The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a surprising decision to fire head coach Lovie Smith on Wednesday night after just two seasons with the team. It’s possible that even the Bucs didn’t see it coming, which could be why they supposedly chose to not sit down for a meeting with Smith to inform him of his fate.
ESPN’s Vaughn McClure reported on Thursday morning that Smith was fired over the phone.
Per ESPN's @vxmcclure23 The newly fired Buccaneers coach learned of his fate via a phone conversation, a source told ESPN.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 7, 2016
That seems extremely unprofessional, but it is in line with the sense of belief that the Bucs panicked when offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was generating interest from teams as a potential head coaching candidate.
Tampa Bay is expected to promote Koetter to head coach after conducting some interviews, which many believe will be just formalities. Koetter has apparently developed a great rapport with Jameis Winston, and the team is concerned that Winston might regress if the OC leaves.
The Miami Dolphins are reportedly also interested in Koetter, so things could get interesting if he doesn’t want the Bucs job. Should he leave, the Bucs will be left searching for a coach their players are unfamiliar with after one of the team’s stars already ripped the decision to fire Smith.
