After collecting just two wins in Smith’s first season, the Buccaneers tripled that total in 2015 and were in playoff contention in early December, holding a 6-6 record.
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When Lovie Smith was suddenly fired a few days after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ended, the most plausible explanation was that the Buccaneers valued offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter more than Smith and didn’t want to lose him.
When former head coach Lovie Smith was dismissed last Tuesday it was widely expected that Koetter was going to be the guy moving forward, and now that seems as if that’s going to be the case.
The appointment of Koetter, a nine-year National Football League coaching veteran who has engineered four top-10 offenses with three different teams, would not come as much of a surprise.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the Buccaneers are set to make Koetter the team’s new coach. Tampa Bay had a productive and promising season from many standpoints with their talented trio of Winston, Martin, and Evans leading the way offensively. His team finished 11-5 in 2007 and even beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the postseason behind an offense that was sixth in the league in scoring and second in rushing yards.
Koetter served as the offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers last season and is said to have built a nice rapport with Jameis Winston. That hurts, and although this year marked the ninth straight season without a postseason appearance, Tampa Bay should feel encouraged heading into next year.
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While he has always been an offensive coordinator in the professional ranks, Koetter does have head-coaching experience in college.
