“Before you start winning games, you’ve got to stop losing them”, said Koetter, whose first order of business was to hire one of his old bosses – ex-Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith – as defensive coordinator.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Jameis Winston lights up when he talks about his competitive nature. Koetter was his offensive coordinator in the last few years of his Atlanta tenure. Koetter might be an offensive guy, but there is no doubt that the focal point of this offseason was upgrading the defense. “I know they’ll be well prepared on both sides of the ball”.
The additions of rookies Vernon Hargreaves and Noah Spence should bolster a young defensive nucleus that terrific upside. The Bucs have focused on improving his footwork, which has always been erratic, his deep ball and his pocket movement, and that appears to be paying dividends – he certainly looked a little more accurate in his first preseason game than he did previous year.
When he got to the Pro Bowl, the Bucs quarterback looked soft compared to the hardened physiques of teammates such as Jones and Russell Wilson. Like Winston, it will be interesting to see how Alexander has improved since his stellar rookie season. Shorts could step into the starting slot receiver spot on the team over an unproven Adam Humpheries and have an instant Week 1 role. Humphries seems to have the upper hand right now. When Jackson in the lineup, the Buccaneers’ offense is noticeably more dynamic. If the Bucs find a way to limit Jones’ red zone targets as Ryan was prone to do, he may amazingly become a non-factor. Martin was the second best running back, and he safeguards league Charles Sims combined for over 2700 yards from scrimmage over one year ago.
Doug Martin had a big rookie year and a strong 2015, but lackluster seasons in between.
“I kind of got spoiled a little at Florida State where I had a couple early turnovers but I was able to bounce back and come back and lead us to a victory”, Winston said.
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Ryan really credits Koetter for teaching him a lot about the passing game and reading defenses; therefore, playing into Ryan’s impressive numbers over the years and his streak of 4,000 yard passing seasons.
