Class Move By Dirk Koetter
April 18th, 2018
Players-first coach
Imagine entering your contract year full of optimism coming off a breakthrough season and a winning record on an emerging team.
Then career disaster strikes.
Or at least potential disaster.
That happened to tight end Cameron Brate about one year ago. Right after a 2016 season in which he should have made the Pro Bowl with eight touchdowns and 57 catches, Brate was dealt a kick to the groin. The Bucs drafted O.J. Howard with the No. 19 overall pick.
Joe reminisced with Brate about that tough moment this week on the Ira Kaufman Podcast.
“First reaction, I was like, ‘Oh, shoot. You know, there goes half my reps,'” Brate said of the Howard selection.
Brate explained that his professional jolt lasted under a minute — thanks to his boss.
“Coach Koetter called me right away and wanted to tell me there’s still going to be a spot for me on the offense and everything. … He called me pretty much instantly. It was within 30 seconds of the draft pick,” Brate said. “That was huge. I think if I didn’t have that it would have been a pretty tough night; I would have been questioning a lot of things.”
What a class move by Koetter. There’s Koetter in the midst of a screaming celebration in the Bucs’ draft war room breaking away instantly to call (not text) his tight end and soothe him. That’s a coach who cares deeply about his players. Brate added that his position coach, Ben Steele, called him, too.
Great nugget of Bucs history right there. And if you haven’t listened to Brate’s full interview, well, it’s absolutely worth the time investment.
April 18th, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Really interesting and a very class move by Koetter. I know last yr was an extreme disappointment and Koetter has his issues, especially w clock management but I’m a fan of his.
My opinion is that it’s time to let a coach go if/when a team gives up on him. Last yr even when the playoffs were out of reach the entire team was still fighting and scratching and giving 100% to win….and I think that says an awful lot about the coach.
April 18th, 2018 at 5:43 pm
Oh and Miko said on Twitter last night that Brate is the best TE in the league…I don’t think I would go that far, but it’s a helluva endorsement. Say what you want about her, she knows the game
April 18th, 2018 at 5:48 pm
Agreed, 100%.
For what it’s worth, and almost all will disregard it cuz that’s how this place works…..THIS Bucs fan penned a post a couple days ago surmising that Elway would/could be enticed by Licht trading OJ Howard and our 4th (or 3rd rd 2019 pick) to move down from #5 to #7 for the Bucs to GO TAKE SAQUON should he make it to #5 Denver. That trade to acquire SAQUON, would alleviate any and all concerns that Brate might have, AND land us well….SAQUON.
Go Bucs!
April 18th, 2018 at 5:48 pm
Basically proves they wasted the pick on a TE.
April 18th, 2018 at 5:53 pm
Wasted the pick? You do know that more than one tight end can play at a time don’t you? Brate and Howard are two totally different types of TEs.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:01 pm
OJ Howard was not a wasted pick. Bucs were going 5-11 no matter who they drafted at that spot.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Yeah well in the event that we were to draft a cornerback in the first round (which I really hope we don’t) I don’t see Koetter calling Hargreaves…
April 18th, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Much respect for that Coach K….now get to better play calling both TE’s and clock management.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Wasted pick? I can’t believe the daily dose of ignorance on this site. This league is about collecting the best talent you can within the confines of a salary cap. We currently have 3 to 4 amazing talents to throw the ball to. Couple that with a bit of a running game and opponents have major problems.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:21 pm
The Bucs did not need O.J. Howard. It was a wasted pick. Even with Howard on the roster, Brate’s numbers barely suffered. There’s the proof.
Cook was the pick.
You’ll never convince me otherwise.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Some Tampa fans are ridiculous…about 90% of the starting QBs in the NFL WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have the receiving corps Jameis has INCLUDING the TEs.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:27 pm
Quality posters so far on this thread.
No doubt it was classy and the Brate/Howard TE duo will be Incredible.
Especially if we go Nelson at 7!
Go Bucs!
April 18th, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Trade Oj. Jaboobuc, I second motion as it relates to fan ignorance. The bucs drafted Oj because koetter loves 2 dynamic tight ends. The combo of asj and brate did not work out because of asj’s off the field issues. Oj has no issues. Brate concerns were allieviated on draft night or did you miss the whole point of this article? Smdh
April 18th, 2018 at 6:31 pm
Brates hands are extremely reliable
April 18th, 2018 at 6:31 pm
He deserved every penny of his contract
April 18th, 2018 at 6:35 pm
Joe………you Really need to add a “like” button.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Buctrooper
I guess you missed the end of the 9-7 season when brate was hurt for the final 3 games and winston had no legitimate tight end threat to throw to. Its called having quality depth. You would be the first poster blasting licht if brate goes down without a decent tight end to take his place. Crying for a running back that injury issues in college that only played about 5 pro games due to injury again is stupid. The bucs picked their guy.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:44 pm
@BBB
You may catch grief from this crowd who do not want to trade up for anybody.
Not me though because like you I believe Barkley may have the kind of franchise changing talent like Marshall Faulk. I can’t go for your offer in terms of OJ however. To me that’s trading one great talent for an exceptional talent. I’d hope we could find a different player…DJAX? and even sweeten the draft picks but I have high hopes for OJ. I love Brate but if it brought Barkley I’d consider him as well
I hope you’re happy BBB now you’ve gotten me in deep dooty here along with yourself. LOL
April 18th, 2018 at 6:48 pm
theodore Says
“Basically proves they wasted the pick on a TE.”
Absolutely…not. Koetter has been wanting 2 tight end sets for a while now. Luke Stocker just did not measure up.
My question is this: why do you have to view the glass as half empty?
April 18th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
Everyone saying OJ was a wasted pick: Consider not only his pass catching skills, but also his elite blocking, which is very crucial.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
Koetter is a class act and what you see is what you get. Don’t agree with him on everything…clock management is the only real beef for me…this year play calling will be critical though especially if we get a running game and DJAX and #3 get some chemistry.
Lot’s of weapons but only ONE football which will put DK’s or Moncken’s play calling under an even greater microscope.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
I’m in the no trade up from 7 crowd. Giving up picks is not the way to build this team. A 3rd for JPP was okay…but that’s all we should give up without gaining more picks in return.
I would be happy to trade down though. Contrary to others, I could care less about Barkley or any of the first round secondary players. Give me Nelson or a DE or trade down to acquire more picks.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:53 pm
@StPeteBucsFan
I agree about the clock management thing…but really, we want Winston to make those decisions on the field whenever possible. The goal; it to get him to take over the games…like a Payton Manning would do, or a Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers, etc.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:58 pm
When we choose a TE it was a position of need. Maybe not the biggest need but a need nonetheless. Dirks base offense runs with2 TEs. Maybe some fans loved Luke Stocker(hell of a blocker) but he was not a fit for the passing attack.
We were pretty weak at TE with only Brate being a receiving threat.
O.J. has to get better this year. This is something you always expect of a second year player(unless he is VHIII) so there’s no worries. He needs to get better on the Line of Scrimmage first and foremost.
April 18th, 2018 at 6:59 pm
the defensive coordinators all now know how to defend Brates/Koetters seam pattern route….the safetys are all looking for it
brate cant separate from coverage by himself and is limited…he would have been cut like previously again by Brees/Payton and the saints because of his limitations
OJ howard should be used as TE1 and get most of the receptions…need to wait till 2019 for John Delifino
April 18th, 2018 at 7:01 pm
Wow! Great news, we’re so lucky to have O.J. and Brate and Koetter too. Not only are they the best TE duo in the league Koetter is one helleva offensive minded coach that should take the nfc south by storm. Is that better SB? Lol.
Total wasted pick, Brate was the #1 TE in the league and with desperate need for a RT like Ryan Ramcyzk we decide to get O.J., hmm okay. I’m sure this had nothing to do with Jameis getting hurt or fumbling bc hey we have the great Demar Dotson and Benenoch protecting him. And no Benenoch did not punch the ball out of jw hands after getting beat for a sack. The tape does not clearly show that.
I can’t believe the daily dose of ignorance on this site, either. Smh.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:09 pm
Kobe Brate is a very good route runner and can beat LBs all day. I agree he is limited. Everybody in the league knows you gotta cover Brate and will be watching him.
That why it should be expected(demanded?) that O.J. gets more looks downfield this year and runs more routes.
Not many teams will be thinking about O.J. because we don’t really use him that much…….We start using him more and force the other team to adjust…..Then when they adjust we might just find Brate or maybe DJax wide ass open……..And all of that works much better if you can get 8 guys up in the box more.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:13 pm
I guess some of the guys don’t watch the games. OJ Howard is a beast blocking and scored 6 TD’s as a rookie even though he missed a couple of games. The 2 TE set has been extremely effective for New England and I think that we are looking at a breakout year. The GM and coaches know a lot more than a bunch of clowns that think they can do a better job. I get the frustration (cheering for a bad team)…but hopefully that will change big time. This is probably the same crowd that wanted Dungy and Gruden fired for their incompetence.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:13 pm
offensive mind?
when you have a OJ howard, you should never ever have problems in the red zone…he is a mismatch to any defensive player
isolate oj on 1 side and run a out with jameis rolling out on the same side
no blitz/pressure and defensive coverage can defend that play with OJ/JW skillset to run that play
they can have 30tds on that exact play
Kobe J. Defilppo
April 18th, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Plus the Howard pick was unexpected too. No one thought he’d slide that far
April 18th, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Tensions are high I feel young Grasshopper! Too soon the draft can not come.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:20 pm
K2….O.J. has shown some flashes with his blocking but he gets pushed around a lot and gets washed out of plays. He needs to shed of more blocks and get to the second level more. His rookie year was impressive. Expecting him to make more plays for our offense next year.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:21 pm
I can’t believe that some of the sheep think that a running back that could not last 3 games was still suppose to be the pick!!!!!!!! Demar Dotson has his best year and is it a coincidence that OJ was lining up on his side!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!
April 18th, 2018 at 7:24 pm
I can understand the jaded view most of the fan base has, heck I was born in Tampa and I bleed Creamsicle since I learned to change the knobs on the tv. I am so tired of reading you fair weather fans bitch and moan just to be able to read your self on posts and to piss other fans off, if you don’t like the team then go root for the dirty birds or anyone else for all I care just stop hurting my eyes with your opinion. I fly my pirates flag if we are 2-14 or SB Champs. I drive 3 to 4 hours for every home game I am able to make, I AM A FAN regardless of how well we do our don’t do. Your opinion has no bearing what so ever on how the team is run, if you want to change it then buy the team. Till then please learn what a fan is not a critic.
April 18th, 2018 at 7:32 pm
🙂 LOL…@StPeteBucsFan…hilarious!
You are too much! Enjoyed the laugh….”deep dooty” knew you meant doodie.
Welcome to the Darkside 🙂
The reason I proposed OJ in the trade to Denver is because that’s what Elway covets since the hay-days of Manning to Thomas, since they already have the WR crop fully loaded there in Denver, with Demaryius and Sanders, plus others. Elway would not have an interest in DJax from us, nor his salary, but Denver does desperately need a stud TE, and while I certainly like OJ a lot, he IS A SURPLUS for us. OJ is a DROP in the bucket………plus a pick…
To obtain SAQUON.
We have Brate plus other remaining weapons, and Elway can still get Nelson at #7 when Indy takes Chubb at #6 if they stay there. But we move in front of #6, take SAQUON. OJ by no means will contribute like the TOTAL WORTH of SAQUON…..for years to come. That’s why I proposed what I did, based on the GM’s and offensive rosters of the 2 teams involved.
Go Bucs!
April 18th, 2018 at 7:36 pm
Cook was by far the better pick if not Ryan Ramcyzk. Let’s see the Saints made the POs and so did the Vikings. So wtf are you saying?
April 18th, 2018 at 8:02 pm
John5- lmao
April 18th, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Wonder if anyone called Connor Barth when Aguayo was drafted……guess not….what do you say?……you’ll still get half the kicks?
Koetter is a class act and I’m sure that call meant a great deal to a very good player…..it will pay off.
As for OJ Howard being a wasted pick…..wow….you just can’t fix stupid!!!
April 18th, 2018 at 8:08 pm
@ db55
Let me get this straight, the saints made the playoffs due to the rookie tackle and not because their defense made a dramatic improvement from the past 3 years of sucking and the bucs missed the playoffs because they didnt draft the rookie tackle and not because the defense and special teams sucked. Got it. Db55 you are one funny dude.
April 18th, 2018 at 8:11 pm
What a minute didn’t Cook get hurt early in the seasom
April 18th, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Season
April 18th, 2018 at 8:14 pm
The Vikings had one of the best Defenses
The Saints have Drew
Either Draft pick sent them to the Playoffs
OJ with Brate = Twin Towers of Power
May I add O.J. is a great guy off the field as I had the chance to meet him and discuss football
April 18th, 2018 at 8:17 pm
@ db55
Do you realize cook only played 3 or 4 games? How did he contribute to the playoffs? That defense which the bucs dont have was the reason. I have heard it all. Ive heard of qbs getting too much of the credit for wins but i have never heard of a player on ir after 3 weeks get credit for being a factor in the playoff appearance. Kevin hart has nothing on you. You are hillarious
April 18th, 2018 at 8:38 pm
I would argue we have the best TE set and LB set in the NFC South….get the others (DE and DT set…CB-Safety set) fixed and we’re on our way…..plus that one dynamic RB to add with Barber.
April 18th, 2018 at 8:54 pm
Webster
No I’m saying the made the P.O. bc they make good decisions. Cook got hurt bc that turf in minn is garbage. Doubtful it would have happened here. Saints also made good moves in the last few years to build their line which led to Brees having a good year and their RBs having great years. Arguably the best RB duo in the league.
It’s the decisions they make but wtfdik.
Honestly dawg idk why you even bother reading my drivel
April 18th, 2018 at 9:01 pm
Dalvin Cook Player Overview
Cook was a stat-piling machine at Florida State — despite dealing with a multitude of injuries. He has 3 shoulder surgeries behind him: one in high school, one in 2014 and another in 2016. And he suffered a hamstring/ankle injury in 2015. He missed just 2 games across his 3-year career, though, showing an ability to play at less than 100%.
__________________
Less than 10% chance that Cook was the better pick prolly.
April 18th, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Well, a running back likely would have made a major difference.
Nothing against Justin Evans but if the Bucs had picked Alvin Kamara instead, Joe would venture to guess the Bucs record might have been 8-8.
April 18th, 2018 at 9:38 pm
Oj Howard and cook are both great players and you can’t argue with either of the picks.if both stay healthy they will be pro bowl players but with cook the injurys have to be a concern.he is a very talented running back no question.im happy with oj cause he is a complete tight end that can catch and block which is rare these days.most can’t block!oj can damn sure block and will only get better.its time to go get some more players in the draft and get this ship going in the right direction. C’mon GM show the world Tampa is BACK!!!!
April 18th, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Kamara under Klueless Koetter?
He would have been a special teams player and would have had 10% of total plays compared to a real offensive minded HC like Sean Payton
**I like the Bucs to go after CJ Anderson because he does have experience and Koetters track record with developing and giving plays to rookies is terrible
Yikrs!!!
Koetter will be Koetter
Predictable playcalling, conservative turtle game planning, brain dead time management and no adjustments
“Klueless was setting up for a fieldgoal but I said screw it”
JW
April 18th, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Joe,you are correct about Alvin kamara and the bucs going 8-8 with him.that kid is special and scares me every time he touches the ball.i don’t want to think about him or the saints cause he should have been wearing a bucs jersey!I’m gonna stop now before I break out the Jack Daniels bottle!😭😭😭
April 18th, 2018 at 9:49 pm
Kobe faker,you a big koetter fan huh?
April 18th, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Kobe faker,you think as much as koetter as I do that defensive tackle from Washington that many people on here want to draft.i don’t even want to say that clowns name!I don’t want Jason to even know his name until after the draft.QUIET BUT FANS!!!!!
April 18th, 2018 at 9:59 pm
Quiet buc fans!sorry guys I opened the Jack Daniels bottle!
April 18th, 2018 at 10:02 pm
Lol Meeks,
I speak the truth
Koetter isnt NFL HC material
Worst coaching staff. Koetter is scared to bring in a experienced offensive coordinator/qb coach
** Kamara is born again Marshal Faulk
He can easily avg 1k rush & 1k pass yards for the next 10 years if he gets the attempts
**ok. koetters wife is hot
April 18th, 2018 at 10:04 pm
SB Says:
April 18th, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Tensions are high I feel young Grasshopper! Too soon the draft can not come.
I think you’re mixing your masters
BTW OJ > Cook all day-every day
April 18th, 2018 at 10:07 pm
Obvious that Dirl connects to theplayers hearts. Can he connect to their performance?
April 18th, 2018 at 10:15 pm
Some bucs fans have lost there mind. Trade are first round pick from last year who has already shown he could be a perennial pro bowl player. And another early pick for a runningback in a runninback deep draft. How many articles did joe post last year that tight end is one of the hardest positions for rookies to succeed. I remember them and showing what all the stud tight ends did. Mostly average in line with what Howard did last year. Howard is going to blow up this year. And some of you want to trade him. We know what we have with Howard. Barkley no matter how infatuated you are with him is still a risk. How many running backs have been touted the best back since Barry and generational talents only to be average or get injured. Never trade proven commodities for a 50/50. More times than not you will lose. It’s like buying a scratch off. Someone is going to buy one and win a million. But a million other people are going to buy one and lose. This is not a draft to trade up this is a draft to trade down if none of the big three fall to us. Just let the draft play out Like Ian said we are not one player away. And I think he knows more about football than some troll hack that only post about Barkley and trading players and picks for him. And doesn’t post about anything else. I watched highlights of Barkley and a number 12 wide receiver was more impressive to me he was faster and blocking down field like a champ for him. So I google to see who he is. And it turned out to be Chris Godwin.
April 18th, 2018 at 10:24 pm
^^^^^^
What he said!
April 18th, 2018 at 10:44 pm
Brate had a much better than expected 2016…and that may have been where he peaked. There were some drops/bobbles last year if I recall. Don’t get me wrong…great story out of the Ivy League…released once and hung in there. His stats weren’t all that different than Tim Wright once upon a time/Buc. I hope he proves he was worth the 6 year/$41 Mil deal Licht’s Out signed him to…
April 18th, 2018 at 11:23 pm
Webster and SB
are just arguing to argue. It’s obvious that Cook makes a bigger impact than O.J. and here’s why.
Cook avg 88 ypg/ 4.8 ypc/ projected minimum 8 TDs. With those stats Cook would have been more productive than O.J., Brate and DJax combined. #Facts. No one is avg 88ypg not even Mike Evans.
Week 3 vs the Bucs at RJS Cook had 27 carriers for 97 yr and 1 td, 26y long run. Plus, 5 catches for 72 yards. That’s 169 all-purpose yards.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=onebox&v=L1Crf8EP-gM
Mark :40 sec
Watch the Vikings guard eat some ice cream (1 on 1 mind you). The guard must have been surprised by how easily McIceCream gives up. Teams keep running up the gut all day long. Matter of fact just keep your eyes on 93, he finishes with 2 tkls and 2 asst, one of his better games.
Mark 1:50
Who’s bright idea was it to leave Griffin free to hit the QB? Or did Dotson just fck up?
Mark 5:35 and 6:45
Dotson getting destroyed, I’m sure that had NOTHING to do with the int. I wonder how many times jw got hit?
Let’s not even talk about VH3, Conte or Ryan Smith. Smh
I would really love to know how many times jw got hit this game, anyone know?
April 19th, 2018 at 12:31 am
@John5
Well hopefully if we draft a Corner at 7 it won’t be for the nickel spot. Hargreaves has nothing to worry about.
April 19th, 2018 at 12:37 am
DB55,
Dalvin Cook may have been more productive, but TEs are not usually that productive year 1. So, I’m happy with the OJ Howard selection given that there were HUGE and I mean HUGE concerns about Dalvin Cook and his homies in FL. He may not have been the player he was in Minny in Tampa for the long haul. It was obvious Dalvin Cook was lower on every team’s draft board due to his off-field concerns.
So, let’s just be happy we got a damn good football player who, along with Brate, will terrorize LBs and S. It’s a luxury to have 2 of the best TEs in the league and we will get the RB this year that will help us balance the offense.
April 19th, 2018 at 12:42 am
@ db55
Wtfdyk? Nada d@nm ting!!!! The saints were good because their defense stop finishing in the bottom 30 for 3 years. They were 16. Their offense produced at a very high level for the past 3 years with brees throwing for over 5000 yards each yeari believe and no playoffs. Stop lying to yourself. They made 1 pick in the offensive line and now you want to make them hogs of the 80s redskins. Cook was getting hurt on natural grass in COLLEGE!!!!. But yea, lets assume he would have played 16 games behind this bucs oline. Smdh. You know nada d@mn ting!!!! Kevin hart…..watch your back lol
April 19th, 2018 at 8:12 am
Tape don’t lie
April 19th, 2018 at 8:34 am
What tape? That cook was hurt week 3? That would be correct. What tape? That the saints finally had a defense after 3 years which assisted an already high powered offense without a rookie tackle make the playoffs? That is correct. What tape? That brate and oj makes a great combination? That too would be correct. See, we can agree on something
April 19th, 2018 at 8:51 am
OJ was not a wasted pick. Trading up to take a kicker… now THOSE were wasted picks.
April 19th, 2018 at 9:57 am
OJ was a wasted pick, he may turn out to be good, but the bucs needed so much more than a TE, like DB, OT, DE and RB, thye just went and got djax so adding a WR/TE in round 1 doesnt make sense and lichts tenure has not either
April 19th, 2018 at 10:01 am
Webby
Mark :40 sec
Watch the Vikings guard eat some ice cream (1 on 1 mind you). The guard must have been surprised by how easily McIceCream gives up. Teams keep running up the gut all day long.
———————–
Lmao. You boy made of ice cream. Lol
April 19th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Mad Max
Agree on TE’s.. REally beginning to wonder about LB’s though (as sad as that is).
Lavonte has good heart and effort, most of the time. Looks to me like Kwon has regressed, and now Beckwith has knee and ankle issues. We just can’t seem to keep any position in tact.
Hope I’m wrong, but Im not seeing Dbrooks and H Nickerson out there right now.