with a decent coordinator or scheme.
We just witness the outcome of Jameis great performance in a balance offense with Barber owning the Falcons.
Winston to Djax deep ball connection is the only hope for a win.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:05 am
Please tell me Mike Smith is no longer a coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:10 am
I give Jameis Winston 2 more games of mistake-free football. You see, as bad as the defense is, it’s been like that since game 1. Unfortunately, we don’t have a HC with cahones to pull the strings to fire his buddy Mike Smith, so the only thing we have is to put pressure on the offense to out score every single opponent. That formula doesn’t work every time and it definitely won’t work down the stretch with the better football teams. And it won’t work with Fitz the entire season either. Fitz is not a panacea.
But, the current regime will play Winston even if he flounders because it’s his contract year and they need to know whether to offer him a new contract or start all over again. Jameis has the tools and the potential, but he still can’t shake the over-confidence of throwing into coverage. Godwin in the endzone was draped all over like a cheap suit. He can’t connect with DJax for the bomb for whatever reason. If the offense has to score 35+, I’d rather see Fitzpatrick because he will minimize mistakes. Everyone who thinks he reverted back to his sucky self needs to realize that he won’t be perfect and some of the INTs were route running and tipped balls – same things that can and will happen to Jameis. But, the difference is Fitz has touch on the ball. The guy is incredible when he’s on fire. I can’t remember the last time Jameis had a passer rating any where near what Fitz had.
You CANNOT turn the ball over in the red zone. Those are points, even 3, that can keep momentum going. Let’s see what Jameis does in the next couple of games, but I would rather see Fitz if Jameis struggles than play him out just because it’s his contract year.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:24 am
What I also like is watching other team’s go for 2 and do it with ease
But here? With all the weapons? This team can’t even do that.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:34 am
Does the fish stink from the head down? So where do you think the real problem lies? At the top , that’s where. Glazers have forgotten what got them their only Super Bowl , it was great coaching. C’mon team Glazer , when you have a consistent deficiency , make changes.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:41 am
Kicking was not the reason for the loss. The reason was JW. Throwing into double coverage in the end zone when you had the flat wide open.
You can’t fix stupid
October 15th, 2018 at 7:43 am
Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and hoping for different results.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:47 am
Real simple. Whatever QB you get because you are hellbent on running the best QB this franchise ever had will very likely not be as good as Jameis — no team is going to run off a good QB (except the Bucs?) and whoever starts will be making $20 million a year because that’s the going rate for even average QBs.
Guessing Bruce Almighty might be looking to wash his hands if Alex Smith. He doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s also a lame arse QB.
Maybe Browns will trade Tyrod Taylor? 🙁
October 15th, 2018 at 7:47 am
Koetter is just a victim of the curse at One Buc Palace. He will get fired this year along with his connected at the hip buddy Mike Smith. So an organization change next year with new coaches, but the same problems will persist. The problems have elevated beyond coaching to something more sinister.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:54 am
Funny you talk about ask kicking woes and bad players but won’t ask about coaching woes because this guy is out coached every week except one and that was when saints didn’t know me timid wouldn’t be calling plays
October 15th, 2018 at 7:55 am
Funny you talk about ask kicking woes and bad players but won’t ask about coaching woes because this guy is out coached every week except one and that was when saints didn’t know me timid wouldn’t be calling plays. Now the first two weeks look like an anomaly
October 15th, 2018 at 7:59 am
Interesting fact…both Alex Smith and Tyrod Taylor have lead teams to the playoffs…that would make them exciting QBs
October 15th, 2018 at 8:16 am
Speaking of kicking woes, that 57 yard FG Matt Bryant hit may have been the last kick of his career. He now has a hamstring injury and I can’t imagine he’d be back next year for the Falcons.
October 15th, 2018 at 8:38 am
I counted at least three other Q.B.’s who didn’t have the stats J.W.did, but also threw 2 picks , and their teams won. They don’t have the worst defense in the league. Atlanta scored whenever they needed to, which was often. Mahomes threw two picks last night, but still put up 40 points. It wasn’t enough for them they gave up 43.Would you say Mahomes should be traded? Bad defenses lose games, ours is the worst. Yeah Jameis needing to score every position threw two picks, our defense can’t get a pick. Heck, they can’t even get close to a player let alone the ball. Worst defense in the NFL there in line lays the problem. Worst D. C. worst overrated talent, the worst, the worst.
October 15th, 2018 at 8:39 am
@joe
The best qb we’ve ever had is not a title to brag about.Just because he’s better than all of the stiffs we’ve had doesn’t make him worth the money.That’s a he’ll of a way to evaluate a franchise qb.C’mon bro u need to wipe ur chin u left a lil Winston on it
October 15th, 2018 at 9:19 am
This team has a lot of issues beginning with the DC. Start by naming Duffner the DC and go from there.
October 15th, 2018 at 9:21 am
At the end of the year how about trading JW to Oakland for Carr. Carr seems to be in Gruden’s doghouse.
October 15th, 2018 at 9:53 am
It was an exciting game but the Bucs just could not pull off the win. Again too many of the opponents receivers wide open too many times.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:42 am
Last night the “Phenom” played versus the Patriots, he threw for close to 400 yards and 2 interceptions that were boneheaded. They have unbeleivable offensive weapons on Chiefs team. Lots to compare there to the Bucs.
I do not hear how that kid lost the game for the Chiefs-why not–it was an even shootout but they had those turnovers and that gave Patriots the edge to win.
Defense wins the game.
On a side note Mariota was sacked 11 times yesterday–a record–he is a sack magnet!
October 15th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
“I do not hear how that kid lost the game for the Chiefs-why not”
Umm, they are 5-1, and the kid is in his first year of starting. And 90% of his throws are in stride and on target…I think he plays pretty darned well for 7 games of experience, and not a great D. If their D stops Brady from going 55 yds to get the field goal, whatcha wanna bet Mahomes gets a score for the win?
As far as the kicker goes, tell me again why we signed him to a guaranteed contract before he had ever kicked the first ball for us?