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About the Author: Mark Cook

Avatar Of Mark Cook
Mark Cook currently is the director of editorial content and Bucs beat writer and has written for PewterReport.com since 2011. Cook has followed the Buccaneers since 1977 when he first began watching football with his Dad and is fond of the 1979 Bucs team that came within 10 points of going to a Super Bowl. His favorite Bucs game is still the 1979 divisional playoff win 24-17 over the Eagles. In his spare time Cook enjoys playing guitar, fishing, the beach and family time.Cook is a native of Pinecrest in Eastern Hillsborough County and has written for numerous publications including the Tampa Tribune, In the Field and Ya'll Magazine. Cook can be reached at [email protected]

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Jay Hayes. Paul Spicer. Mark Duffner. John Hoke. Brett Maxie. Even Dave Borgonzi.

Names Bucs fans have heard in passing, but most likely couldn’t pick more than one of them out in a police lineup.

While the Bucs defensive players hear the roar of the adoring fans at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, and rightfully so, Tampa Bay’s assistant defensive coaches – and coordinatorMike Smith – deserve just as much credit for the recent turnaround as the 11 players on the field.

Bucs defensive tackle Akeem Spence says those guys don’t get enough love from the fans and media. 

“These coaches have done a tremendous job since OTAs just getting us better,” Spence said. “There is a lot of stuff to learn. When I was learning the playbook, I was like, ‘Dang, how am I going to learn this whole playbook?’ Because there is a lot of stuff, language, terminology, but you know they did a great job of breaking it down in OTAs and in training camp. 

“And you know we tried to get in down the best we could in training camp, but there were things that still needed to be communicated and talked about so guy could get a better understanding of what coach wanted. That is what was talked about after that Thursday night game. It was obvious we weren’t on the same page.”

Assistant Dl Coach Paul Spicer – Photo By: Cliff Welch/Pr

Assistant DL coach Paul Spicer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As Roy Cummings noted, heading into last week’s game against the Chargers, the Bucs were plus-13 in turnover differential in their prior seven games, best in the league during that stretch.

Spence said it wasn’t an easy road, but the coaches keep working with the guys, including getting their input.

“Coach Smith’s coaching staff did a good job in breaking it down,” Spence said. “Not making it too much, too overwhelming, breaking it down by pieces, packages. Just doing that, and just us as a d-line, as a defense, talking, communicating, now we’re making it work. It took time man, it took time, and with anything it just takes time. Now we’re getting the results we want, we’re just playing ball man.

“He asks for input, but at the same time, he knows what works and us, as professionals, try to execute it to the best of our ability. At the same time, he does ask for our input because he asks guys, what do you think would work here. Ask us up front, what type’s of games we like. Sometimes he tries to implement them. Giving us freedom on third down if he can. He’s a players coach, it’s a lot of checks and balances. He’s willing to budge you know, unlike some coaches who, it’s their way or the highway.”

PewterReport.com asked Smith about the credit that he and his staff deserve. Not surprisingly, Smith gave all the credit to his assistants and the played themselves. 

“Oh I think we have a fantastic staff and these guys have spent many, many hours working to get this thing going the way it’s supposed to be going,” Smith said. “[Defensive Line coaches] Jay [Hayes] and Paul [Spicer] do a great job up front, [Linebackers] Coach Duffner, Mark does a good job with the linebacker and [Secondary coaches] Jon [Hoke] and Brett [Maxie], they do a super job with the back end. It’s a collaboration, when you’re putting it together and it’s your first year and the first time a lot of us working together, there’s going to be a lot of ‘what ifs’ and we’ve been working through those. Not only as a staff, but with our players. But the players have really done a really good job here over the last four or five weeks.”

Head coach Dirk Koetter also praised the defensive staff as well for helping getting the Bucs back on track.

“Well when things go well, everybody gets credit, everybody deserves credit,” Koetter said. “Aand sometimes it’s people that we don’t talk about, like the assistant coaches. Just the way everything is structured, I talk to you guys every day, the coordinators talk once a week, but Jay Hayes and Paul Spicer working with our D-line, Mark Duffner with our linebackers, Jon Hoke and Brett Maxie working with our secondary. Those guys, nobody knows all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes on what they’re doing – meeting with guys individually, our regular preparation, all the staff time they put in, the breakdown time to get guys ready. I think we’ve done – on both sides of the ball and in special teams – I think we’ve done a good job of continuing to develop players and that’s how we believe you have to do it in this league because injuries are going to be there, year-in and year-out. You just don’t know when and where they’re going to come, so you better develop your guys.

Lb Coach Mark Duffner – Photo By: Cliff Welch/Pr

LB coach Mark Duffner – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“And even guys that are here for a short time in training camp or in OTAs, look how many guys we’ve brought back because of the time invested in them and what we think about them. That’s all in our memory bank and then [General Manager] Jason [Licht] of course has final control over that, but we like to bring guys back that we’ve worked with before and we know how they are. The players do deserve the majority of the credit, but I think the coaches have done a really good job in that area as well.”

Following the tough Thursday night loss to the Falcons last month, the Bucs were 3-5 and at a crossroads in their season. Spence said the Bucs coaching staff stressed better communication, and not just on the field.

“Yeah (also) during the week, in the meeting rooms,” Spence said. “Just us upfront, talking about what we have, linebackers, then we take it out to the walk-through. Kwon, giving us the calls and then every guy just doing their job. So when we go back to those extra meetings, we have every guy calling out what gap they got, what run fit they got, what coverage they got. You’re like, “okay”, next play.”

Backup safety and now starter due to an injury, Keith Tandy agreed with Spence’s assessment of the communication being key in the turnaround.

“It’s been huge – first off because of how they make us communicate,” Tandy said. “We’ve got a lot going on in this defense, so you definitely have to communicate. Then they have a way in making you feel more confident in your own abilities. Because it feels like we’re doing the same drills and then you show up game day and then you’re like: “oh shoot that’s why we’re doing this.’ They’re real good at making the drills we do in practice translate into the game.”

Tandy explained how things are different since the loss to the Falcons.  

“Well, Coach Smith will be up there during a play (in meetings) and he won’t hear anything, so he’ll rewind it, no one said anything,” Tandy said. “He’ll rewind it again and are like, ‘well your supposed to be talking’. Now guys are talking more, and it puts pressure on you. Now you have got to study more, and it’s embarrassing when you do the wrong thing in front of the team, or you don’t know. It keeps guys more accountable.”

While ultimately most fans and media members will end of praising the players if they Bucs manage to make the playoffs, without a quality staff of assistants, a serious playoff run doesn’t happen. 

Jay Hayes. Paul Spicer. Mark Duffner. John Hoke. Brett Maxie. Even Dave Borgonzi.

Names most fans wouldn’t recognize if they were standing beside them in the line at Starbucks, but names that deserve a big part of the credit for the Bucs midseason turn around defensively. 

 

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