The Bucs And Offensive Coordinator Candidates
January 26th, 2023
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
The texts have been flooding Joe’s phone, actual calls even.
“Why aren’t the Bucs going after experienced offensive coordinators?”
It’s a fair question. But it is not like the names linked still to the Bucs don’t have NFL experience calling plays. That experience for two known candidates is either limited (Jim Bob Cooter) or not the desired experience (Klint Kubiak, part-time playcaller for the league’s worst-scoring offense in 2022).
Joe thinks there are two factors at play.
Of course, Joe pined for Bill O’Brien. Not only did BOB have a background working with Tom Brady, but if the Bucs chose to #CollaspeForCaleb, BOB has experience developing a star quarterback. Win/win.
If not BOB, Joe was hopeful Jim Caldwell would be interested. He’s got a damn good track record and Joe thinks Caldwell is one of the more underrated coaches out there.
And of course, Joe would love to have Todd Monken back. But given Monken’s recent comments about how he has to be very choosy if he chooses to leave Athens, the Bucs don’t seem to be a smart or reasonable destination for Monken unless he had an offer he couldn’t refuse (money and job security).
Joe thinks there are two reasons Bucs fans are not seeing high-profile coaches linked to the Bucs’ offensive coordinator opening.
The first is who the hell knows who the quarterback will be? Joe is getting conflicted intel about which way Brady is leaning. So Joe will take Brady’s calculated/scripted/rehearsed public words and type that Brady doesn’t really know.
It’s hard to hire a highly desirable candidate if the guy doesn’t know who the starting quarterback is. For example, Los Angeles has an opening to work with Justin Herbert. Who the hell wouldn’t want that job? In Baltimore, there’s an opening to work with Lamar Jackson. That would be fun.
In Tampa Bay? Who? Brady? Derek Carr? Blaine Gabbert? Anthony Richardson? Kyle Trask?
Joe cannot imagine there’s a line stretching down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. waiting to be interviewed for a chance to guide Trask as an NFL starter with the head coach beginning the 2023 season on the hot seat.
Then there is the elephant in the room. Joe thinks it would be smart to have a sales pitch to guys like BOB or Caldwell or Monken, “Hey, come to the Bucs and if the team moves on from Todd Bowles, you’ll be our guy.”
Well, if you were Bowles, you’d consider that a damn threat. What reasonable man wants to work with a guy who is likely out for his job? Joe cannot imagine Bowles doesn’t have final say on his assistants.
And if you don’t trust a coach, how would Bowles be able to trust a coordinator to do what he wants?
Add this all up and it demonstrates the Bucs’ OC gig is not the sexiest and why the names currently seen linked to the job don’t exactly have résumés that blow fans over.
January 26th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Item 3: why would a good OC want to work for a DC in HC clothes.
Item 4: Why would a good OC want to work for a losing coach.
Item 5: What the hell happened in the 2022 season? It was so ugly it can’t be quantified, and that was with Brady.
January 26th, 2023 at 11:47 am
Bowles might feel threatened by Jim Caldwell. And he should, IMO
January 26th, 2023 at 11:47 am
sum it up:
1) Bowles on the hot seat so it might be a 1 year gig
2) Bowles could be threatened any quality OC will take his job
3) Bowles sucks as a HC and the league saw Bowles go through so many OCs with the Jets that they don’t want to sign up KNOWING it will stack up loses on their resume
January 26th, 2023 at 11:48 am
He took over play calling from Hackett late in the year. In the games he called plays, the scoring average went from 14 to 24. So your statement is a little misleading and doesn’t give him credit for what he actually did.
He also was a coordinator in ’21 for Minnesota and their offensive rankings were decent. Not great, but decent. So, he’s not totally inexperienced, and he comes from the Shanahan tree. I’d take that.
January 26th, 2023 at 11:49 am
C0llapseForCal3b is officially the stupidest crap J03 has floated, and I know which J03 it is.
January 26th, 2023 at 11:50 am
C0llapseForCal3b is retarded.
January 26th, 2023 at 11:52 am
Correct, Bowles will do what’s good for Bowles. On the football field or in the office Mgrs are careful not to hire subordinates they feel are a threat to take their job. What might that mean to the quality of OC he hires?
January 26th, 2023 at 11:56 am
Look on the bright side. At least it won’t be Brains Leftout calling plays anymore.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Does Bowles get to pick his replacement?
Beware of the poison pill if he does
January 26th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Must be Cancel cultured on JBF
January 26th, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Sasquatch, good intel on kubiak. I wasn’t aware of that and superficially it seems like Joe portrayed it. Also agree that collapse for Caleb is cringy at best not to mention those things seldom work out as we intended. I’m tired of cutesy phrases that indicate that your team should purposefully lose as much as possible in the hopes of getting a quarterback who has a 50-50 chance at being a top level starter. Look at the teams left. You have a number one overall pick. An early first round pick. A second round pick. And a player that was one pick away from being a free agent. That’s right about at the 50/50 mix we’ve seen historically.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:14 pm
I always wanted to get PJ Fleck back.. he did an amazing job when he was here and has been successful at every stop since.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:14 pm
The Bucs are closer to a rebuild than a Superbowl run. Unless Bowles has a huge turnaround from this past season, it is a 1-year job as OC.
An experienced OC will not take it.
Why not give a younger coach a shot. Might be a better situation.
Bowles is making the same mistakes he made in NY. He needs to only be a HC. Leave the DC play calling to someone else. If he does not do this its 1 more year and out. He fails to realize he is not good at both.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Just start tanking. Brady won’t win with Bowles as HC; Bowles is too tight and scared and conservative. I’d actually hate to see TB12 waste another year banging head against wall here – unless the owners cleaned house and bring in a good head coach. That’s not gonna happen for the obvious reason. So… flush it all. Keep key vets, cut costs, start Trask and begin the suck for better draft positions.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:23 pm
It’s simple.
Fire Toad The Wet Bowels. Problem solved. But Jason can’t because he’s handcuffed. The slimeball Blowes put the blame on his assistants, on his players, and the excuse that “he didn’t get to choose his own staff.” Plus given his status as a minority coach, Jason looks at the Glazers and BA who is already grumpy about his Ybron being fired, and is in a no-win situation.
So we’re all stuck with the second coming of Lovie Smith. Be prepared to look on the Houston Texans 2022 season with envy after next year’s Top 5 draft position is earned.
Drinking early. Again.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
No one proven is going to want this job,. Its a one year deal and everyone gets fired in 11 months.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
BINGO !!!!!!!!
miken
January 26th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
I don’t care who it is…..just as far as they have a good command of the English language…..(some OC skills would also be helpful)
January 26th, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Todd Bowles is a master at pissing off Brady humpers.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:47 pm
Here is a name. Joe Brady. Qb coach in Buffalo who was in a bad situation in Carolina. He is tarnished enough he would take the job not knowing the QB. He isn’t going to threaten Bowles.
January 26th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
O’tay boys and girls
Watch the games this weekend and on Monday come with all that reminds you of Brady’s game
and Bowles coaching and leadership
January 26th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
Dead-end job in Tampa and everyone knows it.
The head coach will be fired next year (should’ve been fired this year).
January 26th, 2023 at 1:11 pm
With a head coach that will likely be fired next year, no smart OC will take this job.
Would have been better off getting Clyde to stay for another year.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
Lets see the Licht confidence poll in November!
January 26th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
Monkin won’t come…he’s too smart.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
I said it when Bowles was first appointed Head coach. He is NOT NOT NOT Head coach material and never will be! He is a better than average Defensive Coordinator and should have been content with a position that he was successful in and know his limitations. Bruce Arians did him no favor by stepping aside so he could get promoted to a position he would fail in. He was handed a team with a solid roster led by the most successful QB of all-time playing in the weakest division in the league and they looked completely unmotivated, unprepared, and uninterested the entire season. Do they think somehow it will improve next year by changing a handful of coaches at the bottom of the totem pole? They need a complete reset and that starts with a new and improved Head coach with innovative ideas and the ability to motivate players! JASON if you read this please accept this fact and don’t make fans suffer through another uninspired losing season before making a change. Please send Bowles on his way now! Please!
January 26th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
Joe Philbin is now available. He would make a good OC.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Bowles is going to be fired next year. (Instead of this year for some arbitrary reason.) why would you want to move your family only to be fired in a year?
January 26th, 2023 at 1:27 pm
Joe Philbin.
During his tenure as offensive coordinator (2007–2011), the Packers offense ranked in the top 10 in the NFL for points scored and total yards every year, including their 2010 Super Bowl-winning season.
In January 2012, Philbin was named the tenth head coach of the Miami Dolphins,[7] beating out interim coach Todd Bowles…
Through his first three seasons with the Dolphins as HC, the offense improved from a ranking of 27 to 11, but the defense slid from 7th to 20th.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:28 pm
At Dallas, he was the OL assistant, and got fired today, along with 5 others.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:30 pm
Because he was only an OL coach in 2022, he might be willing to come in, as OC is a promotion, and it’s possible that actually teaming with Bowles might create quite a combo?
January 26th, 2023 at 1:38 pm
What a god awful mess BA created with his horrible succession plan that the Glazers blindly approved. Let next year be a reboot and start from scratch for the following year. I’d rather see energetic and enthusiastic young, fast players than the current crop of lifeless performers.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:38 pm
I’m a bit confused. If we bring in any OC and the team does well all around then how can they justify firing Bowles? Only if we lose a lot (which means the OC didn’t do enough or we have no QB) or if the Defense does terribly could I see the justification for a firing. Which means wouldn’t it be better that it’s not an OC you may want as the HC job next year, or are you happy with Bowles moving forward if the OC massively turns the team around? If that happens we then lose the OC eventually.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:45 pm
Who cares about old experienced fossils like Jim Caldwell? Gruden, Shanahan, McVay, started out as young unexperienced first time O.C.’s, and obviously were very successful. Our next head coach hopefully will be like that when Bowles gets canned next year. Think new, think outside the box. Everyone knows what Jim Caldwell is going to run, no one knows what Eagles QB coach Brian Johnson will run when he gets his shot. Give someone new a try.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:48 pm
Lot of the stuff Brian Johnson (AC/DC!!!) uses can never be used with Tom Brady.
January 26th, 2023 at 1:57 pm
Given the great improvement of Trevor Lawrence, Jim Bob Cooter would be a fool to leave that and be a one year rental at Tampa.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:03 pm
From heroes to zeroes just like that.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
@ DenofDepression again. Spot on. PJ Fleck should be HC best thing the Glazers could do. He would be amazing in TB.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Somebody make this PJ Fleck thing happen!! PJ FOR HC!!!!!!
January 26th, 2023 at 2:33 pm
Now i know why dungy told glazer no when they wanted to change from Clyde Christiansen
This article ignores one thing.
Jason.
Super bowl gms are a big asset and I don’t see Jason moving on.
And the glazers have 2 rings.
Take the job ifvyour a winner. Life is competitive.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:43 pm
What are we fussing about today? I don’t want to be, off topic.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:43 pm
I said this before. Nobody is coming here for a lateral move. The job just isn’t that attractive. It’ll either be an assistant, QB coach or someone from college. They don’t even have a quarterback at the moment. Jim Caldwell certainly fits with Bowles personality.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:55 pm
Gotta be Jim Bob Cooter. He would be perfect. Just cause of his name.
January 26th, 2023 at 2:57 pm
Ideally get an OC that knows Brady’s offensive system. Also I was thinking they should hire former Bucs players from the 02 Bucs defense. Hire Warren Sapp as assistant dl coach, ronde barber as assistant dbs coach, call derrick brooks. That 02 defense was a complete defense and one of the greatest defenses of all time. This team needs some juice and those former players can bring it. I love Sapp’s energy. I think theyll be respected by the current bucs players and I think they can coach. Ronde does some youtube clips for the bucs and he can coach I believe. John Lynch is a great gm with the 49ers so former players def can make an impact as staff. I’ve gotten this vibe all year that the bucs players don’t respect or fear bowles. And it just felt like the team was lifeless and didn’t care. I also feel like the players aren’t being “coached up” and developing (working on fundamentals, improving on technique, learning how to study tape better) in practice and training camp. They’re just going through the drills at training camp. Devin White is the same devin white from his rookie year. Don’t know what happened to vita vea.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:00 pm
I’m leaning towards Jim Bob Cooter, also.
I’d bet he can draw plays up, in the dirt.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:05 pm
Bowles should have been fired also. It’s just that simple.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:06 pm
WHY would a smart ,experienced coach want to come to Bucs for 2 yrs while Bowles continues to loose games until he gets fired & Glazers clean house then ???
January 26th, 2023 at 3:08 pm
Jim Bob Cooter will appeal to all the Rednecks in this area, with a name like Jim Bob, LOL
The Eagles run a variation of Lincoln Riley’s College Offense, and it is a real problem to stop.
But as another poster pointed out, it is not the offense for Brady.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:10 pm
The 3-13 Texans OC declined to interview for the OC job. I lol’d when I saw that. Everyone knows Bowles is getting fired next year. Captain Toilet Bowles is steering a sinking ship but he doesn’t even know its sinking. Rita Moreno for bucs hc. They both probably end up with the same record next year anyway.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:11 pm
If the Bucs chose to collapse for Caleb, I’ve got 2 words for that, Go Jags. I’ll be back when we want to play to win again. I’m not rooting for my team to lose before the season starts. That’s just bullsh@t there.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:15 pm
On the other hand if an OC come in and turns it around even for 1 year, he will have lot’s of opportunities whether here or somewhere else. Agree with “come here if you’re a winner…”
January 26th, 2023 at 3:17 pm
Yep. I think the Bucs may be putting off the inevitable.
I like Todd Bowles, but think he shoulda stayed on his side of the football, (defense)
Maybe he can get things fixed. I hope he does. That’s just my 2 cents.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Let’s be honest Bowles fired lefty and the other coaches to save his own ass. I mean lefty should be fired but bowles is part of the problem and should’ve been fired as well.
January 26th, 2023 at 3:41 pm
I think Buc fans, including myself, are f*cked because Bowles is not being run out of town yet!!!!!!!! With him as Head Coach, next year will be another losing season!!! He took a team, with the greatest qb in history, with a ton of talent, that had an offense that could score 30 points a game, and turned them into the laughing stock of the NFL!!!!!!!! By anyone’s standards!!!!! He blames everybody but himself!!! Guess what Mr Bowles that was all you!!!!!! FIRE BOWLES SAVE THE BUCS!!!!
January 26th, 2023 at 3:56 pm
Jim Bob Cooter worked under Jim Caldwell in Detroit I would like to see the Bucs bring in Caldwell as Asst Head Coach and offensive coordinator then bring in Jimbob as passing game coordinator/quarterback coach then when Bowles time is up where are set.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:14 pm
With a name like Jim Bob, Cooter will appeal to all the Rednecks in the Tampa area.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:24 pm
I don’t see the threat of a good OC being a threat to Bowles. A good OC would actually improve the job security potential for Bowles IMO. And I am not a Bowles fan as HC by the way.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:37 pm
Ideally, I prefer to win next year. I just do not see it happening.
But…Bowles is a good defensive guy. It is reasonably possible that a good OC could make the difference, so long as we stay healthy.
I do not for a second believe this team will tank intentionally. I think they will fight to get better.
The problem with ‘tanking’ is that it supports a losing culture. We may not have had a good year, but this is not a losing culture. Sure, some of the backups did not give 100%, but the starters fight to win.
The only question, when it comes down to it, is Quarterback…because if you think about it, when healthy, this team has all they need in every other starting spot…or, if short 1-3 spots, can easily fill them with draft or free agents. The team proved when Brady came that all they needed was a competent QB to put them over the edge. The loss of Suh and JPP hurt, but we all knew they were temporary. Lict has been working on building a good dline and the oline is nearly complete (when healthy) after losing marpet.
Depth is where we hurt the most.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:38 pm
I also do not see a good OC being a threat to Bowles…especially since the Glazers do not fire coaches during seasons.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:41 pm
Bradyfan Says:
“”Let’s be honest Bowles fired lefty and the other coaches to save his own ass. I mean lefty should be fired but bowles is part of the problem and should’ve been fired as well.”
I honestly do not believe Bowles had any say in the matter. The defense wasn’t too bad this year. It was the offense that was bad, and though half of that was injuries, the firings actually made sense.
I do wish Clyde Christiansen had stayed another year though.
January 26th, 2023 at 4:49 pm
Bucco Bruce Says
“I’m a bit confused. If we bring in any OC and the team does well all around then how can they justify firing Bowles?”
Sorry, like the rest of everyone, by head is a jumble of desires, lol.
This is my thinking:
Winning rules. Ideally, Bowles turns things around and does not get fired next year, because all we really want is to win, right?
Quarterback. Ideally, since we have not really been exposed to Trask, when and if he gets a shot, he excels, removing the need to draft another QB.
Offense. Ideally, the line gets and stays healthy, and Jason beefs up any truly weak spots. I do not consider Smith a weak spot. We have starting WRs. We just need better depth. And Otton’s first year wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible either.
Defense. The Dline needs a little beefing up, but is near completion. Ideally, Jason finds it in FA or the Draft. Re-sign the important pieces.
I want to win…sooner the better. If that means keeping Bowles because he somehow manages to do what I do not think he is capable of, then I’m still happy.
January 26th, 2023 at 5:12 pm
Bucaneer, sounds easy enough, right? Then how come pre-Brady Bucs went 11 years without getting into the PO’s? Think about all those 1st round picks. All I read on this site was bad coaching. Is this going to change with Bowels?
January 26th, 2023 at 5:49 pm
All I know is the fat lady is singing. What a cluster f…..k.
January 26th, 2023 at 6:28 pm
So hire Monken as head coach and demote Bowels back to DC.
January 26th, 2023 at 7:19 pm
NEfan Says
“Bucaneer, sounds easy enough, right? Then how come pre-Brady Bucs went 11 years without getting into the PO’s?”
Because they needed a decent QB, that’s why. Duh, lol.
January 26th, 2023 at 8:09 pm
Really. Saw this coming and said so. Why didn’t you all?
January 26th, 2023 at 10:04 pm
Jon Gruden is available…
January 26th, 2023 at 11:56 pm
Call me crazy, but wondering why no one has even mentioned Dan Mullen as an option…He’s the only coach to ever get anything special out of Trask.
It’s pretty clear that TB12 is washed & 2023 cap is a mess…And no one with any salt in the NFL really wants the job…So what if it’s 4-13 w/ a young NFL type or older college type…Might as well try to find someone with some knowledge of Trask at his best & Glazer’s don’t have a league set cap for coaching salaries.
January 27th, 2023 at 12:47 am
I think the lack of a-list candidates is also due to the fact other HC positions still need to be filled, Sean Payton, Frank Reich et al. Who would you want to uproot your family for?
Out of the candidates listed, if Keenan brings the energy he did as a WR for us and is a talented designer & play caller, I am all for it. But I also would consider Jim Bob only for him being on Jim Caldwell’s staff as OC for 3 & a half seasons according to pinheads at PFT.
I am also sure there is at-least one unnamed candidate we (except possibly the Sage) are unaware of.
January 27th, 2023 at 9:00 am
Yet another reason they should have fired Bowles. Open the door for Payton and LFG.
January 27th, 2023 at 9:45 pm
There are no decent Head coach candidates out there right now much less Coordinators.
January 30th, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Exactly. Why worry about OCs? You could bring in the best of tge best, and our team is still going to take a massive dump in 2023 because the coach already stated “no biscuits cuz we don’t risk it.” Todd “T.Bowl” Bowles still hasn’t spoken to that, recanted, nor indicated a change in this season’s philosophy on offense. He’s guilty by implication: he was the head coach who watched us implode and made ZERO adjustments. You either have to: a) be stupid; or b) not know enough NFL football to be a competent head coach. While I’d like to say it’s the latter, unfortunately it looks like Todd Bowles is a mix of both. Let’s try and move on from Bowles and hire someone with some fire and passion that knows how to run a team to success, not failure.