It Had To Happen
October 15th, 2018
Yes, Joe called for the defrocking of Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith. This was a move that had to take place if the Bucs hoped to play meaningful games in January.
Joe gets no joy in seeing a good man doomed. But damn it, this is about winning and Smith and his defense was an albatross both to this team and his fellow coaches.
The defense was simply not prepared to play Week in and week out. Smith’s defense was on a pace to set several NFL marks, and not the good kind.
The most outrageous element was that the Bucs were on pace to set an NFL record for most points allowed in a season.
There was just no way to expect the Bucs to compete this way. Joe looked it up and only twice in NFL history has a quarterback led an offense that scored more points than the Bucs were on pace to allow. Those two seasons were one each from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
This is a sad day but the sun breaks over the horizon. A new day and and maybe a better defense is here.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Just like #KLUESLESSKOETTER needs to go also. I love how he stood up there and flat out lied. Team Glazer pulled the trigger and now shows Koetter has ZERO juice and is just a do-boy for them. His arrogance and standoffness with the media will grow in the coming weeks. I hope him and his buddies have their houses up for sale. He stabbed Lovie in the back and look at karma now. Jameis can’t stand him and he sold TEAM GLAZER a bill of goods that he’s the only one who can coach him.LOLOLOL
October 15th, 2018 at 3:20 pm
Buddy , why don’t you make us a favor and go to a Panthers web and change opinions with your North Carolina’s buddies……. We don’t need you here…
October 15th, 2018 at 3:21 pm
buddy, you’re an idiot.
that is all.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:22 pm
Buddy!!! Put the beer down dude!
October 15th, 2018 at 3:22 pm
Lets all wish Smitty well. He had a great NFL run. Koetter should have never hired him. And we all know..It was not Koetter who fired him. It was the fans and the Glazers. Left to his own vices, Koetter would have just kept him. And I think Koetter knows he’s gotta win at least 8 games to keep his job this year. So lets see if this sorry A.. Defense can be pieced together to at least get off the field enough here and there. We get say..30 to 40% better play from these guys and we will win some games.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
I really feel for Mike Smith but the title of this article says it all. Although I don’t know Mike Smith personally, everything indicates that he’s a man’s man. The fact of the matter is that it’s clear this decision came from the Glazers or at least Licht. Dirk has no job security left if he doesn’t get this team on the right track. Forget it if we can’t beat the Browns at home next week.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Buddy is c-l-u-e-l-e-s-s
October 15th, 2018 at 3:24 pm
This just stops more water from coming into the boat. The defense is still in a storm.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:24 pm
Really wish this would’ve happened before the bye week to give us two weeks to prepare… Better late than never though.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:29 pm
Now that Smith is gone I hope the Bucs change their defensive philosophy from bend and playing on your heals to aggressive and play on the balls of your feat. I’m sure I’m not the only one who saw this from this defense. Offenses are playing aggressive so defenses have to match that to compete. If you don’t you are doomed in todays NFL. Looks like the ball is in Duffner’s court now.
#Get After It!
October 15th, 2018 at 3:29 pm
“He stabbed Lovie in the back”
“Jameis can’t stand him”
dafuq??? and they say I am crazy.
It’s a move that had to be made. Now, about that other shoe that needs to drop….. *hint, it’s a player*
October 15th, 2018 at 3:31 pm
I am interested to know who actually pulled the trigger. It was such an obvious move from Game 1 that if Koetter had to be told to do it then he may as well pack his bags too. It’s only common sense that Smith be replaced after the awful start to the season.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Buddy equates to majority of tampa bay fans.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Feel bad for the guy I really do. Oh wait never mind no i don’t. He’s a damn Millionaire and has been the worst defensive coordinator in football for the last 2 seasons.
I’m actually so shocked that Koetter actually parted ways with his best buddy. Props to him I guess. Although I kinda wish that he’d had foresight to do it after last season’s defensive abomination. But nope. They just blamed it on the players and went on doing the same crap.
Wouldn’t be shocked if this is Mike Smiths last stop in the NFL. Maybe he should write another book.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:32 pm
Does Joe’s head explode if the D is still garbage because a garbage GM filled the roster with too old or too young cornerbacks?
October 15th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
buddy will change his name back later.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Well I can watch the next weeks Buc game now since they fired Mike Smith.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:34 pm
Koetter had said repeatedly that we can’t put all the blame on any one person, and he’s correct in saying that.
That said, the Defensive Coordinator MUST be held accountable for the overall play of the defense. From outside looking in it certainly doesn’t appear that Smith has gotten the most out of the talent on the roster.
Hopefully this will be a wake-up call to the entire Buccaneers staff as well as the players and will motivate them to do whatever it takes to get more W’s. Otherwise they’ll soon be following Smitty out the exit door.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
Nah I’m not going anywhere unlike this crappy staff of #KLUELESSKOETTER’s. Bucs are in the running for a big day on Black Monday- Bart Scott voice-CAN’T WAIT!!!! How’s KLUELESSKOETTER of 16-21 looking??? doubt he gets to even this year. LOLOLOL
October 15th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
What will I do now? For 2 yrs I’ve been sayin..Pressbox Smitty needs to get out of that pressbox and onto the field. Guess I’ll just say, Beating the Browns is a must win for us if we are to..TURN THE PAGE for the remainder of the season.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
The Bucs will not be playing football in January
Unless they get together and play Madden
They have too much to fix
October 15th, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Now show some and trade GMC, Kwon and Spence before the deadline.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:41 pm
Great day in bucs history
October 15th, 2018 at 3:42 pm
Cleveland will wake up from their fairy tale season.
Time to bring the wood!
We can only go up at this time.
Go Bucs!!!
October 15th, 2018 at 3:42 pm
Dapostman
Is it just gonna be the same system with a coach with prior DC history that went 2-14 and 6-10 his two years? Bucs held ATL to 10 pts. in the second half because they started playing up and blitzing more. Let’s hope that is what this guy can accomplish. No playoffs= Dirk and entire coaching staff wiped clean.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Now show some and trade GMC, Kwon and Spence before the deadline. This year is toast anyways.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:43 pm
So is Buck the new D Coordinator???????
October 15th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
The defense will not improve. The problem is ownership.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
TampaBayAllDay, no, its Duffner as the interim.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Oh thats cool too. Anyone but Smith
October 15th, 2018 at 3:57 pm
Now the fans expect Mark Duffner to be Buddy Ryan 2.0
lol
October 15th, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Not going to make a bit of difference this season. Dufner has experience, yes…at failing. And he’ll be using Mike Smith’s playbook.
Don’t get me wrong. Firing Smith had to be done…my problem is the contingency plan.
This will justify giving Koetter anther year as well.
October 15th, 2018 at 4:05 pm
robert would that player you are hinting at, have a passion for graphic novels?
October 15th, 2018 at 4:06 pm
duffs stint as coordinator in cincinnatti averaged holding teams to 19ppg hell of alot better than what we been watching
October 15th, 2018 at 4:10 pm
@cmurda – 100%
This probably doesn’t make a huge difference this year, as he should have been let go after 2017, but it had to be done. Gotta send the message.
You can’t be a defensive coordinator and have your defense get worse and worse each year, despite adding new talent each year. You just can’t.
I don’t care if we have 3 rookies starting, the entire back 7 looks lost play after play after play. That comes from the top. You can put blame on Licht too, but he’s going after guys that Mike Smith wanted, and getting rid of guys he didn’t, so plenty of that talent evaluation falls on Smith.
October 15th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Two weeks to late, typical Bucs, everyone knew the team needed to make this move but we don’t do it over the bye week when it makes sense. No we wait until he craps another game away. Now that Smith is gone we can send worthless Grimes packing too. We don’t need his soft off coverage specialty handcuffing our defense. Let the young kids play man. They will take some lumps but hopefully get solid by the end of the season.
October 15th, 2018 at 4:19 pm
Lakeland is a lame. We just wanted Mike Smith out period.
October 15th, 2018 at 4:31 pm
Glad he’s gone but I doubt LB coach Duffner will change much of anything. Well, it can’t get any worse than historically bad.
October 15th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
hey now we can actually game plan on defense. What an f..ing concept
October 15th, 2018 at 4:52 pm
The game yesterday was just plain weird. The defense was totally invisible in the first 2 quarters. I quit listening cos I figured Falcons were cruising towards a complete rout. Picked up the headphones in the 3rd and the Bucs are down by 2 points? Yep, and if the defense had shown up at all in the first half, Tampa Bay would have won the game. Everything went the Falcons’ way including refs and turnovers. They only won by 5 points? Then I see that MSmith is gone. Good. The problem is not Licht nor Koetter. This move may also have stopped a players’ revolt. Still expecting the Offense to bloom. That may have finally forced DK to can Smith.
October 15th, 2018 at 5:20 pm
Not saying this is the “be all of end all” if important factors, but can Mark Duffner at least please stand on the sidelines as a Defensive Coordinator?…. where he can see his players faces and communicate with them, while showing some passion? — I can’t stand a DC being up in the box.
October 15th, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Fair winds to Mike Smith. A true gentleman who gave everyone he worked with his best. Stay well. Go Bucs!
October 15th, 2018 at 5:48 pm
The season is still early, beat the Browns and back to .500, enough to keep the interest going. This fan base has seen worse although the schedule looks tough going forward.
October 15th, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Mike Smith needed to go no doubt
But let’s not forget we have a lot of injuries on Defense
I think the Bucs can win we have the pieces
But A few Key Players have to stand up
JPP needs to take a Leadership Role
Jamies has to stop turn overs
October 15th, 2018 at 6:31 pm
Can the idiot secondary coach too. That clown is horrible and worse than Smith. Gotta go
October 15th, 2018 at 6:34 pm
I’m actually really missing Realist right now. If love to hear what he has to say. I wonder….
October 15th, 2018 at 6:54 pm
Patrick Mahome u know KCs QB the one Max kelerman said is gonna be the MVP had a 110 QBR W9ch is really really good. Our boy had 115 QBR…… 5 whole points better. Plus KC defense makes us the worst defense in the CFL. AND besides ALI Marpet their O line makes our guys look like bouncers that got fired for being too weak and get beat up by drunk skinny college frat boys from IV league schools. Plus our D coach Mike Smith is mentally stupid he only had that job because make a wish foundation made a few calls
October 15th, 2018 at 7:12 pm
A DOMINATE running game is the best defense. Trade Gerald McCoy for Le’Veon Bell. Trade the cupcake for a bulldozer and Duffner will look like the second coming of Monte Kiffin.
October 15th, 2018 at 8:12 pm
Good luck to Duffner, lets see what he can do with no talent. How does Licht keep his job, he should be carrying smiths bags out of town.
October 15th, 2018 at 10:45 pm
This seals Dorks fate as well… and if there is any justice, Licht will go too.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:49 pm
It’s not two weeks late but 52 weeks late. It had to be done after the Dessert Disaster last year in Arizona. Better late than never.