Tedford Channeling New England Model?
March 15th, 2014
New Bucs TE Brandon Myers
With an assist to Jeff Tedford’s former “Cal” players Joe chatted with at Super Bowl Media Day, Joe shared the little known fact that Tedford headed to New England to study with Bill Belicheat and Josh McDaniels a couple of years ago.
The Bucs’ offensive coordinator, Joe learned, took away a burning desire to incorporate multiple dangerous tight ends into his offense, like the Patriots were doing with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.
From 2010 to 2012, about a third of all Patriots receptions went to those tight ends, and their offense was very much built around them.
Tedford’s Buccaneers offense remains a mystery, though starting quarterback Josh McCown offered subtle clues when he referenced Chip Kelly and Tedford’s “fresh takes of the game” this week.
Regardless, Joe thinks the Bucs quickly targeting and signing a non-blocking tight end in free agency, Brandon Myers, is a tip-off that Tedford will be using Myers and Tim Wright together and in various ways. Myers as more of the underneath guy and Wright more to stretch the field.
It’s not only Joe saying Myers is not much of a blocker. Former Bucs tight end and current Buccaneers Radio Network analyst Anthony Becht said the same thing of Myers on WDAE-AM 620 on Thursday. Lovie Smith said Myers is a blocker, but Joe thinks he’s merely a small upgrade in that area over undersized Wright.
Last year, Myers told the Newark Star-Ledger his blocking is a work in progress.
“I’m just getting comfortable with (tight ends) coach (Michael) Pope and the way they want it,” Myers said. “[Blocking is] obviously technique and wanting to do it. But just because you want to do it doesn’t mean you’re always going to be able to do it. It is part of my game I’ve always had to keep working on.”
The Bucs have four other tight ends on the roster, all of them blockers: Tom Crabtree, Nate Byham, Luke Stocker and manbeast, 6-7, 280-pound newcomer Steve Maneri.
Joe’s pleased with the Bucs depth at the position, but they really need a speedy slot guy. Tedford has talked a lot about using “speed in space,” but that can’t just be Doug Martin and prayers that Mike Williams and/or Jeff Demps come back from surgery healthy end effective.
March 15th, 2014 at 10:27 am
Greeeeat. We’re imitating yet ANOTHER team. Newsflash, that is just a selling tool. Good teams are not like other teams. They have their own identity.
March 15th, 2014 at 10:39 am
Buccaneer Bonzai who said anything about copying a team’s identity? The only thing implied by this article is that we’ll actually use our tight ends for the first time in 2 years. That sounds like a positive to me. I’m sure learning effective schemes from other systems and incorporating them into your own system is pretty common.
March 15th, 2014 at 10:40 am
Our offense will be sick when we draft Jimmy Garoppolo!
JGM (Jimmy Garopollo Mob) Out!
March 15th, 2014 at 10:41 am
The words speed in space should not be anywhere near the name Mike Williams. I’m a fan of his but that is not his game.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:04 am
Speedy Slot Guy: Emmanuel Sanders – I guess I should quit dreaming, as it appears he got away (looking at the 49ers today). I think Sanders would have made a huge impact on the receiving group as a whole. Oh well, at least we have Underwood… (sarcasm)
March 15th, 2014 at 11:05 am
Remember we could be sitting here now with Schiano and his Rutgers offensive coordinator.
And Glennon the starter.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:07 am
I agree with u harry I was hoping we sign tate or sanders we nd speed or we want move thte ball
March 15th, 2014 at 11:09 am
Eric seems to be a negative nacy about things….. We don’t have the NSO and Glennon actually wasn’t bad for what he had. I’m not pro Glennon, but you guys make me laugh every time yo blame him for a 4-12 season. It’s obvious that some people are just followers and not leaders
March 15th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Harry, he could just be looking at his options. But then again, he could just be trying for a quick ring
March 15th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Next thing you know people will start calling the NFL a copy cat league.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:20 am
I’m still not sold that we lost Sanders. He seems deadset on being an official visit whore. He’s probably just gauging his market before he picks a team and offer.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:31 am
we need Sanders…
March 15th, 2014 at 11:37 am
There’s lots of receivers available in the draft but very few Tight Ends.
I tend to agree with Eric most of the time. He’s usually correct and very succinct in his opinions.
Schiano and the Rockstar were building a perennial loser.
I like that Lovie insists that they spend all of the money up to the cap.
@Joe
Isn’t there a provision in the rules that the Bucs can exceed the cap since they were so far under for so many years? Dollar cost averaging.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:37 am
Everything I have read is that we will not be just a copycat of Belicheat. Telford will bring in his own ideas ala Chip Kelly. Lovie will not live with rookies on defense hence our spending there in FA. Draft will be almost all offense. Watch for trade down and pick up Carr and then a WR in round two. If you study Lovie and Telford and their comments and beliefs Carr makes too much sense.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Mike Williams is speed in space???
March 15th, 2014 at 11:55 am
Bonzai is clueless.
The NFL is a copycat league and always will be. Secrets last a week.
People laughed when Tom Landry resurrected the single wing shotgun. 17 teams ran it the following year.
Ditto Landry’s flex defense. Gap assignments. Still here.
John McKay looked like a clown when he brought the USC 3-4 to the Pro Level. Yup, it’s still here today.
Dungy took Bud Grants T2 zone scheme here to Tampa and him and Monte perfected it. More than half the league was running it 10 years ago. Guess what is coming back?
Mouse Davis brought the run and shoot to the NFL and though Detroit was not successful, it was father of the spread offense.
Pioneers are rare, early adapters less so. GOOD teams adapt a system and then refine it.
Glad Tedford is trying to understand the nuances of the 2TE set. Borrow from the best with pride.
March 15th, 2014 at 11:59 am
Stanglassman
Nice one.
Anyway, I’m just hoping the OC uses all of our available players to their strengths and, you know, score points. I don’t care who he copies or what scheme he uses as long as it works.
March 15th, 2014 at 12:15 pm
This guy and Wright make for a great tandem of pass catching tight ends. He had close to 70 catches 2 years ago… and we know what Wright did last year.
March 15th, 2014 at 12:19 pm
RealityCheck, you are right. I’m cranky today and didn’t even read the article before commenting. Went by the headline. That’ll teach me.
March 15th, 2014 at 12:34 pm
Samny @ 7…..
March 15th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
could be a hint that were waiting for sammy watkins at 7
March 15th, 2014 at 1:43 pm
You keep using the words Tedford and mysterious, Joe…. Not really that mysterious. There’s plenty of film out there. Tedford is a creative play caller with thick, thick playbook. Lots of two TE sets even before his New England trip. Depends heavily on his playmakers and their abilities. Lets his QB make presnap decisions that get the ball out quickly.
not much of a mystery, just not nearly as predictable and black/white as Sullivan/Schiano style.
March 15th, 2014 at 1:46 pm
As deep as this draft is at wr & cb I wouldn’t worry about Sanders getting away. I’d say we’ll find our slot guy in May. Probably our third cb there as well
March 15th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Bonzai you couldn’t be further from the truth.
The NFL throughout it’s existence has been nothing but teams taking and repeating what works and putting their own little spin on it throughout the process thus giving it their “identity”. The latter part of it is about as original as it gets.
The idea of doing something brand new that no one has ever heard of is hardly seen.
March 15th, 2014 at 3:19 pm
For the first time ever Bucs will have a creative offense. Part New England, part Chip Kelly. Don’t be surprised if you see James running Wildcat now and then. We just need a burner so he can throw bombs like he did to DeSean at Cal.
March 15th, 2014 at 3:30 pm
But changing to the current hot thing does nothing. There is no continuity.
Every year we hear a new line, that we’re going to be like team such and such. It hasn’t happened yet and most of those teams have not been consistent anyway.
I’m not saying we should not pick a scheme that is used by others. I’m saying DON’T compare us to other teams. Did Dungy come in and say “Let’s be like…”? No. He came in and said we would run cover 2. And he stuck with it.
Lately, we’ve been told we’re ging to be like the Giants. No, the Packers. No, the Chiefs. No, no, no.
Be the Buccaneers. Insead of trying to be the enemy, we should be trying to beat the enemy. Pick a plan and stay with it until you do it better than anyone.
That’s how you win.
March 15th, 2014 at 3:36 pm
Again, your not grasping the concept.
The NFL teams do what’s work, just because it’s the patriots doesn’t mean we are doing it to “do what’s hot”.
He’s doing what works, big difference.
Not really that difficult to understand.
March 15th, 2014 at 3:42 pm
“that’s how you win”
Wow Bonzai you really seem to believe that you got the magical formula down.
I’m sure someone would pay you very well for it.
March 15th, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Don’t worry if we miss Sanders, our present runback specialist has the great hands, speed, elusiveness, and toughness/durability. He just needs a little training at running patterns in the new offense with our great coaches and with experience in preseason, he will be able to do what Sanders can do now, including stretching the defense. You watch, we will be taking Carr with our 7th pick. With our second pick the best CB available, and a MLB in the third, if we don’t get Najee Goode back, and in the rest of the rounds get the best special team players available. We have all the rest we need now with the best free agency haul ever! Save Glennon to back up Carr eventually.
March 15th, 2014 at 7:27 pm
A lot of what it takes to score points is to keep the chains moving. Just like big targets are great in the red zone, they’re also good for first downs. Two TE sets with receiving targets will help our offense stay on the field, move the ball, score in the red zone, and even if they’re not great blockers can still help in the run game. It also keeps opposing offenses off the field. Speed in space is great, and can score quickly, but also puts the ball back in the opponents hands.
Run the ball, convert first downs, give the D a rest and score points… With big tall WRs and TEs that’s much easier to do.
March 15th, 2014 at 8:51 pm
I agree that Eric Page could end up being a dynamic slot guy, but I think we still need another stud receiver. Either Sammy Watkins, Odell Beckham, or Mike Evans would be awesome.I