Mike Smith Revives His Head-Coaching Pulse
October 13th, 2016
There is a downside to the Bucs’ surging defense that includes no-name rookie defensive linemen getting extensive playing time.
The guy running the defense is starting to look like a steady, wise and very competent sage. And at last check, that guy, defensive coordinator Mike Smith, wants to be a head coach again the NFL after posting a whopping 66-46 record with the Falcons.
Keep in mind Smith inherited the aftermath of the Michael Vick disaster and a team in disarray. That was no problem for Smith. He took a rookie quarterback to an 11-5 record and the playoffs as a first-time head coach, and the Falcons were 56-24 through Smith’s first five seasons.
Think about that 56-24 record for a minute. There’s no way Smith doesn’t get a second crack at being a head coach.
Yes, Joe will continue to right about the likelihood of Smith bolting after the 2016 season. It was a massive consideration before he was hired (or should have been), and is something that should be monitored.
Smith said it would take his new Bucs defense four games to settle in significantly, and that seems to be reality. How refreshing!
It’s the bye week for the Bucs, but you’ll find Joe glued to the Jaguars-Bears game in Chicago on Sunday. The Jags (1-3) need to win that game against the miserable Bears to keep Smith’s name from becoming a hot topic in Jacksonville, where he’s beloved for his work with the Jags defense from 2003-2007.
October 13th, 2016 at 11:30 am
No defensive penalties vs Panthers…..none.
October 13th, 2016 at 11:30 am
I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself Joe. It was one average game against the a 1-3 team.
Let’s see how a few more games go first, shall we?
October 13th, 2016 at 11:33 am
Kubiach and his health problems might leave a vacancy in Denver. I could see Raheem Morris getting another shot there.
October 13th, 2016 at 11:35 am
Maybe he will be the Bucs next head coach.
October 13th, 2016 at 11:37 am
Ever think that is one of the attitude problems here with fans and players? The constant revolving door of coaches never gives this team a chance to turn things
around.
October 13th, 2016 at 11:38 am
write, not right. 😉
October 13th, 2016 at 11:49 am
Can the Bucs block him from doing any interviews with other teams?
October 13th, 2016 at 11:55 am
@RumRunner – Not for a HC position…
I’m not too concerned, next coach up!
Go Sucs!
October 13th, 2016 at 11:59 am
If Smith leaves his buddy after one year I would be shocked. Dirk gave him a shot to get back in the league. I think he goes to Jax’s in year 3 as Bradley will have the Jags at 8-8 or 9-7 this year. Also, our defense played well but it was the Panthers without QB1, RB1 and Olsen couldn’t be stopped. If I were Ron I would have not stopped calling his number. No one could cover him.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:11 pm
I hope that Mike Smith does get another shot at being a HC. He’s a nice guy, very competent, great mentor and he deserves it. And I’d bet that he and the Bucs management had an understanding about that when he was hired. Probably his only chance in 2017 though would come because the Bucs defense did a complete 180 degree turn-around, and that really hasn’t happened yet. Improving? Definitely, but still a long way to go to qualify as a playoff contender. Also convinced that Jay Hayes is our ‘DC-in-waiting’
October 13th, 2016 at 12:15 pm
Haha!!! “Revives his head coaching pulse”. You’re a funny guy Joe.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:15 pm
Please Joe..Please..Cut it out and knock it off! The man won one game and now his HC aspirations are magically revived? Like I’ve said..repeatedly..I’m no mathematician but a 2-3 record still says your team is under 500. And under 500?..Sucks! We win one game and now we are..world beaters. Cut the hype out sir!
October 13th, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Wouldnt.it be great to be a geam with 2 head coa hes an offencive coach and a decenckve coach shRing irresponsibility. Pay smith a. Reasonable number to stay and continue to build this team dor the long term
October 13th, 2016 at 12:16 pm
@KingBuc17
They didn’t stop calling his number… Grimes picked off Anderson in the end-zone on a play for Olsen.
October 13th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
I’d think he gives us 2 years at least but you never know man. So much can change between now and December.
Right now we’re averaging giving up 28 points per game so it’s not like he has a great resume in terms of the actual numbers this year.
IF he gets hired after this year then we had a succesful year. I’d be shocked if he got hired following a 6-10 or 7-9 type year with mediocre to bad defensive play. If he get’s hired then that means our defense plays great the rest of the year and we make the playoffs so I’m all for it lol
October 13th, 2016 at 12:22 pm
lol 1-3 and he is talking about our coordinators getting poached.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
Sometimes this sight is unintentionally hilarious
October 13th, 2016 at 1:14 pm
I’m equally as worried about losing Chris Conte….
October 13th, 2016 at 1:17 pm
I think Mike Smith messed up picking Tampa bay. We dont have enough talent on our roster to be a playoff team…and he will realize Jason Gump doesnt know how to build a playoff team. sad but true
No coordinator is going to get a HC job without a splash season/s
October 13th, 2016 at 1:25 pm
I thought my previous comment about Raheem would make more people laugh. I could hardly press send bc I was laughing so hard.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:36 pm
Really 10 days ago it was no way he would be a candidate. Amazing the over reaction to wins and losses on a week to week basis. Where is the stupid NFC South Leading Bucs after week 1.. let the season play out where the trends can be identified before the prognostication crap. Jeez…
October 13th, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Less successful head coaches have gotten another great coaching job before without even coaching in between. I don’t think the success of our defense really has anything to do with Mike’s options as a head coach at the end of the season. One other note about Mike Smith’s time in Atlanta he was the first coach in team history to have back to back winning seasons.
October 13th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
@DB55
I thought you had gone completely out of your mind!!!
October 13th, 2016 at 1:44 pm
@DB55
I thought you had gone completely out of your mind!!!
October 13th, 2016 at 1:45 pm
I disagree joe….his defense got beat by Denver who has zero offense…they played well against the panthers who lacked several key pieces on offense and are 1-4….if he defense can play well against these next teams (9ers, raiders, falcons) then i’ll start thinking about our next dc…
I will give jay hayes credit for getting those UDFA ready to go and playing well without much rest during the game….let mike walk…give hayes a go…GO BUCS!!!
October 13th, 2016 at 1:49 pm
JonBuc, too funny!
October 13th, 2016 at 1:53 pm
Lets see what happens as the season plays out. One good defensive game does not qualify you to be a head coach. If the Bucs can get teams under 20 points a game then you have an argument for Smith turning a defense around.
Hargreaves is playing great and Grimes has improved. But pass rush is still weak and you can’t cover the entire field without getting pressure on the QB.
After bye with Ayers, McCoy and McDonald back we shall see if they can get pressure. I’m really impressed with Hargreaves, he could be he best cornerback the Bucs have developed since the days of Donnie Abraham, Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly.
October 13th, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Lol
October 13th, 2016 at 2:37 pm
I love reading these comments because I laugh at the overwhelming negativity and pessimism. I also get a kick at how so many posters here have little to no grasp of spelling, punctuation, and basic English. But to see @Joe use “right” instead of “write” makes me shudder the most. Yeah, I know; it’s a fan based comment board and spelling and grammar don’t count as we’re not in school. But, take a wee bit of time and pride into what you post. People from outside of Florida make fun of Floridians for a reason.
October 13th, 2016 at 2:45 pm
Joseph: “no grasp of spelling, punctuation, and basic English.” and that ISN’T negative?
That said I find the negativity and pessimism WHOLLY appropriate considering this team hasn’t been good in over a decade. What would be the point of not being pessimistic?
@Joe:
If Mike Smith gets another HC job after a crappy showing this far, I’ll be surprised. The panthers, imho, were not beaten by the Bucs but rather beat themselves while playing the Bucs. 4 games for the D to settle in, if Cam was in the game, that D would have been CRUSHED. We all know it. The Bucs should have had a guarantee that coordinators cannot interview unless and until this team is 2 games over. 500. Otherwise, we just get more of the same, discontinuity which leads to, a SORRY team.
October 13th, 2016 at 2:53 pm
The team STINKS, there’s nothing positive in that. SMDH
October 13th, 2016 at 2:59 pm
How can you possibly find ANYTHING positive about a STINKY team with a 25-60 record over the past 5 seasons.
October 13th, 2016 at 3:26 pm
LOL @ all of the negativity after a freaking victory……I guess had we of lost, half of the people on this site would have jumped off the Skyway Bridge. SMDH
I do give LakelandBuc a pass on the negativity though since Lakeland is such an awful place to be, I know because I work there. Thankfully I do not live in that God forsaken city or Polk county for that matter. So, his bad attitude is completely understandable.
October 13th, 2016 at 3:29 pm
@rayjay….LOL….GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2016 at 3:41 pm
Polk county has the best Sheriff in America
October 13th, 2016 at 3:46 pm
I don’t know about best Sheriff but surely the most televised Sheriff. I digress though as my sentiments toward that area are not directed at anyone in particular.
October 13th, 2016 at 3:47 pm
This is why Jay Hayes came to Tampa. He’s being groomed for DC.
October 13th, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Jay Hayes was a great hire. IMO and I also think he could be a good DC one day.
October 13th, 2016 at 4:28 pm
More impressed by Hayes. Goes to show what a bunch of non-ego guys who listen to their coordinators can do. I’d like to see what he can do with guys who aren’t poisoned by the attitude of losing that’s taken place for over ten years . It’s laughable that Smith would get a shot after the showing so far. The Panthers had one weapon, and he torched us all game.
October 13th, 2016 at 4:30 pm
A half decent game against a second string offense isn’t much to brag about.
But i small pat on the back is deserved, defense showed up for the most part. Getting those elusive take aways and pitching a shutout in the first half is not an easy task. Lovie’s defense would have been (and has been) shredded by derrick anderson. So this was a strong step in the right direction. Hopefully the boys can build on that success after the bye week.
October 13th, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Giving up 180 to a TE that was consistently not covered or covered by a LB , Please give me a break!! Joe you must be joking , Anderson was terrible in that game, when he wasn’t terrible he was playing pitch and catch. Anderson was throwing to receivers that were open by 3 and five yards , the only thing that stopped him was HIM.Heck, in that Game Carolina only had two targets and the bucs kept singling up a rookie on one and leaving the other uncovered or in single coverage by someone incapable. Fact Checker ,Olsen had a career day with a back up QB and seldome looked to be double covered. Hello !!! They only have two weapons that can beat you !!! I think any relevant coach doubles Olsen all day long !!! Carolina couldn’t have played any worse but thank goodness Koetter got his head out of his rear and ran his offense which btw way , he has not since Martin went down……… In the End the team with the better run game that day won !!!
BTW Quezzy should have had 130 plus he’s just a touch too sloe but did play fairly well !!! Although 3 . 4 yards a carry isn’t really what your looking for !! Mike James would have had 140 but prob doesn’t catch as well however he is also a much much better short yardage back, have these clowns not watched his tape??? I will certainly take him over our other 2 guys and he knows the dam offense, Joe I want a dam explanation !!! How long until 3 throws one high to Rogers for a classic tip drill INT? Not a good combo right there, just saying !!
October 13th, 2016 at 4:48 pm
Hopefully he figures out how to get us to properly cover TEs.
That’s all I’m worried about cause after Monday night teams will be licking their chops gameplanning how to beat us with their TEs.
October 13th, 2016 at 5:07 pm
For some of you yelling, stay positive, most of us were before the season started. But after what has been put on the field, it is hard to stay positive. We have every right to critique the product. A better showing will result in more optimism. We won because we played a team that played worst than us. That victory was nothing to beat your chest about, offensively or defensively.
October 13th, 2016 at 6:21 pm
The hot name for a coaching gig will be Greg “toes on the line” Schiano. Mark it down…you heard it here first.
October 13th, 2016 at 6:37 pm
Schiano vs lovie this weekend
Lovie said alot of nasty crap about Schiano here in tampa
Ohio st wins by 40 pts
October 13th, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Said it since day one, whether it be because smith gets another gig, or gets fired….either way we already have our next DC on staff in Jay Hayes. Write it down!!!
October 13th, 2016 at 6:46 pm
I think his defense is going to have to do more than getting shredded by Case Keenum and third string quarterbacks. Four of five games we have some glaring holes on defense. I don’t think Mike Smith is getting a ton of looks because we looked good against Derek Anderson and a depleted Panthers team. It’s almost laughable
October 13th, 2016 at 7:12 pm
He’s got a ways to go before he’s offered another HC job. Big reason why Blank Jettisoned him from the Dixie Chicks is the team could never get over the final hurdle to get to the SB. However, our Defense is beginning to play lights-out ball. Looking forward to the San Francisco game a week from Sunday. 🙂
October 13th, 2016 at 7:23 pm
Ever since the Joebucsfan beer came out, I’m seeing more misspelled words.
October 13th, 2016 at 8:01 pm
I actually like Raheem Morris as a Head Coach, he’s doing a great job with the Falcons receivers. He also was good with the Skins and Falcons as DB coach. If the Bucs had giving him more weapons, he would have been a successful coach here. The Glazers refused to spend money when Rah was the HC, after he was fired, they went on a spending spree. Rah will get another shot in the NFL,it’s just a matter of time.
October 14th, 2016 at 7:40 am
We should fire Koetter and make him the head coach then.
October 14th, 2016 at 9:31 am
I think the Chargers just last night confirmed the state of Mike Smith and this Defense!!
October 14th, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Way too early for this.
October 14th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
@LakelandBuc
Raheem Morris was a horrible head coach. He does not have the fortitude for it.
October 14th, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Bucsfan20 says it right: revolving door of 4 head coaches in 6 years is why we have no talent. Think of all the guys schiano chased out. Then Lovie dumped tons of Schianos guys. We need safeties right? Dashon Goldson, mark Barron. Corners? You know the big one….what about Dlinemen? Roy Miller, Michael Bennett. They didn’t fit one of the coaches now gone. You want to be like Green Bay, New England, Pittsburgh, follow their example: give a coach some time, at least three years.