Former Bucs Coach Dirk Koetter Retires
January 22nd, 2021
Former Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.
Joe had a hunch this may happen.
When Joe learned two days ago that former Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, who most recently was the offensive coordinator at Atlanta, was not being retained by new Dixie Chicks coach Artie Smith, Joe wondered what would become of Koetter.
The NFL at its very core is a group of friends. Make enough friends and you will often have a job. But Koetter’s old friends, the guys that got him into the league, many are retired.
Koetter turns 62 before the Super Bowl is played, and he simply was running out of friends in hiring positions. And it is never good for a coordinator of a team with a losing record to be let go.
Joe suspected either Koetter may take a quarterback coaching job, move back to college or flat out retire. He’s collected plenty of money along the way.
So Koetter’s son, D.J. Koetter, passed along word via social media yesterday that his dad is calling it a career.
No more crisscrossing the country for jobs from Idaho to San Francisco to Texas to Missouri to Boston to Oregon back to Idaho to Arizona to Jacksonville to Atlanta to Tampa and back to Atlanta.
Koetter always treated Joe right and Joe always appreciated that. Way too many coaches think guys and girls who cover the team are the enemy. That cannot be further from the truth. When teams win, their jobs are a piece of cake.
Joe guesses it is OK to tell the following story since Koetter is now retired. It sheds light on what a good guy he is.
Joe had written a story citing information from CBS Sports about a challenge flag Koetter threw. CBS explained how Koetter fouled up and cited the rule.
A day later, Joe was working here around 11 p.m. on a Thursday night (Joe works 24/7) and Joe got a text. Odd time of the night for that. Joe’s phone showed it was from Koetter. Uh oh. The last time Joe got a text from the Bucs this late at night, Lovie got canned.
Koetter texted to explain how Joe’s story on the rule explanation was wrong.
Joe apologized and promised Koetter a retraction would be written for early in the morning so more eyeballs would see it. Koetter replied, “I don’t care about a correction. Just wanted to let you know your information is based on the wrong rule.”
Koetter didn’t have to do that. He could have left it be and Joe would have looked like the a-hole. Here’s a guy who goes to work around 5 or 6 a.m. up late at night thinking enough of Joe to steer Joe right on a story.
Joe never forgot that. To Joe, this little example is all you need to know about what a good guy Koetter is.
Hope the fish you catch Dirk are big and plentiful.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:03 pm
Does this mean we get to hear the story of how DeSean Jackson singlehandedly try to turn the locker room on America’s Quarterback?
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:04 pm
CALLED IT!!!!…lol…
he joining smitty….lol…
BYE CHUMP!!!!…AND GO RIDDANCE!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:04 pm
single handedly* tried*
It’s Friday, give me a break lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:05 pm
wisco
great question!!!!!
djax may be out the door next…father time has caught up….time to spill the beans….lol…
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:09 pm
813
I’ve been itching to hear it ever since it was first brought up lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:10 pm
I wish Dirk a happy retirement.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:11 pm
dirk already thought you were an a-hole…lol…thats why he corrected you…lol…
dirk threw this franchise back 3 years with his lack of player development outside a few pass catchers…..
dirk sucks…he did in atl and he did here….just like smitty
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Joe will wait for Jackson to retire. Oh, and there’s one other guy who has to move on from his job for Joe to release that info. No telling when that is.
And Jackson didn’t “try.”
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:15 pm
Your time now Dirk. Enjoy the hell out of it. Maybe get you a little part-time HS coaching job developing kids. Best of luck to you.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:16 pm
Thanks Dirk. Sorry it didn’t work out, but I appreciate what you did for this team offensively. It was very productive and fun to watch. I truly hope you enjoy retirement!
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:17 pm
Eh always came across as a class act. Knew his stuff and had some success. He earned it. Good for him
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:18 pm
Good guy best of luck to him.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:19 pm
I want to know how after the 2015 season he was a hot coaching candidate off a 6-10 football team that was 6-6 with 4 games to go you lose 4 and 3 are teams that were 2 game below the Bucs. Who were the teams looking at him? He only interviewed with the Bucs. Hell in 2013 coming of the 2012 season with Atlanta which lost the NFC title game they went 13-3 and he didn’t get any buzz at all so I’m trying to understand how he had rumors or a buzz to be a head coach and your team you were the OC off didn’t even have a wining record? We I will say this if he would have done two things give up the playcalling duties and let Mike Smith go after the 2016 season to go be a head coach again he might still be coaching.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:19 pm
GMC?…Fitz?….The WR coach?…lol…
we wont let you forget joe!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:21 pm
Joe the way you have approached the DJax story makes it sound like he did something straight up evil.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:23 pm
Wonder what would have happened if Koetter didn’t try to pay back his buddy (Smitty) for getting him his first NFL job and instead hired a real defensive coordinator like Jim Schwartz?
Koetter did get the Bucs to a wild card tiebreaker with no pass rush, a rotten druggie running back and a quarterback everyone wanted to run out of town.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Lol Joe that’s fair and I have a hunch that the other guy might be Jason Licht and if that’s the case I think I can wait a little longer to hear the story with the way he’s been drafting as of late
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:31 pm
When Joe lets the cat out of the bag, Joe doesn’t think there is one person that would condone the stunts he pulled.
If someone tried that with Arians or Belicheat as a coach, not only would they have been launched within a couple of hours, they would have been blacklisted in the league.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:36 pm
A good guy……wish him well….he had a good career….
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:39 pm
Who else will this tampa team drive to retirement?
First brees now koetter.
Maybe we can get Rogers to rethink his life choices after this game? He is 37 after all…
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:42 pm
Rodgers in 2022. I can see us making a move for him after Brady
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:44 pm
I understand. I doubt your holding the info back for DJax sake. It sounds like you’re protecting a suit at Bucs headquarters and if that’s the case I hope we don’t find out for another 15 years because that means the Bucs will have been successful and we’ll have 3-4 more Super Bowls winning seasons.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:48 pm
“The Godfather!”
lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Good one Godlovesbucs lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:52 pm
I wonder if he kept his painting?
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:58 pm
I don’t know if Dirk ever got a clean start (besides the winning season), Hardknocks, 1st week bye (because of a hurricane), suspended starting QB. Not saying the guy was a great coach or anything, just would have been interesting.
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:59 pm
No. No one with the Bucs, current or past. Not even Jameis’ dad (not sure if he knows because if he did he would have raised hell). No one related to anyone employed with the Bucs, current or past.
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Well he never did carry a “big morherf@cking stick”, soooo….😁
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:05 pm
RIP Stickcarrier
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:05 pm
It’s a shame he couldn’t go out on his own terms here. Playing the QB that he wanted to.
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:08 pm
Great offensive guy, and very loyal…..But the most important an excellent person…wish you just the very best, enjoy Family and tons of birdies!!!
Thx coach!!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:09 pm
Congrats Dirk! Definitely a good guy. Wish ya well Dirk. It’s hard to win in this league and he tried. If he wouldn’t have been so loyal to his buddies he could’ve done better, which he knows. So be stayed true to his beliefs. I respect that. Go Bucs
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:25 pm
Class act. Best of luck to you Coach Koetter… I’ve been a fan since his days with the Jags. Happy retirement sir.
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:31 pm
Agree with you Joe that Dirk Koetter was a class act & I too wish him well in retirement. Sure to be a lot less stressful than what he’s been through in his last 5-6 years in the NFL.
His offenses actually ranked higher over his span here than Jon Gruden’s did, despite the fact that he was saddled with a very immature starting QB & his kickers never averaged over 75% during his tenure. If Dirk had had Monte Kiffin & those Bucs’ defenses instead of the hand he was dealt, I think we might’ve even made the playoffs a couple of times with him as coach. Timing is everything I guess.
January 22nd, 2021 at 3:40 pm
If you want to know something about Dirk, you need to watch the NFL special about his life in coaching. It was excellent and it portrayed him as a really good guy and a very good coach. It’s a very good piece. I would recommend anybody to go and watch it if you have a chance.
January 22nd, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Joe didn’t I tell you this would happen a few months ago?!?
January 22nd, 2021 at 4:39 pm
Koetter was definitely the best at press conferences that I can remember pre-Arians. Koetter would actually give answers instead of just coach speak. Unless a reporter poked the bear too hard, then he would sometimes shut down and I probably would have too.
January 22nd, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Happy for Dirk. Thought he was a good coach that wasn’t treated fairly. Fact is, Jameis looked salvageable under him, which is more than Arians could say. Hope he enjoys his retirement.
If Arians didn’t land Brady, or got his second choice in Teddy Bridgewater, or kept Winston for another year, we’re not playing in the NFC championship and we’re probably clearing house. What a difference a quarterback makes
January 22nd, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Yeah, Koetter was a good guy as far as being forthright but damn did he not care about the Bucs?! What I am saying is why did he not rid our team of Mike Smith sooner! He played the “you do for me and I do for you ” game and the Bucs, fans and team Glazer all got taken for a boat ride down the dried up creek bed.
January 22nd, 2021 at 5:25 pm
I liked Koetter.
January 22nd, 2021 at 6:01 pm
Go for it Dirk ! 62 is a good age to begin to enjoy retirement ! Coaches wives are very strong and special human beings!
January 22nd, 2021 at 7:16 pm
I also didn’t think Koetter got the best chance to succeed. Part of it was his loyalty to Smitty. But Jameis was like an albatross, There were about four games a year you just were not sure which team he was ballin’ for. Some ugly starts and big leads for the opposing team. And then there was the suspension and benchings.
January 22nd, 2021 at 7:40 pm
Happy retirement Coach K.
January 22nd, 2021 at 8:07 pm
Wish you well coach!!
January 22nd, 2021 at 9:43 pm
Always liked Keotter (not that I don’t prefer the current regime) but always came off as a good human being. Thought he was a good coach, just his loyalty to Smitty and players doomed him.
January 22nd, 2021 at 10:04 pm
Dirk was a bad coach who never liked a running game even in Jacksonville with those runningbacks the head coach had to force him to run the ball . Look what he did to Freeman , Gurley and Rojo . He sucked and yall know it !!! Lol lol I 😄😁😆😆 yall hate for Jamies blind all yall !! And this was the same coach yall wanted gone !! Lol lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 10:17 pm
Man it’s funny how yall talk down on Tony Dungy and he was the coach that changed the franchise and made them a winning team. But yall up lift a coach who ain’t did nothing for the team when he was the coach . Lol lol
January 22nd, 2021 at 10:48 pm
Koetter certainly tried his best. You could tell by his last season here that he was exhausted in every way. He was in over his head and out of answers. I still wonder wat might have been had we retained Koetter as OC under a new regime in 2016. Oh well. Thanks for trying coach.
January 22nd, 2021 at 11:17 pm
All the best to him.
And, @Joe, can you ever tell us your Freeman stories? Big Dog went on and on about how Schiano mistreated his guy. Would say things like, “if you knew what I know.” But nothing ever seemed to come of it. (Kinda like Trump releasing the Kraken). What do you know?
January 22nd, 2021 at 11:36 pm
JUICY – Looking forward the insider information – aka “LOST years with douche-bag DJAX on the roster” and “what coulda been?”
Joe Says:
January 22nd, 2021 at 2:31 pm
Joe the way you have approached the DJax story makes it sound like he did something straight up evil.
When Joe lets the cat out of the bag, Joe doesn’t think there is one person that would condone the stunts he pulled.
If someone tried that with Arians or Belicheat as a coach, not only would they have been launched within a couple of hours, they would have been blacklisted in the league.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:09 am
Koetter was/is a good guy. Congrats Dirk, on a great career.
But Dirk was a horrible selection by Glazers as HC in 2016, to coach the #1QB pick — who Dirk never wanted. Dirk wanted Mariota. YIKES!
And with a QB who desperately needed a RUN game to offset passing as the core offense to have balance? Dirk ramrodded RoJo’s development when we so needed a RB and running game. Oh – someone alert Dirk, that RoJo is a pretty good RB in NFL..top 5 today. RoJo is a Playa!
Current Day – BA respects RoJo/Lenny and value to GOAT QB success. Imagine that strategy?
Go BUCS!
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:51 am
There really aren’t any Freeman stories other than the guy melted down mentally.
Given all his weird antics, the following that Joe heard makes the best sense and Joe ***cannot*** confirm if it was true or not, that a teammate (who is currently doing time) got him hooked on painkillers.
Schiano being mean to him? Please. Basically the Bucs (and you can connect the dots as to who it was) sold him to the public if not to the Glazers themselves that Freeman really loved football and was hooked on football and was a workaholic.
It was all a big scam.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:11 am
Hmmm that makes me think it was Winslow.
I know a Chris Hovan was arrested recently for DUI with his kid in the car, but I’d lean towards Winslow.
Can’t wait to hear the full story on D Jax one day!!
January 24th, 2021 at 8:49 am
He seemed a little thin skinned to me but he definitely was not the worst head coach we have had. He should have hit Peyton in the mouth when Peyton roughed him up on the field after Winston dropped that dime to Godwin to win the last game of the season.