The PR Bucs Monday Mailbag is where PewterReport.com’s Mark Cook answers your questions from our Twitter account. You can submit your question each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.
Below are the questions we chose for this week’s edition of the PR Bucs Monday Mailbag. Read them over and offer up your thoughts in the comment section.
Question: Why SHOULD the Bucs keep Dirk Koetter?
Answer: I don’t know that Tampa Bay should, or at this point think it should. But for the sake of argument I will try and state a case for keeping Dirk Koetter.
1. The offense. Koetter has built the Bucs into a Top 5 NFL offense and has done it with no running game to speak of and with two different quarterbacks.
2. Player/coach relationship. The players genuinely like Koetter and respect him for being straightforward and honest. He is a no-nonsense guy and won’t say one thing to the media and another to the players.
3. Stability. The Glazers could have made the move last year after a 5-11 season, but chose not to, after having some interest in Jon Gruden. For the sake of continuity they chose to bring Koetter back and give him another season. Maybe one more year turns things around.
4. History. The NFL history books are filled with stories of teams who gave up on players too soon, and in some cases, coaches. Surefire Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick was 36–44 as coach of the Browns, including going 5-11 after a 3-1 start in his final year with the Browns. How did that work out?
You asked me why the Bucs should keep Koetter and that is the best I can come up with. But obviously it isn’t up to me, you, Scott Reynolds or anyone who doesn’t have the last name Glazer. I believe it is a foregone conclusion at this point that Koetter gets fired. It doesn’t mean I think Koetter is a bad coach, but as I mentioned on the most recent Pewter Nation Podcast, as the general of this regiment, his game day battle plans have been defeated more than they have succeeded. At the end of the day, that is all that matters in the NFL.
Question: Do Bucs fans take solace in the fact that this year the Bucs give games away more than the other teams wins them? Is JW3 the most maligned Bucs QB since Doug Williams? I don’t recall this much vitriol pointed at Josh Freeman.
Answer: I don’t know if you can take solace in anything from this season honestly, especially if the Glazers fire Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht. While many think this team will only need a few tweaks and a new voice to turn the corner, the facts are there most likely will be huge turnover on this roster with a new coach in place and a possible change in the front office. A new regime will want to have its own players and won’t have any loyalty to anyone currently on the roster, so a complete shakeup will take place more than likely if both Koetter and Licht are gone.
And maybe that is a good thing. Or maybe a new coach goes the “Jon Gruden in Oakland route” and decides to ship off some of the best players for draft picks. So many close losses this year mean absolutely nothing for next year if there is a big turnover with the players on the field.
Question: After missing training camp/first part of the season and now in game shape and some games under his belt have you changed your opinion on Vita Vea?
Answer: I would still have drafted Derwin James over Vita Vea in a heartbeat. I still believe he would have had a much bigger impact, especially earlier in the year. However, I love what Vita Vea has done the last few weeks and think he is worthy of his draft position. And I believe if he stays healthy, he too, like James will be a Pro Bowler.
While I was always on the James train, I never once called Vea a bust, reminding even those who agreed with me that James would have been a better pick, it is way too early to make any assumptions. I hope they both go on to have long productive NFL careers. But yes, Vea has shown me some things as of late I was worried that might take three years to see on a regular basis.
Question: Can Jameis Winston be trusted in high pressure situations and 2-minute drills with the game on the line? If not then surely he can’t be viewed as a franchise QB.
Answer: Well the proof is on tape. In college he absolutely was the man you wanted under center. But it has been a mixed bag in the NFL. He has had his share of fourth quarter comebacks – on the road against Carolina on Monday Night Football three years ago and the final game of 2017 against the Saints – are just two games that come to mind as I write this, Yet this year, for whatever reason those fourth quarter comebacks haven’t come as often. Especially the last two weeks. And right now that is what you have to look at.
Do I think he is still capable of being a franchise quarterback? I do. Will he? The jury is still out. But I think as an organization you owe it to yourself to give him that fifth year, especially if there is a new voice in his head. Remember in the NFL he has only had Dirk Koetter as his offensive coach. Maybe it work out and maybe it doesn’t but Winston wasn’t a fifth round unheralded small school guy. He was the overall No. 1 draft pick in 2015. You have a huge investment in him and need to explore and exhaust every sliver of hope before you move on. At least that is my opinion.
Want to hear a rather surprising stat? Even if the Bucs LOSE their last game, Koetter will have the 3rd best
W-L% of all time! Now THAT is saying a lot. The Bucs demise began the day they finalized the deal for Gruden. You will NEVER convince me Dungy was incapable of bringing a trophy to TB. And to give up 2 #1 and 2 #2 picks for him just ruined any chance the Bucs had of having any continuity of success. Gruden had 2 wild card playoffs lost both and we havent had an appearance since. That was a steep price to pay to have a moment in the sun followed by 16 years underground with no lights. I will grant Gruden contributed quite a bit in retooling the offense. But, what a price to pay. Dungy did ALL the heavy lifting, put the team in a position to be champions, and the Bucs said “thank you very much but we think so little of you and your efforts we are willing to give away 2 #1 and 2 #2 draft picks to throw you away!” Then 7 years with the Colts and he ONLY lost 6 in one season, and never lost 6 or more again!! Meanwhile the Bucs have losing seasons 11 out of 17 (COUNTING the Stupid Bowl season), and I put the putrid performance on the deal to get Gruden. As I said, I had absolutely NO doubt a Stupid Bowl was coming to TB. Why mortgage the future so heavily? In retrospect, was it worth it? Maybe Dungy would have brought us 1 or 2 more Stupid Bowls, I don’t know. And our choices in the draft included (available) Larry Fitzgerald, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roesthlisberger, Justin Smiley, Michael Boulware. And instead we got…..NOTHING!!! So, the seeds of our despair were born out of our success. A success that very possibly could have come WITHOUT mortgaging our future. Oh well…..that’s my rant.
Lol why do people think that koetter having the #3 W-L% matters? It doesn’t say much at all since our franchise has mostly been plagued by bad coaching since they came into the league. All it says it that the bucs just have been terrible at finding good coaches. Koetter is going to be gone most likely, get over it.
Probably not going to believe me but Dungy was never going to bring us a trophy,sorry. He played tight late in close games and made a lot of questionable calls just like koetter. Only difference being we won a lot of the close ones.
“Even if the Bucs LOSE their last game, Koetter will have the 3rd best W-L% of all time!”
Well that, my friend, is called “laying the bar right on the ground”
Rich McKay picked the players, including Sapp and Brooks when Dungy wasn’t even here
Oh yeah. Keep Koetter.
Jameis did his absolute best with the remarkable offensive line he had in 2013 while at FSU. That line lost its center to the draft and struggled a bit in 2014 and so did Jameis. He’s now playing for behind arguably the worst line of his career and it makes it hard to lead a team back when your RG is either letting people take free shots at you or holding on for dear life and getting flagged. Or your grossly overpaid center is getting flagged while your LT whiffs because he’s daydreaming about being grossly overpaid too next year.
Have the new GM get Jameis a good offensive line next year and I think you’ll see him rally the team back more. It all starts up front.
If we want to keep Mediocrity we will keep running with Jason Licht and JWinston. Koetter, still not sure either way.
When looking at the long list of Heisman Trophy QBs, most of them were all at Big Schools with great systems and a great cast around them. This is the sad Bait so many GMs take. It wasn’t Winston or Mariota as the main reason those schools helped bring a Heisman to the QB but both were on the best teams in the Nation. The Interception ratio for Winston in his last year was the Warning sign that the Bucs chose to ignore and a handful of comebacks does not make for a Franchise QB.
While I get that Heisman trophy winners often come from big schools with a talented cast around them which can hide their weaknesses it’s not like Jameis, Cam Newton, Carson Palmer or Mariota have been busts when on the field.
This year you’ve got Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson who are leading their teams to victories. Would you rather have Josh Rosen and Josh Allen over Mayfield and Jackson in the draft this past year?
Honestly I don’t know what games you have been watching. Winston & Mariota are studs.
I just don’t understand how you could possibly miss the very next sentence which (to remind you) is ” Now THAT is saying a lot”! You don’t find that a surprising stat? I think Koetter being the 3rd winningest coach in TB history to be a VERY telling and interesting stat. 42 years? And HE is #3? Holy Crap! Anyways, I think 1 more year won’t hurt a damn thing, but hiring another coach (like….who? Who the hell is gonna be available? Or, just hire from the college ranks, right? yeah, ok) is like a guarantee of mediocrity for 2 more years. I remember when one could watch the Bucs practice at (I think) Pepin-Rood? That was the first time I saw Lynch hit someone. wow. Finally…some toughness. Another interesting stat? McKay is the ONLY GM in NFL history to have his first 2 picks of his career (Sapp and Brooks) make the Hall of Fame. I think he also set the land speed record for the drive from Tampa to Atlanta in December 2003. Oh, and McKay hired Dungy, who ended up being the 1st black coach to win a Stupid Bowl. McKay knew talent, by golly.
I actually think that having a top 5 offense is more of a reason to fire Koetter than to keep him. He can’t win with one of the most prolific offenses in the league. That’s an indictment of his coaching ability if I’ve ever heard one.
Having a top 5 offense would be a reason to keep Jason Licht, not Koetter.
Koetter is losing DESPITE having a top 5 offense.
5 reasons to fire Koetter
1 holding onto Mike Smith too long.
2 taking back play calling in the Washington game
3 failure to drop a game plan to properly utilize the fastest man in the NFL
4. Failing to develop Winston
5 poor clock management most notably not calling a timeout with 7 plus minutes to go on the 2-yard line with the play clock winding down
I think it says we have a lot of talented players on the offense but a scheme and consistent play-caller that is lacking. Koetter’s scheme and play-calling style depends on big plays too much.
Question: Can Jamies be trusted in the 2 min drill? YES the reason Dirk Koetter will be fired counting in 6 days is because he won’t trust Jamies in the 2 min. Koetter is a control freak who has kept the training wheels on jamies which has set this team back. You can’t be scared to let the kid go out here make mistakes, And then you bench him for Ryan Fitzpatrick!!
I just love little interesting factoids and such…for instance..Before Manziel turned into the bust he was, I was watching a Mike Evans interview….Mike Evans was asked ” So, who made the QB Johnny Manziel/ Mike Evans combo a winner? The QB or the receiver? ” Evans laughed. End of interview. I laughed so hard almost peed myself!
If he’s wise, he was probably just laughing at the absurdity of the question.
The hate is blind on this site by the writers regarding Jamies Winston.
You answer the last two weeks as an example Jamies can not ‘be trusted ‘in high pressure situations with the game on the line’
Jamies drove the team to a TD with just over two minutes left in the game the last time the Bucs touched the football.
Yet to you last week is an example of his failures.
Bizarre!
Merry Christmas fellow Bucs fans (even Naples and Buc Ass Bob) ! I’m always the easiest person to get in the family grab bag. All the wife and kids need to do is get me anything red with a Buc’s logo. Sadly this year, like so many others, wearing Buc’s gear can bring with it a certain amount of embarrassment in public. Even Santa may be reluctant to don his red suit.
Of course this Christmas day, many are hoping for a shiny new coach under the tree and maybe even a fancy general manager in our stocking. Me, I just wait patiently to see what Santa brings us knowing that whatever it is, the second guessing is sure to follow. Without ever selecting a draftee or signing a free agent, any GM hire will be roundly questioned. Before presiding over his first OTA, the new coach choice will be scrutinized and criticized.
Some, like me, will be patiently hopeful that the new regime will bring us a team for which we can proudly wear our Buc’s hats and jerseys, fly our Buc’s flags, drink from our Buc’s coffee cups, hang our Buc’s posters, mark our Buc’s calendars, write with our Buc’s pen and check the time on our Buc’s watch. Oops! Looks like time is running out on this disappointing duo.
Merry Christmas! Hope springs eternal for those who want it!!
Merry Xmas Scubog and all. This by far is my favorite site and I genuinely enjoy reading the comments of the visitors year around. As most of you have surmised by now I am by no means an expert on football and if my well worn old occasionally become out of joint over a Bus related matter, please forgive me.
My response to the Koetter question is boring and unremarkable. I learned many years ago “that it is aways darkest just before dawn.” In my humble opinion I would like to see a few good FA’s and a few good draft picks added to our mix and maybe some lessons learned thrown in for good measure. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks so I have an aversion to change, but whatever happens treat each other good, understand it’s just a game, and Have a wonderful holiday.
P S insert “Bones,” before occasionally. And haven’t heard much from my ole buddy macabee lately. Merry Xmas Mac……
It takes a small person to use a holiday greeting to get in a dig at another person.
My how small you are, Scubog.
A dig for wishing you a Merry Christmas? You must have zero sense of humor.
Merry Christmas, Scubog… Better to stand with your team than to be one of those bandwagon fans with the shiny new stickers and shirts from teams that have just started to win.
Merry Christmas. My fantasy title was on the line with last nights game, I won!, so I had to stay up and watch. Not saying we should’ve made a run at Gruden, but his team really fought hard, played smart, and even Doug Martin looked good. He had a bad W-L record this year, but I think Vegas’s future looks so bright they’ll have to wear shades. The guy can coach, and got the most out of his team last night, we’ll see how the Bucs look for their home swan song next week. I’m not for change for change sake, but I think we should follow Oaklands lead, and start anew. Front office, coach, players, the clean sweep.
Wow! I had no idea there were so many Homers for Winston on this site. Amazing how many people will settle for an average QB.
Lamar Jackson is not much different than RG3. Teams will eventually figure out how to stop him.He is not and will not be an elite QB.
Mayfield is probably the exception. Cam was elite during the S. Bowl year but he has been inconsistent the other years and cannot be considered an Elite QB.
Carson Palmer had some good years, was a better than average QB most of the time but not Elite.2005, 2006, 2015 were great years. Other years he threw for a lot of yards but way too many Picks or not enough TDs to go with the yards. Look at his 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016 years, some highlights mixed in with some lowlights.
Sorry, but I would not settle for a Mediocre QB.
You think Jared Goff is elite? or how about Tribiscky,Dak? While you’re looking for ELITE I’ll take winning a Super Bowl with Nick Foles than to lose one with Tom Brady. Merry Christmas everybody!
Seriously, you equate having Brady at quarterback to losing a Super Bowl? The GOAT, undisputed, who’s won more Super Bowls than any other quarterback in history? Taken his team to more Super Bowls than any other QB in history? Just wrapped up his tenth in a row division championship, which no other team or quarterback in history has achieved?
I am a Gator fan (that comes with it’s own issues…lol) so I am not a Winston “homer”. What I am is a person who has watch a lot of football for probably 3-40 years. Elite QB’s are very rare. There are none in this upcoming draft. There will be none ready to be traded in the off season. Winston offers our best opportunity. I am not ready to write him off due to a very poor offensive line, bad running game because of said O line, poor play calling, poor adjustments, lack of confidence to just go play and poor coaching. These things I have listed are facts, not opinions. Quite possibly, like our history has shown, our QB would leave and go to a competent team/coach and turn in to a good player (I didn’t say elite). To write him off sounds like it comes from a place of anger and straight up dislike instead of rational thinking.
JMO….Merry Christmas!!
*35-40yrs
Nobody knows which players in any draft are going to be elite, so quit pretending you are the all knowing genius. Unless you can prove that you predicted that sixth round pick Tom Brady was destined to be GOAT.
And elite quarterbacks are not rare – there are roughly half a dozen every year who perform at an elite level. Whether the continue to perform at an elite level for an entire career, and end up in the Hall of Fame, is another matter. Right now, as of today, in just the latter category alone, we have Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisburger, and Russell Wilson, all certain HOFers. Possibly also Eli Manning, though not based on recent performance, but his two Super Bowl wins.
That’s seven HOFers playing right now, and that doesn’t include any of the current crop of up and comers like Mahomes, Goff, Wentz, Watson, Prescott, etc. who could develop into elite.
That’s at least a dozen elite quarterbacks. Just this season alone.
Not that rare.
And Winston ain’t one of ’em.
It’s ok that you just gloss over the six reasons I posted about the team inadequacies that impact our QB’s performance because ALL on this site know you are just a troll looking to insight without any real substance and just ride out your hating beliefs.
But I will continue to give my opinion even though you call it “so quit pretending you are the all knowing genius ” because that is what this site is for, giving an opinion. And when they are backed up by facts that you gloss over, then they actually have merit. You can disagree. That is your perogative but to just be a dick, well that just makes you sad…
Merry Christmas!
Yeah, I didn’t gloss over, I ignore the constant bleatings of all the Winston fanboys that no matter what happens, no matter the outcome, no matter how the offense and the team plays, it is never Winston’s fault.
Winston, according to the fanboys, is the Immaculate Quarterback.
Great points Philly Can’t argue facts. Doug Williams,Steve Young,Trent Dilfer. Merry Christmas
Draft a quarterback in the first round. There are at least three quarterbacks with first round grades. The best of the bunch is Justin Hebert … if the Bucs lose next Sunday to the Falcs, we can end up at the no. 4 pick and that should be high enough to grab Hebert.
Keep Fitz another season to mentor the rookie, and start the rookie whenever he’s ready. The recent success of numerous rookie and second year quarterbacks tell us that we don’t have to wait forever for a quarterback to lead his team to wins.
Naples, it’s good to see you finally suggesting something and not tearing something down. So, you like Hebert for Oregon with the #4 pick. I’ll mark it down and lets see how he turns out?
Yeah, Canes and Jameis fan… So much for that theory?
Koetter clearly looks out of his depth. But an earlier point about who could win with this roster is a good one.
Time is ever the enemy in football. Which is another reason you start a rebuild with the lines, particularly OL, where you can get 8-10 years out of high draft picks.
Some people are beguiled by this roster, really just the skill players and narrowing it further really just the receivers & TEs.
But fast forward just one year and we may only have Evans and Godwin and OJ. DJax is gone. Can we really afford to keep Brate at his price given all the other needs? If you were Hump would you stay here during a rebuild with an inaccurate QB or go chase Super Bowls with the Pats?
That leaves RB. Barber’s pretty solid but not great. RoJo may be the umpteenth Licht high round bust. No quality depth behind them.
Still beguiled by the thought of that lesser group playing behind our OL led by Winston next year?
That outlook is what SR and some posters are defending?? C’mon man! Licht has wasted a half decade of the team’s and the fan’s time. He must go or nothing is going to change.
A great point about time @matador
The window for many teams to make the Super Bowl lately has been when the starting QB is on a rookie contract and the GM has the cap room to really build around them (See: Eagles with Wentz, Steelers with Roethlisberger, Panthers with Cam, Seahawks with Wilson, Potentially Rams with Goff/Chiefs with Mahomes). Despite this Licht managed to miss free agents with frequency while he had a rookie number one pick under a below market deal at 7 million. It won’t get easier when your QB makes 22 million and you get one less 10 million dollar player to sign or extend each year.
Merry Christmas to all!
Scot Pederson I’m not and most aren’t “Winston Homers” we simply are objective fans and see what’s in front of our face. Garbage league last defense, no run game, O line that is really quite a joke. Your deluded and nuts if you think any other QB in this league could played much better here. It’s team sport and you cannot ask a QB to drop back 50-60 times a game with no run game or defense most of year and not have turnovers. I also think Winston played great truenover free ball for most part since the aginays game. Very low turnover anyways. Hope it continues and they get a “team” around him. Not just offensive weapons. Starts up front and always has always will.
Yeah, except that the last season the Bucs had a good run game (1,402 yard season by the muscle hamster) and offensive line, Winston still only led the Bucs to a 6-10 season and the 20th ranked scoring offense (mediocre!). Now this season, his fourth in the league, Winston has still lead his team to either a 5-11 or 6-10 record, and the 13th ranked scoring offence (middling at best). Winston’s passer rating in 2015 was 84.2, and three years later, he managed to push it all the way to 87.0. In other words, no real progress as a quarterback .. actually regressed from last season.
You guys are suffering from highly selective memories.
The Winston fanboys/Koetter haters (two sides of the same coin – the former must show hate for the latter in order to justify not cutting Winston for his four years of mediocre performance that never justified his no. 1 overall draft pick) will continue with their love/hate thing, no matter what the facts.
But cutting and firing those two will not fix the Bucs .. will not make up for years of draft ineptitude, trading up for kickers, paying tens of millions of dollars to rehab a player for the Seahawks, numerous bad free agency hires on the defensive side of the ball and the offensive line, failing to provide a decent kicker, etc. etc. etc.
Fix the root cause of Bucs suckitude – the Glazers firing and hiring coaches and GMs, and replace the GM that we have. Then everything else – coaches, players, etc. – can and will work out to drag the Bucs out of our perennial position in the cellar of the NFC South and no playoff appearances for 11 years in a row.
New front office, trade for Nick Foles and grab a QB in the draft year after next.
Happy Holidays.
Much better yet – being far cheaper – keep Fitz another year as insurance, and draft a quarterback in the first round … Justin Hebert appears to be the best available and he should be available to the Bucs, especially if we lose to the Falcs on Sunday.
Look at the fantastic success other teams around the league are having with their rookie and second year quarterbacks. And the cap hit will be a dozen million or more less than keeping Winston, which is money we can use for one or several quality FA signings (i.e., not signed by Licht!!!) on the defensive backs and offensive line position groups.
Winston has now shown he can’t even read the play clock … ..sure franchise qb
Oh, didn’t you get the memo from the Winston fanboy club? … that was all the coach’s fault, you see. Yeah, it was the coach’s fault that he trusted Winston, like any other veteran quarterback, to do his job and watch the play clock.
Winston is the Immaculate Quarterback – nothing is ever his fault.
Oh you didn’t hear, it’s only the players fault. Coaching means nothing. See Naples, I can state the same thing over and over as well. Because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean they’re right or wrong. You seem to think you know it all about football and that your always right. Well, last I checked, you and I are watching football on tv and not playing or coaching. Jameis WILL be here next year and if you think wasting a first round pick on a quarterback is the thing to do with as many holes that need filled that you lack long term vision. No matter who is quarterbacking, they won’t last with this oline. And before you start something completely wrong, and I’m a Miami hurricane fan and hate everything florida state, but I also know winston is a serviceable too 10-12 quarterback in this league.
Hey! Merry Christmas to my fellow buc fans and to pewter report!
Draft Will Grier and start over.
Naples fan and I only ones on this site that realize Bucs would be 3-13 last place with out the
strange Fitz magic to start season.
Why do you not see this team needs more than a tweak here and there
This team needs
New GM
New Coach
New QB
2-3 Lineman offence
3-4 lineman Defence
2-3 Linebackers
1 Safety
Running Back
Did I say Running back
Team needs a running back
just for starters
Winston with out Fitz would be sole owner of bottom of league …
Winston is a loser
He loses games
He has only one 6 games in 2 years against the worst teams in NFL
Wake up people
This Naplesfan sure hates him some Winston. Winston threw for well over 300 yards, a TD and no turnovers while running for his life. Build him an O’line, protect him and he will pick a defense apart.
Give him an o line and you will be making up excuses for the lack of receiving talent. It will never be enough with Winston.
uhh, Winston had a turnover … fumble returned for a TD.
I don’t hate anybody. But Winston is a bust, Licht is a bust, and the Baby Glazers are busts.
And yet you don’t mention Koetter. You continually spew that coaching means nothing yet look at Baltimore! They have arguably a running back playing quarterback who hasn’t even thrown for over 205 yards in a single game, yet they’re in playoff position. Same with your fan boy mariota. They don’t have their quarterback dropping back 49-50 times a game throwing 20 yes bombs every other play. These are FACTS since that’s what you like so much. Debate with me, because you know I’m right.
skipper … he can’t even read a play clock after how many years….
I keep hearing how Jameis has played behind this really poor offensive line and he has bad coaching. Then let me ask this question. Didn’t Fitzmagic play behind the same piss poor line? And he had the same poor coaching? Then how do u account for the better play at QB…win wise and stat wise? So Jameis is a $15 million dollar better QB? I just don’t get it? We can’t continue to pay elite money to average talent… Gholston, McCoy, Jameis, LT,Center, WR Jackson…stats don’t lie!
Fair points. I would counter that it was the first two games of the season and we caught two teams off guard and had success. Once the tape was out there it didn’t matter who was at QB, the teams figured it out and the progress slowed once our weaknesses were shown. Fitz was serviceable for those first three games but he proved who he has always bee….a journeyman. This team has a bad O line, a bad defense, bad play calling, a bad run game and bad coaching but hey, be like lame ass Naples and hit the easy button and blame a QB for ALL of our woes…..
A good Head Coach helps his team prepare in ways that catch teams off-guard more than just the first two games of the season. The changes and the way our team handled the offseason and entered the season were phenomenal but since then, it became obvious that Koetter doesn’t know how to make adjustments and game-plan on a weekly basis.
Outside the first two games, I think the Cleveland game was a good example of smart scheming. DJ ran a reverse play for a TD and I remember a few more plays in that game that showed a fair amount of intelligence.
Most of the other game-plans were bad and there was a stubborn commitment to those plans throughout the games. Godwin with more targets than Mike Evans??? Shaun Wilson getting designed plays for the Washington game??? A reverse handoff deep in our own territory to Bobo Wilson when you got DJ active??? I mean, seriously, Koetter needs to take the advice Monken gave Winston in the preseason… “stop pressing and trying so hard.”
And so far, we wonder why we have a young QB who presses as hard as he does and has high turnover numbers…. duh…. it’s because his Head Coach does the same thing and that hypocritically blasts Winston when he throws an INT out of desperation!
Don’t confuse the Winston fanboys with facts. They downvote facts.
Watch the Saints opener again @bucballer
I predicted the the o-line would be hot garbage going into that game both based on the roster and their performance/lack of depth during the preseason. The o-line played one of the best games I’ve ever seen a Bucs line play. Fitzpatrick had all day to throw and pick apart the Saints defense. The Eagles game was also one where it was able to hold up well but the line reverted to it’s norm and defensive coordinators saw where the holes and weaknesses were. Fitz got manhandled against the Steelers and threw a pick 6 IIRC. He got benched a week later after struggling against the Bears. The line has been what you would expect ever since.
If this was an example of how great Fitz is then why praytell was Fitz benched twice this season? His success was based on his ability to stay clean in the pocket, which would be true for most QB’s, without it he really struggled.
Hey Philly fan. Merry Christmas to u and all the Buc Nation! It was more than just the first two games. Fitz threw for more than 400 yards in 4 games! Look up when the last time a Buc QB threw for 400 yards four times in one season. That is why the Buc Offensive numbers are so skewed. Jameis is a good QB and I think most want him to develop into a great QB. He is only 24! I think next year will determine if he is the long term franchise QB or just another Buc QB gone after 5 years! I would like to see a new coaching staff come in and coach these boys up with an Offense that plays to the strengths of Jameis and a O-line that will allow him to see through his progressions and make plays. Because we sometimes criticize him does not mean we want him to fail! I just would like to see him a little further along in his development than he currently is… of course coaching could have a lot to do with that! Kotter was promoted to keep continuity with Jameis… he didn’t seem to enhance his game much!
Philly gave the answer to you as fundamental as it can get, you seem like a fan that genuinely cares about us winning unlike some who come on here spew there hate for a particular player,coach or GM. We got one on here who even wants to fire the owners. The Bucs have a lot of problems but Winston is not one of them.
Devasher is also making excellent points. They’re both right, Good job fellas
bucballer, thank you for the Merry Christmas shout out. I agree that this fifth year is needed. I am concerned that we put a “decent” O line in front of him bit I really think a fresh voice will make a huge difference. Winston is beat down and a lot of it is self inflicted. The criticism is deserved. He needs to earn his pay and he needs to stay out of trouble. Where I struggle is with those on here who only want to incite hatred and negativity to hear their own voices and you are obviously NOT one of those folks.
Captain Sly, we can read by the comments who the true fans are on here. There a lot of them. Sometimes it’s nice to see good things being said about fellow fans…nice job!
Happy New Year everyone. We don’t have long to wait to see what direction OUR Team is going!!!
When you have a good Defense, You don’t have to make your QB play from behind and…sling chances! Look at Mariota. Whatever strengths he has, Tenn has found a way for him to plya..within them. You don’t see that kid just heavin the ball downfield constantly. There Defense does a lot of the heavy lifting. If we can Ever get a good defense in here again….Jameis might be Ok. But for now its, BOMBS AWAY. And its our downfall.
Drop Koetter, keep Winston and flip a coin on Licht
Keeping Koetter and expecting a different outcome is silly. Why would you?
Keeping Licht and expecting better drafting and FA is silly. Why would you?
Keeping Winston and expecting better play under a new regime is…possible.
I expect him to fail (again) based on a fundamental lack of accuracy (mostly) and poor decision making.
BUT I COULD BE WRONG. Winston has been in one, bad, system his entire pro career after a short college career where he and his team got by on superior physical attributes vs true skill, technique, mastery of the game etc. Maybe maybe maybe the light bulb will go on with better coaching (ie not Koetter) and better personnel around him (ie not Licht).
So that’s my vote. Not that it counts for anything.
Not much room to argue there. Although I don’t have as much of a problem with the GM, he has whiffed on a lot of FA but I grade a GM on what he’s done with our 1st Rd picks can’t screw that up. That’s just me.
On another note it was good to see our players today visiting the patient’s at Florida Hospital spreading the holiday cheer giving build a bears. Bravo to those guys for caring!
Hi Mark,
Good job on your points for keeping Koetter. I believe we could win with Koetter if he made some subtle changes in how he approaches his job. You make good points but even in his strengths, he could be achieving so much more with THIS offense if he made some subtle changes to his weekly approach of Head Coaching!
1. Offense. It falls into predictable ruts and because of these ruts, it creates higher risks of turnovers and offensive linemen looking worse than they are. It seems to me and many fans that when Monken is calling plays free from Koetter’s interference, that the play-calling and game-planning is improved and we get better results (particularly with scoring and specifically in the red zone).
2. Koetter’s Likability. I agree. He seems to be the kind of Head Coach a player would want personality-wise. Nevertheless, Koetter fails to make tough decisions and is too loyal with players (and coaches… i.e. Mike Smith) sometimes. If he stays here next year, then there MUST be some benchmarks for his decision-making on the players snap counts… what plays they’re involved in… and player development overall. As it stands now, his benchmarks for determining these weekly decisions aren’t good and they are producing too many bad plays… too many losing results. I think this has more to do with how a Head Coach works THRU his Coordinators. I don’t think he’s figured out how to do that yet and having Mike Smith around really stunted his growth as a Head Coach. But going back to likability, I think he’s too likable… when you have your Head Coach telling the public that DeSean Jackson has a green light to decide whether or not to return punts, then that hurts his own authority as Head Coach. Just using this as an example, but if DJ returning punts gives us the best chance to win games, then as Head Coach, Koetter should be demanding that DJ returns punts. Players shouldn’t be making these decisions in the way that Koetter allows. It sets a bad precedent and hurts his ability to be the best authority figure he can be as Head Coach.
3. Stability. I can’t add to this one because at this point in Koetter’s tenure I believe he’s holding them back from a winning record. He needs to change how he’s handling his job because they’re just going to be repeating the same results next year… maddening inconsistency resulting in another losing record.
4. History. Yes, the Belichick example is a good one. Head Coaches who hit the ground running with winning seasons are very rare. But do we have the kind of Head Coach who will make changes to the way he approaches his job? He did make some changes this year and we opened the season in fantastic fashion. Unfortunately, he didn’t make enough changes (i.e. firing Mike Smith). And this is where I cringe about having Dirk for another year… he’s a lot like Mike Smith except with a more offensive mind. Very stubborn. Resistant to change or make adjustments. Can he change? Well, anybody can change. But one thing’s for sure, if Koetter is back next year, it needs to be a different Koetter… a Koetter who has learned from his mistakes and willing to receive some benchmark accountability for not falling into his predictable bad habits/choices.
Excellent points Ron, I always enjoy your post you seem to put a lot of thought into it before saying it. As far as Stubborn Coaches like Koetter changing the list is very very short, however I have one example for you and this is just for “Fun”. But Tom Coughlin was criticized for his stubbornness being a disciplinarian,Rigid,never celebrated with his players and muzzled players speaking out. The owners decided to give him one more chance and the very next season he loosened up and you see him in the locker room laughing,partying with players and in the most amazing season I have ever seen they beat the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Good point. Coughlin needed to make some adjustments to his coaching style in a different way obviously, but the same idea applies. Koetter does need to change and needs to be held accountable in sustaining it.
One more critical point I forgot to make, that if I were the Glazers, I would make it clear that he could get fired during the season.
Koetter is a lot less experienced than Coughlin was at that time of your example. Koetter’s changes need to be in how he leads his whole team as a Head Coach, while Coughlin did have a likability issue that had to be addressed. You can be a strict coach in the NFL and still be liked…. Coughlin obviously proved it that year.
I agree with you, the learning curve is just to steep for Koetter to overcome. He should have let his coordinators bail him out but his controlling nature would not allow it. Just too many negatives to get to a positive.
There are winners and there losers
The winners say nothing
And the losers blame the O line coach weather
The QB for the Bucs has strong arm
Looks impressive to untrained eye
BUT IS IN FACT A LOSER HE IS A LOOOOSER THAT IS WHAT HE DOES
He has good mouth piece talks a bunch of Bull Sh-t however end of game he loses unless next year you want be 3-13. Better look for new QB
I think we need to bring back Richard Williamson!!!