Byron Leftwich On Pass Blocking: We’re Good
October 21st, 2022
Defends pass blocking.
Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich doesn’t want to hear people whining about the offensive line.
At least when it comes to pass blocking.
Joe understands the popular hollering point that the Bucs cannot pass block to save their lives. Fans are screaming and claiming if the two first-year starters on the line aren’t benched like by tonight, Tom Brady will be crippled by Thanksgiving and won’t be able chase women like most wealthy dudes in a midlife crisis do when they break free of their nagging wife (allegedly).
Don’t tell that to Byron Leftwich.
Yesterday Leftwich had has feet held to the fire in a news conference, as he should have, for that atrocious half-baked gameplan Sunday that firmly put the Bucs in position to be upset by a double-digit underdog.
Leftwich was catching incoming fire from all corners and was asked if the reason he didn’t test the ravaged Steelers secondary was because Brady didn’t have enough time to set up and throw long.
Leftwich quickly dismissed the line of questioning.
“Our pass blocking is fine – I think we may be one or two in the league as far as that,” Leftwich said. “Our pass blocking is fine.”
Leftwich might be right. Last week before the Pittsburgh game, every piece of statistical data Joe could find showed Brady was getting ample time to throw. Again, this was before the Pittsburgh game.
The only thing Joe could find that suggested Brady wasn’t getting time was NextGen Stats’ “Time to Throw” metric, which tracks the time between the snap and the quarterback’s release, and it showed Brady at rock bottom in the NFL.
But two quarterbacks with the most time to throw had poor offensive lines, Zach Wilson and Justin Fields. What the hell, this seems backwards? And in fact, it is.
Most quarterbacks with the most “Time to Throw are runaround QBs. So if a quarterback escapes a pocket, ran for his life and bought time, that adds to the total “Time to Throw” data.
If you look at this stat, mobile quarterbacks have the most time. Brady, of course, is as mobile as a mailbox.
October 21st, 2022 at 5:53 am
If Brady had plenty of time, why so many dump offs and underneath throws? Also don’t recall a single sideline throw
October 21st, 2022 at 6:09 am
if pass blocking is good, why are they running so much?
starting to think BL is getting kickbacks from other teams lol.
best thing Brady can do is take his gameplan and do the opposite. 40 burger
October 21st, 2022 at 6:31 am
And, there my Friends, is your first clue that there will be NO changes to the offensive strategy. Get ready for runs on first down and the same bland calls. His massive ego demands he continues to do what he do.
October 21st, 2022 at 6:59 am
This is straight gaslighting. Goedeke is rated as one of the worst guards in the league. Next Gen Stats:
Luke Goedeke’s surrendered 5.0 sacks this season, tied for third most in the NFL at guard. His 11 incompletions attributed to are tied for most. His 78.2% pass block win rate second worst. Most 1st pressures given up (32).
Brady’s quick release and pre snap reads is saving him from getting beat up like Justin Fields.
For you ignorant people complaining about the underneath throws, Herbert and Rodgers both have been resorting to short throws because their OL sucks. Matter of fact, Rodgers is in the bottom of league of yards per attempt. Look at every thing in context. The immediate pressure is affecting Brady’s ability to go through his reads problem. It’s also affecting some of his accuracy. On one off target throw to Godwin, he had a DL hitting his midsection as he released the ball.
The Bucs have one of the lowest pass block rate in the league. I really urge you people to really research the numbers AND listen to the people who analyze the film.
October 21st, 2022 at 7:13 am
Like everything else exiting the lips of Leftwich, thos is pure bull excrement.
Whatever happened to accountability?
October 21st, 2022 at 7:17 am
WTH!!? “I think we may be one or two in the league (pass blocking) as far as that,” Leftwich said.
If this is even close to the truth, that make his little league game plan even more revolting. And that’s an insult to little league game planning!
October 21st, 2022 at 7:21 am
The only reason pass blocking is somewhat “fine” is Brady’s ultra quick release
October 21st, 2022 at 7:41 am
So what you’re saying Joe is he deflected the game plan question, AGAIN!!!
Brady unretires and BA retires and leaves the Bucs with possibly the worst coaching staff in the league. At least worst OC. DR will say you mean the coaches that won a SB & NFC South title? Yes the 2 time loser that instead of preparing for a PO game decided to interview that same weekend and clearly cannot not motivate or manage a very talented Bucs team. Not firing BL is a detriment to his leadership. These coaches have done NOTHING without BA’s guidance.
October 21st, 2022 at 7:43 am
FYI, a 1/3 of a season is a good sample size!
October 21st, 2022 at 7:59 am
No! We are not good at pass blocking.
October 21st, 2022 at 8:03 am
I think what he is saying is the line is fine our quarterback stinks.
October 21st, 2022 at 8:14 am
Goedeke needs to take a seat. He’s been eaten alive since day one. Not his fault, I think he’ll be good, but he was never a pluggin play rookie. Hell, he didn’t even play the position in college, and that college was WhatsAmatter U. To not admit the mistake of playing him to soon might cost us Tom friggin Brady at some point.
October 21st, 2022 at 8:23 am
Some of this is on Brady…….Brady seems to be extra conservative trying to avoid picks…..and that is working but it’s costing us, especially in the red zone.
Teams are trying to hit Brady early in order to rattle him…..it’s working…mainly do to playcalling.
More play action on 1st downs….and fewer empty backfields……Keep Ko in the backfield for protection and send him out for a pass here and there.
October 21st, 2022 at 8:37 am
“Bucsfan13 Says:
October 21st, 2022 at 6:59 am
For you ignorant people complaining about the underneath throws”
THAT was my point, he doesn’t have the time
October 21st, 2022 at 8:42 am
Goedeke is about 20 lbs light to be taking on these behemoths they’re expecting him to block.
October 21st, 2022 at 9:01 am
Kentucky Buc … Agreed; most rookies just don’t have the beef (OK, muscle) to succeed right out of the gate (ie, Cappa?). Give them a year to refine techniques & get stronger, and most can at least be serviceable. Goedeke wouldn’t have been starting if we had any other options (ie, last man standing?). Not his fault IMO that he gets man-handled periodically (he is facing some pretty talented DLinemen). Sometimes when you go through the baptism by fire you get your ass burned.
Regarding Byron … if he truly believes that we’re good in terms of our pass blocking, then he’s delusional. Brady knows full well that these huge DLinemen have but 1 purpose in life: to take his head off. our pass blocking right now is but a shadow of what it’s been since he’s been here.
October 21st, 2022 at 9:18 am
They never intended for him to play much this year, no more than they would have intended Trask to play
October 21st, 2022 at 9:53 am
If we’re good I’m blocking why can’t we pass block a screen pass successfully
October 21st, 2022 at 11:10 am
Bucsfan13: My Momma says, “Well said!”.
October 21st, 2022 at 11:14 am
Yes, well-stated Bucsfan13.
October 21st, 2022 at 1:27 pm
Wouldn’t time to throw also penalize any quarterback who makes quick decisions? Hall of Famer Kurt Warner would probably be the lowest in history.
October 21st, 2022 at 1:44 pm
HAHAHA….I know the eye test…and BL is BS’n!!
what a joke!
October 21st, 2022 at 2:04 pm
Just stop letting this moron meet with the press.
Stupid is as stupid does.
October 21st, 2022 at 2:24 pm
Brady is a major part of the problem. The fossil is hurting the whole team. I hope the other team captains will tell him to f##k off and if he doesn’t deliver Sunday, there’s gonna be a riot going down.
October 21st, 2022 at 2:43 pm
He can’t take advantage of what isn’t there. Can you cite a play where he failed to pass to an open receiver? Steelers did their homework–they were getting to us with 4 rushers, dropped 5-7, depending. Brady usually had to toss it before anyone could run around enough to get open
October 21st, 2022 at 3:13 pm
We’re whining about you A-hole! Wake the eff up
October 21st, 2022 at 3:22 pm
Goedeke has been horse manure thus far. I think they should play Walton or Leverett at LG for a game and see how that plays out. In Goedeke’s defense, he’s had to go against some pretty talented DTs as a rookie.
October 21st, 2022 at 3:56 pm
Some of these new stats need time to mature and we will see some are very misleading ! Brady has the fastest release time at 2.4 seconds right, part of that is no doubt fear of being mauled !
It seems if Tommy doesn’t see a high probability completion at 2.4 seconds that ball is launched at the feet of one of the receivers with the hope they can haul it in before it hits the ground.
I could swear Rodgers releases some designed quick outlet passes much faster than TB but he has some passes where he runs around and that completely disqualifies this stat. Hold two passes for 5-6 seconds as you roll out and your 2.4 average goes way up.
If the line could block TB would wait for more routes to develop, he senses pressure and is getting nervous.
Where is ME in his route at 2.4 seconds ?
October 21st, 2022 at 4:12 pm
he’s getting more – n- more defensive & stubborn .. yesterday it was the ” Victim card ” today hes gone 180 degrees to ” I,m right -you’re wrong “= aka stubborn.
Bowles will not ” discipline” him… they’re a set
No NFL game is a cakewalk …
October 21st, 2022 at 4:43 pm
Agree with you, DR. The pass-blocking needs work, in addition to run-blocking. But hey, at least they don’t allow pressures and TFL’s when on the bench. LOL, just pure sarcasm.
I am still optimistic, but check in again with me on Monday.
October 21st, 2022 at 8:01 pm
He Clearly is not coaching and watching the same team as us. It’s sad if he cant see godeki is a major risk factor with no real upside. He gets manhandled, hainsey is. Ot much better . If they dont correct it we are in for a long season
October 21st, 2022 at 9:27 pm
A40train etc etc. The entire Bucs org is pushing a “we good” propaganda narrative that they actually believe, or want to believe. As many of us have been screaming for months now, the expectations are low, the in-house boys are “great just great” and will not be criticized or displaced. The season is slipping away already.
There is no urgency or intensity. No all-in for Tom Brady, who is being treated like any garden variety QB on a garden variety team that is only expected to “make an effort”, even if the results are poor. “It’a all good.” This is a Kyle Trask team, with Brady at QB.
If Brady was not compensating for obvious pressure he gets on every play, he would be on IR with concussions. It doesn’t matter how evolutionary you are, if your OL doesn’t give you a wall, you will not succeed. Look at Russell Wilson struggling. Look at Rodgers this season.
October 22nd, 2022 at 12:02 am
Brady doesn’t have time to throw deep. Defenses are shrinking the field on him making it harder to pass into tighter windows.The Buc’s offense is more pass oriented. Replace the little contributing Tight ends with an offensive Tackle. If Julio plays in the Packer and Steeler games, Bucs win one of them. The hell with saving him for January, This team needs wins now in the regular season to take the Division. if Grayson becomes available, sign him.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:33 am
This Metrics crap is really starting to piss me off!!!
Watch the flippin games and in particular watch the left side of the line … Brady’s blind side. Yes sometimes he has plenty of time. Many times , hell no!!! Pay close attention and you will see he gets rid of the ball quickly because he HAS to. These flippin stats aren’t worth the turd my dog put in the yard Two weeks ago!
Now… I’m starting to think maybe Byron has some brain damage if he truly thinks “Our pass blocking is fine” I think he needs an MRI on his noggin!!!
Left guard and center are being pushed into his lap regularly. This makes any QB very nervous. Ask Rogers… its what we try to do to him every time we play the Packers.
October 22nd, 2022 at 1:47 pm
Record shows strengths and weaknesses 3-3 ???