Dome Shouldn’t Be A Distraction
September 22nd, 2017
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter already wringing hands about playing in a dome Sunday.
It doesn’t take a detective to conclude winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter thinks of not just everything, but also frets about everything.
Take the stadium where the Bucs play Sunday, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The now two-year old stadium is a fixed-roof dome. Despite the temperature expected to be a Florida-like 85 degrees and muggy — that is hot for Minnesotans in the dead of summer much less the end of September when it is usually in the 60s — Koetter is expecting a very un-Florida like atmosphere.
“When you play in these dome stadiums it’s rocking in there and it’s hard to hear,” Koetter said. “In that respect, I would’ve loved to have played a road game at Miami to get a road game under our belt. But, it is what it is. We’ve got to deal with it. We did fine last year, but it’s a challenge for sure.”
Joe guesses in a perfect world Koetter is right, but wanting to play a road game in an outdoor facility before a game in a dome is a bit nitpicking.
As Koetter also pointed out yesterday, the Bucs opened the season in a dome and did well. They beat the Dixie Chicks in Atlanta. And in 2015 when Koetter served as Bucs offensive coordinator, the first road game was at New Orleans, also a domed stadium. And the Bucs did just fine there beating the Saints 26-19.
Yeah, it may be loud in there Sunday, but outside of maybe a few rookies (Chris Godwin, Antony Auclair) the vast majority of Bucs have experience in a dome (yes, O.J. Howard and Kendell Beckwith played in domes in college). Shoot, the Bucs play in domes no less than twice a year (Atlanta, New Orleans).
September 22nd, 2017 at 12:48 am
They’ll be fine. The Bucs are clearly the better team and they’re playing with passion. Koetter is a detail guy. That is a good thing.
September 22nd, 2017 at 4:04 am
I wouldn’t worry too much about the rookies. Most college games are far louder than NFL games. The Rookies should be more use to it than the vets.
September 22nd, 2017 at 4:29 am
Dirk Koetter is a ‘What If’ guy IMO … ‘What If” this happens? ‘What If’ that happens? Being prepared for every contingency is a very good thing when you’re the leader. (Well, a good thing as long as it doesn’t drive you insane I guess). As Cometowin2 said ‘Koetter is a detail guy’. Love that about him BTW. Communicating in any road stadium is undoubtedly a challenge. Communicating in a domed stadium much more-so for sure. Sounds to me like Coach was simply saying that he’d rather build up to that a tad more gradually. Can’t blame him for that.
September 22nd, 2017 at 7:59 am
Wouldn’t it be cool if, just once, a coach said “…we are going to kick azz. Those guys can’t stay with us. Who is going to cover DJax? ME? OJ? NOBODY!”
But its not in a coach’s DNA. They are wired to worry about everything. Unless of course one is talking about coaches at Illinois.
September 22nd, 2017 at 8:35 am
Maybe I’m wrong but Jameis always seems to play better in loud hostile environments. I think he really enjoys quieting the crowds.