Was this just the last straw for the Bucs' higher ups? Was Mike Smith just not doing a good job as the Defensive Coordinator?
Of course the answer is yes for both questions.
Go back 20 years and opposing teams feared Tampa Bay's defense. Always top in the league for every statistical category and would score touchdowns themselves.
But this Tampa Bay defense has been abysmal in the 3 years since Mike Smith took over. Usually giving up the most points per game, yards per game, least amount of sacks and turnovers, and just getting beat on simple plays.
I am no professional football player or coach, nor am I saying I know more than they do, but how many times can we see a defense give up 400+ yards a game and stick with the coach.
The Bucs dove heavily into defense these past few offseasons, both in free agency and the draft, but there has yet to be an improvement.
I'm not saying I'm happy Smith was fired and he should be run out of Tampa, but I am happy to see the organization finally coming to the realization that a change needed to happen.
Replacing Smith will be Mark Duffner who is the linebackers coach. Duffner has been a linebackers coach for the Bengals, Packers, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Bucs while also being the head coach for Holy Cross from 1986-1991 and Maryland from 1992-1996.
I don't know much about Duffner, but typically when a coaching change happens, they stay with the playbook that has been installed. Since the playbook hasn't been working, I expect some changes to happen.
The Browns come to town this Sunday, this will be a test to see just how bad the defense is.
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