Buccaneers: Coach Dirk Koetter on where the team is after three games

Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter talked about where the team is after three preseason games.

Game three of the preseason, also known as the dress rehearsal, did not go the way Buccaneers fans expected it to. It was a sloppy night as the Bucs fell to the Browns by the score of 13-9. They were without Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson so the offense didn’t move the football the way they did over the first two weeks. The defense kept DeShone Kizer down but a late touchdown gave Cleveland the win.

However, it is the preseason and our concern is with player development. There was enough to name winners and losers from Saturday night. We have seen the offense go up and down the field at times and the defense is holding their opponents to just over 13 points per game. At that rate, this team will be readying itself to do something very special and end a certain drought we have talked about for a long time.

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So how is the coach feeling as his team prepares for the 2017 season? This past Sunday, coach Dirk Koetter talked about various team topics (Bucs media website). He is especially happy on special teams:

"“Both our kicker and our punter had really good nights. Special teams in general was very solid other than the one penalty that knocked out a big return for us, an explosive return. Part of winning is field position. It’s one of the biggest things; it’s not talked about very much. Bryan [Anger] – had it in my mind that we were going to go for that one fourth down around the 40-something-yard line. I changed my mind after I saw what defense they were in, went to the punt and he pins them down at the one-yard line. Bryan is such a weapon. Our gunners continue to do a good job. That was Justin Evans on that one, that was a nice play by him. I think our kicking game is in good hands going into the season.”"

We have come a long way, haven’t we? As we watched Roberto Aguayo last year and at the beginning of this year, Koetter being happy with special teams seemed like a dream. They knew what they had in Bryan Anger. Out goes Aguayo, in comes Nick Folk, and the world of special teams calms down. That’s the difference when you bring in a kicker with a history of making the kicks he’s supposed to make. Folk is consistent and the Bucs will benefit.

He isn’t as thrilled, however, with the pass protection:

"We had some individual breakdowns last night. I thought Evan Smith did a really nice job filling in at left guard and has had a real consistent preseason. Leonard Wester got his first start, that was great experience for him. The way it worked out, even though we played into the second half our first line and Jameis, they played the exact same number of plays that they played in one half at Jacksonville, 44 plays. So for Leonard to get 44 with the first group, that’s invaluable experience. Ali [Marpet] at center, you can definitely feel how he makes us more solid in the middle. But then, [there’s] a learning curve. He had a couple of snaps that were a little bit high, a little tough to handle. And Donovan [Smith] did not play as well as he’s capable of. But it’s a work in progress.”"

We have talked about it many times but it deserves repeating. It doesn’t matter how many weapons the Bucs add on the outside. Doug Martin could have the legs ready to put in a career year in 2017. None of it matters if the offensive line isn’t any good. A good offensive line can help cover a lot of problems, and a bad one makes an offense look worse.

That group needs to get healthy and get it together by the time the Bucs face Miami. The team has big plans and they need the guys up front to make those plans a reality.

Next: Preseason week three winners and losers

What is your biggest concern as the Bucs close out the preseason? Answer in the comments…

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