Free Points From Dirk Koetter
November 4th, 2016
Dirk Koetter was in gift-giving mode last night.
Matt Ryan started a late-first-quarter drive with a handoff and then a fumble on second down.
Then there were a couple of strong runs, a short completion and two incompletions. And then came Dirk Koetter’s gift.
After that second Ryan incompletion, the Falcons were flagged for a 15-yard face mask penalty. If the Bucs accept the penalty, then the Falcons would have been facing 3rd-and-22 from the Bucs’ 38 yard line.
The choice was clear: Take the penalty and give your defense a chance to make a play, or decline the call and give the Falcons kicker Matt Bryant an automatic 41-yard field goal.
(Bryant has the 10th-best conversion percentage on field goals in NFL history.)
Koetter waved the white flag and opted to give Atlanta the 41-yarder. The kick was good. Falcons 13, Bucs 7.
Koetter said after the game that “we talked about it” and preferred their odds of giving Bryant the easy three.
Whaaaatttt?
For a coach trying to change the culture, that was a losing mentality.
For a team trying to build a defend-every-blade-of-grass attitude on their home turf, it was a losing mentality.
In a game that was close, Koetter made it less close. The Falcons weren’t exactly tearing it up at that point. Again, Ryan wasn’t even playing great on that drive. (See the first paragraph.)
Would Koetter hand over points like that in a playoff game? Newsflash: last night was the equivalent of a playoff game for the Bucs.
Joe is in full head-shake mode.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:11 am
Please grill him at the press conferences. His decisions this year show nothing but cowardice and confusion.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:12 am
It’s time to put a fumigation tent over one buc palace with every one in it not named Evans, Kwon, marpet and Winston and start over. New ownership new, office staff, new coaches, new front office, new medical staff and new players. Most embarrassing franchise on planet earth. Browns have class compared to bucs.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:12 am
DK: how badly hurt is Famous? Do not play him against Chicago. Let him rest and put in MG8. Fire Smith when you can. Thanks! 🙂
November 4th, 2016 at 10:14 am
Joe,
The Bud D is worse this year than last, and is in its worst stretch of football in our existence.
I understand your point, but give Koetter a break. The D sucks, and we lack playmakers on offense. It’s the GMC, Jameis, and Mike Evans show. Everyone else is meh.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:16 am
Let Ryan have another pass?
No way.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:18 am
I agreed with this call 1000% I have more confidence in Roberto making an 18 yard field goal than I do in this defense.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:19 am
Speaking of grilling the coach, is it just me or is our media too soft when asking these post game questions? Some of these media questions come out timid and weak! I get that they want to be invited back into One Buc, but damn ask some tougher questions and sound like you have a pair when asking them!
November 4th, 2016 at 10:22 am
Please, trying to put shade on something not there. Rather have three than seven. This defense couldn’t stop Tampa Catholic receivers much less Jones, Sanu and the nameless one at tight end.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:23 am
I like Koetter but that was inexcusable….a lot of things can happen on 3rd and 23..a turnover? the percentage on a 3rd and 23 conversion is extremely low…this , and the time management, late game error[no timeout call] against the Rams are head shakers for a head coach…Lovie like calls
November 4th, 2016 at 10:23 am
Good call by the coach. They wouldn’t have stopped them on 3rd and 22 anyway and I’d rather see them give up 3 instead of 7. Best case scenario for the defense would’ve been to only give up 12 yds and the result of 3 pts would’ve been the same without risking giving up the TD.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:24 am
and where is the blitz? …the pass rush needed help…
November 4th, 2016 at 10:26 am
Terrible call, you NEVER give up 3 points like that. NO COACH IN THE NFL would have declined that penalty (except Koetter), inexcusable!!!!! If they get 3rd and 22 so be it, you have to take that chance.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:31 am
All of you guys claiming this was a good call are truly pathetic. If you’re worried about 3rd and 22, then there is no reason for this team to even take the field and no reason for us to watch. You don’t give away points in the NFL. If they scored a TD, so be it, but make them at least earn it.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:31 am
So, they “talked about it” and made THIS decision. THIS decision was calculated?
I don’t know about you guys but this is not the coach that I want. You take that penalty and you put the fire under your defense’s backside. That’s what a coach does. You take the chance that somehow your defense WILL make a play for you, for it’s fans.
This is not the only “head-shaking” decision that this guy has made.
This article has me thoroughly disgusted!
November 4th, 2016 at 10:36 am
That call was a head scratcher, but he’s a rookie NFL HC bound to make some head scratcher calls. The guy he replaced was a decade veteran NFL HC who made equally bizzare calls. I’ll take the guy who might actually learn from his mistakes and improve going forward. And for all the folks calling for Mike Smith to get fired, let’s look at things and determine how much of the defense’s woes are being caused by the damn offense going 3 and out or killing drives with penalties thus putting some good offenses back on the field too soon. IMO part of that is on Koetter and part of that is on Jameis throwing innacurate passes and/or trying to force every damn throw to Evans. They have to sustain drives to give the defense a chance to rest, even if it’s short checkbdiwn throws.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:38 am
So 3rd and 22 at the 38…No Pass rush, average corners, and really bad safety play. The Bucs would have given ATL 10 yards on that 3rd down play anyway, but now you allow Jones to burn you, PI ect…I kind of see why he did what he did, but I think you are better off playing it the right way. Let the players win it or lose it. We are just bad – we all knew we were thin on play makers on offense.
Defense, we added some pieces but not game changing pieces. It’s why you keep drafting d-line over and over till you hit. We have to have a 2 score lead to have a chance to win.
People will start talking about firing Koetter – but who wants to come here? and why would the owners sell?
November 4th, 2016 at 10:40 am
Two points: first, Bucs would not have had kicking issues if they simply kept Matt Bryant (still remember the 62 yarder against Philly back in the Chuckie years) and second: given the Bucs secondary I would venture to say that the chances of the ATL converting the 3rd down and long or the Bucs commiting a bonehead penalty were about the same as Bryant connecting on the 41 yarder. Koetter gave up the sure 3 instead of the likely 7 as he has absolutely no confidence in his secondary and D in general. Can you blame him?????
November 4th, 2016 at 10:41 am
I’m with those saying I agree with Koetter on this one. What has anyone seen the last couple weeks that leads you to believe we can stop Atlanta? 22 yards? That’s nothing against our defense. We are in a permanent prevent defense.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:42 am
it’s all a scam…smith is tanking it so koetter gets canned and he gets promoted to be the head coach…
^^^ just a thought – imagine that? ^^^
November 4th, 2016 at 10:46 am
the bucs are like the sweathogs from “welcome back kotter”…
and koetter is of course “mr. kotter”
and aguayo is horshack…”hey mista kahtare! can i kick it through the uprights?”
November 4th, 2016 at 10:48 am
i wonder what coward blowsell would say about these big stage shennanigans
November 4th, 2016 at 10:52 am
Whose to say that our defense wouldn’t commit a penalty and give the falcons a first down on 3rd and 22. Our D doesn’t deserve he benefit of the doubt. We effing suck, Joe.
You act like warren Sapp, Dereick Brooks, and John Lynch were all suiting up last night. I believe they could’ve been better than some of the sludge on this roster.
Where are the offensive playmakers?
What have the Bucs done to warrant Koetter accepting such a penalty?
November 4th, 2016 at 10:54 am
@Hawaiian- How about plain ‘ol dumb luck? My god, are we that brow-beaten that we’re OK with just giving up on plays?!!!
Anything can happen: A fumbled exchange, a sack, an interception, a tackle for loss, an incompletion!!!
Geez!
November 4th, 2016 at 11:06 am
Bucsfanman: such fortunate defensive plays like a crucial fumble, sack or tackle for loss only happen to Buc opponets and never for the Bucs unless they are playing some equally horrible team like the Niners, Browns, or Jets. I suspect Cutler will convert a couple of 3rd and 20+ yards during the next game, just watch!
November 4th, 2016 at 11:07 am
Marty Ice woulda got 6 against this defense even if it took 2 plays. I don’t think Koetter made a bad call. He actually had 14-13 lead for a couple minutes. Our defense is getting torched by every team and this won’t get better soon unless something changes. More blitz packages and press man. Get up on the receivers and hit them at the line. Winning some matchups is better than losing every one. And let Glennon play. Make Jameis earn his spot back.
November 4th, 2016 at 11:08 am
I agree with Dirks call.
November 4th, 2016 at 11:12 am
“@Hawaiian- How about plain ‘ol dumb luck? My god, are we that brow-beaten that we’re OK with just giving up on plays?!!!
Anything can happen: A fumbled exchange, a sack, an interception, a tackle for loss, an incompletion!!!
Geez!”
——
You know what else could happen? A 5 yard defensive holding penalty, or maybe an illegal hands to the face. And to answer your second question – yes.
November 4th, 2016 at 11:14 am
All of you head coaches….er I mean keyboard coaches crack me up!
November 4th, 2016 at 11:18 am
It’s sad. Fans are actually OK with this! SMH
November 4th, 2016 at 11:22 am
It should be painfully obvious to everyone that Dirk Koetter is not going to be the head coach to lead this team to the playoffs anytime soon. I’m not saying you fire him today or the end of the year but if you’re being honest with yourself it’s not going to be Dirk that turns this franchise around. It’ll be someone else. Whether he’s fired at the end of the year or the end of next year (or year after) he’s keeping the seat warm for the next guy.
His in-game decisions should make that painfully obvious to anyone who isn’t biased. Deep down the media, the Joes, the people who comment here know that when this team is eventually successful Dirk Koetter, Mike Smith, and Jason Licht will not be a part of it.
They are a big part of the culture problem with this organization.
November 4th, 2016 at 12:01 pm
@ Hawaiian Buc
“Prevent defense”?…..more like hope they dont score next play defense
November 4th, 2016 at 12:20 pm
Dirk Koetter let the clock run out before the half, the Falcons were stopped on 3rd down with 32 seconds left. Instead of calling timeout and try to block the punt, Koetter just let the clock run and took the timeouts into the locker room.
November 4th, 2016 at 1:05 pm
@D-Rome,
I’ve been lukewarm on Koetter all along, but I don’t think he’s the reason we are losing. There have been a few decisions he has made I don’t agree with, but we have never had a coach that didn’t make decisions I didn’t agree with – including Gruden. If you can get the best offense in the league off the field, you take it. You can say winning culture, blah blah blah, but the fact of the matter is our defense is straight up garbage. Any chance you have to get them off the field you take it. I don’t give a damn if it’s 3rd and 65. All it takes is one defensive holding, and it’s an automatic first down. We can’t stop anyone on 3rd down, so to stop someone and then give them another chance is just plain stupid in my opinion. I just re-watched the game, and Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth didn’t disagree with the decisions. I was at the stadium, and didn’t hear one fan complaining about it. Hindsight is always 20/20. You are not going to agree with all decisions of any coach, but those decisions aren’t costing us games. Penalties are costing us game. Piss poor defense is costing us games. Not being able to make a kick is costing us games. Ball security is costing us games. A decision on whether or not to decline a penalty doesn’t mean a damn thing.
November 4th, 2016 at 1:06 pm
You can’t change a losing culture with the same loser players. Let’s be a little more real about the situation and ask yourself what NFL team has ever changed its fortunes by drafting an undersized corner and defensive end then trading up to get a kicker with the first 3 picks?
Okay I admit it was a bad call but all coaches make bad calls you don’t have to be a rookie for that honor but that bad call doesn’t affect the game as much as the players out on the field for every snap.
Simple truth is we suck because our roster sucks and Koetter knows it. We got Robert ayers but need Pitbulls because we have a bunch of Chihuahua which they do bite but not like a pit bull. How about giving the fans a roster wasn’t coach could win this but this roster is not it the good players are getting infected by the weak
November 4th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
This was a reasonable call. As has been pointed out the Falcons would have looked downfield to see if JJ could get open but would have more than likely thrown underneath to Davonta for ten sure yards and a chance to break a play.
They would have had the FG anyway. This way at least we removed the chance for a TD.
And in point of fact we managed to take the lead after that call.
November 4th, 2016 at 3:25 pm
When I herd ” penalty declined” I almost choked on my beer.
November 4th, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Heard. lol
November 4th, 2016 at 3:31 pm
The guys on NFL network agreed cause defense couldn’t stop a cold