Dirk Koetter has been a head coach for a significant part of his career. He spent nine years as the head coach for Boise State and Arizona State from 1998 to 2006, but this is the first time he's leading an NFL team. There will undoubtedly be a transition as he moves from offensive coordinator to head coach, and Koetter said that he's excited to continue to learn as he grows with his new position.
"I think the transition is going to be a new learning experience every day," Koetter said. "When I became a head college football coach, I thought it was my dream of a lifetime to be a head college coach. What you realize is, even though you've been working a long time to get to that position, you have to make decisions every day that you weren't prepared for. I'm sure the nine years I spent as a college head coach will serve me well as I make this transition.
"But I don't have all the answers and I know that I'm going to be learning things every day. I look forward to the challenge. One of the best things you can do is surround yourself with a great staff and trust your gut, and I plan to do both."
A coordinator is responsible for one side of the ball whereas the head coach is in charge of the entire team. Koetter will retain his play-calling duties, as Scott Smith noted last week, but the change in roles will result in several additional responsibilities.
Whatever challenges are presented, Koetter is prepared to succeed.
"When I was charged by Joel, Bryan and Ed, the Glazer family, to oversee the process and the search [for a head coach], I drew from some experiences to figure out what the key attributes are of a great football coach, and I've been around several," General Manager Jason Licht said. "Some of these [attributes], not excluding – there's a big checklist, but some of the key ones were that we wanted a leader who could get the most out of his players.
"We wanted an experienced teacher, because all football coaches at the core should be great teachers and develop their players and maximize their talents. Most importantly, we wanted somebody that would establish a winning culture that eventually would bring championships to Tampa. Dirk Koetter is all those things."
Photos from Head Coach Dirk Koetter's introductory press conference at One Buccaneer Place.
