Fans React to Dirk Koetter as the New Head Coach
As expected, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has been promoted to become the next head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bucs Nation is a passionate group, here are some fan reactions to the decision.
Good morning Bucs Nation, and happy Friday. It was a big Thursday for the Buccaneers, or at the very least, it was a day we all saw coming. Ever since the day Lovie Smith was fired, the expectation was that Dirk Koetter would be promoted to take his place.
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Yesterday, that was what happened, as Koetter was officially named the franchise’s 11th head coach.
We know the success he had last season with the Buccaneers’ offense, boasting one of the most prolific groups in team history. He had similar success with the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars over the previous seven years. But, he has no NFL head coaching experience to this point. Is Koetter the right guy?
We posed the question on Twitter last night, looking for you, the fans, and your feelings, and we received plenty of responses. Here are some of them.
There was certainly a lot of excitement:
@ThePewterPlank Great promotion! Happy for the team and remaining coaches! I think we have a great GM and HC now.
— Joey Newman (@Newman2Joey) January 15, 2016
@ThePewterPlank love this move. Has this offense moving in the right direction and vital to Jameis's development. The future is bright.
— Jay Smith (@rearranged44) January 15, 2016
@ThePewterPlank great hire. He and @jasonrlicht will build this thang right! pic.twitter.com/cwjGDXtgwe
— tampa1 (@tampa1_) January 15, 2016
@ThePewterPlank an Offensive minded Head Coach will bring back the electricity this fan base has been deprived of for so long #RIPBucBall ☠🏈
— The B🎃🎃GEYMAN (@THE_B00GEYMAN) January 15, 2016
This certainly appeared to be the majority opinion. Bucs Nation seems legitimately juiced up about the direction the offense is heading, with Jameis Winston leading the way, and Dirk Koetter gets a lot of credit for that. With that, it really is no surprise that the fan base is excited, as Koetter’s ability is clearly evident.
Others took a more measured approach:
@ThePewterPlank offense wins games defense wins championships pick a strong d-coordinator and you'll have a nice career in Tampa Bay
— Brian DeFeo (@BriDeF36) January 15, 2016
@ThePewterPlank I get the hire but I don't see how this fixes the losing culture that Koetter was a part of. DC hire extremely important.
— PC (@MotorBoater211) January 15, 2016
@ThePewterPlank he needs to make a great DC hire
— J. Willson (@jimbowilstone) January 15, 2016
Brian DeFeo makes a particularly good point when he says that “defense wins championships”. He is right.
Still there were a few that dissented, not too thrilled about the hire:
@ThePewterPlank safe hire. I hope it works but not the hire I would've gone for. Still #GoBucs
— T (@BucWild007) January 15, 2016
It’s certainly understandable to be concerned about the hire. As we said earlier, Koetter has no head coaching experience on the NFL level. There are candidates out there that can check that box. With no guarantees, being skeptical is a very valid opinion as well.
More buccaneers: Help Jameis Winston Win Some Hardware
Thank you for all of the responses, Bucs Nation. We can’t make this site great without all of you.
Now, let’s take a vote. Vote below, and give us your opinion on the hire: