Koetter Takes Back Offense
November 11th, 2018
“Sorry ‘Monk,’ I’m calling the shots now.”
Not sure if anyone wants to classify this as a promotion or a demotion but it’s all in Dirk Koetter’s hands now.
The Bucs’ Bit-O-Honey-snacking coach wrested control of the playcalling today from offensive coordinator Todd Monken. For the first time all season, Koetter was calling all plays.
Was it a coincidence the Bucs had their lowest scoring output of the season, three points?
When asked in his postgame presser why now, Koetter only would say, “Just my own reasons.”
November 11th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
Dead man walking
November 11th, 2018 at 5:27 pm
He is hoping to grab the attention of a team that needs an OC. We should still finish with a high ranking offence. He can brag that he was the mastermind while standing in line at the unemployment office
November 11th, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Being a Bucs fan is bad for your health
November 11th, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Snooooooozzzzzeeeee
This franchise is depressing how many excuses I don’t want to hear them saying anything the rest of the season
November 11th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Bucs got almost 500 yards and only punted once……can’t fault the playcalling…..dropped passes & turnovers along with missed kicks..
Koetter is a failure as a coach….but his placalling certainly didn’t lose this game.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
We all knew it…. when the team throws up in the red zone again, it had his name ALL over it. I guess he was trying to show his OC skills when her gets canned. WHY mess with the ONLY thing the team was doing well?
November 11th, 2018 at 5:29 pm
Would you let your career ride on Monken and Winston? Lmao. That is just pushing yourself off the cliff. I can’t blame him for trying. The fact that he tried and failed miserably is what concerns me.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:31 pm
was it a “personal” reason or a “personnel” reason?
of course it probably doesn’t matter in this case.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Time to let him go now and let Monken run it
November 11th, 2018 at 5:32 pm
That confirms it. I thought I must have misread Dirk’s statements. So, apparently after Monken being the playcaller and having the 2nd ranked offense, Dirk decides to call plays. Instead of coaching his team, he decides to coach the offense only. I can’t wrap my hands around this decision. Just can him and let him audition as O Coordinator on a different team. His offenses is antiquated anyway.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:32 pm
1st team in NFL history to have 450 yards+ offense and 3 pts.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:33 pm
Koetter shined in his role producing 500 yards of offense. Extend Koetter!
November 11th, 2018 at 5:34 pm
Fitz ain’t it!!!
November 11th, 2018 at 5:35 pm
It makes no sense. He’s done. His presser was crazy. I think he’s out this week
November 11th, 2018 at 5:35 pm
Now Koetter’s desperate. Wrong move coach.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:36 pm
He’s done, let him go now and Licht too.
Please!!!!
There is NO reason to keep these guys on the gallows till Black Monday.
The Glaziers have to shake up the system NOW and see how the “talent” on this team responds.
They need to bring on a consultant, at the very least, to objectively evaluate this team and start the search for the next GM & HC.
There’s no time to waste, this is a disasterous season already.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Go Bucs Go
November 11th, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Doesn’t matter! Minus 4 in turnovers won’t win may games(if any) in the NFL. Missing this many field goals and Pat’s is unacceptable for an NFL kicker. Fitz, Jamies, neither one can seem to stop the turn overs. The Gm and the HC need to go. These players need a fresh outlook and a fresh approach to winning.
Losing, just like winning, is contagious. The Bucs have lost far too many times in the past 5 years. It seems they expect to lose. It’s a self full filling prophecy. This HC and GM can’t change that. Look at all the new faces in 2018, and still the losing continues.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Nothing wrong with Licht. Koetter is the problem. He has not successfully adjusted to the rigors of head coaching. Shame.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:46 pm
The playcalling wasn’t bad
The players execution was bad, especially in the red zone
Four turnovers, crucial penalties
That’s on the players
Not the playcalling
November 11th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
Ugh!!! This is the most over hyped BS. The play calling was NOT the problem today. You can blame Dirk for a lot of things but the team moved the ball at will for roughly 500 yards.
The fact is this team sh$ts the bed in crunch time. INT’s, fumbles, penalties, dropped TD’s and missed FG’s are not the result of bad play calling. Those are player errors.
Why is this even a thing? Blame him for not coaching the execution if you like but the play calling put them in position to score a lot of points today. That is why this team is so frustrating!
November 11th, 2018 at 5:51 pm
Koetter keeps telling everyone with his actions he’s a coordinator and not a head coach. I hope the glazers are paying attention
November 11th, 2018 at 5:54 pm
The play calling was bad. Not sure why people are saying it’s not the fault of the play calling. Yes the players really suck. The LT was getting his butt whipped during that last end zone try we had. The one where Evans missed the catch. On that play, Donovan Smith got beat. Then the PI call. Koetter calls another play with no help for Donovan Smith. He could have a TE chip or something man. Instead he puts Donovan Smith back on an island and what happens? Sack fumble. If your LT is getting beat, you have to call plays that will help him. Sometimes guys are just gonna get beat man. OC has to recognize those situations and ADJUST. Not a Koetter sympathizer. He needs to go and said does Licht. The players are not well coached and they are becoming slackers. I’m not watching these gamers anymore.
November 11th, 2018 at 5:56 pm
2nd & 7 at WSH 19
(10:44 – 1st) (Shotgun) R.Fitzpatrick pass deep left intended for S.Wilson INTERCEPTED by J.Norman [M.Ioannidis] at WAS 0. J.Norman to WAS 32 for 32 yards (C.Godwin).
3rd & 4 at WSH 12
(8:40 – 2nd) (Shotgun) R.Fitzpatrick pass incomplete short left to C.Brate . Missed FG
3rd & 7 at WSH 16
(4:55 – 3rd) (Shotgun) R.Fitzpatrick Aborted. R.Jensen FUMBLES at WAS 30, recovered by TB-R.Fitzpatrick at WAS 30. R.Fitzpatrick to WAS 30 for no gain (C.McKinzy). Missed FG
1st & 10 at WSH 28
(10:56 – 4th) (No Huddle, Shotgun) R.Fitzpatrick pass short middle to J.Rodgers to WAS 19 for 9 yards (Z.Brown). FUMBLES (Z.Brown), RECOVERED by WAS-H.Clinton-Dix at WAS 0. Touchback (R.Jensen).
2nd & Goal at WSH 2
(3:36 – 4th) (Shotgun) R.Fitzpatrick sacked at WAS 7 for -5 yards (P.Smith). FUMBLES (P.Smith), RECOVERED by WAS-R.Kerrigan at WAS 7. R.Kerrigan to WAS 7 for no gain (D.Smith).
You can’t blame this on the Playcalling
Blame it on the players for poor execution
November 11th, 2018 at 6:00 pm
Going back to what doesn’t work.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:01 pm
There is more to coaching than X’s and O’s players need to be mentally ready to play the game.The Bucs offense was not mentally ready.Missed kicks,fumbles,dropped balls .mental errors.A good day for the defense wasted.
How much more do the good fans have to endure.
2002 was a loong time ago.Arrgghh!!
November 11th, 2018 at 6:01 pm
The 5 series that I just posted should accounted for at least 19 points
But they didn’t get any points
November 11th, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Koetter’s playcalling would definitely explain the red zone struggles. Like we’re watching a replay if 2017 but this time it’s worse… Such a shame we lost this week, we could’ve easily turned it around at 6-5 against the Giants and 49ers.
This loss likely cost Licht and Koetter their careers’. Times are a changin’ in Tampa Bay… once again. Here we go again!
November 11th, 2018 at 6:13 pm
You’ve got the best offense in football statistically, so change it up Dork. Genius!
November 11th, 2018 at 6:16 pm
The problem was Ryan Fitzpatrick
He was pathetic in the red zone today
He’s a home run hitter
That struggles to get the run home on a single
November 11th, 2018 at 6:21 pm
Do the honorable thing coach and hand in your resignation , instead of screwing this thing up even more than you already have . It is so obviously plane to see you are not head coach material . For the Glazers to continue this s*it show is disrespecting us fans and the community ! Get your ducks in a row Glazers because you can only survive this hideous result with a home run hire !
November 11th, 2018 at 6:23 pm
3 points. He just called his fate. Oh and Mike C. telling Bucs fans to just jump in a lake and chill and come back….we’ll please let him know that this team has been horse sheet before and after his time as a radio host. I’m pretty sure we can all say we have walked the plank got back out just to jump back in again then to bash our heads against the post to hope we lose all functionality to just drown to death. It’s not that easy and to me it’s straight simple these guys just don’t care. You suck at your job and are weak individuals. Simple as that.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:24 pm
Is this friggen serious. The only thing that was barely keeping Dirk afloat was the production on offense……..So his answer is to demote(let’s call it a spade) his OC……..Rather then try to fix one of the problem areas of the team?
Then we lose because he screws up the one thing he took control of. Excuse me while I go hurl.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:29 pm
The guy is trying to get fired, and burning down the team on his way out the door. Get rid of him already.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:33 pm
FitzTragic was 0-5, 2 sacks, 2 turnovers in the red zone
And people are blaming the playcalling
If Jameis Winston was the QB
They would be calling him every name in the book
November 11th, 2018 at 6:34 pm
TBBF, Lakeland & JabooBuc … It’s NOT the play-calls marching up and down the field that are the issue. It’s the play-calls in the Red Zone … and it’s been a a continuing problem the whole time Koetter has been here. Bucs offense does great getting TO the 20-yard-line, but then disaster strikes time after time after time. There’s a consistent pattern there … and it’s not a good pattern. It’s like this team doesn’t know how to go for the kill.
We all understand that it gets harder for the offense in the Red Zone. But how often do you see the Bucs ‘go for the kill’ once they get inside the 20? They have this tendency to play around & play around (play-calling?), and then ultimately SCREW THEMSELVES. If it’s not a penalty, then it’s a turnover, or a fumbled snap, or something similar (like a missed FG?). Bucs have a TERRIBLE running game inside the Red Zone, and yet Koetter insists on calling some ridiculous running plays that do nothing but waste a precious down. He’s constantly putting our QBs in the position of HAVING to make a big-time throw on 3rd down to either score or gain another set of downs. And invariably THAT’S when something bad happens.
No question at this point in my mind that our OLine sucks & that our RBs are pretty much 2nd-tier. We’ve got decent QBs though and awesome WRs/TEs. For heaven’s sake Dirk, play to your STRENGTHS, not to your WEAKNESSES.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Defense Rules
FitzTragic was horrible in the red zone
I have never seen anything like it
He’s a Home Run hitter
That can’t bunt home a runner from third
November 11th, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Any of the intrepid media following this team. Should have noticed he took back over play calling a few games ago. He has had the play-calling sheet and talking into the headphones calling plays for a while now.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:38 pm
I really.hope they can get Bruce Arians out of retirement with stick Brooks helping out around the building
November 11th, 2018 at 6:41 pm
I would love to see the glaziers promote Monken to interim head coach and promote Buckner to DC FOR THE rest of the season.
It would be a night and day different team for the better
November 11th, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Can’t blame Koetter when players blew the plays. FGs missed, fumbles, dropped passes…none of that was Koetter’s fault.
Some fans want him gone, many here. So they heap on the blame. But this loss was all on the players.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
BucEmUp
Bukner hasn’t eeven got his own unit producing…and you want him as DC???
November 11th, 2018 at 6:53 pm
Go look at Matt Ryans stats after Koetter left. Simple as that!
November 11th, 2018 at 6:54 pm
No one is talking about the putrid red zone offense. Just like last year when Dirk called the plays.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
So try and explain how with Monk calling plays someone can put up 38 or so Winston 28 or so and the defense does not show up. But when the defense shows up the offense does not. This is not the first time it has happened.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Let’s look at Dirk… So far this year he’s thrown Fitz under the bus, Winston under the bus, just this last week he threw D-Jax under the bus, saying it’s up to D-Jax to return punts, he has an open invite… Then he threw his defensive coaches under the bus saying he has absolutely nothing to do with the defense… He’s already thrown Monken under the bus, you remember, after the Bucs are 2-0, Fitz is having the best 2 game strech of anyone in NFL history, and Dirk comes out and say the Bucs must run the ball more – the team is 1-6 since Dirk started reigning Monken in and inserting himself more and more each week.
Dirk has to be fired, period. He’s tanking this team, throwing a hissy fit unlike anything I’ve ever seen a head coach do before. He needs to be fired tonight before any more damage is done.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Dork “I have my reasons” Koetter, yeah it’s called I’m an idiot, soon to be unemployed coach lol
November 11th, 2018 at 7:01 pm
AJ Says:
November 11th, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Any of the intrepid media following this team. Should have noticed he took back over play calling a few games ago. He has had the play-calling sheet and talking into the headphones calling plays for a while now.
Absolutely agree!!!
November 11th, 2018 at 7:03 pm
The worst thing you could do is make Monken the head coach – this is what the team did with Dirk, took a good, productive OC, and then split their time and left the offense without a real OC. It’s a terrible idea to take Monken and then say you’re going to spend less than half your time doing what made you valuable. It’s the worst thing you could do.
Well, let me correct that, it’s the 2nd worst thing they could do.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
Hey Bucs fans, at least we don’t have Gruden lol
November 11th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
I would put the first int on the playcalling if indeed it was called for fitz to throw the ball to this guy Wilson who is like 4 feet tall…. when we have all those weapons on the field.
WTH was that before halftime ? A bunch of other head scratching calls.
Ive seen the writing on the wall since last year after the Thursday night patriots game, Im more pissed off at the ownership for not canning this staff last year more than anything. This guy can’t teach and motivate a highschool team let alone a pro football team.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:18 pm
Loser!!!!
November 11th, 2018 at 7:18 pm
I know they “fired” Mike Smith, but was he actually fired? How do coaches contracts work? Is he just told not to come to the building anymore, we don’t need you for the rest of the year, or is he literally given a pink slip and told to hit the bricks?
Anywho if Mike Smith is still under contract bring him back as the head coach, just don’t let him touch the defense – or really the offense either – just have him prepare the team, manage things, etc – you know, stuff he’s actually good at.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:23 pm
Hey what a shock. Koetter retakes playcalling after heavily influencing it the last few weeks anyway, and we have the worst performance of the season offensively.
Please Realisto, tell me again how good the coaches are and how all of our problems are strictly roster based you hopeless moron.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:26 pm
The GM sucks. The HC is bad, but the biggest problem is the idiot owners. I don’t think nothing going to change unless we get new owners who care about wins & losses. I feel like I’m in a twilight zone & its Hugh Culverhouse all over again.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:28 pm
Well that explains a lot. Team is moving nicely on first drive and we throw a 25 yard pass to the pylon to SHAuN WILSON? Bad throw but with all the weapons we have why in the world is a seldom used RB the guy we target? OJ Howard catches a fifteen yard pass early in the first quarter than is nowhere to be seen for most of the rest of the game. No screen game, no misdirection plays, no uptempo change of pace.
Defensively we go to the dreaded prevent D before the end of the half and the team that had scored only a FG moves 50 yards in less than a minute. When will we learn to at least mix in some pressure and press coverage. This may be the worst receiving corp we will face all year. And for Gods sakes, knowing that we had a JV o line against our DL why couldn’t they put more pressure on Alex Smith? The players should be ashamed of their effort today.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:29 pm
If you’re the head coach for 4 yrs and your team has dropped passes, penalties, missed fgs, extra points, and don’t seem to be mentally ready, then it’s on you.
November 11th, 2018 at 7:31 pm
See the Suck.
Feel the Suck.
Embrace the Suck.
It’s a Sucks Life@
November 11th, 2018 at 7:51 pm
Ummm nothing wrong with play calling???? Anyone see the redzone offense??? Yack
November 11th, 2018 at 8:04 pm
Hiring Koetter was a mistake
Firing Lovie was a mistake
Hiring Lovie was the worse mistake
Hiring Schiano was a mistake
Hiring Raheem was a mistake
Trading for John Gruden was a mistake
Firing Dungy was a mistake
With such a bad track record for the last 16 years
I have no confidence they will get it right
November 11th, 2018 at 8:08 pm
I actually wish we had Gruden to tear this thing apart- although I think we could have maybe got only one #1 pick perhaps for Evans
November 11th, 2018 at 8:21 pm
Glazers hire me to call the offensive plays… I promise the Bucs will score more than three points. Lol. Tomorrow won’t be soon enough to give Koetter his walking papers. Licht can hang out until the last day of the season when the entire coaching staff will be fired.
November 11th, 2018 at 8:36 pm
By the time Gruden is done with the Raiders they will be known as the Bucs of the West
November 11th, 2018 at 9:00 pm
Buc fans paying big money to go watch games that this coach is experimenting with “ I got my reasons “ !! It’s half way through season and offense wasn’t problem , no it’s all about ego over team. GET HIM OUT TODAY !!!!
Fans need to stop going to games and next year stay away from those mini-camps till this team shows want to
November 11th, 2018 at 9:00 pm
Defense Rules: I simply disagree about the play calling in the red zone. The players screwed it up, not Dirk. Fitz let’s one sail a bit for the initial INT. The play was there but not executed.
Then there’s the drive where Fitz first should have run for a first down but decided to run sideways instead of upfield. That would have been first and goal inside the 10 but it stead left with a third down throw that hit Brate in the hands and was dropped. Then missed FG.
Another drive we had the poor snap pulling us out the red zone and making for a long FG attempt which is of course missed.
Rogers fumbles while driving for another score and then fumbles. That was going to be a first down inside the 10.
Evans drops a TD pass that hits him right in the hands.
That’s a minimum of 16 points left on the field that had nothing to do with Dirk.
November 11th, 2018 at 9:04 pm
I never liked Gruden, never, he won the SB with Dungy’s team in a year in which everything came together perfect and no matter who was coach, could have been Steve Spurrier, they were winning the SB that year.
But with that said we don’t know that – and thus it’s really really difficult to say the Gruden trade was a bad deal. Personally I hated firing Dungy, but I don’t know of anyone that wouldn’t give up a couple of 1st rounders to win a SB. I’d give up the 15 years of 1st rounders for a SB win, heck I’d give up more than that actually.
Also ladies had Gruden came back he would have torn the team down, but he would have had Winston as his QB. Gruden hates Carr because Carr is a moron who thinks words hurt and can’t take pressure. Winston loves pressure and wouldn’t be doing what Carr was doing today and on 4th and 5 when you’re down by 2 scores with 4 mins left and throw the ball into the ground (again, on 4th down Carr pulled a Mike Glennon and threw the ball into the ground rather than risk a TO when down by 2 scores with 4 mins left). Gruden doesn’t want Carr but is stuck with him because of his contract, so maybe that’s the idea, tank the team so bad you get rid of enough guys to absorb the massive cap hit that comes from cutting Carr. Anywho Gruden will have that team like 9-7 in a year or two – they’ll never be better than 9-7 but they’ll be 9-7, he’s like a slightly better Jeff Fisher.
November 11th, 2018 at 9:10 pm
JabooBuc – Go back to that drive where Brate dropped the ball, and go back I believe two plays and you have Fitz throwing the ball up for grabs into double coverage – one that should have been picked off. I agree with the nuanced arguments and I hate the online lynch mob mentality of people just boring everyone by saying the same thing, but if you do the what if game you have to fair about it and point out the bad plays too.
I mean if Fitz has good kicking today, they make all the FG attempts (which were all makeable) then the Bucs are down by one score when Fitz fumbles near the goal line, but then again I don’t think he fumbles if they’re only down by one score, he’s down by 2 scores and is pressing, which leads to mistakes.
November 11th, 2018 at 9:19 pm
This dude is trying to get fired at this point….
November 11th, 2018 at 9:53 pm
Koetter should be demanding kickers be brought in for try outs and get rid of the over the hill loser we have. Then he needs to notice that a change at OL Coach has to be made. The OL is always a mess week in and out. D. Smith can’t handle speed rushers but at Guard would not allow a bull rush and would not have to deal with speed rushers anymore and also would be much cheaper to resign. Just get a first round LT in the draft like the best teams do. Warhop keeps playing Benenoch who he failed to develop and his throwing him to the wolves training has been a huge failure hurting this team. He has Liedtke who is a great guard just sitting on the bench! The Defense played well enough to win. No telling how good they could have been if he had fired Smitty before the break and not after. Koetter’s problem has been overruling his OC. He should stop carrying his playsheet not now take over playcalling!
November 12th, 2018 at 12:53 am
No, you CAN blame this on play-calling, in particular the play-calling inside the 30. Just to give you an example, on 2nd and 4 near the 20 yard line with time running out and down two scores, this was a PERFECT opportunity to use play-action and hit a man-to-man situation (Howard, Godwin, or Evans) in the endzone. Instead, a RB dive was called which netted about 2 yards.
Koetter called conservative, weak plays near & inside the redzone, fearing Washington’s defense. That is NOT what you do. You’ve got to keep a quick defense like that GUESSING. You just have to.
Now, as far as execution, YES, the players seemed to absolutely lose their focus when they got into the redzone. They executed great until then, piling up yards, but when it came to plays that decide games, they absolutely didn’t show up.
November 12th, 2018 at 6:49 am
I’m sorry. This stuff about the play calling is so stupid. I’d bet all of you your mortgage that you couldn’t tell the difference between a Dirk called game and a Monken called game if side by side. Hell, I believe the players said as much.
Just stop it. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
November 12th, 2018 at 7:07 am
Monken is the only one who should be retained from this coaching staff. The rest of the coaches suck.
November 12th, 2018 at 7:39 am
Dirk is just looking for a scapegoat to throw under the bus. The problem can’t get possibly be him.
November 12th, 2018 at 9:04 am
What was up with nearly every WR having their tshirts hanging below their Jersey? It cost Brate a catch near the endzone he jumped the DB grabbed a handful of the hanging tshirt not allowing Brate to gain more height to catch the pass. Same thing with Evan’s got tackled by his T shirt hanging out, same with Jackson he spun away from a DB who’s hand slipped down off his Jersey and grabbed the hanging tshirt to stop the play. Tighten up Team show some respect to the game, they provide you with a uniform wear it like you respect it. This is not the beach, the local park, the grass between grandma’s garden and the porch. This is the NFL. Sadly this hanging out Tshirt thing cost us several yards and a few first downs. Tuck in your tshirts and at least respect the game and men who played it before you. And for the record I do not believe you are faster with that tshirt hanging out.
GO BUCS!
November 12th, 2018 at 10:28 am
I wasn’t really sure I wanted Koetter gone until he decided to take over play calling again. Scoring points has not been the issue. Turning the ball over and defense has been the issue…. so why in the world would you take over play calling when we are one of the highest scoring offenses in the league?!?!? He definitely has to go now.
November 12th, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Terrible call on the first drive, throw to a 5’9 Shaun Wilson on a deep pass and getting intercepted at the goal line. Fritzpatricks fault, yes. Never should have thrown it. But who drew up the play that put a short player on a deep route? Wilson should have been either blocking or ready as a an outlet check down. That play paired with that kicker set the tone for the day.