Falcons' Koetter Follows In Father’S Footsteps

[Quarterback]

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH — Back in 1985, Dirk Koetter decided to leave the small town of Pocatello, Idaho, to chase his dream of one day becoming like his father.

He was 26, four years past his college playing days at Idaho State. He had coached a few years in high school before going to San Francisco State to work on a three-man staff with head coach Vic Rowen and Andy Reid.

“Going to San Francisco was an eye-opener,” Koetter said.

He made his adjustment to the big city by burying himself in the playbooks that lined the shelves of the football office.

“We had a decent office,” said Reid, who now coaches the Philadelphia Eagles. “[Rowen] had playbooks from all over the country. We were well-educated.”

Determined to follow in the path of his father, Jim, an Idaho coaching legend, Koetter set off on a journey that led to him being hired last Sunday as the Falcons’ new offensive coordinator.

Reid and Koetter would stay together for nine years, going on to coach together at Texas-El Paso and Missouri. “He was the coordinator, and I was the line coach,” Reid said. “We worked hand-in-hand. I’ve got a few years with Dirk, and we’re good friends.”

They both recall their start with Rowen as a vital first step in the profession. “He was a great coach of coaches,” Reid said. “A lot of guys came out of there and moved on to nice college jobs and into the pros. He taught us well.”

While some questioned the Falcons’ hiring of Koetter because Jacksonville’s offense ranked 32nd in the NFL in total offense last season, Reid believes the move was a stroke of genius. “I would tell you that No. 1, he’s brilliant,” Reid said. “He’s got a great offensive mind.”

Koetter watched his father coach in high school and then at Idaho State. Things didn’t go well at Idaho State, and the elder Koetter was fired after posting a 23-32-1 record from 1983-87. When his dad went to coach at another local high school, Koetter’s respect for him grew even greater. “At this point in my career, I’ve seen a lot of coaches on a lot of levels, and my dad is one of the top two or three coaches that I’ve come across,” Koetter said. “He’s a better coach than I’ll ever be.”

Koetter studied his father’s organizational skills, how he handled people and the offseason weightlifting program he implemented before that was in vogue. “I knew I wanted to be like him,” Koetter said. The elder Koetter is 73. He and Koetter’s mother, Barbara, still live in Pocatello. They watch Koetter’s games on satellite television.

“I’m sure they’ll be signing up to get all of the Falcons games now,” Koetter said.

High praise

One of Koetter’s first star pupils was Merril Hoge, at Highland High in Pocatello, where Koetter was his offensive coordinator.

“He was forced to run the Wing-T,” Hoge said. “He doesn’t tell anybody that. In the first offense he coordinated, his halfback threw more touchdowns than his quarterback, and that was me. He’ll never share that. He’ll keep that a secret for the rest of his days, but I love him.”

Hoge went on to play for the elder Koetter at Idaho State. He played eight seasons in the NFL after being selected in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1987.

“Him and his dad are two of the greatest football minds that I’ve been around,” said Hoge, currently an ESPN analyst. “I throw Chuck Noll into that category along with Ron Erhardt, Tom Moore and Bill Cowher.”

He credits the Koetters for his professional career.

“I knew the pro game,” Hoge said. “I knew how to pass block. I knew how to run routes. ... We were doing pro-style stuff in college and high school.”

After his stay at Missouri, Koetter was hired by Tom Coughlin to be Boston College’s offensive coordinator in 1994. They never worked together because Coughlin left to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Falcons coach Dan Henning succeeded Coughlin, and Koetter worked for him. Years later, when Coughlin was in Arizona to play the Cardinals and Koetter was the head coach at Arizona State, he apologized to Koetter for hiring him and then bolting for Jacksonville.

After his Boston College stop, Koetter went to Oregon and later landed his first head coaching job at Boise State, where he laid the foundation for the Broncos’ present-day success with back-to-back 10-win seasons and two bowl trips. “We got that Boise State thing going,” Koetter said. “I was the head coach there for three years and had an awesome staff. When I left, Dan Hawkins took it. Dan had been on my staff. Chris Peterson and I were together at Oregon. Chris took it from Hawk.”

He left Boise State for Arizona State, where his offenses continued to put up big statistics, but couldn’t topple the powers of the Pac-10, now the Pac-12. His 2-19 record against ranked opponents was cited as one of the reasons for his firing in 2006.

The next year, he was hired as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator.

Talent on hand

One undercurrent to Koetter’s career is that he has never had top-shelf talent.

“He’s got more out of nothing than I’ve ever seen,” Hoge said.

While the Falcons appear set to revamp their offensive line, Koetter has never had the collection of offensive stars that he will have at his disposal with the Falcons — tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, running back Michael Turner, fullback Ovie Mughelli, right tackle Tyson Clabo and quarterback Matt Ryan.

“People don’t realize that the quarterback they had in Jacksonville last year [blaine Gabbert] was horrible,”

Hoge said. “It’s hard to coach somebody who’s scared.” Koetter looks forward to the challenge. “How everything fits together, that will be stuff that we’ll be working on,” Koetter said.

I say let's give this man his fair shot...who's with me?

Edited January 22, 2012 by Quarterback

[NateDogg1215]

I agree. great article thanks for posting. Looking forward to seeing what this offense can truly do.

Nut the real question is will we still be a team that tries to stay balanced or we ready to air it out now so to speak?

[synaptic apoptosis]

This Cooter hire is starting to grow on me a bit

[PapaJoe]

thx QB for the article. good read.

I think Dirk sees this as his opportunity to finally show what he can do as an OC with some legit talent. I'm hoping he goes nuts with innovative and unpredictable schemes each week that makes DCs continually say, "Oh Crap!! He got us again!!"

[FalconsManhood]

he better be good OC. I will take a wait and see approach.

[tobyd77]

Well if Reid who we know is a great OC minded guy who has led his team in Philly to multiple nfc playoffs and championships plus a superbowl in the 2004-05 season is validating koetter that says a lot. Say what you will but I don't believe that Dan reeves nor Reid will put their name on the line just to validate a man that is not seasoned.

[freefall]

Koetter hire might or might not workout, but as I mentioned in another thread, those who know football and Koetter all said this is a good hire. I don't follow football for a living so I trust those who are in the business to know more than I do. To suggest that somehow Koetter got the job simply because he worked on the opposite side of Mike Smith for 1 year is laughable. No, Koetter got the job because TD and Mike Smith think he is the best man for the job.

[FalconsIn2012]

I was luke warm on the hire when it was made (would have liked it much more if he was from any team other than Jacksonville); however, I'm loving the hire more and more.

[Guest TheIdowu]

The man's name is pronounced "cutter"; let's stop with the lame immaturity.

[atljbo]

Ive been saying that... If anyone seen Blaine play before... The guy looked terrified in the pocket (jag fans did say Blaine improved near the end of the year when Koetter was named QB coach also) ... I cant judge Dirk off that

[X-Man21]

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH — Back in 1985, Dirk Koetter decided to leave the small town of Pocatello, Idaho, to chase his dream of one day becoming like his father.

He was 26, four years past his college playing days at Idaho State. He had coached a few years in high school before going to San Francisco State to work on a three-man staff with head coach Vic Rowen and Andy Reid.

“Going to San Francisco was an eye-opener,” Koetter said.

He made his adjustment to the big city by burying himself in the playbooks that lined the shelves of the football office.

“We had a decent office,” said Reid, who now coaches the Philadelphia Eagles. “[Rowen] had playbooks from all over the country. We were well-educated.”

Determined to follow in the path of his father, Jim, an Idaho coaching legend, Koetter set off on a journey that led to him being hired last Sunday as the Falcons’ new offensive coordinator.

Reid and Koetter would stay together for nine years, going on to coach together at Texas-El Paso and Missouri. “He was the coordinator, and I was the line coach,” Reid said. “We worked hand-in-hand. I’ve got a few years with Dirk, and we’re good friends.”

They both recall their start with Rowen as a vital first step in the profession. “He was a great coach of coaches,” Reid said. “A lot of guys came out of there and moved on to nice college jobs and into the pros. He taught us well.”

While some questioned the Falcons’ hiring of Koetter because Jacksonville’s offense ranked 32nd in the NFL in total offense last season, Reid believes the move was a stroke of genius. “I would tell you that No. 1, he’s brilliant,” Reid said. “He’s got a great offensive mind.”

Koetter watched his father coach in high school and then at Idaho State. Things didn’t go well at Idaho State, and the elder Koetter was fired after posting a 23-32-1 record from 1983-87. When his dad went to coach at another local high school, Koetter’s respect for him grew even greater. “At this point in my career, I’ve seen a lot of coaches on a lot of levels, and my dad is one of the top two or three coaches that I’ve come across,” Koetter said. “He’s a better coach than I’ll ever be.”

Koetter studied his father’s organizational skills, how he handled people and the offseason weightlifting program he implemented before that was in vogue. “I knew I wanted to be like him,” Koetter said. The elder Koetter is 73. He and Koetter’s mother, Barbara, still live in Pocatello. They watch Koetter’s games on satellite television.

“I’m sure they’ll be signing up to get all of the Falcons games now,” Koetter said.

High praise

One of Koetter’s first star pupils was Merril Hoge, at Highland High in Pocatello, where Koetter was his offensive coordinator.

“He was forced to run the Wing-T,” Hoge said. “He doesn’t tell anybody that. In the first offense he coordinated, his halfback threw more touchdowns than his quarterback, and that was me. He’ll never share that. He’ll keep that a secret for the rest of his days, but I love him.”

Hoge went on to play for the elder Koetter at Idaho State. He played eight seasons in the NFL after being selected in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1987.

“Him and his dad are two of the greatest football minds that I’ve been around,” said Hoge, currently an ESPN analyst. “I throw Chuck Noll into that category along with Ron Erhardt, Tom Moore and Bill Cowher.”

He credits the Koetters for his professional career.

“I knew the pro game,” Hoge said. “I knew how to pass block. I knew how to run routes. ... We were doing pro-style stuff in college and high school.”

After his stay at Missouri, Koetter was hired by Tom Coughlin to be Boston College’s offensive coordinator in 1994. They never worked together because Coughlin left to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Falcons coach Dan Henning succeeded Coughlin, and Koetter worked for him. Years later, when Coughlin was in Arizona to play the Cardinals and Koetter was the head coach at Arizona State, he apologized to Koetter for hiring him and then bolting for Jacksonville.

After his Boston College stop, Koetter went to Oregon and later landed his first head coaching job at Boise State, where he laid the foundation for the Broncos’ present-day success with back-to-back 10-win seasons and two bowl trips. “We got that Boise State thing going,” Koetter said. “I was the head coach there for three years and had an awesome staff. When I left, Dan Hawkins took it. Dan had been on my staff. Chris Peterson and I were together at Oregon. Chris took it from Hawk.”

He left Boise State for Arizona State, where his offenses continued to put up big statistics, but couldn’t topple the powers of the Pac-10, now the Pac-12. His 2-19 record against ranked opponents was cited as one of the reasons for his firing in 2006.

The next year, he was hired as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator.

Talent on hand

One undercurrent to Koetter’s career is that he has never had top-shelf talent.

“He’s got more out of nothing than I’ve ever seen,” Hoge said.

While the Falcons appear set to revamp their offensive line, Koetter has never had the collection of offensive stars that he will have at his disposal with the Falcons — tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, running back Michael Turner, fullback Ovie Mughelli, right tackle Tyson Clabo and quarterback Matt Ryan.

“People don’t realize that the quarterback they had in Jacksonville last year [blaine Gabbert] was horrible,”

Hoge said. “It’s hard to coach somebody who’s scared.” Koetter looks forward to the challenge. “How everything fits together, that will be stuff that we’ll be working on,” Koetter said.

I say let's give this man his fair shot...who's with me?

The way I feel about the acquisition of this guy is the same way I honestly felt about the draft of Matt Ryan in 08, very questionable of the call, but looking at Ryan showing leadership on the sidelines at preseason games of his rookie season changed that immediately. The Article is great on DK, but like every Falcon fan I'm in a "Show Me" state of mind right now. Nevertheless, I believe in TD and Mr Blank, so I will come around to this move eventually.

[JRid]

Thanks for posting. That's a very good article by DLed. Did he call Andy Reid and Hoge for comments? I assume he did. This is one of the best ones DLed has written.

[Mega Flare]

Just focus on getting more Falcons footsteps in the endzone.

[Quarterback]

I was luke warm on the hire when it was made (would have liked it much more if he was from any team other than Jacksonville); however, I'm loving the hire more and more.

Like many, I was and still am to a certain degree indifferent about the hire as I must admit I know very little about him prior to the hire. But, as others have said, I felt the same way when Mike Smith was hired and he followed by hiring Mularkey and Van Gorder. I was just glad to move on from the Mora and Petrino eras (for different reasons) and was open to anything different bt hopefully better.

I don't have a crystal ball and I will not begin to predict what will happen. I will tell you, however, that my instinct and intuition are telling me this hire will turn out positive for our offense. He just strikes me as a person who will take the good offensive hand he has beed dealt here and turn it into the type of offense we have all been clamoring for--balanced & forceful coupled with big strike capability.

And, if Mr Nolan does what he is capable of with our defense, and Mr Dimitroff can land about 2 more wide bodies on both the OL and DL, and a Free Safety, this could get real run to watch again!

[Quarterback]

Thanks for posting. That's a very good article by DLed. Did he call Andy Reid and Hoge for comments? I assume he did. This is one of the best ones DLed has written.

You're welcome!

I don't usually post what one can easily read at ajc.com/sports. However, he didn't put this in blog form so this was the only forum to share comments.

[bossFALCON™]

i was against this hire at first but the more i read and find out about him the more i like him. i think he's finally going to take the handcuffs off of our offense and we're going to see it take the step to the next level.

[Francis York Morgan]

Well if Reid who we know is a great OC minded guy who has led his team in Philly to multiple nfc playoffs and championships plus a superbowl in the 2004-05 season is validating koetter that says a lot. Say what you will but I don't believe that Dan reeves nor Reid will put their name on the line just to validate a man that is not seasoned.

This. I'm excited.

[Sheerz]

Hoping the dude does well.

[Guest Negatorris]

I like this hire.

[Big_D]

It's good to look forward to some out of the box coaching. All we've had is the same old crap play after play after play. It didn't take much ingenuity from our opponents to figure us out. You have to change it up every now and then to keep the opponents off guard.

[Guest Gritz]

Reid believes the move was a stroke of genius. “I would tell you that No. 1, he’s brilliant,” Reid said. “He’s got a great offensive mind.”

These quotes actually get me pretty stoked about this hire.....for the first time in all honesty.

[YoungHeezy]

These quotes actually get me pretty stoked about this hire.....for the first time in all honesty.

Learning that he was affiliated with laying the ground work to BSU's passing attack had me excited

[Guest Gritz]

Learning that he was affiliated with laying the ground work to BSU's passing attack had me excited

Yeah, I didn't know about his Boise State connection until we hired him.

[Trouble]

These quotes actually get me pretty stoked about this hire.....for the first time in all honesty.

Didn't Reid make a oline coach his DC last year and loaded it with talent and it blew up in his face?

Now im a Reid fan and think he is 1 of the best in the NFL, but he isnt gonna blast Koetter. Its professional to say something nice especially if they are friends.

Im just not getting excited when he hasn't accomplished anything worth talking about in the NFL yet. Doesn't mean he cant do it (don't get me wrong). But im not buying koolaid until preseason at least, maybe a scrim where we can see something new.

I think Nolan will force Koetter to step his game up. BVG would have threw vanilla at him, but Nolan is way more creative and Koetter should benefit greatly vs practicing and being in meetings with him.

[Trouble]

bump.