“We’re Not Mad At Him”
November 30th, 2017
Talks targets
Formerly winning head coach Dirk Koetter has good problems: too many potent weapons in the passing game.
That reality has generated nearly weekly media questions about players’ targets, or lack thereof.
Today, Koetter was hit with a flurry of questions about the decline in use of tight end Cameron Brate.
Brate had two balls thrown his way in Atlanta, his lowest target total of the season. The previous Sunday in Miami, it was just three targets.
“We’re not mad at him,” Koetter said, making it clear Brate isn’t in the proverbial doghouse.
In reality, not much has changed with Brate from last season, when he caught 57 balls from 81 targets, an average of less than 5 1/2 targets per game (15 games). This year, Brate is checking in at 5.1 targets per game, with 36 receptions and four touchdowns. His yards per catch is 12.6 this year, up a full yard from 2016.
Bucs fans all seem to want more of Brate, DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin (with apologies to the Adam Humphries fans). But keep in mind Mike Evans remains one of the most popular targets in the NFL at just under 10 per game.
There’s only one football.
November 30th, 2017 at 4:53 pm
@Joe
I meant to ask you from last week, That the TV announcers said on air that ME13 has been having issues from a banged up knee, I did not hear anything before this, and wonder if you have either???????
ME13 has been single cover more this year, and on certain 3rd downs, CB84 getting double covered as they know he is the main target, we are just seeing the offense adjust!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!
November 30th, 2017 at 5:46 pm
Not rocket science , brate has great chemistry with Winston. He was putting up great numbers until Winston got hurt. Different qb different chemistry , opposite can be said with djax in relation to the qb change
November 30th, 2017 at 6:34 pm
I don’t think Djax is a good fit in Tampa
I’m tired hearing how they’re trying to make it work with him……he needs a better QB who knows how get him the deep ball and that’ll never be JW
November 30th, 2017 at 6:41 pm
None of us can say anything intelligent about which receiver is or isn’t being targeted on any given play. Without the Bucs’ playbook in hand we have no way of knowing who is the #1, #2, #3, or the check down receiver on any given play. Sometimes we can accurately deduce a certain targeted receiver is the #1 option, like on a quick slant for a first down on 3rd and 1 or a check down. For the most part, we only see the results of the number of targets and the number of receptions.
November 30th, 2017 at 6:41 pm
I don’t care about who gets targets and tds. Just score more points than the other team more frequently 😩
November 30th, 2017 at 6:45 pm
Joe can’t wait till you write former H.C. Koetter instead of formerly winning H.C. Koetter.
November 30th, 2017 at 7:14 pm
At least Joe is acknowledging that he is a “former” winning coach. How about when Joe was saying he was a “winning” head coach even though he was two games below .500!
November 30th, 2017 at 7:26 pm
If Koetter is now formerly winning coach Dirk Koetter is Jon Gruden barely winning coach Jon Gruden since he had a 57-55 record in Tampa?
November 30th, 2017 at 8:06 pm
Cameron Brate has been targeted 56 times with 35 catches at a 62.5% catch percentage. In 2016 he was targeted 81 times with 57 catches at a 70.4% catch percentage. That is 8% less catches than last year. Mike Evans 2016, 55.5%, 2017, 53.1%, down 2.4%. Adam Humphries 2016, 66.3%, 2017, 68.4%, up 2.1%. Last year Brate made many amazing catches and caught every pass he could get his hands on. He is still very good this year just seems like the DB’s are sticking to him much more.
November 30th, 2017 at 9:19 pm
I still feel like since Monken has had less time working with receivers one on one they have all generally regressed a little
November 30th, 2017 at 10:01 pm
Hope he Kicks Azz for the Bucs And my FF team!
November 30th, 2017 at 10:02 pm
The real problem isn’t ‘too many offensive weapons’…
The real problem is: Not enough plays on offense this year for everyone to eat.
If we could extend some freakin drives on a regular basis and obviously score more, there would be more than enough plays to go around for everyone to be involved.
#truth
November 30th, 2017 at 10:11 pm
And I blame the ‘not extending drives’ on:
1. Dirk not having well-designed plays to get 1st downs
and
2. Jameis/Fitz (mainly Jameis) not executing the necessary throws on 3rd downs this year for some reason
December 1st, 2017 at 4:52 am
The Bucs should consider trading Brate, DJax and Kwon for the help the team desperately needs at DE, CB, OL and/or DL. All three are great players, but that’s the point. The Bucs need great players in other positions and they have replacements for these three on staff already.
December 1st, 2017 at 6:13 am
DJax should be traded, cultivate Godwin, use our tight ends more, we have Auclair too. Maybe we could get a decent draft pick for Djax
December 1st, 2017 at 8:52 am
Amen, Erik, Amen!GO JAGs, uh I mean Go BUCS!!(jk)
December 1st, 2017 at 11:18 am
With more first downs and less three and outs , I bet he would see more targets
December 1st, 2017 at 12:22 pm
Thought Dirk likes a two tight end offense. Guess not.