Impressed with his former team.

Former Bucs coach Dirk Koetter is a good man. Not only does Joe know this from first-hand dealings, but the former Bucs coach also demonstrated this several times in public as well.

Including today.

On The33rdTeam.com, former Jets and Dolphins shot-caller, current TV talking head and the man behind the new football thinktank, Mike Tannenbaum, spoke with Koetter for a story Tannenbaum wrote.

Tannenbaum decided to reach out to former NFL coaches and offensive coordinators to ask what is the most important trait to have in a quarterback. Koetter said for him, it is a quarterback who can read a defense quickly and get the ball out of his hands even quicker.

Why? Because of the pass rush. Once a defender gets to the quarterback, it’s all over. And Koetter cited the Bucs’ pass rush as an example.

“I’d rather have the guy that sees it coming and knows where to go, because I don’t think those guys in the NFL are missing those tackles very often,” said Koetter. “Take a look at the defense Tampa has and the way they get after the quarterback. I’d rather have the guy that can get the ball out of his hands.”

Reading that, several things went through Joe’s mind. Koetter could have been petty about the team that dismissed him but he gave the Bucs credit where credit is due.

Immediately, Joe thought of how shameful the Bucs’ pass rush was under Koetter. And Koetter watching the Tampa Bay pass rush wreak havoc this year, he may have had the same reaction Joe sort of expected from Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston to have watching the Bucs load up on running backs. With Jameis watching from New Orleans, the Bucs drafted Ke’Shawn Vaughn and then signed Shady McCoy and Playoff Lenny.

Jameis very likely thought to himself, trying not to get too depressed, “And I had Mollie Hamster.”

Joe remembered before the 2018 season with the Bucs having a truly pitiful 22 sacks (total) in 2017, Koetter held a private press conference with members of the local pen and mic club at the combine in Indianapolis. Joe was seated just to Koetter’s right at a huge circular table.

Joe cannot remember the exact question, But Joe asked Koetter about the pass rush and will never forget his reaction. Koetter stared right into Joe’s eyes and said, “We can’t have 22 sacks!”

So while Koetter was watching Super Bowl LV and seeing the Bucs’ pass rush chase Pat Mahomes all over West Tampa, Koetter likely put his drink down and pondered how much grub offsides-jumping, Lightning-trolling, belly-shirt-wearing, practice-hating, kicker-heckling, tree-grinding , non-contact-football-loving, chicken-wings-grilling, playing-time-squawking, TV-cooking-star, half-sack Swaggy Baker had shoveled down his gullet that day.