Figuring Out What Tom Brady And Byron Leftwich Couldn’t
September 20th, 2023
It’s sacrilegious at One Buc Palace to even imply that Tom Brady was a lousy co-offensive coordinator with Byron Leftwich last season.
However, that was the cold hard reality.
Not only was Brady showing weakness in decision-making and planning with Leftwich, other Bucs officials were too weak and/or too weakminded to get through to Brady so necessary change could happen.
One thing Brady didn’t want to do much of was tossing 50-50 balls to Mike Evans to take advantage of Evans’ playmaking skils, physicality and massive catch radius — you know, some of the backyard football stuff he did with Johnny Football in college and early in his Bucs career.
That has returned this season.
Evans’ big catch-and-run on Sunday? He wasn’t really open, but the ball was delivered and Evans got away with a two-hand shove of the defender and off he went.
The deep touchdown to Evans? It was a 50-50 style ball thrown to a spot even though safety help was en route. Touchdown, Tampa Bay!
How bout Mayfield’s long rollout left and a short playground throw to Evans at the left sideline? Evans snagged it and then spun away from a hard-charging defender who didn’t wrap up.
Those three throws probably aren’t made last year. Brady preferred precision, and he certainly wasn’t sprinting out of the pocket to the left.
Joe is not saying Mayfield is better than Brady, but he might be a better fit for this Bucs team. The right quarterback at the right time — at the right price.
“Mike has great run-after-catch; you just don’t see it a lot because he usually catches deep balls,” Todd Bowles told the Buccaneers Radio Network. “When he catches intermediate balls, the first guy usually doesn’t get him down.”
Joe hopes Bowles takes that concept to heart and makes it clear to his new offensive coordinator.
Once upon a time, former Bucs playcaller Dirk Koetter used to have Evans operating successfuly in the slot at times, and overall, Koetter was always up for letting Evans use the entire field.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
Give me a break
Two games, everyone’s ready to crown this staff suddenly.
Fickle
Could just as well go 2-15
Let’s see how we do the next two games before we get carried away.
Cautious optimism. It’s been fun to watch.
Pretty ridiculous to throw Tom Brady under the bus. Proves this franchise and its fans/and writers didn’t deserve him and his supreme greatness. He threw himself under the bus in the 2022 season with a heavy hand in planning and calling a dreadful offense. This has nothing to do with appreciating Brady’s greatness and what he delivered the Bucs in 2020 and 2021.–Joe
September 20th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
Does prove that BA was really the head of the times when things were good and that Leftwich was in over his head. We only need to look at last year to confirm that.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
Here’s the truth:
Up until last year, BA would give the gameplan a final lookover on Fri before the games, and scrap all the junk plays and focus on on the good plays. Without that last year, BL and Tom kinda sucked at gameplanning on their own.
That being said, our entire offense had to be dumbed-down last year bcuz of the injuries to the offensive line and the resulting lack of time that Brady had in the pocket for plays/routes to develop.
So, last year wasn’t a true showing of Leftwich/Brady’s offensive capabilities as a Duo, but they could’ve done better somehow and adapted more I know…. Like at least incorporate more Play Action passes, Duh!
But Man, I’m so glad we got Canales and this new offense now… Baker is the Man and this offense looks way more dynamic now… L F keep it Going!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 1:34 pm
I do not think Brady had an issue with 50-50 balls (as anyone who saw him when Moss was in NE would know).
But for the last 6 quarters Mayfield has looked better than Brady did last year. WHY that is the case is open to question – and we are only two games in.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:34 pm
Well, I remeber I pointed out many times here, when everybody crucified BL….I ve said it thousands times that TB12 (which I will always be grateful) is as responsible as BL, for changing 100% the offensive style the Bucs had when they won the SB.
Everybody was on board for that change, I was not.
Of course, Marpet was out, Jensen got injured, CG14 was not well, the running game was awful, and TB12 didn´t want to get hit.
Blamminmg BL for all of this is unfair for starters. Of course he was part of the problem, so was TB12!!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 1:37 pm
CleanHouse Says:
September 20th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
@Cleanhouse You are what your record says you are. And the Bucs are undefeated.
Two games, everyone’s ready to crown this staff suddenly.
Fickle
Could just as well go 2-15
September 20th, 2023 at 1:38 pm
I appreciate the narrative, Joe, and it makes some sense, but I’ll bring one up caveat as a counter-point:
Brady was notoriously respectful to his coaches and many reports stated he wanted to be coached and coached hard, aiming for perfection.
Is it more likely that Ole Spongy was given free reign as OC, and when Brady saw what a cluster-mess he was crafting week to week, finally, in disgust and resignation, TRIED to help out BL?
It seems more likely Brady didn’t have much input until the losses started piling up and the offense was stagnant behind a porous O-line. Thoughts?
September 20th, 2023 at 1:39 pm
The 2020 Bucs will live forever. The 2022 Bucs? Just let it go…
September 20th, 2023 at 1:53 pm
I know we are all eternally grateful for having TOM BRADY here with the BUCS for 3 years, and all that they accomplished together. It was an incredibly exciting time.
That being said, in his final season last year he was clearly checked out. He was mentally & maybe even physically spent. He is too proud to throw in the towel, but he was unable to muster together that vintage Brady fight. He was throwing short of first downs, throwing it into the ground, not taking as many chances, not…… winning.
As legendary as Tom is, I am not surprised that this BUCS team is actually excelling with Baker Mayfield at the helm. He has brought an entire new air of FIGHT…. that this team needed.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:57 pm
@D-Rok. You are exactly right! Google is free. Brady is the ultimate company man. I find it hard to believe that he would not take to coaching. It’s just not in any of his profiles from his entire 23 year career. The cognitive dissonance from what some in the media and fans think of Brady is very large. He’s not some egomaniac. There are many reasons why this offense failed, and it not all Brady and Leftwich. We had injuries. Is it their fault that the run game was one of the worse in the NFL?
It’s really easy for the media to take shots at Brady or go with reporting “sources.” Brady never responds to reports. He always says he doesn’t want to spend any mental energy toward going back and forth. So it’s easy because you’ll never get his response on anything said about him and people will assume it was the truth. You’ll never hear him talk down on any coaches or players.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
The simple fact is that Tom Brady doesn’t like 50-50 odds……he’s more of a 90-10 guy…..
September 20th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
I call BS!!! When in Brady’s career did he craft a game plan??? Was he involved in those meeting but it was always Belichick and his OC. Joe, unless you made it up wrote that in a presser last season Bowels stated, ” This is NOT Brady’s offense, it’s BL’s!” It was clear Brsdy saw the forest through the trees and figured out before the season the Bucs were not going to be a SB team. BA and management forced him to play in Tampa. Oh, Evan’s may have had two decent games but he dropped many 50/50 balls last season not to mention the layups he dropped. Brady and Evan’s struggled from day one getting on the same page, their strengths don’t mesh. This is the same reason Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Tory Holt and others never stayed on the Pat’s, they couldn’t adapt to Brady’s system.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:08 pm
^^ “forced him to play in Tampa”
You mean we wanted him to honor the rest of his commitment?
Of course we did. And as I said, we are eternally grateful for Tom and all that he did here in TB.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:14 pm
Brady was not “calling plays.” He wasn’t calling plays when we had those dominant offenses from in 2020 and 2021. That was Leftwich. It was also Leftwich calling plays last year. BA himself said Brady got too much credit and it was Leftwich calling the shots. Now you know wanna throw Brady under the bus?
Brady did not have a Peyton Manning offense. He was not at the line calling his plays. Leftwich had his play sheet on the sideline and called the plays into Brady’s headset. That’s how it works in the NFL. No one is doing what Manning did in his career. Brady was not calling plays.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:17 pm
Way too many 3-and-outs last season. The Buc’s run game was atrocious and Tom Brady/The Buc’s offense became a one trick pony.
This year’s team has a better run game (still not great but OK) and a QB who can extend plays with his legs. This has helped keep the Bucs D resting on the sidelines and the opposing teams offense doing the same.
As long as our run game continues to develop and Mayfield continues to take care of the football and avoid stupid mistakes/turnovers this team will always be competitive and will have a chance at winning every game.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Thank you Bucfan@ yes he could audible but he could only audible to what his oline personal was. BA’s offense was 1st option look deep, if it’s not there plan b,c,d. I do disagree that in game BA did overrule BL when he felt he needed to. Brady does call the majority of plays in no huddle but they are based off preset plays for that situation, he’s not drawing in the sand, you post, you go deep etc.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
Don’t forget about the 34% that don’t make the playoffs starting 2-0. Week 8-10 we’ll be hearing about how the Bucs peaked too early. Settle in it’ll be a while.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
@MarineBuc. So you’re saying a good running game helps the QB? Don’t you think having the worse running game in the modern history of the NFL last year hindered the offense and as a result played a direct role in the effectiveness of the QB last year? Living on the third and longs because we were so inefficient on early downs would make any QB look bad.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Brady was just on his podcast yesterday and was ranting about soft coaches wanting to be to buddy buddy with players. He said he likes tough coaches who coached hard. He was welcome to any feedback. It’s totally laughable that coaches somehow didn’t want to approach him or he wouldn’t like for them to approach him. It goes against everything we know about his 23 year old career.
One of these days I wish Brady would defend himself and tell his feelings about his time with the Bucs.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:33 pm
@ Bucsfan13
“Don’t you think having the worse running game in the modern history of the NFL last year hindered the offense and as a result played a direct role in the effectiveness of the QB last year?”
Yes. That’s why I called last year’s offense “a one trick pony”… Tom Brady was an amazing QB for us but even he wasn’t able to do it all by himself. When an offense is constantly going 3-and-out the defense gets worn out by the first half.
You don’t need the best running game in the NFL but you at least need a mediocre one. Last year the Bucs were not even close to mediocre running the ball.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Brady isn’t Manning, or even Rogers. He has preferences like most QBs, but he’s never been the guy that’s like I’m Going To Call The Plays. Even going back to his time with NE, he wants to deliver the play call from the coaches to the huddle and go execute. I don’t know why you guys are of the mistaken belief that he was crafting the offense.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:38 pm
Exactly Clean House
September 20th, 2023 at 2:38 pm
Luckily nobody in the Bucs organization wastes time worrying about the past like JoeBucsFan writers and posters.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:41 pm
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz … another tiresome “leopard changed it spots” diatribe by JBF
Brady and Leftwich were the very same guys in 2020 when they won a Super Bowl and in 2021 when they ran the no. 2 ranked scoring offense in the league, and Brady was the top passer and touchdown scorer in the league.
So did the invasion of the body snatchers steal the bodies of Tom Brady and Byron Leftwich through the 2022 season, substituting guys who didn’t know what they were doing, all of a sudden?
If you think about that for even just a fraction of a second, you’d know how stupid that sounds.
So if Tom Brady and Byron Leftwich didn’t suddenly turn all football-stupid, then what changed?
Well JBF constantly denies the facts and reality, but we lost three of the starting offensive linemen from the two prior championship seasons for the entire season, and one of them turned in the worst performance of any left tackle in the entire league (led the league in allowing sacks, and led the league in penalties committed), and the only top notch starter left missed four games due to injury, and likely did not play to his peak when he was suited up but still hurt.
Those are absolute, indisputable facts that JBF and the Leftwich haters and now, suddenly, after he retired, the Brady haters refuse to acknowledge.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but everybody is NOT entitled to their own facts.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:41 pm
I’ll take door number 3: Godwin and Evan were not themselves last year. Godwin was still coming back from his ACL injury, and Mike was also plagued by injuries. When Tom had those guys, we all saw the results.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:42 pm
[If Joe was just about “clicks” and cash, Joe woudl turn part of this place into an adults-only site highlighting what cheerleaders shouldn’t be wearing on gamedays. There is ample evidence — including comments from Brady himself — he wasn’t about throwing passes up for grabs. If that triggers you, well, the problem is you and not Joe. — Joe]
September 20th, 2023 at 2:49 pm
Brady honestly played one year too many.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:54 pm
You can’t just blame Brady, Leftwhich, OL, injuries, Licht, Bowles or whoever. The fact of the matter was that the 2022 team was just not very good from top to bottom. It was a shadow of the 2020 and 2021 teams.
OL much worse due to injuries and departures.
WR only had Evans in a bit of a down year and a hobbled Godwin for half the year. Gage injured, no AB, and Scottie’s best was behind him.
RB Fournette lost a step and is now out of the league.
TE Otton is no Gronk.
Brady, 2 years older. He was a major reason for the Pats and Bucs winning a SB with very good teams in 2018 and 2020. At 42 and 45, give him meh teams like the 2019 Pats and 2022 Bucs and no one should be surprised with the results. Throughout his career, when playing on weaker teams, he tended to get rid of the ball more instead of getting hit.
Oh and another thing about those 2022 Bucs. The defense was average compared to elite the previous two years.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:54 pm
Here are a couple of indisputable facts for you. Do you have the guts to deny them?
1. Leftwich’s string-puller and safety net left.
2. Don’t give Joe the lie that Leftwich wanted to take time off and/or be with his family. If that is the case, then feel free to explain why he called Notre Dame looking for work.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Some facts to remember.
Byron Leftwich is unemployed.
Thomas Brady is not playing, because he no longer could.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Throughout the 2022 season, everyone was trying to figure out what was wrong with the Bucs and pointing figures. Now we know, they just weren’t that good. There was nothing the coaches, GM, or players could do about it because it was team wide on all three phases of the game.
So it’s sort of useless to blame Licht, Leftwhich, Brady, OL, White, Evans( for drops) and miscommunication, etc,. Cause it was pretty much a down year across the board for everyone.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:05 pm
@ Joe
I agree on Leftwhich.
His next coaching job should be at Marshall as their QBs coach… Then he should EARN his way up from there.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:07 pm
Just hear for the cheerleaders.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:08 pm
Give it 2 more weeks. Good Grief. Wait til we win more than 8.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Is it to late to join the bradyhaterfanclub?
*sarcasm*
even comparing TB and BM is insane. It’s like comparing a ferarri with a yugo, even if the yugo had a turbo and slicks installed.
I won’t wait to compare, because there is no comparison. I hope BM is our next long-term QB, but he better get better at accuracy and not taking hits if he wants tenure.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:14 pm
lefty’s next management job needs to ne on the bubba gump shrimp factory floor!
September 20th, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Agree with Joe, Its been said Brady and Bl would meet and Brady would tell Byron what plays he was comfortable with. But Brady’s internal clock affected the offense when he felt pressured and there was a lot of short passes to backs etc.
that failed to get enough first downs. I don’t say its all on Brady as their were other factors that his affected play and decision making such as protections or his perception of the protection he was getting. He still had the ability to make the deep throws as he did when he got Evans his thousand yards.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:23 pm
We are blessed once again. We got the right QB for our new system. First Brady and then Mayfield.
Good job Joe! Btw Joe did not throw Brady under no bus!
Go Bucs!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 3:27 pm
Theres a reason why Brady is the GOAT. Although like everyone else I have enjoyed Evans hot start the fact is at some point tossing it up and praying to god will come back to bite us at some point. Winston was king of this and was an INT machine. Not saying don’t do it I am just saying at some point well do it and it will cost us a game maybe more than just one.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
precision wins championships
jump balls pad stats
September 20th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
bob@ said by WHOM??? The media like Joe like to fire up the readers/viewers with theoretical opinions. Would any of you be surprised if he came back this season. Yes, he fulfilled his commitment playing his final season but let’s not forget he extended his contract to open cap space for players.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Do we cover last years Bengals game enough? That was a perfect example os the Leftwich/Brady blurb.
Bengals didn’t know what hit them in that first half, because we threw pre-snap motion like never before, and we pushed the ball down the field and scored. I think Romo says it’s the best the offense had looked all season, AGREED from this viewers eyes. Second half was the worst collapse of Brady’s entire career with us, as he single handedly turned the ball over 3/4 straight possessions, an absolute disaster.
We were the worst team in pre-snap motion at 32, and Brady was too old school for that, or he just thought it was stupid as if anyone would ever believe he’d keep the fake hand-off, etc. Bit more to pre-snap than that, but I don’t think he liked all the movement. It’s more work and precision and it doesn’t always payoff.
IMO…Pre-snap motion is just enough to keep teams guessing a little, no one was guessing with our poor line and running game, what we were trying to do with a 5-step drop backs. We were one dimensional. It’s amazing we won 8-games and a division title
September 20th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Zoo you are comical. Brady didn’t like pre-snap movement? Have you EVER watched him play for the Patriots? Welker, Edleman, Gronk, Amendola the list us endless all went in motion. Bowels set the tone for the 2nd half of Cincy when the first series he faked punted on Bucs 27yd line which led to points. Of course Brady’s turnovers hurt but the scheme for the second half was more conservative than the 1st instead of doing what got you there. FYI, the D didn’t have to give up TD’s on every turnover, one stop and they win the game or keep them to two FG’s. D gave up 34 POINTS, that’s A LOT!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 4:04 pm
@Duane. Well said! I challenge any other poster or Joe to dispute what you just said. It’s all facts! The circumstances around the team changed last year. What makes more sense? Brady, who has one highest football IQS ever, just stopped forgetting how to read defenses or Brady struggled because you had a LG and C who never took a snap in the NFL and and were completely new to their positions? We had a ragtag OL protecting an immobile QB. That’s a recipe for disaster. Brady threw the ball over 700x last year! That’s insane for any QB let alone a 45 year old QB.
We’re engaging in total revisionist history. Godwin and Evans are functioning better. Godwin was coming off an ACL injury and Mike missed some practices because of his hamstring injury.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:07 pm
@Zoo and NE fan. People think Brady’s career started with the Bucs. Pre snap motion was a staple of the Patriots offense. Most of this fans are totally casual. It’s really lazy because Google and YouTube are free. You will say a lot of pre snap motion in the NE offense and some bootlegs. BA himself said Brady likes pre snap motion and Manning liked things static.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:25 pm
Im for cutting tb 12 a little slack. he was 45 years old, probably it was time. and we had offensive line problems, a coaching change and a divorce for Tom in the middle of everything.
as far as history, it may not repeat, but it sometimes rhymes. everyone has to update their forecasts when new information comes out, such as injuries, etc.
We are borderline small sample size right now, but team looks good. lets cheer them on but be ready to lower expectations after the break.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Of course Brady’s ball licker is quick to defend him how’s that 0-2 feeling nothing to talk about with them huh
September 20th, 2023 at 4:37 pm
Guys, we can debate whether Brady sucked last year or not ad nauseum. He was not himself, I think we can all agree on that. What factors went into that, are debatable now and prolly years into the future.
What I do know is that Brady said he would play until he sucked. Well, last year, he sucked and the team sucked. As a man of his word, he hung up the cleats, which is the ultimate form of respect for the game he so obviously loved.
I give him mad props for retiring – it was the right thing to do. And that’s the lasting memory I’ll have of Brady.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:38 pm
GREAT FOR EVANS
TB12 did Goat sh*t. Baker can’t do TB12 things. He needs Evans to do Evans’ things. Evans has made lesser QBs (Johnny Football, Jameis Winston) look all world. He’s doing the same thing for Baker. If you’re an Evans Fan, you love this because Evans can emerge from the TB12 shadow and get recognized for his HOF-level talents.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:42 pm
A great post with predictable reaction.
It’s possible for more than just ONE thing to be true at the same time!
It’s possible to acknowledge Brady as the GOAT, as the final piece of the 2nd SB and be totally grateful while still admitting Brady FAILED last year!
TB was the missing link in the Buc’s quest for that 2nd SB. Nobody has trouble giving him CREDIT for HIS contribution. Nobody has difficulty with gratitude for the effort. Most here I believe think that’s true.
Despite being a team guy Brady gave hometown discounts on his salary in N.E., Brady had enough of BB arseholery and he bolted! N.E. will say BB let him go…for whom? Is BB that p!ss poor a head coach and judge of talent or did TB have enough or was it a combo?
Whatever it sent Brady shopping for the best team. He trusted BA and Licht the most and let’s face it…anybody could see the Bucs had a great D and a team ready to challenge for an SB with the right QB.
So, the Bucs mortgage the farm signing even MORE talent like Gronk, and Fournette and others putting the team in salary cap hell. And NE wants to freaking whine that the Bucs “forced” him to play in Tampa. And NE thinks Bucs fans are ungrateful? After ALL the Bucs did for Brady was it too much to ask for him to honor his deal?
Someone said there was no difference in years 1-2-3. WRONG! BA has far bigger balls than anybody else the Bucs had coaching. HE was the only one who could get the respect from Brady that gave BA control. Bowles was a victim of all the intrigue involving Brady trying to move or whether he would retire yadda yadda! And Bowles was a victim of Brady’s unhappiness and lack of fire.
Imagine a showdown. Brady is unhappy and goes to the Glazers and says I want this guy replaced. BL would’ve been gone in a New York minute! Who besides BA had enough creditability to avoid getting blasted. Brady had ECONOMIC leverage. He put butts in the seats and got national attention.
Another TRUE thing. TB’s marriage dissolution over a LIE he told his wife about retiring after winning the SB…his inability to see he was over the hill…and honestly his hubris is what torpedoed any chance the Bucs had last year. He was not all in for ’22…one thing to miss the preseason for family (he’s not smart enough to see that coming before the season?) but a birthday party for Kraft in the season?
One more thing that can be true despite all the TRUE wonderful things about Brady. He was not invested, and it showed up dramatically in all phases of the Bucs! He not only lost his physical mojo on the field he abdicated his leadership position and skills. Just look at this year’s Bucs and the difference in fun and fire from last year. Your eyes do not lie!
September 20th, 2023 at 4:47 pm
WTF stbuc……did Brady hit on your wife or something.
I agree with some of your stuff, but the above is complete (90%) nonsense.
funny all the ME nut licker hate TB because he would not throw hail marys regulary. lol
morons
September 20th, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Why would Brady be happy last year. He had a moron as a coach and special ed kid as OC.
you guys make him out to be GM, owner, HC and QB.
fact is bowels has done a 180 this year as to his play to win mentallity and the OC is 500 times what lefty was on a good day.
I suspect toilet bowl wanted brady gone and he knew he only had 1 year to do it.
September 20th, 2023 at 4:52 pm
^^^ @stpete,
Hard to argue with your logic on most points.
One thing that is not certain is Brady’s involvement in game-planning and play-calling – ONLY Brady and Ole Spongy can answer those questions.
I do get the gut feeling that IF Brady went to Glazers and said, “I want THIS, or THAT,” there would have been serious discussions – and he’s probably the only QB that could get the attention of the owners. We might never know what Brady did or did not say to the Glazers, if anything.
That’s for a future book, I reckon.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:09 pm
I just wanna know what ole N-Dog has to say about this. Anybody seen or heard from him lately? I wonder if he is on Saints websites crying about Winston not playing.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:20 pm
Mike didn’t shove off…the DB got into his body first and Mike was just stronger on the jostle. That’s why it wasn’t called.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Finally people are admitting to seeing what I saw in 2022. Our biggest weakness was Brady. Refused to push the ball down the field, never took chances. He was too content to throw short and punt. Nobody had the cajones to stand up to him after Arians left. His smoke screens and premature checkdowns were the problem. Not the offensive line that gave up for fewest sacks per throw. They weren’t great but that excuse has been proven incorrect.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
I missed the “crowning” ceremony.
Do any of you depraved inmates have a video link? Cleanhouse?
Brady, circa 2022, was no longer the GOAT Brady. I’m not sure he cared that much anymore. I can’t say I blame him based on the crap he went through.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:38 pm
Some NEXT GEN numbers…
Mike has the 19th fastest MPH of 20.68
Mike has the 6th longest play, including side to side yards, at 90.2 yards
Mike has the 1st and 8th most ‘incredible’ YAC plays
Some other NEXT Gen stats.
Winfield has the 7th fastest sack on the season at 2.84 seconds.
Mayfield has the 17th most ‘improbable’ completion to Evans on the 32-yard TD.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:38 pm
Brandon Says:
September 20th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Finally people are admitting to seeing what I saw in 2022. Our biggest weakness was Brady.
———
LOL! You’re clearly retarded.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:55 pm
That backyard style football end for Brady when Gronk tapped out. He always bailed Brady out. All good though, last year clearly had its problems, I think Brady didn’t want any turnovers and like you said, be a bit more precise.
September 20th, 2023 at 5:58 pm
I can’t believe you idiots are actually trying to pretend like the probably last year was Brady.
Joe, you don’t have to expose their IP addresses or anything, but these are just the same person making these jackball posts, right? I can’t believe there’s that many stupid people around.
September 20th, 2023 at 6:18 pm
Brandon Says:
September 20th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Finally people are admitting to seeing what I saw in 2022. Our biggest weakness was Brady.
Strongly, VERY strongly disagree, Brandon. Our biggest weakness, by far, was our O-line.
Watch a few games then get back to us, bro.
September 20th, 2023 at 6:52 pm
Idiots? BWAAAHAAA coming from you Muncher.
September 20th, 2023 at 7:08 pm
Clearly Baker Mayfield is head and shoulders ahead of Brady. And that means head and shoulders above Brady ever was, or will be. BL was one of the best OC in the league and Brady had THE best Oline in the league last year. Also Brady had the most dominant defense last year that never collapsed or gave up big plays like the Chiefs or philly. Yet with all that going for Brady the best he could lead the Bucs to was a 8-9 season. And one and done in Playoffs. The Bucs this year upgraded the QB position with Mayfield, but took major steps backwards with Canales, a know nothing OC who knows nothing about creative play calling, play calling to what the defense is doing, or making in game adjustments. The Defense, well let the play speak for itself. Mayfield is showing how to win with no supporting cast! I agree Joe, Mayfield and the Bucs are the Sh*t!!! Cant wait for Mayfields induction to the hall!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 7:17 pm
1. Brady is the QB GOAT, but he’s not an offense coordinator. He needs an OC to call the plays for him. Just cannot himself be an OC or co-OC.
2. Brady did not trust his OL at all last year. That’s why there was so much quick and rushed throws. Brady had no mobility and it was the 1st time in his career that you could see him declining somewhat. He couldn’t trust his OL to save his life.
3. Godwin was never himself last year and Evans was banged up. There was no Gronk, and without Gronk, the Bucs wouldn’t have had their success in 2020 and 2021. There was no 3rd option to make the Arians offense work.
4. There was a real disconnect from what Bowles wanted and what Leftwich wanted. BL wanted the stale Arians offense with the same playbook and no modifications from what they had been doing for 3 years. Bowles wanted a more innovative offense with more emphasis on a running game. BL’s half hearted lousy attempt at having a running game is what led to the historically worst running offense in the NFL.
September 20th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Old School, if I were into men, you’d be my soul mate. GREAT POST!!!! Wait, are you a man???
September 20th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Good post St Pete.
We’ve beat this subject to death about 10,000x now, but here are the facts:
– They were never going to change to a whole new system in April of last year, especially with a lot of the same coaches and players.
– The o-line was a shell of itself and could not hold up under that same scheme: Marpet retired, Cappa left via free agency, Jensen injured in camp, Smith injured most of the season, etc., etc.
– The failure was on Leftwich that he could not modify their scheme to account for these weaknesses. Brady sits in on gameplans, but he does not craft the scheme or call the plays.
– And at the same time, Brady was also 45 and was avoiding taking hits at all costs. To the detriment of the offense at times.
– So the result was short passes and 3 and outs, because our league-worst running game didn’t scare anyone. It was all on Brady to be the hero, and he couldn’t do it behind a sub par o-line at age 45.
September 20th, 2023 at 7:44 pm
Just a reminder: Baker said that he can never be Tom Brady and that he can only hope to be the best version of himself. Please don’t make Baker out to be a bad guy as you guys fuss about how good Brady was last year. That’s unfair.
September 20th, 2023 at 8:40 pm
Oh for crying out loud: Tom Brady is human, not god. He was 45, endured a very embarrassing divorce situation, and tired of playing football. The Bucs lost Marpet, Cappa, and others from the SB team. They looked and played like crap and should have finished worse than they did. They had no spirit, no enthusiasm, nothing like this year. I’m enjoying being a Bucs fan. I’ve followed them for 44 years! I’m expecting them to give the Birds h3ll Monday night, win or lose. Plus, please prep for the refs, too. Go Tampa Bay!!
September 20th, 2023 at 8:45 pm
NE Fan Says:
Zoo you are comical.
The only thing comical these days is that you still come here. Seriously. Go blog on your own team which by btw sucks now.
September 20th, 2023 at 9:44 pm
This article is hilarious in soooo many ways! Lol. 2 games in, against an over-rated Vikings team and a Bears team with a RB as a QB, and all of a sudden Joe’s throwing the last regime under the bus. You probably should have saved this one until about week 9. In one year and Leftwich went from a top HC candidate to a bum? And there’s absolutely NO team in the NFL, CFL, USFL, College Football, Pee Wee Football, etc where Baker Mayfield is a better QB than Tom Brady! That’s just silly. Last year the big issue was the OL and everyone knows it. And yet they still made the playoffs, making it 3 years in a row due to a weak division and Tom basically dragging them to the playoff finish line.
Odds are that Baker will regress to his mean by mid year, and Joe will back up the proverbial bus over him, which may not be a bad thing given all of the QB talent in next year’s draft. Thanks for a great laugh however. LOL!!!!!!!!!!
September 20th, 2023 at 9:57 pm
Oh and btw, we had a GREAT QB who absolutely LOVED throwing 50/50, 60/40 – and heck, even 80/20 balls to Mike. His name was Jameis Winston! Only thing is, it resulted in 30 interceptions and approx. 10 more near miss interceptions (there’s a great youtube video out there showing the drops that year, it’s hilariously bad). You know up is down and right is now left when we have Bucs bloggers clammering for the days of non-precise, close your eyes and throw it up QBs. Lol, WOW!
September 20th, 2023 at 10:01 pm
The 2022 Bucs was just not a good team. There wasn’t anything a distracted or fully invested Brady could do about it. A Brady in his 20s or 30s could have carried the team to maybe the Championship roind but even peak Brady wouldn’t have been able to win a SB with that team.
September 20th, 2023 at 10:08 pm
I think it is time for Joe and everyone else to stop talking about Tom Brady. Just stop. Worry about what is happening right now. There is plenty.
As for all of this ridiculous Brady bashing, please. He was not the “co-” anything. He wasn’t even supposed to be back, pissed people off from summer time on (for reasons right and wrong), was treated like a burden (no “all-in”), locker room shrugged and gave up on themselves and Brady, and the results speak for themselves. Bad season, bad attitudes, dumpster.
Someone named Todd Bowles was something called the head coach. Todd Bowles was the man in charge of what this team, including the offense, did or did not do. HEAD coach, supposed leader. Any problem experienced last season was Mr. Todd Bowles’ turd.
Just two weeks in, and everyone is yapping Super Bowl. Greatest ever team. Greatest ever QB. Greatest ever Rah Rah Canales.
Sober up, guys. Both wins were far from flawless, and look who they struggled to beat.
September 20th, 2023 at 10:29 pm
Was saying last year you shouldn’t just run Mike deep every play ans that’s he’s great running more intermediate routes. Lots of great sideline catches or coming back to the qb.. odd one across the middle
September 20th, 2023 at 11:29 pm
The better nuance to the 50/50 argument is Evans draws the double team, and Brady will find the open man faster. We did not have the right pieces for the quick release offense the team ran last year, and when you dont successfully run the ball enough to keep defenses honest, you get what happened. I would be hard pressed to suggest one dude that had a career season.
September 21st, 2023 at 1:51 am
Pretty major conjecture there Joe.
Brady played scared last season admittedly. But with the O Line issues, he pretty much had to do something besides “Risk It”. Leftnut had nothing with the game plan, play design, or play calling.
The only time the offense looked good was when they finally let Brady go hurry up.
Go Bucs!
September 21st, 2023 at 6:32 am
If it wasn’t for the Stafford-Kupp connection, we could have been in another Super Bowl. That loss lead to some crazy off-season behaviors (retire/unretire) for Brady and thus the whole team. Maybe it even lead to the marital breakdown. I think we will never see another super bowl machine like Tom Brady. It looks like Brady was the extra “it” factor to make the Belichick machine really go.
This year, we must and are play like a team. Big test on Monday night. Go Bucs!
September 21st, 2023 at 10:29 am
I’m so freaken tired of all the speculation on BA BL TB / who was really responsible. Hopefully, one day, the truth will come out.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:36 am
Steele
“everyone is yapping Super Bowl.”
Not to nitpick but I’ve never yet believed this team is headed to the SB THIS year.
So not everyone. I just like watching the return of youthful exuberance and fun and heart to the team. Let’s see how far it gets us.
September 21st, 2023 at 12:57 pm
Did Brady play scared last year? Pretty obvious. He was a fixed pocket older guy with a weak O line. So all we mostly saw were quick short dumps. Add a weak running game and O was null. It sure wasn’t fun to watch. Add a bunch of eager young talent and a qb with balls and mobility and win or lose you got a more exciting team. Go Bucs!