It’s All About Health… Or Is It?
October 2nd, 2022
No panic.
In a roundtable discussion last week about the Chiefs-Bucs game, a man who has covered the NFL for years for the four-letter claims the Bucs are not about to hit the panic button.
The Bucs offense has disturbingly resembled the offense when Father Dungy was on the Bucs’ sidelines. This bothers Joe a great deal because the quarterback is the greatest to ever walk on an NFL field, Tom Brady.
The offense should not be Dilfer-like with Brady. Something is up.
Joe saw BSPN NFL reporter Dan Graziano at The Licht House last week for the Packers-Bucs game. And it seems Graziano buttonholed a Bucs higher-up to get intel.
Speaking on “First Dump” last week, Graziano claimed that despite the Bucs offense putting up less than 20 points in each game this season, no one at One Buc Palace is freaking out.
Yet.
“They believe that once they get everybody healthy, they will be good,” Graziano said. “They don’t see any drop off in Brady’s performance and Brady’s abilities.”
Let’s be real here: The Bucs had Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones all together healthy in the first half of the Cowboys game. The Bucs had only four field goals by halftime.
This offense is sputtering too much and Joe cannot put a finger on it. Is it really caused by so much upheaval on the offensive line? Is Playoff Lenny slipping before our very eyes?
Did Bucs coach Todd Bowles tinker too much with the offense? Does Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich miss Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians? Does Brady miss foot-rubbing Rob Gronkowski?
(For those who enjoy conspiracy theories and connecting dots that may or may not exist, consider that Gronk’s girlfriend, the model and television personality Camille Kostek, is doing promotional work for an NFL social media project targeting women. In the Kostek’s spots that are floating through Instagram, she is wearing a Gronk Bucs jersey.)
There is just something odd about this offense. And Joe isn’t fully sure it’s only clunky because Godwin and Julio have been hurt.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:17 am
Did Bowles tinker too much? Yes he did. Does Leftwich miss guidance from Ariens … yes he does. What we have here is a failed Ariens project training the coaches to take over. A win against the Chiefs would help a lot. A loss might compound the problems. Bowles is the head coach and the bucs stop with him or go with him.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:26 am
The problem is sometimes other teams figure you out. You have to be creative with the offense.
First off, why does Lenny run more to the left side of the line when that’s the side that has a bunch of new guys? He needs to run more to the right.
Julio and Tom need more reps and Julio has to stay healthy.
We don’t have a guy that can duplicate Chris Godwin’s production. TJ was a wannabe CG. He was serviceable but never a catch and run kind of guy like CG.
We miss the production from Gronk. This is a huge factor in the offense being different and sputtering. Don’t run and blame Leftwich just cuz BA isn’t around. BA is not Gronk.
I don’t count the first game because almost everyone sputters in the first game without much reps in preseason. Plus, the Dallas defense is not shabby. From there it’s been injuries every game.
Don’t panic. This offense will start to light it up once they hopefully get and stay healthy.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:28 am
The last point to make is the defense has been holding opponents to low scoring games, so that urgency from the offense is not there. That will come.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:33 am
Yet, we could be 3-0 with a couple less fumbles against the Packers.
There are a lot of variables that can cause this “dip” in production. The reality is that nobody needs to panic. We are a quality football team with a defense that has awakened. Oh, and that farm animal QB too!
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:46 am
Can we just assume that missing Evans, Godwin, Julio, Otton & D. Smith would have an impact on the Bucs offense?
As far as Bowles messing with the offense…..I would assume that if he’s been doing that, he’s found out quite quickly that he shouldn’t. I think it’s more BA not being as involved. But the injuries are the major factor.
Camille Kostek would be a good replacement on GMF for Kay Adams.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:54 am
Lots & lots of possibilities as you noted Joe: OLine upheaval, Lenny slipping, Todd Bowles tinkering, BL missing BA, Gronk’s absence, multiple WRs hurt. Could’ve added ‘playing 3 very good defenses’ and oh ya ‘Mike Evans 1-game suspension’ (the only game we’ve lost BTW).
MAYBE, just maybe, the answer really is ‘All of the above’. Might even add ‘Tom Brady’s personal issues off the field’. Having your wife threaten divorce would weigh on anyone.
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:59 am
” ‘They believe that once they get everybody healthy, they will be good,’ Graziano said.”
In other words, BL doesn’t know what to do about it so let’s just wait and hope that things get better on their own. Yes, injuries have something to do with offensive struggles, but lackluster offensive coaching gets exposed in these moments. And yes, part of the problem here is with Arians, giving too much charity and not enough honesty to an offensive coordinator who is just meh, and has a way over-inflated ego.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:03 am
I agree with the last point Defense Rules made. Brady is extremely impatient and off his game. He may be the GOAT but he is bothered and not all there. Family problems will do that to even the best. He could lose the team with constant screaming and berating. The Oline sucks for sure with too many changes. They don’t know each other and have never worked with each (referencing the center and guards. A great Oline knows each other and how to work together. This is a work in progress and it doesn’t seem to be progressing well at all. Ego dictates that Bowles tinkers with the offense. Just the way the NFL works. BL cannot work alone and be successful. He needs BA, but that can’t happen. So, we suffer a very disappointing season and say goodbye to the GOAT afterward.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:16 am
Let me say it AGAIN and AGAIN: Lack of quality red zone targets
Gronk, AB, and a healthy Godwin were all outstanding red zone targets. But Geonk is gone and 2 green rookies plus the rotting corpse of Randolph are poor replacements. Julio Jones, when healthy, is great at chunk yardage plays but he has never been in the same zip code as AB as a red zone threat. And Godwin will not be Godwin, he needs time.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:21 am
Leftwich has never been a great play caller…..I really hope he gets his shot elsewhere and maybe we get Arians back as an OC.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:30 am
Cue the BL haters… you know, Byron Leftwich, the most prolific play caller who’s lead the most prolific offense in Buccaneer history.
Anyway….. I disagree with this completely. The Dallas game saw the Buccaneers move the ball up and down the field running & passing. They had issues punching it in the end zone. There were various reasons for that: A serviceable TE, the Dallas pass rush, penalties, execution etc. nothing that couldn’t be fixed.
Then they started losing receivers and their starting left tackle. That has prolonged and amplified the issue. It might take a couple weeks but I believe they will be fine and putting up 30 in no time.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:37 am
Not worried 1 bit if skill guys are healthy no need to panic relax
October 2nd, 2022 at 9:10 am
Gronk is obviously a huge loss for his receiving ability , but his blocking abilities are sorely missed-Gronk was like having another lineman. ME13 will get a heavy workload tonight and will be ready for it Bucs 31 KC 24.
October 2nd, 2022 at 9:16 am
It’s very simple and no more than this: the OL is 80% new, different, and mediocre after Donnie’s injury. They are barely giving Tom 2 seconds and they don’t run block very well. Getting Donnie back will help a lot.
Then, Tom’s been throwing to #5s as #2s and has no stud tight ends.
Joe is right, 4 FG attempts against Dallas in the first half – but they never punted so they moved the ball. If you don’t punt that’s pretty darn good. A red zone problem is different than a moving the ball problem. Against the Packers it was a moving the ball problem.
Give me back ME13, Donnie, Julio, let Vaughn spell Lenny and give Leftwurch some mushrooms to enhance his creativity. Bucs should be fine.
October 2nd, 2022 at 10:29 am
It’s Leftwich why is everyone acting so dumb it’s plain and simple. All we’re figuring out is which some of us knew BRUCE ARIANS WAS RUNNING THE OFFENSE THE PAST TWO YRS all that talk of Leftwich running it was a lie and a tactic to help build his resume that he’s tearing down as we speak with the horrible play calling HORRIBLE PLAY CALLING
October 2nd, 2022 at 10:40 am
Shrooms 🤣🤣
October 2nd, 2022 at 12:10 pm
The season started off ultra weird.
And, Joe, even in that first game Evans, Gage, and Jones were nursing hamstrings and Godwin was just a maybe.
The OL was a circus in its own way.
Tonight we’ll get a better look at our direction.
Brady and friends are backed against the wall. They will emerge … Or they won’t.
I think they will.
October 2nd, 2022 at 2:12 pm
its the “O” line ..last yr Brady was sacked 22 times over 17 games.. So far he’s been sacked 6 times over 3 games..At that rate he’ll be sacked 34 times this yr which is a 50% increase …….
October 2nd, 2022 at 7:55 pm
All the don’t panic folks are hilarious!
NE just doubled the Bucs scoring output against the Packers with a 3rd string quarterback and without their best receiver, and a DEFENSIVE coordinator calling and running the offense.
This tells me that if BL had 1 ounce of creativity in him the Bucs would have easily beaten Packers with their practice squad receivers and a change of pace in the backfield… maybe a flipping’ motion occasionally or a play action pass.
This team has Brady so it has a chance at the super bowl on his willpower and the defense alone, but without creativity and a culture of do your job this year is sunk. That is not BL hate, that is not overreaction. It is fact. Don’t believe me? Fine… just watch.
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:03 pm
Say what you want, but who would you rather have if you can’t have Gronk; OJ Howard or Ko or Otten in the red zone?
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:04 pm
OJH
October 2nd, 2022 at 8:55 pm
Byron Leftwich.