Share

Buccaneers fire coach Dirk Koetter after 3 seasons

Share

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dirk Koetter seemed resigned to his fate.

The coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was fired Sunday night a little more than three hours after the Bucs concluded a disappointing season with a 34-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator to his first NFL head coaching position when Tampa Bay fired Lovie Smith in January 2016. He led the Bucs to a 9-7 record that year, but followed up with consecutive 5-11 finishes.

His successor will be the sixth coach will be the fifth coach the team has had since firing Jon Gruden after the 2008 season. The Bucs have missed the playoffs 11 straight seasons and haven’t won a playoff game since their Super bowl run under Gruden in 2002.

“I’d love to finish out my contract, of course I would,” Koetter said during his postgame news conference.

Trending:
Lib Host Jon Stewart Overvalued His Home By 829% After Saying Trump Civil Case Is 'Not Victimless'

“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, and that’s just the way this business works,” he added. “If this is the last one for me, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me. It’s awesome to be a head football coach in the NFL. Coaching in the NFL period is awesome. It’s the best of the best.”

The Bucs started 2-0 this year, and then lost 11 of 14 down the stretch, including four straight games to finish the season.

Koetter, who had a 19-29 record, was dismissed after meeting with team ownership after the news conference.

“We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years,” Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement.

Glazer said general manager Jason Licht would begin the search for a new coach immediately.

Koetter was asked if he believed he deserved to keep his job after constructing an offense that ranked among the league leaders this season, including No. 1 in passing yards.

‘There is no such thing as deserve in the NFL,” he said. . Numbers are nice but this is a winning league. I’ve been fired before and I’ve been hired before. I know this, if look yourself in the mirror at end the day and know you did everything you could, then I’ve no problem holding my head up.”

Licht, whose record since taking over as general manager five years ago is 27-53, apparently is keeping his job despite a spotty track record in the draft and free agency, where Tampa Bay has made numerous mistakes — especially in Licht’s effort to overhaul a porous defense.

Defensive coordinator Mike Smith was fired in October with the Bucs yielding a NFL-high 34.6 points a game through the first six weeks of the season.

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

The team also must decide this winter whether Jameis Winston is the team’s quarterback of the future. Koetter was named coach, in part, because of his relationship with the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft, however Winston has not blossomed into the dominating quarterback the team envisioned him becoming under Koetter’s guidance.

Winston, finishing his fourth season, is due to earn $20.92 million next season in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie.

“It’s an empty feeling when you lose, no matter how you lose. It was an up and down year and didn’t turn out how we wanted it to turn out,”” Winston said, adding he has not been told if he will return in 2019.

Winston and other teammates continued to express support Koetter right up to the end.

Receiver Mike Evans, who set a club single-season record for receiving yards this year, called playing for the former coach “awesome.”

“The fans might put stuff on him. That’s how sports works. You look at the head coach, Evans said. “I’m very fortunate to have played for him. “He took my game to new heights.”

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation