Tampa Bay Buccaneers pull a bit of a stunner, fire Lovie Smith
Black Monday came and went, and nobody even thought about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers parting ways with coach Lovie Smith.
So it was really a shock when, at 10:21 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, the Buccaneers tweeted out the news that Smith was fired after just two seasons with the team.
Smith’s first season with the Buccaneers was awful, as a talented roster somehow sunk so low it went 2-14 and got the No. 1 pick. But that pick turned into quarterback Jameis Winston, who helped the Buccaneers improve to 6-10 this season. Things were looking up for the Buccaneers and Smith, or so it seemed.
Linebacker Lavonte David, one of the team’s stars, was not happy and tweeted his thoughts not long after the announcement.
Former Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers also thought it was too soon to fire Smith.
Other players like offensive lineman Donovan Smith and linebacker Kwon Alexander also couldn’t believe the news.
“After careful consideration, we informed Lovie that we have decided to make a change,” Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. I want to thank Lovie for his hard work and dedication to the Buccaneers during his time here. This decision was difficult on a variety of levels. I am disappointed that we were not more successful these past few seasons, but we are committed to doing what is necessary to give our fans the winning team they deserve. As we move forward, General Manager Jason Licht will oversee the process for finding our next head coach.”
Mark Domenik, the former Buccaneers general manager, said he expected Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to be named head coach within a week. That would make sense, since Koetter did a good job developing Winston as a rookie, and other teams with head-coaching vacancies were starting to show interest. Also, the Buccaneers getting a late start on the coaching market wouldn’t matter if they’re just going to promote Koetter.
The Buccaneers are an intriguing team. Winston had a good rookie season and the future looks bright for him. They have some elite players like David, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and receiver Mike Evans, and there are other good young players elsewhere on the roster. The Buccaneers also have the fourth-most cap room going into the offseason, about $52 million based on a projected $150 million cap according to OverTheCap.com.
Smith seemed like he’d get a chance to develop those players and build a winner, but the Buccaneers surprised everyone on Tuesday night and decided to move in a different direction.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
