Where’s The Kicking Specialist?
October 23rd, 2018
“Gramatica on Line 1”
Last Wednesday, Dirk Koetter was asked about bringing in a trusted consultant to help Mark Duffner navigate his command and the retooling of the Tampa Bay defense.
Pfffffft, was how one might translate the reply from the head coach.
Koetter talked about how you really have to find a guy you can trust, if you do hire a consultant like that. And Koetter advised that staff members are invested in the team, but a consultant, well, it’s not the same. He also said too many cooks can spoil the stew sometimes, and there is no shortage of ideas on how to make improvements each and every week.
When Joe heard that Koetter response, Joe’s first reaction was, “Then what the hell was Mike Smith doing all week!”
Joe thinks Koetter’s entire mindset there is flawed.
There’s no obligation to listen to the consultant. For example, say a team hires an outside marketing firm with zero clue about their customers or region. That team doesn’t have to take the advice offered or run with a proposed slogan or campaign if they think it’s out of touch. Or perhaps they accept a new marketing campaign and appreciate the fresh set of eyes.
This all brings Joe to the Bucs’ broken kicking situation. Chandler Catanzaro has missed three extra points and two field goals under 40 yards in six games. It’s time for the Bucs to bring in a kicking coach to study Catanzaro.
Perhaps they already have, but Joe highly doubts it.
When Roberto Aguayo and Nick Folk struggled, Koetter and special teams coach Nate Kaczor each said there wasn’t much coaching to be done for either guy when it came to mechanics.
Now a third kicker is struggling in as many years and Joe thinks it’s time get a dedicated coach in here for Catanzaro. Basketball teams bring in shot doctors and free throw specialists. Baseball teams have pitching coaches.
Joe’s had enough of the garbage kicking. The team can’t just cross its fingers — again.
And don’t tell Joe there’s a kicking crises. There are 15 kickers that haven’t missed an extra point (with 10 or more attempts). And six have missed just one (again, with 10 or more attempts).
Two weeks in a row the Bucs have paid dearly for a missed extra point. If it continues, it’s on the guys not getting the kicker help and/or not replacing him.
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Come on Licht…sign Aguayo. The guy is a second rounder and surprisingly available!
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:39 pm
The Glazers need to hire a consultant
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Again, these coaches need to go, and in no particular order; Nate Kaczor, Butch Barry & George Warhop. Special teams suck and have sucked for over 2 years. Our offensive line is playing terrible and can’t run block to save their lives. The secondary played better this week, so I’ll give them a pass this week.
October 23rd, 2018 at 5:44 pm
I think Coach Duffner will be just fine. In fact, he was doing great, until he lost Kwon.
The kicking situation, is another story!
I do have to admit that when our kicker hit that 59 yard field goal, the look on Baker Mayfield’s face was Priceless, LOL
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:01 pm
Gotta get rid of Koetter. Doesn’t understand the importance of specialists or that a special teams coach may need a little help in an area he’s not strong at.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:03 pm
I’m actually for entertaining bringing Aguayo back. Bring back Roberto!
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Apparently, we can’t coach up Defensive Backs, Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Defensive Linemen, Olinemen or Kickers….
Joe, we need someone to “coach up” Coaches
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Typical #KLUELESSKOETTER and his arrogance. Just like when it comes to him being some great OC, after watching Matt Ryan I don’t thing KluelessKoetter was worth a damn cause a drunk like Steve Sark can make him look good too. So the proves KluesslessKoetter really ain’t all that special.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:14 pm
Sure Almighty. Bring back Aguayo and Mike Smith. Lets bring back lovie smith and schiano while we’re at it. Or lets keep cutting the dead weight and make the playoffs! Show Dirk what’s behind door number 3!!
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Any coincidence it may be the special teams coach…
All these kickers cant be that bad so underperform in tampa ? Whats the common problem – Nate Kaczor
The other problem I have noticed is that castanzaro is best kicking from the the left hash yet he keeps going back to the right hash which is where most of his missed kicks. check the tape..
He seemed to have success from the right in college but in the nfl his best has come from the left hash. why aren’t the coaches seeing this ? if he keeps pushing it to the right which is what he was doing in the brown game then don’t let him kick from the right hash. common sense I think.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:22 pm
They need a punt return consultant as much as a kicking consultant.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:23 pm
You are looking at this a$$-backwards, Joe. If you own a horse ranch, and your foreman keeps buying horses that are incapable of doing the needed work, you don’t hire someone to ‘train’ the horse. You hire a foreman who knows how to choose the right horse.
Apparently, Koetters’ staff is ill-equipped to recognize a ‘good’ kicker.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:31 pm
The Bucs need a crapload of consultants which is why it’s looking like they need a whole new coaching regime. We need an O Line consultant, kicking consultant, QB being able to throw deep balls consultant, defense creating turnovers consultant, punt return consultant (because for some stupid reason D Jax who is outstanding at returning punts isn’t back there), and we also need a running back consultant.
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Koetter is in over his head … it is becoming more obvious each week ! Hope the team lies so the Glazers will have to usher him out ! Does anyone really see this team develope into a real winning , competent team under Koetter ?
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:34 pm
They need to expirement with different holders. if you watch the replay on the kick HE DID make, you can see the ball IS STILL MOVING when he kicks it.
Anger has ALWAYS had kickers who have trouble with extra points.
What could it hurt to try fitz at the job?
October 23rd, 2018 at 6:44 pm
buddy
Dirk Koetter didn’t do anything for Matt Ryan
It was OC Mike Mularkey, QB coach Bill Musgrave
They developed Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan was in his 5th season, when Koetter came along
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Remember that Rays marketing campaign where baseball was just crazy and goofy? They should have turned that one down.
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:11 pm
I agree
Did you see the kicker Atlanta just signed off the street
He looked pretty solid in first start. Think he made a 50 yarder
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:17 pm
Matt Bryant as a kicking coach makes sense.
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:20 pm
@Joe … “He also said too many cooks can spoil the stew sometimes, and there is no shortage of ideas on how to make improvements each and every week.”
Somehow I think the stew is already spoiled Joe. And someone apparently needs to tell Dirk that LOTS of idea doesn’t necessarily equate to GOOD ideas.
And Hawk, the horse ranch was a great example. We should all be ecstatic that we’re 3-3 after 6 games, but it’s hard to be ecstatic when you’ve lost 3 out of the last 4 games AND half your team is crippled. Cleveland should’ve given us a needed boost after losing 3 in a row, BUT … it was CLEVELAND. They did everything in their power to give us that game (14 penalties for over 100 yds and at critical times? Really? They out-Buc’d us). If we could just stop losing guys AND get some guys back healthy I might feel differently, but right now the remaining 10 games look daunting. Hopefully we get healthy fast ANF this Bucs offense regains its’ swagger & starts kicking ass.
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:43 pm
We need to try a different holder. Even going back to his days on the Jags, his kickers have struggled.
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:44 pm
Koetter is a buffoon
October 23rd, 2018 at 7:56 pm
Isnt that the special teams coordinators job?
October 23rd, 2018 at 8:34 pm
813. You don’t have to change your name to buddy. By the way. The first giveaway is your #KlUELESSKOETTER. It is what you first came up with in your first hate rants for him. The second was when you posted the same post under both names a month ago.
October 23rd, 2018 at 8:34 pm
The worst part of are special teams isn’t even being talked about. Why in the hell is the slowest running back in the nfl are kick returner. I really believe Auclair can our run Rodgers. Who is scared to kick to that guy. That right there is enough for me to say we have to bring someone else in. We drafted an electric homerun hitter who is suppose to be electric in the open field. Why not give him a chance to return a few. And if he can’t catch just have Rodgers catch it and hand it to him. And he would still get to the twenty before Rodgers. If Rodgers was in a full sprint and hands it to a standing still jones.
October 23rd, 2018 at 8:35 pm
Or just maybe have desean return punts and kicks full time. Instead of running go routes all game to watch the ball sail over his head out of bounds ten feet.
October 23rd, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Best bet right now is don’t do anything that might mind f#ck him and hope he rides a wave of confidence after that big kick. Defense should be high on confidence and motivated . Now maybe we need a co sulantbon hitting receivers in stride on long passes. Or lasik surgery
October 23rd, 2018 at 9:24 pm
Jeffbuc,
Can’t agree more that it’s crazy no one talks about how bad our special teams are. It’s unreal how bad they are. Aside from punt coverage, which is usually decent, they are bottom of the barrel. Why he’s content with that blows my mind. Same with Warhop
October 23rd, 2018 at 10:01 pm
Not saying it’s *the* problem, but seems there is one constant during the poor kicking the last three seasons with Aguayo, Folk/Murray and the current kicker: the holder.
I can tell you a holder can make a huge difference.
October 23rd, 2018 at 10:35 pm
Patrick Murray
Nick Folk
Roberto Aguayo
Are not kicking for anyone
Those bums are out of the league
October 23rd, 2018 at 10:57 pm
the holder had PAT problems at his last team as well.
October 23rd, 2018 at 11:00 pm
perhaps all of those kickers had their confidence so shot that they were unable to recover.
It could be a chicken/egg thing
OR Anger could NOT be the problem. But a switch could be a shot of placebo. Giving Catanzaro the confidence that they found the problem and able to hold it together a little longer through pure confidence.
October 23rd, 2018 at 11:02 pm
How about Gramatica? Saw him leaving the stadium where the players exit.
October 23rd, 2018 at 11:37 pm
A lot of records being broke this year. Joe Bucs Fan just broke one as well. Aside from updating on a injured player every single thing written on here is negative. First, why make things up? So “Not Enough Love For Lavonte” is a negative story? C’mon. And that’s not the only example. In addition, other posts/stories are balanced views, and Ira Kaufman’s column is uplifting. –Joe I scrolled down through and just by reading the click bait titles for each story spewed negativity!! What’s crazy is your podcasts are always just the opposite It’s a record breaking year in many ways, the sucky kicker y’all are trying to bury all the way to hell just kicked the longest FG in overtime history to win the GD game. As for that kicker, he missed two kicks that NFL kickers have to make. And Joe is trying to get the guy help, not run him out of town. But hey, why not just keep making things up. Joe
October 24th, 2018 at 1:11 am
I can’t wait to see how the tune changes after we make the playoffs and run the table on the rest of these regular season games. You all point the finger and blame everyone, acting like you have all the answers. There’s a reason they coach in the NFL (which most of our coaches have for many years) and y’all just sit on you butts at home and watch the game.
#The only believer left
October 24th, 2018 at 1:16 am
Caleb
If the Bucs make the playoffs
I for one will give them mad props
Until then, they are still the Bucs
October 24th, 2018 at 2:02 am
Arguably the best kicker in the league just missed a extra point that lost the Ravens the game. Hey at least we won.
October 24th, 2018 at 7:32 am
Baltimore is one of the few if not the only team that has a full time coach/coordinator just for the kicker. Excluding what happened last week to Justin Tucker, it has worked wonders in Baltimore. I have no problem hiring someone else to help with the kicking. If you are not an expert at kicking (Koetter) there is no shame in getting some additional assistance in this department, unless this is an ego or financial issue.
October 24th, 2018 at 11:30 am
The Bengals had Jon Brown a kicker who had a heck of a preseason. It would not hurt to bring him in for a try out.