Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Dirk Koetter
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

What has Kendell Beckwith provided for you guys this season?
"Initially, it started out that Kendell was going to provide depth and play in the base defense only, but because we had some injuries earlier in the year, he really played a lot more at the Mike position and played very well. He has really impressed us with how fast of a learner he is and obviously his toughness and just his understanding of football. He's done a nice job."

How did you evaluate him during the draft process and how glad were you that you could draft him?
"We felt very fortunate to get him. We felt like if he wasn't coming off the ACL surgery that late in the season that he would have gone higher (in the draft). I thought his strong suit coming out was runs straight at him and we thought that it would maybe take a little while to adjust to the coverage element, but he's done a nice job picking that up."

What have you seen out of Doug Martin since he's come back?
"I think Doug is playing at a level that's similar to what I've seen in the past. Doug is playing hard and we've been behind in games so we've had to abandon the run game too often and that's not good for our running back. I think Doug is one of those guys that gets better the more work he gets. If you're running the ball successfully then you are going to feed him more."

How much of a boost do you think Doug Martin will provide to the run game?
"That depends on how well we're running it. We ran it better last week and we were pretty balanced up until the fourth quarter when we got down by two scores and you're just running out of possessions. It turned into more of a throwing game at that point."

What have you seen out of the Saints offensive line so far this year?
"It seems like they're playing really steady and they're playing physical and Drew (Brees) is getting the ball out of his hands extremely quick and they are not seeing much pressure. They're getting it (the ball) out quick and protecting well, they're blocking the run well. Those running backs aren't getting all those yards on their own."

How difficult is it to suffer injuries along the offensive line and not have a drop off in play?
"Impossible, next to impossible."

Why do you think the team started off 2-5 this year?
"We just haven't been playing good enough. We've been beating ourselves too often and somebody said a long time ago, more games in the NFL are lost than won, so it starts with not beating ourselves. We have to win the turnover margin and we have to out-execute our opponent. We've played well in spurts, but we just haven't been consistent enough and the teams that have been beating us have beat us because they played better."

Do you think Jameis' (Winston) shoulder injury has affected him at all in the last few weeks?
"It's impossible to measure that. The fact that he was only practicing one day a week, that's not any coach's or player's preference, especially for your quarterback. He's a lot better this week so he's going to be able to go today which is a good sign for us. I have a ton of confidence in Jameis and he's played very well at times this year and I've seen him do it so I know he can do it."

What have you seen from Kenny Vaccaro watching film?
"I've always thought Kenny Vaccaro was a player that plays full speed ahead. He does a lot for them. He is their strong safety, their nickel. They like him as a blitzer. He does a lot and he is a very aggressive player, always been a big hitter. The way they have built their nickel package around their three safeties, they are doing a nice job of using their talent."

How does it impact an offense when you see a guy as versatile as him playing in that nickel role?
"Every team has good players. New Orleans is a smart coaching staff and like I said they're doing a good job of (coaching). Every week you play teams that have very talented players and you see coaching staffs that tilt their scheme in favor of those players and that os what New Orleans is doing right now. It is no different than any other week, it is just that they have a good player, a real good player playing that spot for them."

When you play a Dennis Allen coordinated defense what are kind of the hallmarks of what he does?
"Multiple looks, pressures the quarterback, very well-coached team that's going to give you multiple looks. It's one thing to give you multiple looks but multiple looks that are difficult to handle. Difficult personnel and personnel groups. They broke out a new personnel group last week against Chicago and had a lot of success with that so you have to be ready to adjust."

You mentioned the pressures he calls, is that blitzing? Some of the things that he calls blitzing-wise?
"Bringing more than four rushers."

Actually the personnel groups, what did you think when you saw them playing so frequently with five defensive linemen?
"Well I thought, Chicago has a good run game. I would assume that's the first time (they've done that). Chicago has the two good backs and they're a good running team. It's the first time they've showed it this year. I assume that was a new angle designed to slow down Chicago's run game."