Falcons’ next offensive coordinator: Jaguars’ Koetter (really?)
Dirk Koetter has spent the past five seasons as Jacksonville's offensive coordinator. (AP photo)
I’ve long made it a practice to not pre-judge coaches. We’ve seen enough examples of guys who can win the press conference but lose on the field, and vice versa.
That said, the Falcons’ hiring of Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator isn’t going to spark any block parties.
Koetter has been working for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who this season finished 32nd in total offense, 32nd in passing and 28th in scoring – which wouldn’t be so bad if the NFL had, say, 100 teams and not 32. The assumption in Flowery Branch must be that there’s only so much a coach can do with Blaine Gabbert.
Koetter has been a known candidate from the outset. The news of his hiring leaked out Sunday morning and later was confirmed by the Falcons, although Koetter said he was under instruction from the team not to comment.
The second sentence of Koetter’s bio in the Jacksonville media guide begins, “Known for his expertise of the passing offense …” In his first season as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator in 2007, the Jaguars finished seventh in total offense, 17th in passing and sixth in scoring. That also was Mike Smith’s last season in Jacksonville, before he was hired as Falcons’ head coach.
But this is what has happened to the Jaguars’ offense since:
• 2008: 20th total offense (15th passing), 24th scoring.
• 2009: 18th total offense (19th passing), 24th scoring.
• 2010: 15th total offense (27th passing), 18th scoring.
• 2011: 32nd total offense (32nd passing), 28th scoring.
The Jaguars have had some obvious personnel deficiencies. The organization was a mess and head coach Jack Del Rio clearly had lost his effectiveness. But it’s safe to conclude Koetter was not viewed as anybody’s “hot” candidate.
Two factors may have played into this hiring: 1) Smith wanted somebody he is comfortable with, and in this case that’s somebody he has worked with; 2) The Falcons’ third straight immediate playoff exit has, for the first time, put some heat on Smith, and that perceived uncertainty sometimes affects a team’s ability to hire a high-profile candidate.
That said, Koetter had a solid offensive reputation when he was Arizona State’s head coach, and was viewed by some as one of the rising coaches early on at Jacksonville. As recently as July, an NFL.com blog on Koetter included this: “The Jaguars’ offensive coordinator is on the cusp of taking that next step [in coaching]. If he can continue to get what he has gotten out of Jacksonville’s offense without an abundance of talent, especially if he manages to get Blaine Gabbert ready to play despite this lockout, then a move up is imminent.”
It’s ironic that Koetter should come from the organization that just hired the Falcons’ recently maligned offensive coordinator, Mike Mularkey, as head coach. Mularkey might have been fired even if he had not gotten the Jacksonville job, given the predictability of the Falcons’ offense and the widely held belief that he did not fully utilize the weapons on the roster.
That’s on Koetter’s shoulders now. But it will be at least September before anybody is too excited.
By Jeff Schultz
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1,029 comments Add your comment
DEP
January 15th, 2012
1:59 pm
Smitty…the only way this is gonna work is if you let this guy actually run a offense, not a offense that plods along, but one that attacks the defense. We know Del Rio was even more conservative offensively than you, so maybe this guy was tied up by Del Rio, I don’t know, but please let the Offense attack instead of the old 3 yards and a wish on 3rd down. And get a DC that beleives in kicking the Q’sB butt and not play zone every play like BVG did.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
1:59 pm
Kramer
January 15th, 2012
1:54 pm
Matt choke, first off, stop with the ha ha’s and smile faces. This is not facebook and you might be 16 but, most of us on here are not. If you are to embarrassed to be a Falcon fan then jump on the Packers or 49ers, or Patriots bandwagon. Quite frankly we do not need your dumba** with our base
___________________________________________
I’m sorry if your life is so sad that you are threatened by smiles, but being a CHOKE fan that is enough to make any soul go cold…………………
HA HA HA
HA HA HA
HA HA HA
miked706
January 15th, 2012
2:01 pm
This organization just made me cancel my season tickets. The coach doesn’t want to win. The GM doesn’t want to win and this coach isn’t going to take us nowhere. You hire a guy whose offense was last in the league? Keep the tickets, I’ll watch the boring offense I’m tv. I’m still a fan just not a season ticket fan anymore.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:01 pm
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
1:54 pm
Didnt Flacco put up a goose egg against the JAGS? Dont worry Choke, I’ll still be your friend, maybe one day you’ll find peace
______________________________________________
See that’s the difference between Falcants fans and Ravens fans………………
They care more about playoff wins and not regular season insignificant losses…………
That’s why you are watching Flacco on t.v…………………..
HA HA HA
Kramer
January 15th, 2012
2:01 pm
LaVell, the Billick thing would not have worked considering his relationship to Smith. say he came in here and things did not improve. You think Smith would want to fire his family? Your second point is one that is valid however, this guy is supposed to be a passing guru. Like I said before, look at the talent he has had to work with in Jax. Your 3rd point has to do with my last sentence. No qb and wr’s means you have to run first. Your 4th point has been proven wrong over and over in the sporst world. Good front office do NOT hire to excite the fan base. They hire the best man for the job. Your 5th point is the same as the 4th. They have to hire the best man.
Michael
January 15th, 2012
2:03 pm
Rivercard- Koetter’s teams at ASU were pass heavy teams and he is known to be a guy who favors the vertical passing game. Look at the offensive numbers he put up at ASU from 01-06, and the numbers he put up in Jax in 07′ when they were a playoff team. Koetter’s area of expertise is the passing game and that’s where we fell short offensively last year. I admit that I wasn’t “excited” about this hire either but I’m not doom and gloom like most of the people on this blog because I realize that the Falcons have serious personnel issues up front on both sides of the ball. The biggest difference between the teams still playing now and the Falcons is the talent on the OLine/DLine.
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
2:03 pm
REally quick Choke, remind me how many Super Bowls Flacco has? Wait….you mean he hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet? So…..you’re saying those playoff wins mean jsut as much as a regular season win? Dang….who would’ve thought?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:04 pm
5150 UOAD
January 15th, 2012
1:59 pm
CHOKE is just another angry black QB fan.
_______________________________________
Do you work for Uncle Sam? How do you know what ethnicity or gender I am?
D. Orlando Bedwetter
January 15th, 2012
2:04 pm
Real Atlanta ‘fans’ should thank Arthur Blank, Dimitroff, and Coach Smith for hiring Dirk Koetter.
Kramer
January 15th, 2012
2:05 pm
Michael, best comment so far. I think this is a good hire and we have to improve the line on both sides to make this a SB contender. You do not do squat without a physical line.
Greg Mendel
January 15th, 2012
2:05 pm
I wonder how “quick” the decision on Koetter actually was. Mularkey interviewed for HC positions last year, so management had to know he was interested. By mid-season 2011, it was obvious to everyone that the team was not explosive, as expected. With the writing on the wall, consideration of potential OC replacements probably started early. Koetter could have been a second or third choice, but it would be naive to assume management hadn’t given the matter a lot of prior thought.
Going Nowhere
January 15th, 2012
2:05 pm
This is a huge drag. Are we hoping to score even less points in the playoffs?
Vet
January 15th, 2012
2:05 pm
I guess the falcons and jags are playing musical chairs with coaches. pathetic
ijonathan
January 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
Yeah Choke, I’m watching Flacco being Flacco today. Overthrows, behind throws, underthrows, and dumping off to Ray Rice to do all the work. And, benefitting from a ferocious defense and opponent turnovers/short field. Is that the Flacco you are talking about?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
New Age Offense
January 15th, 2012
1:59 pm
Wow the Falcon fans aresck of cronyism, well lets see America is the land of cronyism….By the way I am not sure Matty Ice can become an elite quarterback therefore the Falcons will need an elite running back… Matty Ice lacks pocket presence
__________________________________________
HA HA HA
He also lacks INTELLIGENCE…………………..
HA HA HA
5150 UOAD
January 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
How do you know what ethnicity or gender I am?
CHOKE read that again. I don’t know your ethnicity. I KNOW the Ethnicity of your Favorite QB MV7.
fansince74
January 15th, 2012
2:07 pm
Not what we were hoping but our knowledge is limited. It’s kind of hard to judge a coach based on poor talent. Maybe what we see as underachieving in Jacksonville was actually getting the most out of what He had.
jim
January 15th, 2012
2:07 pm
rise up ??????
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:07 pm
ijonathan
January 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
Yeah Choke, I’m watching Flacco being Flacco today. Overthrows, behind throws, underthrows, and dumping off to Ray Rice to do all the work
_______________________________________
14 > ZERO
HA HA HA
Kramer
January 15th, 2012
2:07 pm
People, Chokey is not a Falcons or Ravens fan. He is a aint’s fan from the word go. Still ticked off from yesterday he has decided to come on here and act like a child and provoke hate. Best to ignore him and let him be miserable with his aint’s once again choking on a playoff loss on the west coast.
dirk diggler
January 15th, 2012
2:08 pm
Im excited be cumming to Atlanta!!! Will be searching for additional acting talent willing to bend over and take it…oh wait, I’ve got 52 sob’s that’s all ready broken in
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:09 pm
0-3 In the playoffs and ZERO points in a playoff game………………….
HA HA HA
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
2:10 pm
Still waiting on Choke to tell me how many Super Bowls Flacco has won, and how a playoff win that doesn’t get you a Super Bowl is any better than a regular season win. By the way, how many times has Flacco led his team from behind in the 4th quarter to win or tie a game? Wanna know how many more times Ryan has done it than Ol Joe?
And in case youre still lost on the first part of this comment……playoff wins mean nothing unless you win the trophy at the end…..friend
Blank and The Falcons Front Office are clueless
January 15th, 2012
2:10 pm
I have been a season ticket holder for sixteen years and enough is enough.How many home games will be on tv this season?
ijonathan
January 15th, 2012
2:10 pm
Somewhere on a truck stop on I-75, between ATL and JAX, last week…
Unnamed Falcons Official: uh, how about this, we’ll give you the guy who led our offense to no points in the playofs…what can we get for that?
Unnamed Jaguars Official: well…would you take the guy who led our offense to dead last in the NFL?
In Unison: DEAL!!!
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
@ ijohnathan
THAT was hilarious
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
4 Soon to be 5 playoff wins > ZERO………………..
HA HA HA
New Age Offense
January 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
Rise-up Falcon Fans and cheer for this new hire! RISE-UP I like that! Matty Ice more like Matty rubberband weak noodle arm….. Whatever happen to the backside throw…Did you see the bullet Alex Smith threw to the TE…. Where the low throw in the red zone from Matty rubberband arm?
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
*jonathan
Bigboy
January 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
I’m embarrassed to be a falcons fan and listen to you MORONS bash on our new hire. Why in the hell would TD and Mike agree on someone that would fail as OC when they know the heat has been turned up to win? Have some faith and let these things play out.
ohhhhYEAH
January 15th, 2012
2:13 pm
As usual, Choke has no answer for me. It’s ok buddy. We still love ya
Otis Brown
January 15th, 2012
2:16 pm
Wow!! Way to support your team… I have been a Falcons fan since the late 70’s and I will be a Falcons fan when they put me in the ground. I’m still pissed at the way the season ended, but I’m not going to bash this decision until I see how it works. Support your team or go pull for the Saints!
RISE UP!!!
Bigboy
January 15th, 2012
2:16 pm
Let’s look at the talent Brian Schott. had compared to Dirks. Jets have an all-pro line, a superbowl MVP WR, two great running backs, and a first round draft pick QB in sanchez. Arent we enjoying watching the jets in the playoffs? O wait, we’re not because Brian Schott can’t utilize the talent he has.
1 4 GT
January 15th, 2012
2:16 pm
Have I been having a Rip Van Winkel nap? I thought the Smith’s had sold the Falcons to some uber rich hardware guy. Did I just wake up from a 20 year nap? What I have read in the AJC today sounds like some dumb move the Smith family Falcons would make. Another “good ole boy” hire. WOW!!! Will Atlanta fans of sports teams ever overcome this acceptance of mediocrity?
Paul
January 15th, 2012
2:17 pm
I think we should get to him better. After all, it won’t be long before Blank introduces him as the “Interim Head Coach” while the “process” continues.
san diego steve
January 15th, 2012
2:18 pm
did they rush to hire this guy so he was on board to view the east-west shrine game for draft evaluations? the game is friday. are the remaining offensive assistants staying?
Bigboy
January 15th, 2012
2:19 pm
What did Dirk do with Mojo? That’s right he helped him get the rushing title. A pass first OC realized what he had and didnt have and used what he had. I’ll believe in Dirk until he proves me wrong. Rise Up!
smh
January 15th, 2012
2:19 pm
it woudl be niceifwe had mjd but we dont im tired of his boring offense and it looks like we will have another year of it
Big Fat Meh
January 15th, 2012
2:21 pm
After ten years as a season ticket holder, I finally realized that no matter how hard I try to be a fan, I just don’t care about this team. My decision to finally give up my tickets seems to be a good move after seeing this (yet another) lackluster move by the Falcons. My season ticket money went to a new tv for Christmas. Meh.
duronimo
January 15th, 2012
2:21 pm
Who’s going to stop this incest? I though you went to successful organizations to find coaching talent?
rivercard
January 15th, 2012
2:21 pm
Michael- Stats being stats his results at ASU were mediocre as evidenced by his being fired. Surely he deserves some of the blame for the regression of JAX offense during his tenure.
Yes Oline and Dline are bad. The same decision makers that put together those lines.
Another difference between the other playoff teams and Falcons is energy and attitude. Falcons play like they are medicated.
5150 UOAD
January 15th, 2012
2:25 pm
Hires like are the reason Fantasy Football is getting so big. I don’t want to cheer for a bad team. I want to draft my own team and look like a smart coach. Maybe some of the Fantasy Players have the right idea after all. It seems all the Bloggers know as much as anybody working for a team in the NFL.
DawgNole
January 15th, 2012
2:27 pm
KennyRK
January 15th, 2012
1:39 pm
I totally agree with D Man’s comments. For the last 4 years we have been able to watch regular season games THAT MATTER. I will take that over all of the past season in a heartbeat. This team needs stability; I understand that we took a step back this year but that doesn’t mean that both MS and TD should be fired. I believe this hire will allow Matt to call a majority of the plays, which is fine with me. This is why everyone says Atlanta has the worst fans in America.
_______________________
You’ve got it backwards, doofus. If Atlanta has the worst fans in America it’s because Atlanta has put the worst teams on the field in America–for nearly half a century. And don’t even think about arguing with me. Just look at their championship record: Five teams (Braves, Flames, Thrashers, Hawks, Falcons), ONE championship in 46 years. If you’re satisfied with that, you deserve it.
Horshack
January 15th, 2012
2:27 pm
He was good with the Sweathogs.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 15th, 2012
2:28 pm
In fairness to Koetter, Blaine Gabbert is a terrible player and is going to be a major bust, so judging him based on last year isn’t entirely fair. He probably deserves some credit for finding a way to get Maurice Jones-Drew to the rushing title despite such horrible personnel at QB and WR.
With that said, this is a vanilla hire and isn’t exactly inspiring.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 15th, 2012
2:28 pm
I like how Dimitroff & Blank stated that NO player will be above losing their job, no matter how high they were drafted.
CHOKE………………..Bye Bye & pick up that clip board………………….
HA HA HA
Dave
January 15th, 2012
2:29 pm
Unreal.
tony
January 15th, 2012
2:31 pm
When Dimitroff took Matt Ryan over Glenn Dorsey and gave away all those draft picks for Jones, I knew the falcons were in deep trouble. This hire has to be the worse in falcon’s history.
Dirk Koetter: Jaguars-OC 2007-2011 Wins 36 Loses 44
Dave
January 15th, 2012
2:32 pm
Personally, I find “Choke” rather amusing. It’s fun to watch someone comment who has one thing to say….which makes me wonder – why aren’t we calling him Parrot Boy? (Or Girl…) He certainly seems capable on only one train of thought.
Yikes
January 15th, 2012
2:33 pm
Perhaps Dumbnitroff can use his new England connections and get us the Patriots DC so we can also get coordinator of 32nd ranked defense.