Did Dirk Koetter Get What He Wanted?
June 10th, 2016
Regretful or satisfied?
Joe has learned through the years that NFL coaches are calculating and shrewd far more often than they’re careless and foolish.
It’s a rather intelligent and hard-working fraternity, and Dirk Koetter fits right in.
Armed with that knowledge, Joe wonders whether Koetter got exactly what he wanted yesterday, a media and social media circus after booting tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins from practice before roughly 15 members of the local media.
The Tampa Bay offense approached the line of scrimmage for a play, and Koetter quickly stopped the action that never started, approached ASJ and waved him off the field.
Koetter is a nine-year NFL coach, a guy who understands the NFL spotlight, a guy who was a Hard Knocks star with the Falcons. He could have told ASJ to sit out the play or sit out that specific practice period. He could have told him to remove his helmet for the afternoon. Koetter could have had ASJ run laps or do push-ups. But he opted to boot him off the field.
There are two possible primary explanations here: Koetter wanted to send a loud message to his team and embarrass ASJ nationally, or Koetter had a hothead moment he regrets this morning.
Joe has no answers. The fact Koetter told media after practice yesterday that they were making too much of his disciplinary action is confusing at best.
Joe sure hopes Koetter feels good about what he did yesterday. If not, that would be an ominous sign for Koetter’s future when the pressure is really on him.
June 10th, 2016 at 8:42 am
That’s why I think there’s a backstory here, it doesn’t feel like a spur of the moment decision… Guys make mental mistakes all the time… Something else happened… Judging from his Twitter tirade, he seems immature… I sure hope the senior members in the locker room aka GMC, VJ, Clinton, Stocker or Jameis… Give him some much needed advice… It would so frustrating to see this guy leave and blossom in another team
June 10th, 2016 at 8:47 am
How did coach my scheme’s Inaction work out for him!!!! The coolest head in nfl when it comes to mistakes and transgressions!!!!!
This is exactly what the Bucs needed!!!! This will be the moment when the culture has been changed!!! And if you do not think that JW3 was the loudest to applaud this, Then you better listen to his end of the season press conference!!!!!
I’m your idol, the highest title, numero uno
I’m not a Puerto Rican, but I’m speakin so that you know
and understand I got the gift of speech
and it’s a blessin,
so listen to the lesson I preach
Special Ed, I got it made!!
June 10th, 2016 at 8:56 am
No way this was not a calculated action. ASJ did not forget how to run this one particular play all of a sudden. This likely happened yesterday and the day before. So, Koetter planned this IMO, including exactly what would be the best way to get ASJ’s attention (pushups, sitting out, or going home). This kind of action is the only way for the Bucs to salvage ASJ as a Bucs player – he needs a wake up call.
Personally, this warms my heart that Koetter is our coach!
June 10th, 2016 at 8:56 am
Hmmm, interesting question; regretful or satisfied?
His decision was probably to light a fire under ASJ. He probably was not expecting his antics though. I imagine ASJs behavior caught him by surprise but maybe brought to light the type of man he really is.
Koetter will not be able to trust ASJ in a pressure situation. Whether the decision is good or bad ASJ is on notice.
June 10th, 2016 at 8:56 am
Koetter, Licht and the Glazers need to be made aware of ASJ’s twitter rants as well.
Threatening a fans wife as well as threatening to actually fight a fan at One Buc…
REALLY??????????????????
June 10th, 2016 at 9:01 am
What it showed….was what has been lacking….ACCOUNTABILITY. You don’t know the plays or wanna dog it while the rest of us are trying to win a Super Bowl? GET THE %&$* OUTTA HERE!!!
I have no problem whatsoever with what Dirk did. It’s obvious ASJ did, and this could/should be a real growth experience for him. Will he take it as such? That remains to be seen, but after seeing all his twitter activity yesterday, it doesn’t look like it.
June 10th, 2016 at 9:02 am
@Bucsfanman
I would be shocked if Head Coach Koetter was surprised by his social media flame war!!!! It is not the first time for ASJ87!!!
Head Coach Koetter dealt with what happened yesterday on the field, And I am sure that NFL GM Licht is about to deal with him for what happened off the field!!!! I do think ASJ87 is about to donate a big ole fine to the Bucs charities!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 10th, 2016 at 9:07 am
^^^
An accountant to account the amount I spent
Gotta treaty with tahiti ’cause I own a percent
June 10th, 2016 at 9:10 am
I don’t believe Koetter is caving to “pressure.” He’s been around. Even as a coordinator he’s known job security is fleeting.
I suggest he made a point to the other 89 guys, a point hjopefully not lost on S-J.
S-J is a superior talent at TE in the NFL. I just hope he’s the focus of a Come to Jeebiz with Licht or Koetter and becomes a better teammate.
June 10th, 2016 at 9:16 am
@Realist- You might be right, but to what degree did he expect? You know what I mean? It’s one thing to act in the heat of the moment but to continue to engage…..man, what a tool!
You have got to handle your business a lot better than that! Talent or potential only takes you so far.
June 10th, 2016 at 9:16 am
Either ASJ said something or appeared to be unprepared to practice in some way….we really don’t know. This will either make him or break him.
June 10th, 2016 at 9:23 am
I have to say, Part of me is waiting and checking every screen name waiting for “ASJ Supertroll” to show up!!!! If you are going to flame war with social media, do it all the way!!!!!!! Show up on JBF and lets go!!!!!!
June 10th, 2016 at 9:29 am
“or Koetter had a hothead moment he regrets this morning.”
I seriously doubt this is the case. The tape shows a calm in control Koetter acting like a strong leader.
“The fact Koetter told media after practice yesterday that they were making too much of his disciplinary action is confusing at best.”
I don’t think what Koetter said is confusing at all. This is simply a coach trying to downplay or diffuse a situation that has already played out and he doesn’t see any reason to embarrass ASJ further and he doesn’t feel the need to give the media details of his thinking. Translation – a mature coach!!!!
“Koetter wanted to send aloud message to his team and embarrass ASJ nationally”
I agree that he wanted to send a message to his team (and specifically to ASJ) that
accountability is here to stay with this coaching staff. I definitely don’t believe he wanted to embarrass him nationally. The media or fans might try to do that, but a mature in-control coach like Koetter would not.
Koetter continues to impress as a leader!! GO BUCS!!
June 10th, 2016 at 9:32 am
The timing of this doesn’t seem accidental either. Right at the end of practice…and it’s the last practice for a few weeks.
This will now be brewing and festering before ASJ gets back on the field.
Quite honestly after the tweets I think it’s time to cut bait. He MAY develop into an outstanding tight end. MAY be a stud. That is a possibility and we may lose out.
But it’s already certain after watching his act for the 3rd year that this guy does NOT get it!!! He’s been a distraction!!! He’s not that productive and he MAY not even be the player we hoped he’d be. Why put up with this crap any longer?
June 10th, 2016 at 9:39 am
It’s always a good thing when a player’s character gets exposed. Good or bad it’s best to know who your players are. Better to get rid of the bad apples who do damage to the locker room, and promote the good ones who inspire others.
June 10th, 2016 at 10:06 am
Tony Dungy ran Hardy Nickerson in training camp for fighting that turned out pretty well
June 10th, 2016 at 10:08 am
Hey let’s not act to quickly, let’s give this ALL-WORLD STAFF a chance to show their stuff, Coach him up…….and move on!!
June 10th, 2016 at 10:15 am
Weren’t these OTA’s VOLUNTARY in the first place. Yeah, I know what “voluntary” means in this context, but wouldn’t there be a difference if these had been mandatory, like next week?
I also agree that the media is making far too big a dealio out of this.
This is not the first time a coach has disciplined a player. Would folks be freaking out less if he ordered S-J to run laps or drop and give him 30?
BTW: I’ve seen this happen on college many times, a pissed off coach telling a guy to hit the showers. Followed by a verbal chewing later, of course.
I suspect S-J has chatted with more than a handful of teammates over this.
June 10th, 2016 at 10:22 am
Rrsrq
stop living in the past with the damn dungy references. Dungy failed in tampa. comparing Nickerson to ASJ is laughable at the very best. Nickerson was an established all pro who was trying to light some fire with a bunch of players accustomed to losing. ASJ is simply a mentally weak punk who has proven nothing and acts like a damn child..
June 10th, 2016 at 10:40 am
Low fives ASJ, odd way to endear yourself to the fans. Twittering and trembling with excitement back and forth with comments from a juvenile mindset seems infantile at best. Possibly ASJ dislikes the Florida weather and the area in general, not big enough a stage.
June 10th, 2016 at 10:41 am
It didn’t seem like Koetter even knew he left the field entirely until later on in practice or when the media ask him why he went to the locker room. It seems he told him ‘get out of here’ and he meant to the sidelines and AJS left the practice entirely.
This is also the way other media outlets are reporting it.
June 10th, 2016 at 10:44 am
This is exactly what the Bucs needed!!!! This will be the moment when the culture has been changed!!!
@realist…ive heard that before….with the last 2 hc’s…the only way this culture will change is if we start winning….not only win but make the playoffs….otherwise all this offseason dirk hype is meaningless….GO BUCS!!!!
June 10th, 2016 at 10:52 am
“The fact Koetter told media after practice yesterday that they were making too much of his disciplinary action is confusing at best.” – Joe
Probably because no one knows the full story and it really amounts to nothing.
June 10th, 2016 at 11:51 am
@Joe “… that would be an ominous sign for Koetter’s future when the pressure is really on him.
Coach Koetter reacted exactly as he should as a HC. If a player doesn’t know what he’s doing at that level, he’s got no business being on the field at all. Nothing ‘ominous’ about it Joe.
June 10th, 2016 at 12:39 pm
Maybe a rookie HC mistake. We don’t know how egregious ASJ’s error was, but to justify the booting, it would’ve had to have represented a broader pattern of screwups in OTAs.
June 10th, 2016 at 4:51 pm
I suspect based on the twitter comments and the idiocy of his actions on the field in previous years that this guy is viewed as a clown by both players and coaches. Combine this with frequent injuries and I would guess his days are numbered. The Vitale selection and the play of Brate make him expendable. Not sure what it is about the University of Washington but they seem to put out some real head cases.
June 10th, 2016 at 8:34 pm
That was Koetter putting ASJ on notice. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was ASJ’s attitude and rants on Twitter that made it even worse than it was. So how is Koetter to predict or control that.
ASJ just showed more of his character.
You can believe ASJ was already on warning about something or Koetter wouldn’t have done something like this right out of the blue.
Remember Mike Singletary when he benched Vernon Davis during a game and then told him to hit the showers.
Davis completely turned his game around after that and about a year later when Singletary was mic’d up by NFL films after the incident, Singletary was heard to be raving about Davis’ ability and attitude to another coach.
Davis learned a big lesson that day. Let’s hope ASJ is a big enough man to do the same thing.
Grow up ASJ and do yourself a big favor like Brett Grimes’ wife did for him, get off Twitter.