“We Gotta Make The Damn Field Goal”
August 20th, 2016
God bless, Dirk Koetter.
He is a regular guy who worked his ass off to get an NFL head coaching job at 57 years old, but he hasn’t lost his regular-guy ways.
Koetter calls it straight. Early in his postgame news conference tonight, without being asked, Koetter expressed his frustration with rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo. The second-round pick has missed three kicks in two preseason games. Against Jacksonville tonight, Aguayo shanked a 32-yard field goal on the opening drive.
Koetter was asked about a “slow start” tonight and fired back.
“I wouldn’t call that a slow start,” Koetter said. “We gotta make the damn field goal.”
Asked if he was worried about Aguayo’s shaky leg, Koetter kept it real.
“I wouldn’t say worried, but this is the NFL, man,” Koetter said. “They’re paid to make kicks. He knows it. I know it. Everybody knows it. So, I mean, it is what it is.”
Aguayo has time to fix his woes, but the pressure is on long before anyone thought it would be.
August 20th, 2016 at 11:45 pm
Case of butterflies going on. Maybe Brady under inflated the balls so theres less bounce
August 20th, 2016 at 11:51 pm
Betcha there’s a kicker in camp real soon !
August 20th, 2016 at 11:59 pm
^betcha there isn’t!
August 21st, 2016 at 12:13 am
Was Barth really that bad???
We have soooooo many needs and to spend it on a kicker????
Wow
August 21st, 2016 at 12:33 am
Bring in competition!
August 21st, 2016 at 12:39 am
Looking like a Dexter Jackson pick. Ugly. He would’ve been cut as a regular camp invitee. Terrible kicker.
August 21st, 2016 at 12:43 am
I’m not worried, he is the kicker.
August 21st, 2016 at 12:49 am
so refreshing to have a coach who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is, and not regurgitate the same horse$hit as if everyone else is retarded
August 21st, 2016 at 12:57 am
Drama H(J)oes, what are the “Bucs types” saying?
August 21st, 2016 at 12:58 am
Guessing that close friend to the enterprise Mr Free-pass Licht will not care to comment!
August 21st, 2016 at 1:12 am
Incompetent Lovie Smith is breathing higher oxygenated air this evening given the similar style parade of terribles first-team effort.
Koetter needs to step his game up. This product is not good enough and he would admit the same.
Negativity Nellies can suck it. The starting product was flat out garbage. At least Koetter doesn’t hide behind the preseason artifice. Sht isn’t good enough to win and it goes without saying.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:13 am
I see us getting some camp competition for the kicker spot real soon.
And based on his performance thus far, Aguayo would lose.
Yeah we spent a 2nd rd pick on him and you don’t want to send him to the practice squad since he would get claimed. But sorry I am not going to be okay with us losing games just for the sake of holding onto a garbage kicker
August 21st, 2016 at 1:18 am
If he’s at 50% at mid-season do you keep him? 2nd round or not if he plays like this he gets the ax. Wasted pick.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:24 am
Licht staked his career on a kicker.
Enough said
August 21st, 2016 at 1:28 am
IMO Competition will be brought in to give him some motivation. If anything to have a backup plan. Coach K isn’t going to put all his eggs into one basket. Especially one thats proven to be unreliable as of late.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:41 am
Honestly give the kid kicker a break its practice just wait he’s legit
August 21st, 2016 at 1:48 am
Someone brought this up to me the other day, but Vinitieri and Gotskowski looked “uneven” early in their careers too, and now they’re damn near automatic. I do agree that he’s got to make the gimmies, but lets also remind ourselves that this is not exactly uncommon, nor should it have been unexpected.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:48 am
Guzzie is like many of us hard core warm hearted Bucs fans. We all just want the lil phenom to succeed.
Get it.
Tough tamales. Aguayo better secure his sht right quick because this is a bottom line business and at the end of the day if you can’t produce you disappear from the roster. Too many paychecks at stake for keekers to be missing chip shots. Not good Algebra.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:50 am
I can’t tell if it was worse for the BUCS or Aguayo that he got drafted so high?
August 21st, 2016 at 5:59 am
Hopefully Aguayo does a reverse Gramatica and gets this out of his system and then on to long term success.
Gotta be mental, but damn, FSU is high profile so he should be used to the high pressure.
He should at least be nailing kick offs.
Good luck young man.
GO BUCS!
August 21st, 2016 at 6:14 am
Is Jason Licht at the game? Would love to see the expression on his face. Gotta be excruciating!
August 21st, 2016 at 6:46 am
I blame Licht, not for the pick but for not having a veteran kicker for competition and that Aguayo could learn from.
Spence has Ayars, McCoy.
Hargraves has Grimes, Verner.
Evans had Jackson
Marpet and Smith had Mankins.
Alexander had David
August 21st, 2016 at 7:52 am
Could be chemistry with the holder? Just seems odd that he would feel pressure in a preseason game when he’s used to it on a pretty big stage. Hope whatever it is they get it sorted out and fast
August 21st, 2016 at 8:02 am
Refreshing pressers don’t do a thing for me.
Very average borderline crappy performance last night IMO.
Not even close to looking like a division contender. But it’s early yet.
August 21st, 2016 at 8:20 am
@Joe … “God bless, Dirk Koetter.” Good opener for a Sunday morning Joe. Now we need to get The Big Guy to work on Roberto’s kicking.
August 21st, 2016 at 8:23 am
If we judged Jameis by his preseason or his first game he would be gone already. Once this kid wins some games all of you whiners will be silent!! Just like last year.
August 21st, 2016 at 8:36 am
Yes Koetter….we gotta make the kick…..but…..more importantly, we’ve gotta make the TD in the red zone…..make the short yardage 1st downs.
As far as bringing in competition….that is exactly the wrong thing to do to Aguayo……he needs to know he’s our guy…..he needs confidence.
August 21st, 2016 at 8:54 am
we need another year as a team any way – just hope he gets right and doesnt cost us a game or two…
August 21st, 2016 at 9:20 am
With a kicker missing kicks it doesn’t matter if his psyche is rattled by competition. If this kid has the yips and they are here to stay you have to have a back up plan. They have to bring in another kicker just in case.
August 21st, 2016 at 9:36 am
I would say that he clearly has proprioception and should be put on IR immediately!
August 21st, 2016 at 9:40 am
You people.
The kid is going to be our kicker this year. No way that doesn’t happen. He won’t be put on the practice squad (because there are certainly plenty of teams that have more patience for a potential superstar kicker).
Koetter has to say something and apply a bit of accountability.
Aguayo is making tons of field goals in practice, so we know he can do it. He’s just having a run of bad luck in PS games. That will change in RS.
August 21st, 2016 at 9:46 am
Yea let’s bring in another kicker and just put MORE pressure on him. That’s the last thing he needs right now. He needs to relax and know this staffs behind him thru thick n thin right now. Not “oh were gonna bring in a guy to replace if u don’t start making kicks in the PRESEASON.” relax and give the guy sum more time. It’s WAY to early to hit the panic button. Altho we’ve looked in that direction and now know where that button is just in case. Lol
August 21st, 2016 at 9:49 am
Disagree Bonzai. If he starts out similar to Brindza they may give him a couple more week than he got, but you can’t have a kicker missing kicks regularly and keep sending him out there. I’m sure Licht is regretting the pick already because right now he looks foolish. I trusted in Licht and didn’t mind the pick because I figured he knows a lot more than all of us. However, if he keeps missing you will need to make a change and admit the mistake. Hopefully he turns it around, but if he doesn’t you can’t send him out there for an entire season if he is failing.
August 21st, 2016 at 9:56 am
Coach is right. It’s not a slow start if you score 3 points on the opening drive. It’s when the team is demoralized by missed chances that losing occurs. I have faith that Aguayo will be very good, and I liked the draft pick, but I must admit some concern. Go Bucs!
August 21st, 2016 at 10:13 am
Seems very similar to another 2nd round kicker named Mike Nugent who was very shaky early in his career and bounced around to a few teams before finally getting his head right… Can we call in the Zen Master Phil Jackson to consult with this kid before he totally tanks his opportunity here???
August 21st, 2016 at 10:48 am
I think the ‘pressure was on’ when he was drafted in the second round
August 21st, 2016 at 10:52 am
…plenty of free agent PK’s out there to choose from.
August 21st, 2016 at 10:55 am
A 3rd and 4th pick for this GARBAGE, this franchise is a JOKE of a franchise.
August 21st, 2016 at 11:12 am
I dont believe in voodoo, but being a bucs fan sure makes me second guessing that. Ive never seen things go so wrong for a team. The dumbest things. Like for example a badass start kicker who comes here and cant make chip shots…..wtf is wrong with this team?
August 21st, 2016 at 11:18 am
What a bunch of negative Nancy’s. RA will be FINE.
August 21st, 2016 at 11:45 am
Eventually, Aguayo is going to be Ok. But at what cost? a few game deciding missed field goals at games end? If he does not come around by game 4 of this preseason, the Bucs might be wise to bring in a Mr. Reliable from Somewheres while the kid develops. Expensive development huh? I agree with Koetter..This is the NFL. field goal misses cost games. A few mistakes and you becomes somebody’s lunch meat!
August 21st, 2016 at 12:22 pm
So how long do the Aguayo blowers give him? 8 games? A whole season to wreck? He’s got major mental issues. That usually just doesn’t disappear. You can’t keep a bad kicker no matter when you drafted him.
August 21st, 2016 at 1:58 pm
The hate is real. And quite comical, actually.
August 21st, 2016 at 2:22 pm
Sent this young man to see a sports psychologist, every time he turn he hear we draft for a kicker. The coach embarrass the young man in the media,how about the coach,that should be coaching him, call him out.
August 21st, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai just used the phrase “superstar kicker.” This is what you have done to us Jason Licht. THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO US!
I know it’s not en vogue to think for yourself sheeple, but if you find yourself explaining the merits of “mortar kicks”, comparing a rookie’s potential career to that of undrafted and best kickers ever, Adam Vinateiri or using the phrase “superstar kicker” you might want to consider not getting all of your sports information from Buccaneers sites. Maybe branch out a little. Maybe read a book once in a while.
August 21st, 2016 at 3:11 pm
Love it: I.I.W.I.I. It is what it is.
August 21st, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Between the goal posts, pls.
August 21st, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Your outright idiotic if you think coach k is going to not have a backup plan after all the pain he and both Licht have endured with kickers lol. PLENTY of kickers jobs are made of broken in what? PRESEASON. Aguayo is not the exception. Kickers job remains the same always. It never changes. It’s the same process everytime. Being a rookie doesn’t change that, in fact kicking in college it was more difficult when you take into consideration the hashes, plus he was supposed to be used to the pressure kicking in high profile games at FSU. Don’t get me wrong I LOVED the pick and loved Aguayo as I wanted us to pick him going into the draft. But I also see things for what they are and right now relying on him as he is is shaky at best. A backup plan will be brought in, just in case.
August 21st, 2016 at 5:58 pm
Made or* broken
August 21st, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Kickers can be had late in the draft or in fa. Few kickers separate themselves from what I’ve seen. Most are similar and kind of flighty or have bad times. A team with holes need to keep their picks and draft to fill holes in depth during the draft. Except when your smarter than everybody else on the planet like licht then you get cute and unconventional.
August 21st, 2016 at 6:44 pm
Love dk too. I hope he makes it. I think there is something to be said about guys who say what they mean. Love it.