TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins appeared visibly upset by something coming off the field in Wednesday night's preseason finale against the Redskins, a game he played in through the fourth quarter. At one point, he shouted at a group of coaches, including head coach Dirk Koetter, on the sideline and teammate Russell Shepard had to guide him away from the coaches.
#Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins rips his helmet off to bark at a bewildered coach Koetter and assistants. #WASvsTB pic.twitter.com/Q53wivcNeO
— Paul Ryan (@WFLAPaul) September 1, 2016
What was that all about?
When Koetter was asked about it after the game, he said, "We have got to remember players play, and coaches coach.”
He elaborated a bit more Thursday in his day-after-game conference call.
"Oh, I'd say frustration was the cause of that. Any time you see situations like that, it's almost always caused by frustration, and last night was no exception," Koetter said.
The game was played in a consistent downpour that didn't let up until the fourth quarter, as Tropical Storm Hermine inched closer to land. Receivers had a difficult time catching passes and Seferian-Jenkins hadn't caught one until the fourth quarter. He finished the game with two catches on seven targets for 22 receiving yards.
"That kind of stuff happens in every game; sometimes you guys see it, sometimes you don't. It happens in practice almost every day; sometimes you guys see it, sometimes you don't. But it's caused by frustration."
Was he frustrated by the playing conditions? The fact that as a starter last year, that he was playing at all?
"We just wanted to see him play more. I don't really need to give you the reasons. We thought he needed to play more and that's just what we did: We played him more," Koetter said, also pointing to a shoulder injury suffered by tight end Kivon Cartwright being a reason he played so late into the game.
“The coaches told anyone that was suiting up [should] be ready to play the full game," Seferian-Jenkins said. "So I was definitely ready to play the full game and I was more than willing and able to play the full game, so I did.”
He also told the Tampa Bay Times that there was no beef with Koetter. "Sometimes I get emotional," Seferian-Jenkins said. "I let my emotions get the best of me. I love my coaches. Coaches love me. We definitely talked and it was what it was. We came right over and talked again and it was good. ... Coach is cool, no issue."
It was an interesting summer for Koetter and the former second-round pick, who was kicked out of the final organized team activities practice in June because, as Koetter put it, "He didn't know what he was doing." When the official depth chart came out, he was bumped out of his top spot by Cameron Brate, a former undrafted free agent who put together a strong camp.
Seferian-Jenkins said previously that he has a good relationship with Koetter. He called getting the boot a "wake-up call" that he needed and that he respects Koetter "to the fullest."
He put together some strong practices in the days that followed and led the Bucs with three catches for 36 receiving yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the game, Koetter stated publicly that he'd be evening up their reps. "When he got moved down the depth chart, all you can ask a player when he gets moved down is that he competes and does better and tries to get back up there and he’s done that," Koetter said.
"He wants me to be a great player and he’s won’t settle for being average, he won’t settle me for being good, and he won’t really settle me for being great," Seferian-Jenkins said. "I really thank God every single day that he kicked me out of practice."
