Looking Into Dirk Koetter's College Coaching Experience
Our team's new offensive coordinator has a lot of biography to dig through, but let's remember there's more to him than just his Jags days. He was the first coach to succeed on the I-A level at Boise State, his attack put up points at Arizona State and Oregon and elsewhere, and Nick Saban interviewed him at Alabama just days ago.
The gamble the Falcons are taking, from my perspective, is on whether his college success can translate to the NFL once he's given tools better than what Jacksonville offered.
4 months ago
Jason Kirk
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Nailed it
If he fails here, he may wash out of the NFL. There’s only 3-5 offenses in the NFL with more firepower in the passing game.
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and probably take coach smith
with him. where was the due diligence? did they interview ANY body else? haven’t we learned our lessons about college coaches? geesh….this is really challenging me. this season, this playoff failure, this hire…. seems so ‘my fathers falcons’ again.
How old's your father?
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
I imagine we'll find out soon whether they interiewed anyone else
The answer better be yes.
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by Dave Choate on Jan 15, 2012 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
Does it not legally have to be?
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
Is the rooney thing just for HCs?
I think it was the rooney rule.
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:51 PM EST up reply actions
they requested to interview Clements from Green Bay
either he didn’t want to leave Green Bay or he said something they didn’t like. I don’t know about any other interviews though
he can't interview
Till the pack are out of the running
by TheAreopagite on Jan 15, 2012 3:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Nobody but NOBODY
has more real weapons offensively than the Atlanta Falcons. College offenses being what they are it must be said that the college game has as much similarity to the NFL as T-ball does to MLB…they both use a round ball.
When you watch a game from field level you can really see the speed in the game. All of the trick plays in college you can make a mistake in a call and talent alone can over come that call. Not so in the NFL…everybody is fast, tough and can make a play. MS hires guys who aren’t a threat to his job.
Now don’t get me wrong..Mike Smith willed the team to a winning record in ‘09. Ryan, Turner hurt..great job and we should be appreciative. But..we must move past the point of “po us” You lose because you’re not getting the job done.
You play to win the SB and just “improving” isn’t good enough. Players get older, hampered by injury, have baby momma problems, have problems with the drugs that they must take in order to play. You can lose who you thought you were and must start over. Arthur Blank is asking for tax money in order to replace a perfectly fine stadium. A new stadium will make the Atlanta Falcons a billion dollar business, doubling his investment. All of this other stuff is mental masturbation. If you went to a restuarant where you got a good, good not great, meal 11 out of 16 times you’d maybe start to look around. Well they’re our team…and they have to win!
I’ve seen all of the losing seasons and no one can tell me about 2007. It’s been worse. Question is will all of the losing seasons translate, sometime.. into being the very best, which is the point of the game.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 12:26 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
is there a way
to plus one someone here? you got one from me
No, people hating on me today
and twenty years ago I’d have done the same. But twenty years ago I’d watched 26 years of not winning. Yesterday had a familiar feeling for me. Falcons out of the playoffs, watching the Niners win a playoff game to advance to a championship game. It gets really old.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Hit the actions button
Followed by Rec.
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by Dave Choate on Jan 15, 2012 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
Im as upset as you are
But this wasnt Smittys selection alone. If this hire even marginally translates to MM all over again next season, look to see everybody in that front office gone, TD not withstanding. Replay that press conference and tell me Blank wants to settle again.
"NLDS or bust" - Bobby Cox
We don't have to continue to settle Atlanta. We're better than that.
by DopeFalcons on Jan 15, 2012 12:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
The press conference is what angers me
because I thought, “Well at least the FO feels like we do” I don’t forget that there were people who thought that hiring Petrino was “perfect” I’m human, you’re human and the FO are humans. People make mistakes. I just want them to learn. This is a passing league, you gotta throw effectively to win.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
Trust me
I can assure you Blank and TD told him something along those lines.
"NLDS or bust" - Bobby Cox
We don't have to continue to settle Atlanta. We're better than that.
by DopeFalcons on Jan 15, 2012 12:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Right
but I don’t think Petrino had ever abandoned a team like that before, and I don’t think they would’ve hired him if they had known that.
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by Caleb Rutherford on Jan 15, 2012 2:26 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed but not my point
my point is that Petrino was regarded, rightfully so as a great play caller. In college but that didn’t transfer to the NFL. Koetter is being defended for what he did at Boise but at the risk of being provincial, isn’t the best college competition. Why the excuses for a guy when there are only 32 of these jobs? Either you can do it or you can’t. Falcons play in the NFL.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
Not sure I agree
with your assertion that NOBODY has more real weapons offensively, but agree with your general sentiment.
I Don't Like This At All
Just because he was with you in jacksonville doesn’t mean you should automatically be hired, smitty didn’t wanna go outside the box and it might cost him, only thing keeping me together is hoping we get spags or nolan, if not I will be really pisssed and am gonna wanna see smith out the door
by Nedk23 on Jan 15, 2012 1:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I'm hearing no
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what are u hearing?
Plz share
Been a falcons fan since the big starter jackets was in style
by turnj35 on Jan 15, 2012 1:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
He's hearing that the former equipment manager of jaxville during the time Mike Smith was there
is currently being interviewed for the DC position for the Atl Falcons.
Its the towel guy.
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
you are all wrong!
It is “Lambeau ‘Coach’ Fields”
Dont cloud the issue with facts!
All I can tell you is that I've heard a few names
None of them are JDR.
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by Dave Choate on Jan 15, 2012 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
YAY and rec.
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
If We Hire another Jaxville ex coach
Im gonna loose it, by this logic ms is employing youd think the jags were 10time sb champs and that they have a coach staff 10yrs ahead of their time
My thoughts exactly
Getting Spags or Nolan is still a positive in all of this. I hope for some reason I’m wrong in how I feel about this hire. And for the record I’m feel like jumping ship. Our offensive talent is being wasted at this point. I’m so pissed.
So we have a guy in house as QB coach
who goes to jaxville to be OC and the OC that jaxville fires comes to be OC in Atl. It’s a small world from where these guys sit.
so...
Our QB coach (2nd in command of offense) goes on to be their OC coach, getting a promotion while their FIRED OC goes on to become ours? Something seems fishy. Mr Blank, I really hope you guys looked at every possible OC candidate out there because all I see is a failed Jax offense becoming a failed ATL offense. With this hiring, you gotta prove it to me. Every hire the Falcons have made up to now had me thinking “Hmm, this could work” but to go out and get the guy our #2 O-coach replaced? From an offense that our own DR said was week? He had 5 years there and the best product they came up with was Marcedes Lewis with only 1 great year? Of course, they had MJD but he was drafted in 06, so that cant really count as him either.
Dont cloud the issue with facts!
This Might Have Been
A Plea from smitty to hire him no way do is see TD and Blank hire the former OC of the al mighty high powered record setting jaguars offense. TD and Blank are completely diffrent then smith if this fails ealry smith is gone before the season ends
And who replaces him?
Blank will not fire Smitty midseason. It rarely helps and there is no coach on the falcons who is able to pick up the interim HC position at the moment
"Koetter has been working for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who this season finished 32nd in total offense, 32nd in passing and 28th in scoring"
Pretty hard to argue those numbers. Don’t hire winners, hire guys who have the potential to be winners… maybe, possibly, one day…with the right talent…and the moon and stars are aligned.
What players did he have that could do anything, other than MJD? A rookie QB and practice squad WRs don’t allow you to do much.
Who cares what weapons he possesed?
We have no evidence that he can do it in the NFL which btw is where we have to play.
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
by FrozenFinger on Jan 15, 2012 2:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Personnel is Huge
There is no evidence that he can’t be successful with the weapons the Falcons have.
O think I would rather have one of you guys
then a failed coach from somewhere else. I know nothing about this guy except that he was in Jville last year. Put up some college numbers? Does that matter. Petrino did too. Maybe that is what we need. Someone who isn’t famous and well known. Just thinking out loud.
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:27 PM EST reply actions
Pitchers and catchers report in a month or so.
I need to get me a Rays hat.
"Everybody has a plan until they get hit" Iron Mike Tyson.
"Screw 2nd." Lugs Harvey.
"In Grimes we trust, all others get gashed"- Me.
by CaptJackSparrow on Jan 15, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
A quote from Koetter:
"It’s not like you’re in 2×2 and you’re throwing quick outs to the outside and stick routes to the inside. You might complete that concept 67 percent of the time, but you’re only getting six yard plays. However, you may complete four verticals 48 percent of the time but you’re getting 18 yard gains, those are the kinds of plays I like better. I don’t like to work hard for four yard gains." Dirk Koetter, OC, Jacksonville Jaguars
Check out the up-and-coming Mizzou blog: http://www.zoulogy.com
Sounds like hes taking a shot at MM
by Bigru3 on Jan 15, 2012 11:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I think we should hire Ronald Mcdonald for DC...
to go along with The Hamburgler that is robbing us. jk im just having fun with this. Cause it is kinda funny that we hired a no namer
by Bigru3 on Jan 15, 2012 3:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Be careful what you wish for
because the way this is headed that is a very possible outcome. MS loves the jags so much that we might end up getting the rest of their sloppy seconds. Of course, we wouldn’t be lucky or good enough to get MJD ( the only player worth anything on that team).
Really? Why?
top 5 offensive talent: check
pro bowl running back: check
pro bowl receiver: check
pro bowl hall of fame TE: check
top 3 young receiver: check
hiring an OC with a consistently bad Offense:
WTF!!!
OCs should be lining up to take over our offense
by Magellan55 on Jan 15, 2012 4:27 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I like it
I feel like this guy knows what they want to see in this offense. They wouldn’t hire him otherwise
by superfalcon on Jan 15, 2012 4:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Track Record
When the best QB you’ve ever worked with in your system is David Garrard, and your best receiver was Sims Walker, you don’t have a chance.
This is the problem with evaluating anyone based solely on numbers. They don’t speak towards the management you had, the players you were dealt, or how much say you actually had. The Jags owner was looking to move his coach and his franchise and Koetter was handed a horribly unprepared rookie.
I like the smarts and thinking of Koetter. I think he may respond positively to a new environment and some very good weapons.
I’m reserving judgement until the guy actually has had a chance. For those who are already writing him off, I’d challenge you with this: if you were in his shoes, would you not want someone to at least give you a chance before passing judgement?
by The DW on Jan 15, 2012 7:02 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Its too late for that question
The mob is already sharpening its torches and lighting the pitchforks, or something like that. Personally I agree with you to a point. I don’t care much for the hire but I’m going to crucify the man before the offense has taken a preseason snap with him at the helm.
"People in this country used to look at a successful person and ask what can I do to have that kind of sucess. Now a lot of people look at a successful person and ask what can I do to take what he has."
- Tommy Beam
Oh, I know it's too late
The message is more for those teetering on joining the angry mobs.
I am also not blown away by this hire, but I was also unimpressed by the hire of Mike Smith 4 years ago. And, from what I’ve read, Koetter is very well respected around the league. His 2011 offense had more to do with everything going on around him than it did his offensive planning.
Koetter may not be the name we were looking for...
Be he may just be the man we need. We need someone who’s hungry for success, not someone who has already reached that pinnacle and is living off past accomplishments. This is probably Koetter’s last chance as a coordinator in the NFL and here he has been given a selection of weapons most teams in this league would drool over. It’s sink or swim for him…and Smitty. That tends to be one hell of a motivator.
A little side note…
Mike Smith, Dirk Koetter, Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Nolan were all born in 1959 and are all 52, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spags or Nolan here. Considering the comment above….out of Spags or Nolan….who wants success more?
I'll give him a slight chance, but.....
I can’t believe we are looking at his college days to try to qualify his skills as an OC.
He ran the 32nd ranked offense last year.
You can say that it is the talent he had on his team, but a GOOD OC would be able to squeeze something, anything out of his professional football team. A good OC would have found some mismatches (because all teams have some weaknesses on D) and would have exploited them to at least be ranked 31st?
To me, either he gave up or his players gave up on him. Neither is something I would want for the Falcons.
Not happy, not happy at all.
With prospects out there that are more dynamic?
I will have faith that TD knows what he is about and I will hope that I am more than wrong on this one.
Look at the entire story there
You really have to look past the 2011 season where the Jaguars are concerned. Consider this:
- The owner was actively looking to sell the franchise
- The last two drafts were spent on defensive players
- They had a lame duck coach who knew he was going to lose his job 1/2 way through the season
If you look at the overall performance of Koetter against the players he had, he’s not a terrible pick. Granted – he’s not a “big name” pick, but then again, neither was Mike Smith.
As for the sentiment that an OC can “squeeze” water from a rock, that’s just not the way it works. Any one of us would happily trade Sam Baker for Jake Long, because we know that no matter how good the OC is, he’ll never make Baker a substitute for the talent that a Jake Long brings. Likewise, there is a REASON we draft some players higher than others. In the NFL, talent makes a huge difference.
At best, a great OC can make a mediocre player and ok player and a good player into a great player. But you’ll never see an OC turn a mediocre player into a great player – it’s just not possible.
by The DW on Jan 16, 2012 9:47 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Didn't need to be great
I will NOT abide by any excuses for the 2011 season. He was getting paid to do a job and he did not do it well. Distrations might cause you to slip a little, but to 32nd? Not buying it. Adversity shows you what you are made of and the results were glaring.
Sure, it is nice to fall into an offense loaded with talent, so you can look great, but it is when you have to work with what you have and make it better that sets a good OC apart from a status quo or poor OC. When we run into trouble with injuries and whatnot, will I trust that he can get the job done and make up for it in other ways? Nope.
He didn’t have to make great players, just get the players he had to actually play. They are professional athletes and they did make it to an NFL roster. He got next to nothing from them.
The only thing I will give some slight pass for is the rookie QB. Rookie QB’s can be dicey, but game management can control some of these issues. I hope we get a good QB coach because I don’t think Ryan will get much of antyhing from this guy.
AND the field was wide open for an OC. With all this talk about being more agressive and change and being progressive…..this is what they came up with? Someone whose offense was based on a great running game? Our division, let alone the entire NFL is becoming pass happy on offense. You keep up or drop to the cellar. We have the talent to pass all day long. Can he change his stripes that quickly or did the Falcons just hire a slightly less conservative option?
Disappointed. :(
I'm sorry, but I just can't agree with your point here
Koetter should be dinged for not getting better out of the team, but you can’t squeeze blood out of poop. The Jaguars’ receiving corps was the worst in the NFL, their offensive line was one of the worst and Blaine Gabbert was an unmitigated train wreck.
This team would have derailed a lot of good coordinators’ careers. I truly believe that.
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by Dave Choate on Jan 16, 2012 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
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