The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a disappointing 5-11 season end on Sunday with a 34-32 loss to their divisional rival in the Falcons.
After a hot start to the season behind the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bucs quickly went off the rails as Fitzpatrick’s play regressed and the team went back and forth between Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston. Ultimately, neither quarterback was capable of doing enough to make up for what was a miserable defense that was the fourth worst in the NFL, allowing 6.1 yards per play.
As tends to happen in these situations, a coaching change is coming in Tampa as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Dirk Koetter is out after three seasons with the Bucs.
Post-season firings are underway: Buccaneers relieved HC Dirk Koetter of his duties, source tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
Koetter went 19-29 over his three seasons in Tampa, including back-to-back 5-11 seasons after a 9-7 season in his first year. It comes as little surprise that Tampa has decided to make a change and Koetter will almost assuredly not be the last coach to get his walking papers this week.
Where the Bucs go next will be interesting, particularly with what they do in the upcoming draft and with Winston’s option for next season. After this year, it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise to see them move on from Winston and look to bring in a new hopeful franchise quarterback to go along with a new coach.
