Koetter: Intensity Hits The Mark
November 5th, 2016
Do you finish watching a Bucs game and find yourself saying, “Man, this team, win or lose, really gets after at. Man, they come out firing play after play. This is one physical, intense team.”
That’s not Joe’s typical reaction. But sure, there of examples of consistent intensity coming from guys like Ali Marpet, Joe Hawley, Mike Evans, America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, and others. But is the collective intensity there?
So following the Bucs-Falcons game on Thursday night. Joe asked Koetter for his opinion.
JoeBucsFan.com: Is the intensity of the team as a whole where you want it to be?
Dirk Koetter: I think the intensity is a lot better than you think. Now when it got away from us a little bit there at the end. But, yeah. Come down, leave your tape recorder and come on down on the field. That hittin’ is real, ok, that hitting is real.
Koetter had a lot of intensity in his response. So that’s great news. Koetter likes what his team is bringing to the table, even during a blowout home loss.
Lovie Smith accused the Bucs of not showing up at home for the entire 2014 season, and for the game that truly kicked Bucs fans in the groin like no other.
So in that light, it’s encouraging that candid Koetter likes the fight in his team. It seems the only issues right now are talent and coaching.
November 5th, 2016 at 10:57 am
Great question, Joe!
All night long, on John Lynch Night, they kept showing videos of some of his great hits over the years. I know that under the current rules, he would likely have to forfeit his entire salary in fines for hits like that. Nevertheless, I cannot remember seeing any crushing hits like that by our defense, even legal ones without using the helmet. Atlanta had at least two, if not more, in just that one game. For instance, the hits on ME13 after his spectacular catch, and the one on Jameis on the two point conversion try. In fact, I commented at the game, that our defense sometimes looks like they are playing “touch” football. Julio Jones found an open spot in the zone, and played “pitch and catch” with Ryan, and then would go down, and be touched. I swear they ran the exact same play three times in a row in the third quarter with the same predictable result.
tickrdr
November 5th, 2016 at 11:08 am
I thought that both “Spence’s” gave great effort Thurs Night!!! They were even chipping NS57 during the game and he broke thru a double once or twice!!!
November 5th, 2016 at 11:24 am
They were so intense, they gave up 40 points.
November 5th, 2016 at 11:27 am
@lakeland
We are all just glad that lovie was not coaching, otherwise that 40 would have been all in the first half!!!!!
November 5th, 2016 at 11:28 am
I heard him answer this question and simply thought he just wanted to hit you. Gholston is the best dline man right now. Spence (dt) isn’t extremely talented but he doesn’t quit. You can add Noah and McDonald to that list.
Problem is too many weak links i.e. Conte is killing this team, VH3 got exposed should be a long season for him. My favorite player LVD is confused and lost in this scheme. And of course our inside pressure is non-existent and the run stopping is also non-existent.
The defense is regressing. They have given up 17 points then 30 then 43 points in the last 3 weeks. And I think turnovers only accounted for a total of 6 points in those 3 weeks.
November 5th, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Man I feel bad for Austin Allen. Kid can really throw the pill but has been hit more than any QB in NCAA. That is not good news going against Florida’s D!
November 5th, 2016 at 12:02 pm
I disagree. Maybe It was Seeing the Falcons run the same play 4 times in a row to the same result. If someone in that secondary were playing with intensity, after the 3rd time seeing the play, they would’ve been waiting in the wings to Knock Julios Block Off, or Jump the route at the very least. Or perhaps it was Jameis getting Drilled Helmet to Helmet in the back of the head, whilst laying on the ground, and Not seeing anyone rush to help him, or at least give the clearly Biased officials hell about it.
But no Joe, the Bucs intensity was not the first thing that came to mind whilst exiting the Den of Depression. It was more along the lines of, Holy crap we need 2 Receivers, a Center, a Right Tackle, Tight end, 2 D-tackles, 2 Safeties, and 3 Edge rushers. And a new Defensive coordinator that doesnt call the same weak ass Coverage look on DAMN NEAR EVERY PLAY. I knew that the Mike Smith Hire was a bad idea.
November 5th, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Boy, Realist you had a Really bad week last week in the Pickem!
November 5th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
I don’t question the intensity at all….
But it takes talent & coaching to turn intensity into winning.
I have a great deal of intensity but I never exceeded 5′ in the high jump.
I think our safeties lack talent…..our LBs don’t cover……our D line just isn’t good enough.
We have a depth problem at many positions…especially WR…..
We have intensity on our penalty prone Oline.
I think we need about 7-8 talent upgrades.
The intensity is why I still support Koetter
As for Smith & our defense……why not jam receivers at the line and blitz our LBs & Safeties…..why not, we can’t cover anyway
November 5th, 2016 at 12:11 pm
DB55
I don’t blame your favorite player 54 he has been infected the longest with Cancer93 disease. I just hope it’s not too late to save him.
November 5th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
What a shocker, tmaxcon can’t generate a thought without trashing McCoy. What a sad life you must have. I used to think you were trying to convince others. Then I thought you were just trolling. Now I realize that you are incapable of doing anything without thinking of McCoy. You don’t contribute anything to anyone. I don’t know, but that sure seems like an obsession to me. You should get that checked out.
November 5th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Great comments Tampabaybucfan. If you don’t have the horses, you don’t have the horses. Hard to compete at the NFL level without the talent. Personally think you’re being kind though with only 7-8 talent upgrades. I figure Bucs are at least 12 pieces away from being highly competitive. That’d include on defense 2 Safeties, 1 CB, 1 LB, 1 DT/NT, 2 DEs. On offense we need 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 OT , 1 RB as a minimum. And those would be starters & essential rotational players. Could about double that to build depth.
Bucs are caught in a no-man’s-land because of years of mediocre drafting, poor FA decisions & some terrible other personnel decisions (letting viable players walk). Doesn’t all fall on Jason Licht, but he’s contributed his share of bad personnel decisions. This coaching staff is as good as the Bucs have had in years, but … without better talent to work with, they’ll fail just like the past 3 have. Because we’ve got so many holes on both sides of the ball, I think we need to decide on an primary identity (focus on offense or defense) for the short term and go all out to fix that first. We might end up looking like the Saints in the short term, but it’d sure be a lot more exciting than what we’re seeing now.
November 5th, 2016 at 12:50 pm
They quit Thursday. They gave up. That was the same team that gave up on Raheem late in his final season. Just going through the motions, watching the clock…… 😴😴😴
November 5th, 2016 at 12:53 pm
Hawaiian Buc
when your clinet’s led defense stops giving up the booty and when your client actually makes a play that matters in the second half of a game I’ll stop trashing him. There is not defense for mccoy just excuses he is a overrated, overpaid QUITER>>>>
November 5th, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Last time I saw intensity was Mike Evans carrying the Bengals corner Terrance ewman for a ride, Kwan blowing up Josh McCown in preseason or Jameis run against the birds, so we boy get one a year. All the talk in Atlanta is the hit on Jameis and the hit on ME. That turns up the intensity of your team
November 5th, 2016 at 1:26 pm
@ Defenserules
Sure…..we could use 12 or so. I was sort of focused on what we could achieve in the post season…….Perhaps 2-3 from the draft and 5 from FA.
We will have cash enough for 4 or 5 top-tier players.
We have 17 mil from Vjax & Verner alone.
November 5th, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Our Team Sucks were a 6 win team as best!
November 5th, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Haha Lakeland…
I’m just shaking my head that we’re sitting here celebrating any signs of life… again
Is it ever going to change?
November 5th, 2016 at 2:01 pm
@defense rules
Spot on. I’ve been saying this for years. I think they need to go hard at skill positions in FA and draft heavy in the trenches.
November 5th, 2016 at 2:46 pm
mike10, it may happen during your great-great grandson lifetime.
November 5th, 2016 at 3:07 pm
Donovan Smith was a swinging gate Thursday night.
November 5th, 2016 at 3:09 pm
We plugged no holes this year with the fa and draft
Now we have to fill twice as many in 1 year. Will look like a whole new team with all new players. Where is the consistency
Can you imagine if we were heading to 2017 and jameis, me13 and marvin jones or travis benjamin already played for 1 year already together
Stinken kicker picken licht set us back 2 years
November 5th, 2016 at 4:11 pm
All I have to do is click on here and JBf gets some more ad $$. Soooo 21st century. I hope Coach Koetter plans on HAVING A VERY SERIOUS TALK WITH HIS D-COORDINATOR. Smith is not what the PR claims. Lately, he’s sucked! Dirk is slowly building the offense. Smith? I want some bright mind on here to explain to me why he’s not coaching LVD and the KWONSTER right? Those 2 are now just as good as the Brooks’ krewe who went to the SB and helped us win it. Smith is clueless with them. When’s he going to guide them like Dungy and Monte did their linebackers? These linebackers will help our front crippled DL 4. Forget the secondary. Smith hasn’t proved all that bright on them, either. VHIII is a rookie. Grimes is doing his best. Conte is a bad joke. Not sure about the Hey Jude guy. Right now, Mike Smith is a grade D barely above Failing. I’ve seen a lot of Atlanta posting over the past couple of years reporting that a d-guru, he ain’t. We’ll see if there’s an improvement in 8 days here at home. Won’t we Joes? We fans and this team have earned it!!!!
November 5th, 2016 at 4:13 pm
If Koetter has intensity he sure lacks the confidence in his players to use it. I can think of at least four non-drives in the last 2 games with plenty of time on the clock, time-outs, in critical situations when he shut down our offense at the half or in regulation time. Sure we are down several starters but loosing teams can’t play it safe. Most of the teams we play are hurting also. This team lacks the desire to win. They lost it Somewhere after Gruden left. When you only win three games at home in three years, intensity is the least of your concerns. And who in the hell doesn’t take a 15 yard penalty to a make a FG tougher?
November 5th, 2016 at 4:35 pm
@martinii … “And who in the hell doesn’t take a 15 yard penalty to a make a FG tougher?” Let’s see … maybe a HC who has zero confidence that his defense won’t give up a 1st down when it’s 3rd and 20? Oh ya, followed by another Falcons TD?
November 5th, 2016 at 4:44 pm
The scary part is that if you go back and read the responses to the story that Joe referenced – *nothing* has changed! They’re the same comments!!!
November 5th, 2016 at 7:24 pm
ILLINOIS, ILLINOIS, ILLINOIS umm, my bad wrong site! HA HA HA!
November 6th, 2016 at 10:53 am
Giving up 40 points with great intensity…
November 6th, 2016 at 2:48 pm
How can you expect them to keep up the intensity with the most BULLSH*T calls on the face of the earth. I believe that game started to go down hill after the most obvious reviewed incompletion to Julio Jones on third down which resulted into a first down and eventually a TD for ATL. Might not have changed the final outcome, but I think those types of calls have huge influences. But what you gonna do, it’s a Bucs life
November 6th, 2016 at 2:56 pm
321BucFan yea i saw D. Smith run a streak route on thursday lol. Of course this resulted in a sack.
November 6th, 2016 at 10:36 pm
Bring in a G.M.that has played the game and can recognize talent.