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When Lovie Smith brought Mike Bajakian in to interview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' vacancy at quarterbacks coach, he made sure Dirk Koetter was standing by.

Smith had hired Bajakian before, adding him to his first Chicago Bears staff in 2004, and Bajakian had done nothing but improve his resume in the years since. Whether or not he would return to the NFL and find a spot on Smith's coaching staff for a second time would hinge on how well he meshed with Koetter, who had just come aboard as the team's offensive coordinator a few weeks earlier.

Koetter's time as a coach on the college and pro levels spans roughly three decades and Bajakian's about half of that, but their two paths had never before crossed. Bajakian's interview marked the first time he had met Koetter, and yet they quickly realized that they had nearly identical offensive philosophies, in some cases right down to the phrasing.

Where that matters most to Bajakian, of course, is at the quarterback position, since it his task to help the team make a significant improvement in the quality of play at that critical spot. And, since Josh McCown was released last week, it is now certain the team will have a new starter at quarterback. Whether that player is holdover Mike Glennon, a veteran free agent addition or a pick in the upcoming draft, there are several key traits he will need to possess in order to succeed.