Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knows he’s on the hot seat. If he doesn’t make the playoffs this season, odds are high that he’ll be fired. This might explain his reasoning behind the growing buzz that he almost yanked quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick during the game against Pittsburgh last week in favor fo Ryan Griffin. Baffling as that sounds, it paints a clear enough picture for the Chicago Bears defense.
Keep in mind Fitzpatrick has thrown 11 touchdowns through the first three games. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to go for 400 yards in three-straight games. How in the world could Koetter have reached the conclusion that he was “1 or 2” plays away from yanking the veteran for a guy in Griffin who’s never thrown a regular season pass?
From @NFLGameDay: A look at how short QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's leash is, as coach Dirk Koetter told his team this week he almost went to his backup QB against the #Steelers. As Jameis Winston returns… pic.twitter.com/jDvtJBcKSC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2018
The simple answer is turnovers. Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions in the game which led the Steelers to build their big lead. Koetter has always shown little patience for those things. Now that his job is squarely on the line? Yeah, it makes sense he might nearly overreact like that. It also paints a clear picture for the game today.
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Chicago Bears defense likely to see Jameis Winston at some point
In other words, this means Fitzpatrick is likely one mistake away from losing the starting job. Jameis Winston, the Buccaneers starter for the past three seasons, has returned from his three-game suspension for sexual assault allegations this past offseason. He’s been working hard to prepare for the eventuality that he’d get his job back. Fitzpatrick’s play would seem to signal that being problematic.
This latest revelation indicates Koetter is merely waiting for an excuse. Likely another turnover or bad play of some kind. Given this is the best defense Fitzpatrick has played to this point with the best pass rush in football, the odds of him making a mistake are significantly heightened. This places the odds at Winston coming into the game at some point far high than it might’ve looked a week ago.
This will be a fascinating situation to watch as the game goes along.
