Shocker: Tampa Bay fires coach Luvie Smith. Players not happy.
Just a month ago, things were looking good for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. #1 draft pick Jameis Winston was showing promise and the team was 6–6 in the middle of the wild card race. There was even talk that coach of the year honors might be possible for coach Lovie Smith.
But what a difference a few weeks make. The Bucs lost four straight and finishes in last place in the NFC South… for the fifth straight year.
So, Bucs management decided to make a change. Lovie Smith is out.
After careful consideration, we informed Lovie that we have decided to make a change. 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. — Buycs team co-chairman Joel Glazer in a prepared statement.
Reaction was strong from some Bucs’ players.
Lavonte David on the firing of his coach Lovie Smith. pic.twitter.com/cn49E5DcKW
— FootballCentral (@NFLCentral_) January 7, 2016
Here’s a look at the Bucs stats this year.
Data curated by PointAfter
Yahoo Sports quotes former Bucs GM Mark Domenic expecting team Offensive Coorindate Dirk Koetter may the next coach and quickly. Koetter’s name has surfaced for other head coaching jobs.
Imagine telling a team with a coaching vacancy right now they could have Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden or Lovie Smith. Yeah, the Bucs fired all 3.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 7, 2016
