FAB 2. Wrong Move For Koetter To Apologize To Falcons

Let’s get a couple things out of the way right out of the gate.

First, Dirk Koetter is absolutely the right man to be coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s got the right attitude, the right approach, the right coaching staff and the right offensive scheme to take the Bucs to the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl before his current contract expires.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I was the first to champion Koetter as the one to replace Lovie Smith back on October 26, 2015 when I called for Smith to be fired after Tampa Bay blew a 24-0 lead to lose at Washington, 31-30. I thought he was the right person for the job back then, and no one has been in Koetter’s corner more than I, and the PewterReport.com staff.

Second, Koetter is a class act. He treats his players and coaches with the utmost respect, in addition to everyone at One Buccaneer Place, including the Bucs beat writers. Occasionally he’ll get a little ticked off at a question, typically after a sub-par practice that already has him in a bad mood, but that’s to be expected.

Third, Koetter has publicly stated he wants to build a “bad ass” football team in Tampa Bay. That’s the identity he wants to create for his Buccaneers, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that’s awesome, and some would say even needed for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008.

That’s the type of swagger that Jon Gruden brought to Tampa Bay in 2002 that took the defense to new heights and helped the offense develop into a complimentary and competent unit that wouldn’t actually let the defense down as it had in previous years in key games, including playoff losses at Philadelphia in 2000 and 2001.

Koetter’s swagger was on display after Tampa Bay’s comeback victory at San Diego on December 4 when he addressed a jubilant Bucs locker room and told his players to “speak softly, but carry a big mother[expletive] stick.”

When I tweeted out Koetter’s fiery remarks minutes after Buccaneers.com released the post-game locker room speech video, it got hundreds of likes and retweets.

#Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter told the team after win over #Chargers: “Speak softly, but carry a big mother#*$%ing stick!” Gotta love it!

— Scott Reynolds (@PewterReport) December 5, 2016

That phrase has become a battle cry for a rabidly enthusiastic group of Bucs fans that listen to Justin Pawlowski’s podcast known as “Stick Carriers,” which is pretty cool to see. Some of those Stick Carriers visit PewterReport.com.

What wasn’t cool was to see was Koetter apologize for a funny-as-hell tweet from the Bucs social media department directed at the Atlanta Falcons, who were trolling Tampa Bay’s original tweet about a Bucs fidget spinner. Atlanta replied with a gif of a Falcons player shrugging his shoulders and the remarks: “Are you nervous about something?” – clearly a shot at the Bucs, who lost 42-28 in the teams’ last meeting, by the reigning NFC South division and NFC Conference champions.

To which the Bucs replied, “We ain’t worried ‘bout nothing!” above a picture of star quarterback Jameis Winston giving a handshake to cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. The subtle joke was the jersey numbers 28 and 3, which represented the 28-3 lead Atlanta blew in New England’s Super Bowl LI overtime victory.
At the conclusion of last Thursday’s OTA, Koetter opened up his press conference with reporters by saying “sorry” to the Falcons.

These are going FAST! Check out the official #Buccaneers Fidget Spinner at our online store!

SHOP NOW: https://t.co/dp3Q13TNhL pic.twitter.com/RS2eoAKjFg

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) May 22, 2017

Are you nervous about something? pic.twitter.com/i6S4ExDCLF

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 22, 2017

We ain’t worried ’bout nothing! pic.twitter.com/7rIpy9gxtE

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) May 22, 2017

“I want to make sure, on behalf of the Bucs organization, that I apologize to the Falcons,” Koetter said. “Whatever it was supposed to be that went out on social media, that’s not what our organization is all about. That was totally unprofessional and not smart on our part, whoever was responsible for that. Heck, we want to be playing in the Super Bowl, and we were home sitting on our butt while they were playing. We have no room to be making fun of anybody that was in the Super Bowl, whether they won or not.”

A classy move by Koetter? No doubt.

But it was also an unnecessary one.

Koetter didn’t tweet that out. An incredibly funny member of the Bucs social media team – that likely had to dig for hours for the picture of Hargreaves and Winston to be positioned just right – did.

And let’s not forget that the Falcons started this by trolling the Bucs Twitter account to begin with.

They started it.

The Bucs finished it.

Did the Falcons apologize to the Bucs for trolling them on social media?

Hell, no.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

No apology from Koetter was necessary. Koetter didn’t tweet it nor did any of his players, so he’s not violating his own code of “speak softly, but carry a big mother[expletive] stick.”

To me, the Bucs’ reply to the Falcons’ post on Twitter is what “speak softly but carry a big mother[expletive] stick” is all about.

If anything, the Bucs social media department should be lauded for sticking up for the franchise – not condemned by the head coach.

This is a hotly contested division rivalry between the Bucs and Falcons, damnit.

Let’s not forget that the Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta series is 3-3 over the past three years with the Falcons sweeping the Bucs in 2014, the Bucs sweeping the Falcons in 2015 and the team’s splitting last year’s series, each scoring a win on the other’s home turf.

And keep in mind that the Bucs’ three victories have only come by a combined 15 points. The Falcons’ three wins have come by a combined 67 points, including two blowout victories in nationally televised games on NFL Network. Koetter was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator in 2014 when the Falcons absolutely embarrassed the Bucs 56-14.

Last year after Koetter got his first NFL victory in Tampa Bay’s 31-24 season-opening win at Atlanta, the Falcons turned the tables and trounced the Bucs in a nationally televised Thursday night game, winning 42-28 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

Koetter can be friends with quarterback Matt Ryan and grateful to Falcons owner Arthur Blank all he wants, but he needs to remember that he was fired by Atlanta, too. Koetter wasn’t asked to succeed Mike Smith in Atlanta when he got axed after the 2014 season. He was cast off. The whole Falcons staff was fired and Koetter’s allegiances are now with the red and pewter of Tampa Bay, not the red and black of Atlanta.

Koetter didn’t even have to acknowledge the tweet if asked about it by the media. He could have easily shrugged it off and said he’s focused on football – not social media. That’s what he should have done.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Koetter should have just ignored it in front of the media – and laughed his butt off about it behind closed doors.

That’s what bad ass coaches of bad ass football teams do.

I don’t believe for one second that the Bucs gave the Falcons any bulletin board material because Tampa Bay’s “diss” of Atlanta came on social media, not from the Bucs locker room or the podium in the interview room.

Koetter’s personality and belief system appears to be on the spectrum in between the classy Tony Dungy and the bad ass Gruden.

If I were Koetter I would lean closer to the guy that won the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, swagger up, and get ready to make a statement this year by sweeping the Falcons – no matter what is said or not said on Twitter.

No more apologies, Dirk.