TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired defensive co-ordinator Mike Smith and replaced him with linebackers coach Mark Duffner.
The move Monday came a day after the team’s third straight loss following a 2-0 start and two weeks after Dirk Koetter said he had no intentions of dismissing Smith because the Bucs’ defensive woes were not the fault of any one person.
Tampa Bay has the NFL’s second-ranked offence and No. 1 passing attack, but is next to last in total defence and has allowed a league-high 34.6 points per game.
Koetter said in a statement said that "these decisions are always difficult, but our top priority here is to ensure that we do everything possible to help this team succeed."
Smith is the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Koetter was his offensive co-ordinator there and hired his old boss as defensive co-ordinator when Koetter became coach of the Bucs after the 2015 season.
[relatedlinks]
