Buccaneers dismiss Koetter after Sunday's season-ending loss to Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the dismissal of coach Dirk Koetter after Sunday's season-ending loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Koetter went 19-29 in three seasons as coach of the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay finished 5-11 this season after Sunday's 34-32 loss. Koetter was informed he was being relieved of his duties during a postgame meeting with team ownership. "We sincerely appreciate the hard work and commitment shown by Dirk over the past several years," Tampa Bay owner Joel Glazer said in a statement.

"Working with Dirk has been a pleasure and we wish him and his family all the best in the future. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately and will be conducted by General Manager Jason Licht." Koetter went 9-7 in 2016 in his first season at the helm. But back-to-back 5-11 seasons doomed him. Koetter knew his job situation was tenuous when he met with reporters after the game. "I've been fired before and I've been hired before and I know this -- if you can look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day, and know you did everything you could, I've got no problem holding my head up," Koetter said.