Buccaneers interested in Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested in hiring Dirk Koetter as their offensive coordinator, according to Pro Football Talk. Koetter is currently the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator. The Falcons fired head coach Mike Smith yesterday, but Koetter remains under contract -- that could change, depending on the head coach Atlanta decides to hire.

This is the first hint we've had of a coordinator the Bucs might be interested in. Lovie Smith said yesterday that they'll try to get the hire done quickly, but that they want to be thorough in their search, too. So...that doesn't really tell us anything.

Koetter has a very long college history, but has been in the NFL only since 2007. He coached the Jacksonville offense from 2007 through 2011, and has been heading the Falcons offense since 2012. In those eight years in the NFL, his offenses ranked 3rd, 14th, 17th, 14th, 31st, 12th, 14th and 11th, per Football Outsiders' rankings. That's not bad, but it's hardly awe-inspiring.

Koetter runs a fairly traditional offense with a focus on play-action and downfield passing. He's an Air Coryell disciple, although the difference between that and West Coast approaches is fairly minimal these days.

If the Falcons end up retaining Koetter, all of this will be moot. And there's a chance the Falcons will take their time before making a decision on Koetter's future, which means the Bucs may have to move on before they even get to Koetter.