TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired defensive coordinator Mike Smith following a three-game losing streak.
Linebackers coach Mark Duffner will replace him.
Head Coach Dirk Koetter says the Buccaneers' current performance should not be blamed on one person alone.
"I have the utmost respect for Mike Smith as a man and as a football coach," Koetter said. "These decisions are always difficult, but our top priority here is to ensure that we do everything possible to help this team succeed."
Tampa Bay's defense was ranked last in the NFL in 2017, according to ESPN statistics. Smith has served in his current role since 2016.
"We all understand that this is a result-based profession and our results to this point have not met our standards," Koetter said.
This is Duffner's third season with the Bucs and twenty-second season with the NFL. He has previously been on the coaching staffs of the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals. Before that, he spent more than two decades at the collegiate level.
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