Dirk Koetter Needs To Re-Think Things

Now that the first quarter of the season is over, it’s clear that Dirk Koetter needs to re-think his approach in some areas and put the Buccaneers in better positions.

First things first: I love Dirk Koetter as the head coach of this team. I think he was absolutely the right choice to get this team to the next level and to turn them into a contender. Despite the early season struggles, you can see improvements in this team on a weekly basis. Once all those improvements are put together in a complete game, then another, and another, this team is going to be extremely dangerous. So, now that that’s out of the way, I’ll say this;

Dirk Koetter: What in the world is your problem?

During Sunday’s game, with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Koetter opted to punt on 4th-and-7 in Broncos territory. When asked about it post game, he was the honest guy we all have come to know;

"“I’d been watching our offense the whole game. I don’t know why anyone expected we could make it on fourth-and-7 if they’d been watching our offense the rest of the game. I sure didn’t expect us to.I’m playing the percentages, guys. When we don’t make it on third-and-7 and we’ve got the guy wide open on third-and-7, what makes you think you’re going to make it on fourth-and-7? We’re not going to come back and run the same play again. We were struggling all night. At that point, why would we give them the ball at midfield instead of putting them back inside and hoping we could get a turnover? We’re hoping our defense could come up with the ball.We weren’t playing well enough on offense. That’s my decision. You guys can all tell me that I’m full of crap. That’s fine. Shoot, I’ve seen a lot of offensive football. We were going to have a hard time making it on fourth-and-7. If we gave them the ball right there, what good was going to happen then? I made a decision.Oct 2, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter talks with quarterback Jameis Winston (3) during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Denver Broncos defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports"

Okay. I can buy that and I understand the logic here. You’re angry with your offense’s performance, you don’t trust them, punt the ball and move on. Fine.

Then what in the world was going through your head in the final two minutes?!?!

This Denver pass rush was teeing off on Jameis Winston all afternoon. They were hitting him, knocking him down, sacking him, basically using him as a human tackling dummy. There were not one, not two, but three helmet to helmet shots on Jameis that went unflagged, including him being speared in the head after giving himself up inside two minutes to go in the game.

With the speed, strength, and dirty play by the Denver defense, why in God’s name did you leave your starter out there to take that beating in a game you already gave up on with that 4th-and-7 punt?!?! There is no excuse for that! NONE. We’ve watched this team lose Doug Martin, Luke Stocker, Robert Ayers, Gerald McCoy, Noah Spence, Brandon Myers, Cecil Shorts all to injury. In what universe is leaving your star quarterback, the franchise quarterback in that game a smart decision?

On top of that, you blow the two minute drill against the Rams by not using your timeouts and letting precious time tick off the clock, but in a game that had long been decided, you used all three to stop the clock and run plays that resulted in Jameis getting bludgeoned. Freaking brilliant, Dirk.

Everyone lost their minds when Jameis was left in a 40-7 game in Arizona, citing fear of injury. Then, it happens again only this time, the beating was much worse. We watched Winston get sacked three times in four plays and eventually walk off the field beaten, bruised, and battered.

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Again, don’t give me the “captain going down with his ship” crap. That’s a weak, ignorant argument or justification for an indefensible decision by Dirk Koetter. When he was asked about it, he spewed this nonsense;

"“There’s definitely a fine line, but you can’t take your whole team out. You don’t have enough guys. You can’t take everybody out. We thought about it. We had plenty of time to think about it. We left him in.’’"

No, Dirk, you’re right. You can’t take everyone out. You can, however, take out the franchise quarterback before he gets killed!!! It was sheer idiocy to leave Winston in there given the fact that the game was long over and you already quit with seven minutes to go.

No, you don’t put Mike Glennon in and have him start slinging the ball. You already quit, conceded, whatever you want to call it. You put Glennon in to hand off three times then punt the ball away. You don’t leave the face of the franchise out there on an island to get destroyed. It was like watching a Gazelle with a broken leg just sit there while Lions came at it from every direction, knowing it was the easiest meal they’ll ever eat.

I’m well aware that this will take time. I’m well aware that piecing this team together, getting the new system fully installed will take time. I’m well aware that, dare I say it, changing the culture will take time. However, you’ve been in this league long enough to know what transpired at the end of that game was stupid. You’ve been a head coach before and know that whatever point you were trying to prove to your team could have very well cost your team any chance they have at saving this season.

Next: Grading The Buccaneers: Week Four

Get it fixed, Dirk. We, as Buccaneers fans, appreciate your brutal honesty, the way you’ve built this offense, and we’re behind you to be the man to get this team headed in the right direction for the first time in a decade. But in order to do that, you’re going to have to swallow your pride at times. You’re going to have to get out of your own head. Be better, Koetter. We know you can.