“Turnovers Aren’t Created”
October 10th, 2016
Takeaways are often dumb luck.
Joe really wants the Bucs to start winning. Part of this is because Joe does not want to see Dirk Koetter leave the Bucs.
Joe really, really, really appreciates his candor and no-nonsense approach. Ask him a question, you get an answer, not some mindless, empty cliche repeated 20 times a day. Simple as that.
Last week, Koetter offered refreshing truth to the concept Joe has long held; takeaways are a result of chance, not skill.
“Every turnover has its own story and I’m a believer that usually turnovers aren’t created,” Koetter said. “Usually turnovers are gifts by the other side and that’s been the case for the most part on the giveaways that we’ve had [on offense]. For the most the part, it’s not like there have been a whole lot of fantastic plays made.
“Again, we’ve turned it over nine times, so I’d have to look at all nine of them back-to-back-to-back, but for the most part I look at them as mistakes we made. So as far as opportunities, it’s not like teams have been putting the ball on the ground a whole bunch. Every team at every level works on strip drills and tip drills and all that kind of stuff. We say we want to create, attack the ball, create turnovers. Sometimes those opportunities just don’t come up.”
Exactly. It used to drive Joe absolutely wild when Lovie Smith, with such an erection for takeaways, seemed to hold everything else on defense as secondary.
Can’t wrap up on a tackle? Just get a takeaway. Can’t cover a receiver? Just get a takeaway? Give a receiver a 10-yard cushion? Don’t worry, just get a takeaway. Slant passes? Forget them. Just get a takeaway.
Joe only wishes someone would have told Lovie that a punt is a takeaway, too.
With such an opposite stance to Lovie’s core, sacrosanct belief, Joe wonders how the hell Lovie even hired Koetter? Or maybe, he didn’t?
To add to the takeaways wives tale that an NFL team cannot thrive without them, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Green Bay and Seattle are all struggling to get takeaways. Yet they all have winning records.
The name of the game is outscoring your opponent and playing sound, fundamental defense, which those four teams can do.
October 10th, 2016 at 9:28 am
I listened to Coach Koetter on the radio last week. He sounded defensive about his team’s play, and worse still, the same attitude about his QB’s play. There is one question I would like posed to him; why is it second stringers play like all-pro’s against us, while our guy plays like a collegiate freshman?
October 10th, 2016 at 9:28 am
I would have to say guys, I’m quite disappointed in the way or secondary covers though… Still playing off the WRs at the line. I’m not seeing any reroutes by our CBs jamming. Am I missing something here
October 10th, 2016 at 9:30 am
@Seminole Bill
Been thinking the same thing all week
October 10th, 2016 at 9:35 am
First Rick Stroud suggests Coach Koetter could be one and done. Then on Pro Football Talk this morning the idea was floated out there that if the Bucs don’t win against Carolina that the head coach could be one and done. It seems this article is an attempt to stem the tide of criticism against the head coach. Hey, that’s your prerogative but all of the great football coaches in NFL history talk about creating turnovers. Heck, in his introductory press conference Mike Smith listed three things the Bucs must do to be successful one of those things were creating turnovers.
October 10th, 2016 at 9:38 am
Turnovers are the product of everyone doing their job and winning 1 on 1 battles. Not players pressing to make plays.
October 10th, 2016 at 9:40 am
Joe, admit it, you would love to have Bill Belicheat’s mindless, empty cliches….
October 10th, 2016 at 9:44 am
WhatdaBUC…do you see the size of our corners? Not really the jam at the line type. The turnovers will come in and go in waves.
October 10th, 2016 at 10:06 am
@bigPoppaBuc… Yea but so what, at this point we’re seeing the same defense since Kiffin was here… No one has truly tried to change it.
D line decimated?! Switch to a 3 4 defense now, we saw glimpses of it in the preseason… Slowly show it tonight. Then after the bye. Exclusive!!! Bet we’d catch the league off guard.
Dreaming I know… But it could happen
October 10th, 2016 at 10:20 am
Some turnovers are created…….extreme pressure on the QB can cause them….also great coverage or strip tackles/sacks…..but I agree that most of them are gifts because of poor play.
October 10th, 2016 at 10:27 am
I can’t help but think back, on a greater day in Tampa. Back when we got a lot of “gifts” from teams. Ahh visions of Brooks and Barber taking it to the house. Simeon Rice and his strip sacks.
October 10th, 2016 at 10:29 am
Than Chris Conte appears and receivers are running by him, when he’s not grabbing them, and our defensive lineman get within the same area code of statue QBs….reality hits.
October 10th, 2016 at 10:31 am
Seminole Bill…I really don’t think Koetter is the person to ask seeing how it’s been going on for 10 years now, no matter who the coach is.
October 10th, 2016 at 11:48 am
Koetters looking at it strictly from an offensive perspective. I disagree with him I think turnovers are created the Bucs old defense was living proof. When you press a team hard enough and force them into the position where nothing is working, they will eventually start to force plays to make something happen and that’s when turnovers happen. The other alternative is for them to continue to play it safe and lose without much of a fight.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:03 pm
@joe…I disagree….lovie knew the only way we had a chance in hell was to force/create a turnover with the lack of talent and depth we had….this year its the same thing….the difference between the bucs and the teams you mentioned above are they all have both a superbowl winning qb and hc…the only exception is Dan Quinn who has a superbowl ring…plus the have better defensive talent and depth….if you have a fragile dline that also lacks quality depth along with a secondary that doesn’t have great overall speed, the only way to mask those flaws are to get turnovers….GO BUCS!!!!
October 10th, 2016 at 1:21 pm
It doesn’t matter, they aren’t forcing punts or taking the ball away. There’s nothing refreshing about that.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:39 pm
@ Waterboy – I agree with you
Dirk Koetter is so confused he doesn’t even know how many turnovers we’ve given away (11). He MUST think it is 9 because we are -9 for the year, but we did get 2 in the Rams game. Anyway, the turnovers are why we are 1-3 and NOT 2-2 or 3-1 right now. We haven’t gotten steady pressure on a QB all year and that is why we don’t have many takeaways. Why would Koetter get fired after ONLY one year when it is NOT his fault? We just haven’t got the bounces to go our way yet. Our QB has turned the ball over 10 times and had a hand in the 11th one too. Once the turnovers stop we will have a chance again.
October 10th, 2016 at 2:46 pm
@bigstinky says….Why would Koetter get fired after ONLY one year when it is NOT his fault?….
its mostly his fault we’re in the position we’re in…..poor clock management, abandoning the run, using the wrong personnel, quitting on your team by punting, throwing your team under the bus by claiming there’s a culture problem when its really a coaching problem, hiring your buddy to fix the defense which in terms has become worse…..he could very well be 1 and done just like the 9ers coach….GO BUCS!!!!