Back In The Flow
December 20th, 2018
Enjoying his gig.
The Bucs defense is doing better and better each week, despite being banged up at linebacker and in the secondary.
It’s really a crying shame Bucs Bit-O-Honey-snacking, Ozark-watching, yams-eating Bucs coach Dirk Koetter waited so long to make a move at defensive coordinator. It likely cost him his job and very likely will cause many on his staff to be looking for work in the new year.
But who knows, if the Bucs do relieve Koetter of his job, would Team Glazer keep a couple of defensive coaches, such as defensive line coach Brentson Buckner and/or defensive coordinator Mark Duffner?
The long-time football coach, Duffner, was asked this yesterday. He hasn’t been a defensive coordinator since 2002, when he was with the Bengals.
Duffner sort of did an aw-shucks routine and danced around the subject but it seems as if the 65-year old coach would like to stay where he is if given a shot.
“First of all, the opportunity, it was kind of a difficult way to accept it or to be involved in it,” Duffner said of taking over for Mike Smith back in mid-October. “It has been a positive experience. It has got me back into that mode a little bit [as a defensive coordinator] that I haven’t been in in a long time.
“We will take it one year at a time, one game at a time and see how it goes. The staff has worked very very hard. It’s been a good collective effort.”
This is what is intriguing to Joe. There are assistants on the Bucs staff that are doing a solid job. Duffner, of course, and Buckner has helped build a pass rush the Bucs haven’t had in years but terribly needed.
On offense, Skyler Fulton is doing a nice job with the receivers and Todd Monken as an offensive coordinator/play-caller won’t be without work for long if Team Glazer cleans house.
But would Team Glazer be inclined to keep some coaches even if Koetter has his access card to One Buc Palace deactivated?
To the best of Joe’s knowledge, every coach’s contract is ending other than Buckner’s.
December 20th, 2018 at 12:35 am
If you keep some of the coaches, you run the risk of players like Desean Jackson showing favoritism towards the old regime and underperforming.
That’s too divisive in the long run. Make a clean break and start over with everyone on the same page.
December 20th, 2018 at 1:46 am
Start with GM. GM decides what to do with Head Coach. Head Coach decides what to do with Coordinators and QB. But it all starts with the top and who you bring in. Glazers need to have a sit-down with Vinik and the Lightning organization on how a properly run and successful orginaization that wins………operates.
December 20th, 2018 at 2:17 am
So with this solution we may never hire a reputable quality head coach if he’s not allowed to choose his own staff.
December 20th, 2018 at 2:46 am
This has been my point. Fire Koetter? Bye bye Buckner, Duffner, and Monken. We’re losing some real coaching talent.
Give Koetter/Licht one more year together. Licht hasn’t done enough to prove he should hire the next coach.
However, Licht has proved he can fix a line, so I’d give him an offseason to figure that out as a top priority.
Koetter has shown a consistently powerful offense. There’s no reason to end this in a stupid rage fit.
December 20th, 2018 at 3:22 am
So this consistently powerful offense that scored 3 points in the last 2 second halves? 10 points in the last 3 second halves? When you have to move the ball and when the game is decided is in the second halves.
Is this the dominant offense that dropped 3 points on the Redskins amazing defense? Where teams like Cowboys (31), Giants (40), Falcons (38), and Saints (43) have put up big numbers on that defense.
It’s the personnel decisions, the QB decisions, the undisciplined play of his team, the questionable play calls, not trying to score before halves, sticking with bad RBs, not firing good buddies/bad coaches, and just a plethora of other head scratching things that Dirk has said and done.
I liked Dirk a lot and still think he is a interesting and cool guy but I’m freaking done with him as my coach. All of the exact things I just said apply to GM Jason Licht as well. Dirk is a good coordinator but that’s not enough to be a great HC. All of he coaches are toast. Time for a culture change and I think we could see a few veterans let go this offseason as well.
December 20th, 2018 at 3:24 am
I can not agree with ya westernbuc. Koetter has had 2 seasons to replicate that 9 win season and the team has basically played 5-11 ball since the 5 game win streak in 2016 so he simply has to f’in go…….. Koetter only has himself to blame with keeping Mike Smith until he was forced to fire him as well as remaining loyal to certain players who are/were past their prime and going with Fitztragic in crucial and winnable games vs Washington and the Giants along with total lack of preparation on the road, bad clock management, no adjustments at halfrime, etc etc…..
Now Licht could argue that Koetter’s incompetence contributed to the numerous busts drafted or signed on his watch but he has to own mistakes like signing bad kickers and RoJo so there is a good chance the Glazer lads cut him loose too but it would not surprise me if he got another year…. 5 and 6 win seasons in 3 of the past 4 seasons cost Koetter his job and perhaps Licht ahould go ro but again that is totally up to the Glazer lads.
December 20th, 2018 at 3:32 am
And as for Dufner? Well he did improve the D by leaps and bounds but the team’s D still got torched by teams such as the Giants and Carolina on the road and only looked real decent against a bad SF team, a hobbled Cam that looks worse than Winston and for a half vs the Browns. Is this enough to think about retaining this guy? Its like saying the 22nd best D is better than the 32nd ranked one or that the Bucs are a better team than the Niners, not being the worst does not make you a good team, defense or coordinator and keeps you still light years from being a winning team…..
December 20th, 2018 at 3:54 am
@Westernbuc…. “give them one more year together” that’s what was said LAST year and look what happened. In order to show to the fan base (what’s left) that they mean business a TOTAL scrub down needs to happen. The Glazers need to get some council on how best to make this next hire.
December 20th, 2018 at 5:09 am
If your going to start all over again,,dont fool around blow it up. If they made the improvement.than why are we still,loseing. Also why are we starting to play hot potato with the football. Why is Jameis regressing
in the 2nd half all of a sudden? Im glad,this year I didnt drink the kool aid like a lot did. And next year they will spoon it out again and some will swallow it because we have been loseing for so long they want to belive anything they come out with ,, with this sh$t show. You cant make chicken salad out of tuna fish. Blow it all up.
December 20th, 2018 at 7:54 am
Pretty crazy that the defense improved at the same time that the D-line got healthy!!!!!!!!!!!! Still needs some pieces though!!!!!!!!! Keep building it up, Should be a depth draft at D-line!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope the new GM does not wait until his last year to address the trenches seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!
December 20th, 2018 at 7:59 am
Get rid of every sinigle one of these guys from the GM on down. Buckner is not some great savior of a coach, there was a reason he was unemployed when he was because no one wanted him except dunderbox licht who is the worst judge of talent. Koetter had to keep this crappy staff and that is bad on koetter he should have been able to get the best of the best and demand that as a HC.
December 20th, 2018 at 9:33 am
REALIST
have you started packing dirks U-HAUL yet?….its getting close to that time of the year!!!!!!!!!!
the defense improved because they finally started getting competent coaching!!!!!!!!!!
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!….#ADIOSDIRK!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
December 20th, 2018 at 11:03 am
Well all this fantasizing and speculation is warranted and amusing to read ! I read every JBF post … but whoever is the new Sherrif brought in by the G-boys will have complete say so over his staff “ I’m buying the groceries “ so to speak !
December 20th, 2018 at 11:09 am
I’d keep Duffner, Buckner, and even Monken if I could.
December 20th, 2018 at 11:47 am
There have been many, many mistakes this year…some of them made a couple of years ago with bad drafting.
But TWO mistakes stand out and individually really put this team’s season in the crapper before we even kicked off.
Retaining our DC is on Koetter and Licht. Smitty should have gone during the off season so we could totally retool our D.
The other mistake is getting blind drunk at 3AM with the wrong group of people. That three game suspension to start this year was a truly serious blow to the Buc’s chances.