As soon as Lovie Smith was fired, the rumors began. The media bashed Buccaneers owners, and the franchise, slapping labels on them, from racists to idiots. All of which are complete nonsense. The only fair assertion that can be deemed sensible is the fact that, letting coaches go every 2 or 3 seasons, does not build a winning franchise. However, the offseason moves made this year seem logical, and I believe there was no malicious intent involved with this team overhaul. Lovie did the best job he could, and in some instances made some outstanding additions, but the fact still remains, Lovie had too many L’s, when he was brought here to gain W’s.
“Let’s straighten out a few things about the Bucs’ hiring of Dirk Koetter as head coach. Both general manager Jason Licht and Koetter were essentially hired by Lovie Smith. And based heavily on Licht’s recommendation, the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs, fired Smith after two seasons and an 8-24 record, including 3-13 at home. A nine-day coaching search ensued with only two known interviews — Arizona offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, somebody Licht worked with that satisfied the Rooney Rule, and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. Those coaches go head-to-head today in the NFC Championship Game. As speculated when Smith was fired, Koetter was the top candidate because of the job he did with QB Jameis Winston and the fifth-ranked offense, which set a franchise record with 6,014 yards.” –Reported by Rick Stroud
More on this here: No coup behind Koetter’s promotion
