“What Kind Of Loser Are You?
March 26th, 2016
Dirk Koetter answered Joe’s questions at the NFC Coaches Breakfast
Lovie Smith was a stoic head coach and person. And while he was booted from One Buc Palace, the simple reality is most Buccaneers are accustomed to a coach who won’t freak out on them.
So now what?
Wednesday at the NFL Owners Meetings, Joe asked Dirk Koetter how he handles losing.
JoeBucsFan.com: I know you don’t plan to lose games, but the last coach, your predecessor, was a calm, cool, collected guy win or lose. What kind of loser are you after a rough game? Is it going to shock your players?
Dirk Koetter: You need to ask my wife about that. I don’t know how it’s going to be, to be honest with you. I know I’m not a good loser. But I mean I don’t think there’s anyone who’s a good loser that’s coaching in the NFL. But how you react immediately after a game, I think it depends on a lot of different factors of what led into it. You know, the one thing I’m going to try to really hit our team hard on is I’m a big believer that more games are lost than won in the NFL. And I think too often teams beat themselves. I mean, if you go out there and you compete and you play as hard as you can and you get beat by the other team, I think most people can live with that. There’s some tremendous teams out there, some tremendous football being played. But when you prepare all week and go out there and you don’t play your best, and you do things that we’ve gone over and shown that are going to lead to negative things, and you lose that way, I think that’s really hard to live with. I know I feel that way, and I hope our players feel that way.
Screaming and hollering on the sidelines never won a football game. Joe’s not going to pretend that matters. But what does matter is how players react to the head coach’s style. And the Bucs went “flat” on Lovie when it mattered most. (Yeah, it’s also a lot of fun to have an animated coach.)
Joe suspects Koetter will continue to be the anti-Lovie in this aspect. It’s in Koetter’s nature to let loose.
And defensive coordinator Mike Smith is well known for slamming headsets, getting all worked up and even challenging opposing players.
Some Bucs are in for serious culture shock.
March 26th, 2016 at 11:19 am
IIRC, Joe ran into DK at the airport ( or somewhere ) when he was in town to interview for the OC position. From there…it appears you guys built a good rapport. This should lead to even more access and better “scoop” moving forward. Well played Joe….well played. 🙂
March 26th, 2016 at 11:22 am
So a head coach is not supposed to aimlessly wander the sidelines naval-gazing at the Jumbotron in bewilderment after your players are getting repeatedly embarrassed on the football field?
Hmmm. That’s different!
March 26th, 2016 at 11:31 am
Haha well said DallasBuc. I’ll never forget last year at the combine they zoomed in on Lovie watching players do through drills and I swear he could’ve been asleep.
March 26th, 2016 at 11:49 am
I miss Gruden’s style on the sidelines. I’m hoping Keotter shares some of that juice. One thing for sure: Gruden’s teams rarely, if ever, went into a game flat.
March 26th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
No need to worry koetter has Miko to be his enforcer when certain DT celebrate losses like in the past. She will handle him.
March 26th, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Lovie was virtually devoid of any affect at all.
I’m convinced that he has Arnsparger’s Syndrome.
March 26th, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Like marshmallow bunnies instead of chocolate for Easter, with the Bucs you never know what you’re going to get until after it’s got.
March 26th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Lovie Bashers? UNITE!
I have not seen an ex-Bucs coach bashed as much as ole Lovie Dubbie. Not even Leeman Bennett or Richard Williamson. And I was around during then. They were far worse than Lovie. I”ll be glad when the new season starts so Bucs fans will have..a fresh new figure to bash. Until then? Guess I’ll have to continue to listen to a lot of my fellow Buc fans imitate…Jethro Tulls, “Thick as A Brick’!
March 26th, 2016 at 1:02 pm
Settle down MJ. Incompetent Lovie Smith deserves every bit of criticism or “bashing” as you call it.
March 26th, 2016 at 1:19 pm
To be…Thick as a Brick.
March 26th, 2016 at 1:38 pm
The question is not what kind of a loser are you, but are you winner. The Real Coach K, will have his DC to help with game management as a head coach, playoff experienced Joe Hayes as well. BTW, didn’t the Bucs lose their RB coach to the Fighting Illini’, has anyone replaced him yet
March 26th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
@Joe
I think your statement of the Bucs coming out flat on Lovie should be the other way around. Lovie did all the right things to throughly deflate “his” Bucs into coming out flat each week.
March 26th, 2016 at 1:57 pm
@Rrsrq
There were rumors of him leaving, but Tim Spencer is still listed as the Bucs’ RB coach. Thad Ward is Illinois’ RB coach.
March 26th, 2016 at 2:18 pm
@SCBucs,
Thanks, must’ve realized Bucs could have a special backfield, with the right FB
March 26th, 2016 at 3:14 pm
I wonder how Thad (The Gonad) Ward is related to Scrubby Lovie?
March 26th, 2016 at 4:13 pm
MJ let that go bro, although I do feel his job while here was unsatisfactory some of these cats are clearly obsessed with keeping the memory of the guy’s name alive and well here on this site. So that should be your satisfaction,they complained about him while he was here(rightfully so) but at the same time can’t let him go. Imagine that if you will. That dude good bro,again and I’m not defending him but he has millions of reason’s to not give a d@$! about what anyone here has to think about him for real.
March 26th, 2016 at 4:30 pm
Hey MJ…….you are 100℅ correct, Lovie is getting bashed more than the Buc’s previous incompetent coaches.
Do you think that just maybe the fact that we have internet and 24/7 websites dedicated to teams might just have something to do with that?
March 26th, 2016 at 5:04 pm
@MJ
Lmao… Probably has something to do with having the second worst win percentage out of all bucs head coaches (Bennett being the only one worse)
March 26th, 2016 at 5:22 pm
Dooshlarue ….I blame Florida Public Schools. lol
March 26th, 2016 at 5:49 pm
@mike
sorry can’t help myself
Rolling stones: “I stuck around st,petersburg and saw it was time for a change”
March 26th, 2016 at 5:57 pm
@mike
you forgot ray perkins,who got in Vinny Testeverde head and would’t get out.
Vinny and the jets.
March 26th, 2016 at 6:21 pm
Note to Dooshlarue…You are right. He does get bashed due to more media and internet. Its just the mere mention of Lovie in Joe’s post, sets 7 or 8 regulars off in a..Kets Attack Lovie mode. its time to move on. Lets talk about how we are gonna go from bottom feeders to the top again. Lovie ain’t comin back to the bay area. If one is an outsider reading this forum, you’d almost think there was a purely hate thing with Lovie. Let him go Buc fans. Trust me, we got enough problems trying to win the NFC South next year.
And Nole On Sat..I have let it go. Why can’t our fans do so too? its just sad man. We got..bigger fish to fry..by winning some games! And constantly invoking Lovie will not help the cause.
GO BUCS!
March 26th, 2016 at 7:02 pm
I highly doubt he checks jbf MJ but if he did lovie would be laughing all the way to the bank. What’s sad is the 7 or 8 you refer to must go to bed with this man on they’re minds. He must be the first image they start they’re day with. Now that’s weird. I swear the ring leader and he knows who he is,dude has to have an effigy of the man next to bedside.
March 26th, 2016 at 7:12 pm
And I agree GO BUCCS.. Muta@$! the cowboys!!!
March 26th, 2016 at 9:07 pm
Speaking of losing, Vasilinesky can’t stop anything in net for the Bolts. He single-handedly cost the Lightning the chance to take over first place. Oh well.
March 27th, 2016 at 8:16 am
@Mike Johnson – Hopefully you realize, the point of this whole artical was Joe pointing out the potential difference in Lovie and Koetters style when it comes to losing. The implication in the artical being that Lovie’s even keel style may have contributed to the team being flat and uninspired at times. I have to agree with Joe’s take here and given that we have not seen Koetter function as head coach yet, articals like this are still very relevant. Now other than Bashing other Bucs posters for having an opinion on the topic, do you have anything intelligent to say to contribute to the actual discussion of the article?
March 27th, 2016 at 8:56 am
Let the Buc’s have 6 turnovers, 7 dropped passes, 15 penalties, and allow Jameis to be sacked 7 times in a game and I guarantee you Koetter will make Chucky look like a choirboy.
March 27th, 2016 at 8:59 am
Let the Buc’s have 6 turnovers, 7 dropped passes, 15 penalties, and allow Jameis to be sacked 7 times in a game and I guarantee you Koetter will make Chucky look like a choirboy.
It didn’t post?????
March 27th, 2016 at 9:36 am
I have met DK out in public a few time. He just has this underlying intensity in him. Kinds of the anti Lovie. As far as the last several Bucs Coaches:
Dungy- in the HOF. Gave this franchise the biggest lift and changed the culture.
Gruden – Won a SB. Passionate football loving guy. Could not Develop young talent. Got us in Salary cap hell b/c FA more expensive than draft. hard a hard time managing players.
Morris – Totally changed the culture. Glazers gave him no money. Lost all depth under him. His game plan always started off bad, but really made good adjustments in second half. Too young and immature as a coach for a young team because he fired all vets and let the inmates run the asylum.
Schiano – Had task of gettin discipline back in team. Great college guy. Not an NFL guy. Small bad things totally sabotaged him. The Giants game that we gave up a huge lead and he had his players go at the offensive that was in Victory formation. Mismanaged the QB situation to the point he broke JF. MRSA, Conspiracies, too many rutgers plrs. It was a circus led a rigid football coach.
Good Luck DK