Blame The Playcaller, Says Playcaller
December 11th, 2016
‘Fesses up.
Yeah, the Bucs struggled on offense today.
It was the first time America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, did not throw a touchdown pass or run for one in his NFL career. The Bucs rushed for a paltry 104 yards total.
Blame the offensive line (which has become a collective whipping boy/too easy target/excuse for Bucs fans). Blame the running backs. Blame too many reserves playing.
Nope, said Bucs coach Dirk Koetter. Blame him.
Yes, that’s what Koetter said in his postgame presser when Joe asked if playing so many reserves is finally catching up with the offense.
“I am not satisfied at all with how we played on offense,” Koetter said. “We definitely left points out there.
“No, the main reason we are leaving points on the field is the playcaller is not doing a good enough job.”
Yet the Bucs are on their first five-game winning streak since the glorious Super Bowl season of 2002. Just amazing from where this team was.
The playcaller may have struggled with his game today but the Bucs still won. That’s what counts.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:06 pm
Jon Gruden would of blamed the play call sheet for making him pick such lousy plays, lol…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:07 pm
The offense was BAD
December 11th, 2016 at 9:08 pm
Guys … we are NOT going to have a losing season this year!!!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:08 pm
@ Ben, unless we get in at 8-8 and then lose, lol…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:09 pm
The Bucs will not beat Dallas without an offense
December 11th, 2016 at 9:09 pm
We got the W!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:13 pm
For the love of GOD stop running it up the middle on every single first down – and stop going into a shell once we’re up by 3 points and expecting the defense to shutout the opponent. Hey it’s been working – I’m not mad at it, well other than my fantasy team who has Winston starting, but seriously, you’re incredibly predictable on offense and that wasn’t the case last year. Dirk still looks like he has no trust in Winston from the way he calls plays – so the moment the Bucs get a lead Dirk’s offense turns into run up the middle on 1st, run off-tackle or up the middle on second, throw on third and long. The Bucs had 35 running plays called and 26 passing plays. We won this game and the last home game playing the same way -once they got a lead you just run it up the middle and hope the defense can hold a good offense basically scoreless… but man, Winston is going to have to be let off his leash at some point. Again very happy we won, but man it just feels like this should have been an easy W if the offense didn’t go into a complete shell in the 2nd quarter.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:17 pm
It was a gut wrenching, ugly game. But Good teams find ways to overxome like we did today. Hooefully Coach K can brush up the issues on Offense for next weeks matchup! Go Bucs!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:17 pm
Keep winning….
I blame NO ONE!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:18 pm
The play calling was suspect today. The same running play all game line up 6 and 7 men on the line and run up the middle with that same motion. Please use a lead blocker for Doug and Rogers. It was a ugly offensive showing but we got the win which is all that matters. Offense has to be more in tune and be able to score once they reach the red zone. Kotter has to do better at when to attack or be conservative. Defense got the ball back twice in the 4th quarter and we could not get in FG range. Winston has to quit trying to make a big play when it’s 2nd or 3rd and 1 when he can move the chains by running for the 1st. This makes the 2nd week in a row he has done that. I really hope Russell Shepard can get more targets in space I would like to see what he can do with a tunnel screen.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:19 pm
@ Rod, it seems to be a bit of human (or coaching) nature to go conservative on offense in a defensive struggle type of game. I would, however, like to see Winston be unleashed a bit more but without a true 2 or 3 it is tough. We basically have Evans, Ron Hall (what I call Cam Brate), and Russell Shepard.
Once we get Karl “The Truth” Williams back (what I call Humphries) and hopefully a good replacement for VJ (or maybe VJ will take a big time pay cut and want to stay here, who knows ?) Winston can become the 40TD, 5000 yard passer we all know he can be…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:19 pm
We’ve been telling you this all season Joe.
Offensive line + play calling has been the issue.
If the o-line can’t block and impose their will in the running game consistently, on back to back plays, right up the gut, then you have to stop calling that over and over and over. Especially on almost every damn 2nd down.
At least Koetter is admitting he has been making the mistake. Now let’s seem him change it up. If not, I was gonna harass the Joes about it all week until someone actually asked coach K during a press conference.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:19 pm
Joe how can you watch these games and not recognize the oline being bullied in the run game?? Cameron Jordan ABUSED Cherilous all damn game
December 11th, 2016 at 9:20 pm
Had Jameis thrown for 500 yards today and four touchdowns, but the bucs lost, it would be “stats are for losers”
8-5 team in his second year is fabulously successful.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:20 pm
TheBucsAnthem…ye of doom and gloom prior to this game. Talkin a Bucs loss during the week.
Ready to pounce on his team with some negativity….
We don’t CARE about Dallas right now.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:22 pm
jwash…. Cherilous got mugged repeatedly. I bet his ass is going to be sore tomorrow!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:23 pm
Donovan Smith is being pushed around. I understand he is playing out of position so maybe he can be moved ?
At the present, Ali Marpet and Hawley are both kicking ass and both deserve to go to the Pro Bowl. The rest ? Not so good…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:24 pm
I agree the play calling was not good enough. Should have played agressive at the end to try to take the game instead of relying on the defense to survive the game. We were in Saints territory twice at the end of the quarter and all we needed was a field goal to make it a two score game for the Saints and we got too conservative. But at the end of the day we won so must be Koetter know what he was doing.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:24 pm
@ Buc1987, watching the Dallas-Giants game now. Yes, Dallas is good. But they are beatable. They have a fragile confidence that can be shattered easily, IMO.
Remember, GB went 15-1 a few years ago and got beat in the PO’s so it can happen….
If there is any wild card type of team that the Cowboys have not seen so far this year it is the Bucs…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Artemis – Very fair point on the lack of WR’s.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:27 pm
Is anyone else watching the SNF Cowboys-Giants game ?
To those that are am I the only one that thinks that turf looks lousy ?
Looks like wet spots and puddles everywhere. Is that just due to how the turf was layed or due to the fact they are playing in the swamp Meadowlands ?
December 11th, 2016 at 9:30 pm
@ Rod, I am unsure who we should go after in FA if we look for a receiver. I would not mind getting someone with a wee bit of size but with some speed too. I don’t want to back up a Brinks truck either b/c we have Evans coming up in 2018 or ’19 and Winston a year or two later (not to mention Marpet, Alexander, etc…)
At this point, unless we can get Jeffrey or Brandon Marshall on a cap friendly deal I would rather try to develop someone or draft a WR. Remember, we developed Brate and Humphries, who look like real finds…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Gotta stay disciplined against Dallas. They get the calls from the refs. Penalties will not be acceptable.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:34 pm
A win in Dallas will be huge. Lets pray for these guys. This is uncharted waters for this team. Big win today. Huge.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Predictable play calling, and bad play by the o line might kill any potential playoff push for this team. Koetter needs to stop coaching scared
December 11th, 2016 at 9:40 pm
@ Tampa Bay Says: He is calling plays like a head coach, not an offensive coordinator I think is the problem…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:40 pm
The offense struggled because they were trying to integrate/re-integrate too many players into the offense, such as Huff and Sims. If the coach goes to the players that got him this far, such as Brate and Evans, then the offense will be fine. Coach got cute with some of the play calls, and penalties hurt. How many times have we seen 2nd and 28 or 2nd and 22? We are fortunate that the defense once again stepped up.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:41 pm
@ SteelStudBuc: Dallas CAN be beat. Yeah, they’re good alright but they also have a fragile confidence. They have NOT seen a team like the Bucs all year.
We have to get Stocker, Conte, Humphries, etc… back though…
December 11th, 2016 at 9:45 pm
Ok offense is sputtering, next week we pull out the no huddle offense from the get go, now we have the defense to back it up, time to release the hounds
December 11th, 2016 at 9:46 pm
If the FA choices were Marshall or Jeffries, I would actually go with Marshall. Could be had for much cheaper, and is very dependable route runner and hands.
We need some Speed though. Maybe Marshall + a fast WR in the 3rd – 4th round.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:46 pm
Rod, I for one agree with you. Bucs offense has become too predictable and it’s resulting in too many 3rd and long situations. Puts too much pressure on Jameis to convert on those 3rd downs, and ultimately too much pressure on the defense when he can’t. I love winning, I love great defense (thus the Defense Rules?) but the Bucs’ offense is regressing right now and we’re not a good enough team to afford that. We’ve got 3 games left, and if we’re going to make the playoffs our offense has to improve and become more consistent.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:49 pm
V-Jax out
Humphries out
Murphy out
Shorts out
We were so thin at WR that it’s impossible to blame anyone. Not to mention that Cam Brate is are our only weapon at TE.
Our running game have to step up. Martin, JR and Sims can (and will) do much better.
On the brightsight, #3 protected the ball and managed to avoid turnovers. Just one pick and the game would be lost. After all, the whole team got the job done.
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 11th, 2016 at 9:52 pm
Yes the win counts…..but the offense is not clicking for four quarters, or even three. The oline could be better but good.playcalling makes it hard for a defense to do theyre job.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:54 pm
Thank God the Defense is balling out right now because the offense has really been struggling as of late. I actually don’t mind Koetter playing conservative, but playing conservative doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative. The only call I really had issue with was the rushing play to Doug Martin backed up inside our 1 yard line. Everyone knew the Saints were going to sell out on the run on that play. We had a good opportunity to take a shot downfield. If you wanted to go conservative, then run a QB sneak with Jameis to get a little more space from the goal line. I don’t understand why why don’t run QB sneaks with Jameis. I think we ran one all season and he didn’t get it so now we never run it.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:57 pm
We started the season with bonehead ASJ too at TE.
RioDeJaneiro……this kid is playing with no weapons and a pretty thin o-line. He’s got Evans, Brate, Shepherd, Hump…
Fix the line and give this Jamies kid MORE weapons. I don’t want the Cecil Shorts and the Louis Murphy’s. If a stud’s not there via trade or FA, then they need to draft one and quick.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:57 pm
How are fans going to sit and here and say the bucs should done this or that, WHEN THE BUCS WON! The bucs did what they needed to do to win. No need to second guess it now, we already got the W.
What dirk calls, and what you would call, or what i would call are all going to be different. It’s like an opinion. Except yours and mine don’t matter at all.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:58 pm
Jameis*
There I fixed it.
December 11th, 2016 at 9:59 pm
Trubucfan22…it’s actually laughable really.
Are these really Bucs fans?
December 11th, 2016 at 10:06 pm
Bucnut2 is gone, now that we won. Mariota looked like a franchise QB in his win today, didn’t he?! Winston didn’t go 6-20 for 88 yards against that D. Why did the Titans win? Just like us… defense.
December 11th, 2016 at 10:09 pm
If Titansnut2 existed, he’d be saying how great it was to complete less than 30% of his passes for less than 90 yards was. Bucnut2 was says no we suck during the game. I guess the Titans suck too!
December 11th, 2016 at 10:12 pm
I know buc fans are saying the game was called too conservatively, but if you look at the play by play, martin got the bucs into manageable 3rd downs all day. It was an incomplete pass on 3rd and 1, or a sack on winston, or an unnecessary roughnes of D Smith, that cost us converting on third down. Not play calling, nor martin running are to blame. But just poor execution. Seriously. Anyone interested go look at the play by play. Martin had plenty of 8,6,5 yard runs to get us in good third down situations. But for numerous different reasonsthey couldnt convert.
Also, so much for the electric Quizz rodgers. 2 carries for 0 yards. What a dynamo!
December 11th, 2016 at 10:19 pm
I think the combination of penalties, and sacks stalled the offense.The blocking for both running game and passing game was not great.There
were two odd plays on handoffs that didn’t help,one it appeared jameis was supposed to pull it out but couldn’t, the other a double fake handoff that the defense was onto before I could figure out what the actual play was.
December 11th, 2016 at 10:20 pm
The game played out other than what was expected. An old fashioned defensive battle.
December 11th, 2016 at 10:27 pm
Why is it we can’t seem to take advantage and put up big points against team that have poor pass defence? We seem to struggle to win games we should win easily. But a win is a win no matter how. Happy for the win. Three more wins to go however we can take it. Go Bucs.
December 11th, 2016 at 10:38 pm
Watching the game now the Gmen are playing pretty good on defense so Dallas isn’t running away with the game even though Eli and the offense is struggling real bad like. If our defense can lock up Dallas’ run game they will keep us in the game. Elliot is a beast and their line run blocks real well. Big lights big game Fameis will come out big
December 11th, 2016 at 10:44 pm
The Gmen are exposing Dak as not the perfect qb he’s been all year. Dallas has allowed them to stay in the game.
December 11th, 2016 at 11:45 pm
Winning close builds character. Seriously though. The bucs are not a finished product. This winning of close games is teaching these bucs to be tough and never give up on any play. Playing like it is practice and winning easily, anyone can do. It’s winning tight divisional matchups that make the team better in the long run. Besides you want them to have a chip on their shoulder, winning big gives you a big head, we need to keep working and fight for every point. I love the way we are winning these games. Coming from behind, defensive domination, and doing enough on offene to get the win. You cannot beat this style of play. If i wanted to watch a 56 to 3 football game i’d start watching college football again.
December 11th, 2016 at 11:48 pm
For the record, I don’t think Koetter was being sincere when he said bad play calling was the main reason for the offense’s struggles. Just coach speak …. following Jameis’ lead, always take the blame for you team’s struggles. I base that on having watched the presser and how he said it.
December 12th, 2016 at 12:03 am
How about Agauyo? No love when he’s perfect ?
December 12th, 2016 at 12:14 am
O line is too easy an excuse? Why cause t makes sense,
Been watching bucs football since 1997. This o line looks like 2014. And i meant that with the FULL weight of that statement
December 12th, 2016 at 11:18 am
Jaboo had a bad game. Throws were late and high all night. Remember that throw late and behind Shep in the end zone?
Still pissed about that dirtbag trying to spear/head but Jaboo on the 3. Shoulda got that flag
December 12th, 2016 at 11:55 am
Should have played agressive at the end to try to take the game instead of relying on the defense to survive the game. ”
I had no problem with that. Our defense had been lights out all game and not given up a TD which is what they would need with 1 timeout left and the entire field to go.
This wasn’t the Redskins game where our D had demonstrated an inability to stop the pass. The Saints had no TD drives all game.
I think we were too run-heavy in our offense and too predictable with runs. It’s the one thing I can sometimes agree with Kobe Faker on – but only in the games in which it happens (like the Saints game).
When our offense is humming we have typically been 50/50 run pass. We’ve gotten blown out whenever we went pass heavy early this year; and we’ve won some close games going run heavy. So whenever Kobe makes his arguments and wants us to pass it like we’re the greatest show on turf Rams or something; I think back to how bad that was early this year.