“We Led The Country In Four-Yard Rushes”
July 22nd, 2024
“Dave, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I will need a lot of TUMS if we’re going to run that play another six times.”
Watching the Bucs’ run game last season often felt exhausting. They tried and tried and tried similar runs and the desired results were hard to find.
It reminded Joe of a basketball team running the same play repeatedly — with the same guard missing the same shot 80 percent of the time.
For the second consecutive season, Tampa Bay ranked last in the NFL in yards per carry, less than 3.6 yards per handoff last year. Heck, even Baker Mayfield broke down this month and called his running game brutal.
Advancing four yards per carry is not too much to ask. In fact, that would rank below the league average.
New offensive coordinator Liam Coen stressed this week how he must get the Bucs’ running game efficient and diverse, balanced rushing inside and outside so the offense can be less predictable from different looks.
Speaking on The Sick Podcast — Pirate Parlay, Coen noted how his University of Kentucky offense was the master of the four-yard run (or more) when he called plays there in 2021.
“I think we were fifth in the country on third downs … because we led the country in four-yard rushes. That’s the key,” Coen said. “The key is the efficiency on first and second down, whether it’s in the run game, the quick game, the screens the play-actions, the boots, we have to be efficient to earn those 3rd-and-manageable situations. It all starts with the run game.”
Coen went on to talk about how the Bucs must be better at “direct runs” that hit the line of scrimmage quickly — “so that you minimize negatives, but while still understanding we have to attack the edge of the defense and get the ball outside.”
Joe expects Coen to be a much better run-game tactician than departed offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who was a first-time playcaller with limited experiene crafting a run game.
Still, Coen needs the horses to carry the mail, and the Bucs might not have a stallion capable of consistently churning out four-yard runs.
Joe’s not sure. It sure would be nice to see what the Bucs run game could do running behind manbeast left tackle Tristan Wirfs more often. That was a rarity in 2023, per the Sharp Football analytics machine.
July 22nd, 2024 at 9:03 pm
Why would Canalwater want to run behind the only non-matador on his offensive line? It doesn’t make sense to play to your strength.
Good riddance.
July 22nd, 2024 at 9:07 pm
Perhaps we could run behind another manbeast at fullback. Someone about the size of a def tackle but quick on his feet with a proven ability to catch.
Where could we find someone like that?
VV
July 22nd, 2024 at 10:04 pm
2021 and being ranked 4th with a 51% conversion rate looks quite impressive. Then goes to the Rams and converts 39% to rank 18th out of 32, Then back to the Wildcats to convert 38% on 3rd down and rank 70 something.
Birds of a Feather as they say. Coen’s seasonal production look a lot like Mayfield’s Up Down Down Up Down Down.
Nothing anyone can say to make me believe that Bowles thought even for a second how he would hate going up against a Liam Coen Offense when considering his hiring. We’ll see soon enough but I am about as optimistic as all the sports books that have the Bucs a 4 point favorite week one over a team that won all of 4 games last season.
July 22nd, 2024 at 10:25 pm
This Joe isnt sure either. Is there a Joe that knows?
July 22nd, 2024 at 10:41 pm
gp: They should try Devin Culp or Ko Kieft
July 22nd, 2024 at 11:53 pm
It’s a passing league and our Bucs have the best WR duo, if not trio, in the NFL. I understand that they can’t pass every play of the game. But I don’t think they should TRY to be this 50-50 balanced offense. It needs to be 60-40 or even 70-30 pass . That’s what this team is built for. I’m sure there will be games when they can run up and down the field, but don’t waste plays if they aren’t working. Bucs were top 3 offense with Brady throwing the ball 35 – 40 times a game. Scored more points in franchise history back to back years , by throwing the ball. Again, I’m talking about over the course of the entire season, not game to game. If they have an opponent that can’t tackle White after 3 yards over and over, then pound the rock . But if it’s like last year, go to what they do best. Play to the strengths of the team. Don’t run the football just because we have a defensive head coach. Go Bucs
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:00 am
TampabayOJ – I hope your real name is Liam Coen. Exactly.
July 23rd, 2024 at 1:10 am
It could be God himself designing plays for the offense – but until the interior offensive line is functioning as one solid unit with the tackles – ALL of these run game discussions are moot.
The biggest discussions for the run game aren’t about the backs or about Coen and play design. It’s about the 3 guys in the middle getting it figured out.
What about the meatheads they signed for NFL pocket change at LG? Can those guys be average?
Is the toothless kid at RG going to get his act together this year?
Can the wunderkind from Duke translate well to center on Day 1?
If all of those answers are yes, then you can all start gushing over the genius design of the Coen offense. If one or more of those answers is no, you’ll call him a predictable idiot while the Bucs run offense circles the drain again in 2024
July 23rd, 2024 at 2:29 am
gp Says:
July 22nd, 2024 at 9:07 pm
Perhaps we could run behind another manbeast at fullback. Someone about the size of a def tackle but quick on his feet with a proven ability to catch.
Where could we find someone like that?
VV
I see it now. My thoughts exactly: Mr. Vita Leon Vea
July 23rd, 2024 at 2:37 am
We blame the running game on the line and running backs but the blame falls on the OC. If you look at Kyle Shanahan, he doesn’t have all beasts on the OLine. His running plays are scripted excellently. A great running game must be scripted even when running up the middle. There was no scripting in the run game last year just hand White the ball, tell him which direction to run in and hope that the offensive lineman on that side beat their man and open up a hole. There was no accounting for the linebackers and safety coming in to make the tackle.
Canales in over his head and it was a blessing in disguise when he went to Carolina.
He was so bad that statistically speaking, Leftwich had more production than Canales did. Look it up!
July 23rd, 2024 at 2:39 am
There’s too much censorship on this here website. Its ridiculous
July 23rd, 2024 at 4:13 am
Liam Coen … ‘We have to be efficient to earn those 3rd-and-manageable situations. It all starts with the run game.’
The key word in our new OC’s statement is EARN. 3rd & short situations don’t just fall into your lap; they’re totally dependent on how well you did on 1st & 2nd down (and HOPEFULLY you make anotheer 1st down THERE). Fritter away just 1 play or get just 1 penalty, and 3rd & long usually becomes the reality, and those are very difficult to convert consistently. And that’s what our Bucs have been doing far too often for the past 2 years … bad play-calling AND/OR poor execution on 1st & 2nd down.
A couple days ago you wrote a great piece Joe (‘First Quarter TDs’) on how bad we were in the 1st quarter of games last year. Looking at how we started the game, on the last series of our 1st drive the Bucs’ offense had an AVERAGE of 3rd-and-9. We converted NONE (settled for 6 FGs on those 17 first drives). We moved the ball reasonably well UNTIL we didn’t; then we stalled when we were within striking range. Part of that’s on play-calling; part of it’s on execution.
Bucs addressed BOTH sides of the problem this off-season. We have a new play-caller. We’ve also addressed the OLine deficiencies & the RB issue. We’re all eagerly waiting to see IF any of that makes a difference. Personally I believe it will, but it may take a while for everything to gel. My HOPE though is that the Bucs temper what Coen added about ‘It all STARTS with the run game’. Canales believed that & it didn’t work out all that well. My opinion is that it STARTS with doing whatever works, be that run OR pass. Keep the defense off-balance. Don’t fritter away the 1st & 2nd downs.
July 23rd, 2024 at 5:54 am
Love what we are hearing from Coen and can’t wait to see his plan in action. Agree with other comments, Canales was over his head in his one season as OC, especially the run game, red zone… We are also learning now that he was more of a rah rah guy. Maybe because it was his first season and he was trying to win over the players. Or maybe he was over his head. Either way, we now have a new OC and Canales is our opposition.
July 23rd, 2024 at 7:08 pm
I think Coen is going to surprise everyone. Canales was just guessing on how to run. He didn’t really have a clue how to do it. His lack of playcalling experience really showed.
July 24th, 2024 at 9:35 am
You mean the same run up the middle on every 1st down isn’t the only way???