Nickerson Improving As A Coach

May 19th, 2015
Bucs LB coach Hardy Nickerson said he is always looking for an edge to improve.

Bucs LB coach Hardy Nickerson said he is always looking for an edge to improve.

Coaching is often overlooked as a two-way street. Yeah, coaches bark orders and fans expect players to carry out those orders to win games.

That’s a simplistic approach.

As players learn schemes and how to work with their position coaches, it is the position coaches who learn, as well.

That’s the case with Bucs linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson.

Once a five-time Pro Bowler for the Bucs, he is in his second season with Lovie Smith (Nickerson also spent a season as linebackers coach for Lovie in Chicago). Nickerson confessed that while his linebackers may have gone through a learning process last year, so did he.

“I would say, I think we have all grown by light years,” Nickerson said about he and his unit. “I am pretty comfortable what we have going scheme-wise and coaching the guys up. When you go through a season, you always self-evaluate. Of course, I have gone back. That is part of the process of getting better as a coach and I am always looking for ways of getting better as a coach and getting my players better.”

For Joe, it’s cool that an NFL coach is quick to admit he doesn’t have all the answers but that hasn’t stopped him from searching and trying to improve. When coaches think they have all the answers, that is when there’s trouble and they are proven wrong.

To hear more from Nickerson, click the black button below. Audio courtesy of Joe’s friends at WDAE-AM 620.

6 Responses to “Nickerson Improving As A Coach”

  1. Patrick in VA Says:

    No more complaining from any of you about the lack of diversity in the coverage on this site. They put up articles that are not the “needle mover” topics to mix things up and they don’t get a hint of interest or discussion.

  2. bucs4lyfe Says:

    coaches coach players play…get talented players with desire and you wont have so many articles on position coaches and quarterbacks coaches lol that’s surely talk of a team fresh off a 2-14 season. too much talk in tampa that doesn’t translate on sunday’s

  3. Joe Says:

    Appreciate your passion, Patrick. But you’re a little misguided on a couple of fronts. First, a lack of comments doesn’t mean people aren’t reading. You’d be very surprised what’s most popular around here. Second, Joe’s not interested in “moving needles.” Joe writes about what interests Joe. That’s the only formula.

  4. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Hardy Nickerson “America’s Linebacker Coach”

  5. SOEbuc Says:

    Joe the most popular discussion lately has been about the uniforms for god sakes!!!!!! lets talk some freakin football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Buccfan37 Says:

    Hello, is this the complaint department? Sorry, wrong number.