Selling Byron Leftwich
November 26th, 2021
Bucs fans heard the powerful head coach candidate endorsement of Byron Leftwich by iconic offensive guru Tom Moore, Bucco Bruce Arians’ mentor and right hand man.
It’s also widely known how Arians grants his offensive coordinator special opportunities to sharpen his head coaching skills and how Arians thinks Leftwich is ready for his own gig.
But what’s unknown is how much Leftwich wants to be a head coach in 2022. He’s not much of a campaigner and wasn’t last year or in the offseason. Joe talked to someone close to the situation over the summer who said Leftwich, at 41 years old, is content to keep growing in his role and to let the head-coach game come to him.
So Joe found it a bit interesting today to see the Buccaneers’ communications Twitter account celebrate Leftwich’s 46 games as offensive coordinator with Jameis Winston and Tom Brady.
A quick look at the numbers below and you could argue Leftwich is the best playcaller in the game.
Will he be gone in January or February?
Since Byron Leftwich was hired as the @Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2019, Tampa Bay ranks:
-No. 1 in Scoring Offense
-No. 1 in Passing Offense
-No. 1 in Offensive Touchdowns
-No. 2 in Yards/Play
-No. 3 in Total Yards/Game#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/t9MX0oKVxa— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) November 26, 2021
November 26th, 2021 at 3:43 pm
If you have to sell him, he’s not worth buying……his work should speak for itself, or not.
November 26th, 2021 at 3:49 pm
@“Selling Byron Leftwich”
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Yeah, sell him. Hope someone is going to buy it.
Definitely he is NOT going to “develop” Trask.
November 26th, 2021 at 3:52 pm
Leftwich will be ok. Hell, look at some of the other coaches who are losing bigtime in the NFl. He will get his shot. Its up to him to make the most of it. The NFl has no mercy. Win and you are in. Lose and don’t let that door hit ya where the good lord split yas.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:03 pm
All these haters. Remember what happened to Josh Freeman after leftwich stopped backing him up, Talking over every play on the sideline?
It coincided with Williams leaving (?), the RB that called out the protections for him, but there’s a strong case to be made. People play better when he is around.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:13 pm
It’s all Tom Brady.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:18 pm
@Buc1987
I second that.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:21 pm
Are you comparing Brady to Freeman?? Sorry that’s a hard sell Sir, I’m going to roll the dice and say Brady might be ok with or without Leftwich!
November 26th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
It’s not all Tom Brady. Jameis honks love to tout the 30TDs and 5000 passing yards, while conveniently forgetting the INTs.
Also, when Tom Brady doesn’t play within the system and becomes checkdown Charlie instead, the result is we lose to the freaking “redskies.”
November 26th, 2021 at 4:24 pm
You’re right 87.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:33 pm
If BL is smart, he’ll wait a few more years.
I don’t think he’s ready to he a HC, not saying he can’t, just saying I don’t think he’s ready for the big show.
I think people are trying to force the issue for some pretty obvious reasons.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:38 pm
My concern for Leftwich as a head coach right now is whether he can hold players accountable or not. Having the highest scoring offense is one thing but will he call players out with character issues and hold them accountable if n when needed. How would he deal with future players with character issues such as the likes of Odell Beckman, AB, TO, Desean Jackson, n others. Does Leftwich have what it takes to manage players, which is very important. I agree, he should let the head-coach game come to him. Raheem Morris would make a good head coach now but in 2009 he wasn’t ready because he didn’t know how to deal with players with character issues. A head coaching job is more than just calling plays.
November 26th, 2021 at 4:40 pm
Our coaches should stay, they are great. One of the best In the league. Bruce is a HOFer, Bowles is top D coordinator In the game, Leftwich top 5 or 7. Our team is absolutely loaded
November 26th, 2021 at 4:46 pm
I think Rah is closer to being a head coach than BL is at the moment. As for the it’s all Tom Brady narrative, then you must also admit that was all Winston in 2019 (at least the positives)?! Didn’t think so. I don’t think BL is some guru and I’m certainly not propping him up, but the numbers don’t lie.
November 26th, 2021 at 5:03 pm
So much of being successful as a HC, OC or DC depends on the talent you’re provided and the assistant coaches you surround yourself with IMO. Had Byron been OC for the NY Jets over these past 3 years I seriously doubt that the Jets would’ve been ranked #1 in Scoring Offense, #1 in Passing Offense and #1 in Offensive Touchdowns. You’ve gotta have the horses to pull the wagon.
You also have to have the quality assistants who can develop those horses. I doubt that BL was allowed to pick his own assistant offensive coaches when he came here with BA in 2019. From what I’ve read, most already had a relationship with BA when they signed on.
November 26th, 2021 at 5:05 pm
I would guess that Joes sources are pretty danged close to the situation.
I love the idea of letting Byron take over once Bruce retires. I hope thats the plan by the owners. We never had stability over the lost decade. That was a huge factor. We can just keep on rolling with Byron and his Top offense, just will probably need a new QB by the time that day comes…..no biggy.
November 26th, 2021 at 5:24 pm
“Defense Rules” is 100% correct. Perhaps the best O-line in the league, perhaps the best receiving crew In the league, and the greatest QB to ever play
Who couldn’t succeed with that Offense (as long as Lovie is not the HC)
November 26th, 2021 at 5:48 pm
My bigger worry is not IF he leaves, my concern is who takes over for him? Arians is at the age that I doubt will want to build game plans every week and spend all his time worried about the offense. I think he really enjoys the overseeing of everyone and work on case by case sceneries and players. So if not Arians….. who does he trust enough to run with very little interruptions.
November 26th, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Yeah that sounds good Jimmy, TB an BL here for a loooooong time
November 26th, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Brady!!!!!!!!!!
November 26th, 2021 at 6:03 pm
ROSEN with they were with the Cards!!!!!!!!
November 26th, 2021 at 6:24 pm
Fire Sale, sell him to the lowest bidder. Actually make it a 3 for 1 sale, throw in BA & Bowles for Free!
November 26th, 2021 at 6:34 pm
Brady, evans, Godwin, gronk, AB. Yea the stats are what they should be. Any team that looks to hire him will be more interested in issues he has when coaching Winston and Rosen because he’s probably going to be hired by a team with that level of talent or less. Does Leftwich have what it takes to build and develop a team from the ground up because just pushing those offensive stats won’t get the job done
November 26th, 2021 at 6:45 pm
In a discussion about the end of Matt Nagy in Chicago, the name of Todd Bowles came up.
Nagy was supposed to be an offensive Guru, but historically Chicago has been a defensive town.
It seems the fans want a defensive guy this time, and who better than Todd Bowles ?
November 26th, 2021 at 7:59 pm
It really doesn’t make a peehole in the snow worth of difference what any of us think about BL’s readiness to become a head coach. There are 32 teams & 32 owners. All it takes is one of them to believe that Byron is the answer for his team and hire him as his HC. How well BL performs will determine whether or not he keeps the job. Nothing’s really all that complicated in the business world. And coaching is a business, just like playing is.
November 26th, 2021 at 9:39 pm
And Doosh some of you are trying to push their agendas against him for obvious reasons as well. You guys started those obvious reasons by denying guys like him a fair and reasonable opportunity because of color so stop your under cover race baiting as you all like to say! Why is it was ok for it to be done against them but now that it’s done for them whiners like you cry a river. Crocodile tears are all they are.
November 26th, 2021 at 9:39 pm
Arians is adamant that Leftwich is ready to be a great coach. Arians won’t go out of his way to lie just to be nice. I trust Arians. That said he should wait for the right job. When you are going to a NFL job, you are there to coach a team so bad that they fired their last coach. I think Bowles is underrated due to his prior. Go somewhere with talent and hire a good defense coordinator
November 26th, 2021 at 9:56 pm
I hope BL is more focus on the Colts game than daydreaming about this HC job.
November 26th, 2021 at 9:58 pm
If Byron is in no rush and fine with growing in the job, then with the current roster of the Bucs players and assistant coaches, great location, training facility, and no state taxes, why go anywhere else? He’s been a big part of turning this franchise around, so it seems simple enough to me that if he is fine hanging in as the OC until HC Arians retires, then he can keep the same gig going as the HC too. Heck, why start over somewhere else?
November 26th, 2021 at 10:26 pm
He also has the #1 roster of offensive talent in the league and the GOAT at QB. I don’t want to trash him because I think he is slightly above average as an OC, but you have to adjust for the talent level and the competition.
My main problem with him is lack of consistency. We seem to rack up huge yards against hapless defenses, and we look below average against the better defenses. The true sign of greatness is how you perform against QUALITY defenses.
November 26th, 2021 at 11:51 pm
The team won the Súper bowl last season and y’all are complaining and saying the team isn’t consistent. This is the most consistent winning the buccaneers have ever had the past 16 some odd games.
November 27th, 2021 at 12:49 am
Being a good or great head coach is not just about the head coach. You have to have owners who are willing to let the people they hire call the shots and keep their noses out. You have to have a good general manager and scouting system and draft the right players and you have to have a great coaching staff that knows how to communicate and teach properly. Granted you need a strong head coach who the other coaches and more importantly the players respect. B.A. is a great head coach because the coaches and players respect him and have bought into his philosophy and system. There is only one Bill Belichek who has been a successful coach and G.M. Although you can argue he doesn’t always draft well, he seems to get the most out of his players and is very hands on. B.A. let’s his coaches coach and he gets on the coaches when the players screw up.
November 27th, 2021 at 2:14 am
My guess is he’s gone next year but I don’t blame him for wanting to take it slow. Too many of these guys aren’t ready and burnout. I’d rather ride the Brady train and then find something when that’s done
November 27th, 2021 at 7:09 am
I’m just saying… maybe AB would like to see him go.
November 27th, 2021 at 8:08 am
If BL is smart he’ll wait his turn, and take over for Arains. Most of you are right, he isn’t good enough, or ready to be a H.C.. He will be. What better way to transition from when Tom hangs it up. When he does, so does Arains. I think that’s the end of the 2022 season. We wouldn’t have to start from scratch scheme wise. Trask will be a man by then with three years in the system behind the best ever Tom Brady. Byron would be a fool not to wait it out another season, and he’s no fool.
November 27th, 2021 at 8:27 am
Bowles tried it and failed miserably. BL needs to be careful what he wishes for, most other coaches college included work from dusk to dawn every day and weekends during the season let alone post season. They have multiple daily meetings and sometimes even work until the wee hours of the evening. I don’t think the BA country club has prepared him for this. So expect a one and done and he can take his Pop Warner offense back to his home town and wear his ring during the Friday night high school games.
November 27th, 2021 at 9:57 am
BL deserves his shot. I’d selfishly like him to wait, but brady himself has said what an amazing coach his is. Brady’s word is good enough for me.
November 27th, 2021 at 11:49 am
Devin, Brady has already said that 90% of what he tells the media is BS. What could BL ever teach Brady? Brady will forget more than BL will ever learn, in fact BL’s only playoff game was against Pat’s and Brady sent him packing, one & done.
November 27th, 2021 at 1:36 pm
Listnfrmafar Says:
November 27th, 2021 at 8:27 am
” I don’t think the BA country club has prepared him for this. ”
BL has been in the league a long time. I am pretty sure he is more than slightly aware of how many hours that coaches around the league pack in.
I hope he sticks around here for a while longer. Hes done a good job, and has results. I am sure we will be hearing his name often in the upcoming months as more positions become available
November 27th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I can’t believe some of you don’t have a problem with the title of this article?
Kind of makes you think of wooden sailing ships from long, long ago…..
November 27th, 2021 at 5:51 pm
We need a “Like” button! I would have been smashing it on this article.
November 28th, 2021 at 7:56 am
If running up the middle on 1st down is the best he calls, then hopefully someone will call him away. Let Brady call his own damn plays, he is the smartest player on the field.