Surprising news from Tampa Bay: Contrary to other rumors, the Buccaneers won’t be able to change head coach, and according to consistent reports, Dirk Koetter will get another chance.
This is reported by NFL network insider Ian Rapoport and the Tampa Bay Times, among others. One of the most recent speculations was about Jon Gruden’s comeback in Tampa Bay, but Koetter is likely to prove himself again in 2018.
Rumours of a change of coach at the Bucs have been growing in recent weeks – the season was simply too disappointing. For many, Tampas acted as a secret favourite, but Tampas never got off to a strong start and especially the downfield element never worked. Defensively, the pass rush was the league’s most harmless pass rush, revealing the problems in the secondary. Tampa Bay will end the season with five wins at best.
Especially the missing development of quarterback Jameis Winston plays a central role in the criticism: Koetter was deliberately promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach after the 2015 season, also in order to give Winston’s development as continuous a line as possible. Winston, however, stagnated this year not only because of injuries and showed his old turnover problems.