Odd Calls At End Of First Half
November 25th, 2018
Head-scratching call.
Fortunately, the game turned out to be a comfortable win — by Bucs standards, a blowout.
Bucs Bit-O-honey-snacking, Ozark-watching, yams-eating coach Dirk Koetter had some really weird decisions near the end of the first half that convinced Joe that Koetter wasn’t just paying lip service to the notion he watches that weirdo Amazon series.
The Bucs had just gained a first down on the 49ers-24 as America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, completed a pass to Cam Brate on the right side for 11 yards. Rather than just have Jameis spike the ball to kill the clock with 32 seconds left, Koetter burned his final timeout of the half.
It got stranger after that.
A Jameis run on first down got the ball down to the 49ers-21. On second down a pass over the middle to Brate fell incomplete.
With nine seconds left, rather than taking a shot at the end zone, Koetter instead elected to try a field goal. The 39-yard kick by Cairo Santos was good to give the Bucs a slim 13-6 lead.
But why not try one shot into the end zone for six points instead of waving the white flag and settling for three?
The way the Bucs had been playing up until today, those four points could have cost the Bucs. Has Koetter really lost that much faith in Jameis?
Yeah, sure. It all worked out. But given how this season has transpired, that was anything but the norm. The Bucs have been bellyaching about scoring points but for some odd reason, Koetter near the first half seemed to have left valuable points on the field.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:20 pm
Beating that team isn’t going to get him off the hot seat anyway. Just proving how dork is just as bad at lovie was at game management
November 25th, 2018 at 6:21 pm
How I was wondering the same thing! Easily could have tried for the end zone.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:22 pm
Holy f***ing crap…. Did this f***ing guy run out of time again?
Is this a friggen joke? About tired of this running out of time crap. We had 90 friggen seconds, one time out & OK field position… …. .So what the &&#_&$#_& problem!!!!!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:23 pm
Dirk has yet to figure out clock management, another reason why he’s not head coaching material.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:24 pm
He could’ve been trying to see how the kicker did under a little pressure. Which makes perfect sense. Pressure when it isnt going to cost us a game. I loved the move. I felt so much better when I saw that kick go straight through the upright!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:25 pm
I was yelling at the tv on that play too. Thought it may not have been 3rd down and was actually 4th but no, Dirk wanted to attempt the field goal. You have to take a shot in the end zone or throw it away. Obviously, Dirk was afraid Jameis may take the sack and run out of time. No trust there. Go Bucs!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:25 pm
He tries the one shot you want there at that point. And Winston has to force one in that gets tipped and/or picked. Then you are the first one here calling Jameis turnover prone. Or getting on Koetter’s ass about a bad call.
Absolutely no problems with taking points there. That was well managed and not putting his fragile QB in a bad spot.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Our QB play has been brutal on it’s own…..but the HC hinders his QB and offense with his good awful 1minute offense.
Every freaking coach in the league would get 2-3 looks at the endzone in that situation.
This team is not prepared right.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Alternate POV: he didn’ Want to take the shot and get a turnover or sack. You can make that call when it works out. It worked out. Go Bucs!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:33 pm
I listen to Bucs radio. I went to sleep before the half ended.. Why? Cos I hoped someone would have kicked DeSean Jackson in the head after not catching that pass that would have been 7-0 Bucs. Enuff said.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:35 pm
Whew, thank god. For a second there I thought the Joe’s were gonna enjoy the win for at least the rest of the night. But, here’s the nitpicking bullspit we’ve come to expect. I think you may just get the Jameis haters out in force with your childish crap. You know where your bread is buttered, uh Joe. Dummy.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:35 pm
I get wanting to be aggressive. But they took a shot on the drive. Jameis is playing well at that point. We’re in the lead. No need to put Winston in a position to make a bonehead play. Take the 3 points.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:39 pm
Gilhealy if ya wanna hear something better then how about the game Vita Vea had today? What a pleasant surprise. The dude was growing the defense onto their asses today!!!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:40 pm
How big was his tackle for loss? 9 yards he threw that lineman backwards? Beautiful football play!!
November 25th, 2018 at 6:48 pm
“This highschool playcallcalling cant beat good teams
We need a new offensive minded HC in here to take Jameis to another level”
Kobe Faker
November 25th, 2018 at 6:53 pm
Damn right, JJ. Kid looked real good. I can’t stand the missed tackles, though. Don’t know if it’s the linebackers or what. But we can’t fill the gaps to save our life. But yea, positivity beats the heck out of looking for trouble. The Joe’s should be required to watch all the games before their silly takes. I’m watching Pittsburgh now, and the same things harped on this site happen in every game.
November 25th, 2018 at 6:59 pm
good grief …this perspective makes me want to puke. …shh there’s another conspiracy brewing ..smh
November 25th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
yeah guys if you were a HC with a QB as turnover-prone as Winston, you’d probably take the 3 here considering the scoreline was comfortable and no reason to panic.
We’ve all seen it before many times – Winston picked off forcing it into the end-zone to a triple-covered Brate etc.
November 25th, 2018 at 7:07 pm
Joe you are misleading your crowd again. It is ok to want to get Koetter off the Buc’s if you do not like him; Reasons include bad defensive coordinator and special teams coach. etc.
However, the Buc’s do not spike a ball within 10 seconds ever. The timeout call was immediate at 32 seconds. If you take the same play and go for the spike, Winston snaps the ball at 18 to 21 seconds. 2nd down and 10 at 24.
Winston then scrambles for 3 yards in 6 seconds in the middle of the field. 12 to 15 seconds left and now call a timeout. 3rd and 7.
Winston next play is an incomplete throw to the end zone and 4th and 8. Still would have to go for the field goal from 21 yard line.
Unless you think it would be wise to go for 4th and 7 from the 21 yard line with about 10 seconds left. But to me that sounds like a Joe move and not a coach move.
By the way, after Winston’s scramble, it took 13 seconds to snap the ball again. To my point that Buc’s would not have spiked the ball within 10 seconds.
If we are nitpicking; The bad decision was Jameis’ scramble on 1st down instead of throwing it away. However, he was clearly pressured pretty quickly. I just think a QB like Brees would’ve made the throw away play much more often; Realizing it is 1st down and importance of time…
November 25th, 2018 at 7:11 pm
Odd calls are 40+ drop backs and 20+ rushes in a game where you are winning all game.
November 25th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
I love that we have this forum to talk about the Buc’s but please guys do not rely on the Joe’s to make intuitive points.
Remember just a week or so ago, the horrible article talking about how poor Fitz was at YAC. The actual breakdown showed how horribly they were off on their assertion there.
It is clearly ok to agree with Joe’s fan based assertions on players and coaches.
However, Joe’s actual football IQ is less than average.
November 25th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Joe he has been making those same stupid decisions for 3 years. He has never been a HC. Head coaching common sense isnt so common in the head coaching circles.
November 25th, 2018 at 7:28 pm
Joe, I was thinking the same way in the stands. However, I thought the field goal call was the right call. I don’t think there was enough time on the clock to be able to make a play in the endzone and if it was missed, go for the field goal.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:01 pm
9 out of 10 coaches take a shot to the end zone with :09 left on 3rd down.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:33 pm
So I’ve been reading the comments and at least half of them have me pretty confused.
Did we win or lose today?
November 25th, 2018 at 8:45 pm
At least DK didn’t throw the red flag to call that time out.
November 25th, 2018 at 8:46 pm
At least DK didn’t throw the red flag to call that time out. The
November 25th, 2018 at 11:12 pm
I was miffed at the call for a FG…until it went through the uprights. How many times has Dirk played for a FG only to have the kicker screw us. It was good to see Santos drill it.
November 25th, 2018 at 11:32 pm
Last time they tried that ,time expired and we got zero points
November 26th, 2018 at 12:27 am
Ozark is a Netflix show, not Amazon
November 26th, 2018 at 3:45 am
It’s not like they were at the 8 yard line. Scoring from outside the 20 is much less likely than a turnover/sack/dumb move completing a pass in bounds.
Since we now have a reliable kicker, take the 3 and go into halftime. No brainer really. Not sure what Joe is complaining about.