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New Bucs’ coordinator Mike Smith wants to limit points

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Only nine teams gave up less yardage than the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2015. However, 25 gave up fewer points. For new defensive coordinator Mike Smith, that’s where the battle lies. “Ultimately, as a defensive coach, you’re going to be judged on how many points you give up,” Smith said in his opening news conference Thursday. “That’s the bottom line. It’s not yards, it’s not rushing yards, it’s not passing yards, it’s not sacks – ultimately, it’s about keeping them…

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Bucs hope Dirk Koetter can lead a franchise turnaround

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Now that the Tampa Bay Bucs have their football coach established, it’s time for the rest of the organization to step up, too. The Bucs announced Friday morning that Dirk Koetter is their new football coach, replacing the fired Lovie Smith. Koetter is the team’s fifth coach in eight seasons. For Koetter to succeed, however, it will talk effort from a lot of people outside his office, too. Who are going to be his coordinators? Can he draft a defensive…

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Bucs should shop around before hiring Dirk Koetter as coach

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The question is not whether the Tampa Bay Bucs will promote offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to head coach. It’s should they? From the moment Lovie Smith’s phone rang Wednesday night – “unemployment calling” – the assumption has been that Koetter would quickly replace him. The move itself seemed like one to protect the franchise from losing Koetter, even at the expense of losing Smith. But perhaps the organization – and the rest of us – should take a breath and…

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No, Lovie Smith wasn’t the worst coach the Bucs ever had

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Compared to Leeman Bennett, he was an immortal. Compared to Richard Williamson, he was a man of vision. So, no, Lovie Smith was not the worst football coach the Bucs have ever had, no matter how often he felt like it over the past two seasons. In the end, Lovie won eight games out of 32. That isn’t much, but it’s twice what Leeman Bennett won over the same time period. It’s twice what Williamson won, although he only got…

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Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter leads Bucs’ coaching candidates

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He has a great relationship with the star quarterback. He resurrected the running game. He healed the offensive line. He took the total offense from 30th in the NFL to fifth. And so the next coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs would seem to be Dirk Koetter, right? General manager Jason Licht on Thursday wouldn’t whittle the prospective candidates to just Koetter, but he did acknowledge that Koetter “has a strong résumé” as the team prepares to select a new…

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The timing of Lovie Smith’s firing brings questions of its own

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Before we get to the questions of why the Bucs fired Lovie Smith, there is another question at hand. Why the timing? No, not why after two years, although the Bucs look particularly reactionary this morning after going through Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano and Smith in a five-year period. After only two wins in 2014, how many games did the Bucs imagine themselves winning in 2014? But why 10 p.m.? Why via a phone call, as is being reported? Why at…

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Year in Review: Did the Tampa Bay Bucs improve enough in the 2015 season?

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In 2015, the Bucs found their quarterback. They salvaged the career of their running back. They repaired their maligned offensive line. They got 1,000 yards in an off-year by their wide receiver. But was the improvement under second-year coach Lovie Smith enough? The Bucs, a year after 2-14, climbed all the way up to six wins against a schedule of toy soldiers. Leaving Bucs’ fans with the question of how much progress is enough progress? The defense, particularly after the…

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