Tedford Loss Felt By Offense
September 3rd, 2014
Josh McCown admitted the illness of Jeff Tedford has not been a positive for the offense.
The Bucs are trying their best to downplay the loss of Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford to an unknown medical condition.
Joe doesn’t expect them to come running out of One Buc Palace in a full-blown panic, screaming to traffic on Martin Luther King Blvd. “FOLLOW ME. FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM!”
Of course the Bucs are going to put their best spin on Tedford’s absence. Lovie must be a fan of Jack Bauer and 24 the way he embraces secrecy and espionage.
Today, when Bucs quarterback Josh McCown met the local pen and mic club for his weekly press conference (yeah, it’s game week, baby!) to discuss the Stinking Panthers, McCown was asked directly how much Tedford’s medical leave has disrupted things. McCown, who is well-versed in talking a lot but not saying much, didn’t deny Tedford’s leave has thrown a curveball at the offense.
“It has been an adjustment,” McCown confessed. “Obviously, you have one guy who has been leading the offense the whole spring and summer and now you take him out of there. There will be some adjustments but coaches have done a outstanding job of pulling the weight and picking up where they need to and coming together and presenting us a plan. We certainly miss Jeff.”
Joe just cannot help but think of the failed Jeff Jagodzinski experiment.
First hired by the Bucs as offensive coordinator under the first year of the nightmarish Raheem Morris era, the Bucs figured out during preseason games that Jagodzinski was so woeful, they had to part ways. Right on the cusp of the season.
Boy, the ashes of that powder keg doomed the Bucs offense for much of the 2009 season. So forgive Joe if this Tedford medical issue is bothersome.
No, it’s not like the Bucs are changing offenses. There is, however, no way to spin Tedford’s absence into a positive light. Though the Bucs seem to think Tedford will return soon, this potentially could be both the story of the season and its undoing.
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:07 pm
as long as he can sit in the booth and point to the play card…and the play “called” down to the field….nothing will be different…other than the last minute “verbal” adjustments…..this is what Carolina will try to exploit…last second verbal adjustments into the defensive helmet with communication
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Positive spin? That’s easy…..
Arroyo is getting valuable time as interim OC, preparing him for when Tedford retires.
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:16 pm
or if Arroyo looks good….he’ll be plucked next off season
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Yeah arroyo,called plays last preseason game and ran demps between the tackles everytime…
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:36 pm
Feel sorry for you Joe. You live in such a dark world. A world where there is no hope, only gloom. Add to that the frustration of foreseeing all the doom and gloom but having others fail to buy in. Things do go bad every once in awhile and on those occasions you at least get yourself an I told you so moment. It is just hard to believe that even that can make you happy. Obviously you place a high value on your own opinion with your Joe thinks this and Joe thinks that. Tedford will be back when he is back. Until then the Bucs will do the best they can with rest of the staff. You deal with adversity in life not by dwelling on the potential consequences but by addressing it head on and coming up with a work around you think will lead to success. The Bucs have done that. Can’t wait ’til Sunday. The results will tell if they succeeded or failed. In the long run, this is a greatly improved Bucs team. Hopefully Tedford will be healthy and be part of that success.
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Tends to happen when your favorite NFL team hasn’t won a playoff game since January 2003.
Just because Joe might want to ignore a problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
As much as Joe might want to believe he doesn’t have power/DirecTV/internet bills doesn’t mean Joe doesn’t have to pay each month.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Joe…you going to the game..want to met up ?
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Cam held out of practice.
We might be w/o Tedford, but, they might be w/o Newton.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Feel bad for Tedford. I understand respecting his privacy but it leaves us a vacuum we as humans tend to want to fill. The less they say the more we can imagine the worst. Whatever it is we wish him the very best and he comes back stronger than ever. You are a Buccaneer Mr. Tedford and your football family will greet you with much happiness when you return to One Buc Place.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Sounds like more smoke, this time, perpetuated by Josh McCown, As per Lovie Vape’s instructions.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Why the **** won’t they tell us why he’s missing the most important week of the season? I’ve gotta REAL bad feeling about this! MRSA debacle all over again?
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Tedford must have played footsies with Carl Nicks!
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:35 pm
well given that the bucs, under the great Greg Schiano, averaged a mighty 5.5 points per game in the second half last year the bar for improvement is rather low.
I imagine the entire offensive staff could stay home and manage that.
Damn that Lovie for breaking up that great offensive team.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Hey, RastaMon. Joe will be working the game.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:42 pm
You going to the game Joe ?…OK if you don’t want to meet up….But you are going to the game…? instead of watching the TV feed….so much more to see and understand than what the boob tube presents….
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:43 pm
OK…lets get together …pre game
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Psychologically, I can see this having an effect on the offense, but these guys have been reading/practicing Tedford’s playbook for a couple months. The assistant coaches know the playbook AND Tedford’s ideas of how to implement it. McCown/VJax have been around the block a few times, also. These guys (assistant coaches and players) can put together a game plan. Maybe not exactly like Tedford would do, but the Buc offense still has the element of ‘surprise’.
I am not any more concerned about the offense than I was three weeks ago. *If* Tedford has an extended absence, the season might play out different than it would have.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:50 pm
You could almost average 5.5 points in the second half by just punting every first down and waiting for a turnover and kicking a field goal.
Great coach, that Schiano.
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:58 pm
lmao nice way to throw in a classic espn commercial Joe.
September 3rd, 2014 at 6:07 pm
I just got an email from the Bucs for 2 free tickets to the game…associated with by long time commitment to the Bucs…..I’ll be there in my 2 seats Sec 123….don’t know where the 2 free seats are yet
September 3rd, 2014 at 6:15 pm
This doesn’t remind me of Jeff Jags situation at all. Reminds me more of when John Fox had a medical procedure last season with the broncos and left for a short period of time. I have a feeling this situation will play out similar to that one with our coach being out for a little while.
Don’t panic yet people. Need I remind you guys of the o line panic that set in after our first preseason game. What ended up happening? The bucs took care of the problem. As a matter of fact, talks with the patriots were happening a month before there was even a reason to panic. just see what happens before you guys go ape shiit.
September 3rd, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Joe im w you on the jagodsinski thing i mean what if tedford had a mental breakdown because the nfl is over his head? this season is over before game 1
September 3rd, 2014 at 6:45 pm
Joe..do this joint quailify you for “Press Credentials”? ….you said you were working the game….do you have press box access from JoeBucFan.com ?
September 3rd, 2014 at 7:19 pm
“…the first year of the nightmarish Raheem Morris era, the Bucs figured out during preseason games that Jagodzinski was so woeful, they had to part ways…”
That was sooooooo crazy. I remember that like it was yesterday. What NFL team has ever messed up the hiring of an OC so badly?! It was flat out embarrassing.
And yet still, as Eric points out (and I was thinking of it as I read the above), even Rah’s ’09 offense was not as putrid as Schiano’s 2nd half offense last year – not even close! Schiano’s O has to be the worst Bucs offense on record!
September 3rd, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Last time I checked Mike Sullivan was the Bucs offensive coordinator, not Schiano. That is the same reason we are calling this season Tedford’s offense not Lovie’s offense. Simple concept, no?
September 3rd, 2014 at 8:42 pm
@ ToesOnTheLine
Are you attempting to confuse the argument with facts? Shame on you. 🙂
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:07 pm
Typical bucs debacle. Since we don’t have Mersa we gotta go with the phantom OC.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:12 pm
Rasta….got nothin’ but love for you, but you are kind of sounding like “Stan” from that Eminem song.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:23 pm
Feed Doug Martin, let the vet run some no-huddle, and let the old-style Bucs scoring D work its magic. Okay, I know it’s not that simple.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:40 pm
“There is, however, no way to spin Tedford’s absence into a positive light.”
Especially if you are Tedford or some family member who loves him eh?
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:42 pm
@ toes on the line
I’m quite sure that Sullivan was running Gregs offense. I think Greg will get another shot n be a good coach but he was very much hands on with the offense n defense.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Joe is fully credentialed by both the NFL and the Bucs.
September 4th, 2014 at 2:49 am
our troubles with early-season offensive co-odinator calamity go way back… at least as far back as 1985, when at the beginning of the season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive co-ordinator Jimmy Raye was hit by a car while jogging, and hospitalized with a broken leg.
September 4th, 2014 at 7:20 am
Without Tedford there is a big concern. The only way I would be more concerned is if Mike Kafka was starting.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:54 am
We can only hope that Tedford, if not sitting in the booth, has an iPhone and knows the phone number to whoever will be sitting in the booth sending plays down to McCown.