The Balanced Bucs Offense
December 31st, 2024
“Bake, let’s make Mike Leach proud.”
On Sunday, the Bucs had as close to a Mike Leach game as maybe Joe has seen.
Joe and the Sage of Tampa Bay sports Ira Kaufman go round and round about the following.
Ira believes in a balanced offense: half run, half pass. Joe thinks that’s crazy talk. Running for the sake of running if it’s not working is a colossal waste of time, effort and manpower. Go heavy with what works.
Joe takes the side of the late Mike Leach. Once when coaching Washington State, Leach was asked about a balanced offense and he scoffed out loud, replying, “A balanced offense is not 50 percent run, 50 percent pass because that’s 50 percent stupid.”
Instead, Leach said, what a balanced offense looks like is when a quarterback can distribute the ball evenly to all his weapons.
Boy, did Baker Mayfield do that for the Bucs on Sunday. Nine different players caught passes and five different players ran the ball (not counting Kyle Trask and Mayfield himself).
Now that’s a balanced offense. The Bucs have a rare offense this year: They are explosive on the ground and lethal in the pass.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles said yesterday that is hard to accomplish.
“If you do something well, the other team is going to take it away,” Bowles said. “You know, they’re going to study you so they can take something away.
“You’re never going to be completely balanced. They’re going to take away what you do best or they’re going to at least slow it down or try to slow it down so you have to constantly be creative and do other things and that’s working out for us this year.”
If you are so good offensively, a defense becomes handcuffed if they try to allocate resources to take something away. That defense will get roasted by something else.
That’s where the Bucs offense is now.
On Ira’s podcast, which was recorded from the Bucs’ coaches booth well after Sunday’s game, Ira said this year’s Bucs offense is the best he’s seen. Better even than with Tom Brady. That’s saying a lot.
Joe couldn’t go that far but understands Ira’s point. Both offenses were exceptional but different. Bucco Bruce Arians and Tom Brady took plenty of shots down the field. Current Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen is very hesitant to do that.
The Bucs’ offense in 2020 and 2021 was a superior passing offense. The run game with Ronald Jones and Playoff Lenny was OK if not good. This year? It’s the Bucs’ run game that is dynamite. The passing game is good, not great.
Man, it makes Joe ill thinking how good this offense could be with Chris Godwin.
December 31st, 2024 at 7:17 am
Probably 2 to 3 games better with Godwin Joe.
December 31st, 2024 at 7:33 am
From a “watching perspective” I’d agree this is the best Buc’s offense I’ve ever watched. Brady and Arians were good, but it wasn’t as entertaining as this and it bogged down if Brady didnt get a good play on 2nd down after the 1st down run went for 2yds. Jameis was exciting but you knew he was a heartbeat away from an INT on every deep throw. This offense moves the ball, like a hurricane, it isn’t fast, you don’t know which path it’s going to take, but it just keeps moving. The Hurricane Offense.
I sincerely hope Bowles uses Coen as a sounding board to help look at his Defense after games. Give him some ideas how he is being attacked and where he could improve. I think Coen/Mayfield would destroy this defense with a decent O Line if Baker wasn’t flushed too much. The Bucs D Ends certainly wouldn’t be able to corral Mayfield. They miss a lot of the scramble tackles they have opportunities for.
December 31st, 2024 at 7:41 am
Definitely a well balanced offense against the Panthers. Baker was lighting it up.
December 31st, 2024 at 7:41 am
I agree, this is the best offense the Bucs have ever had.
They have never been able to run and throw like this.
Baker is not Tom Brady, but offensively, we are talking about an offense that is 3 deep at RB, and Baker will deal to someone if they are open.
Brady’s Bucs never had a running game like this, no Buc QB has had a Running game 3 RB deep.
Back up the Brinks truck and Block Coens car in the parking lot from leaving 1 Buc palace until he inks a deal for next year.
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 31st, 2024 at 7:41 am
Dan agrees with Joe: “Go heavy with what works.”
December 31st, 2024 at 7:43 am
Let’s just hope than can keep it going deep into the playoffs! Love this team!
December 31st, 2024 at 7:51 am
Sink da Stanks
December 31st, 2024 at 7:57 am
A balanced offense keeps them guessing. That doesn’t mean you don’t go with what’s working. It’s great that we finally have good running backs. It’s been a long time.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:07 am
Hope to keep Chris this off-season. Was hoping more from Palmer this year with his speed in the screen game and deep threat. I love the offense it’s exciting, the defense needs some work. Hope to retain Coen, and perhaps add a DC to help Todd on that side of the ball. Haven’t seen a pic 6 in a while. That punt block and return was refreshing to see. Thought I would hear more about Braswell this year.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:11 am
The current offense is outstanding, but Jameis 30/30 was more exciting and the demise of many TVs in southwest Florida.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:36 am
Jameis was great if you have stock in Tums
December 31st, 2024 at 9:31 am
The offense gets a resounding passing grade: A
Its the defense that lost the Bucs the majority of their losses: D-
December 31st, 2024 at 9:37 am
Nothing more exciting than watching an offense run the ball at will. Running the ball at will. Controls the clock, keeps the other offense off the field, demoralizes the opposition and renders them helpless. Passing is en vogue but with an effective running game it has and always will be the most effective approach to winning football. Passing gets the highlights, running gets the wins. That’s the approach, but being able to do it, that’s another story,
December 31st, 2024 at 9:39 am
If this is the best Offense in team history, and there is not much room for debate, how can they let the OC walk?
Some have pointed out that the last ten SB winners or some number like that were better on O than D.
Conundrum if the Bucs win. Uncomfortable conversations if they lose.
If Gruden and Dungy were fired after winning records, then Bowles is unsafe.
Bowles, this is on you. Get them ready and have another year or wander into retirement on a winning record.
December 31st, 2024 at 10:08 am
Joe saw an awesome twitter yesterday. The guy wrote that Malik Nabers is playing chess while others are playing checkers. Nabers is going to single-handedly win games for the Giants making sure they don’t draft a quarterback in the first round so the Giants can sign Jameis, Nabers will then get 2,000 yards receiving for bonuses and future contract resume and the Giants will win six games and still have a good draft pick in 2026.
December 31st, 2024 at 10:16 am
With Baker Mayfield as the QB, Coen can get a little more creative than he’s done this season. This is a young exciting Offense (‘cept for ME13, but he’s getting healthy and playing like a young HOF pup). Kudos to Licht, Bowles, and Baker for hiring Coen. Now, how about some creative QB rollouts, options, and, oh my god, a lateral, Coach Coen? Go Bucs, 10-7!!
December 31st, 2024 at 10:29 am
I’m with you Joe, balance to me is about keeping the defense off balance by being unpredictable. Run plays with different blocking schemes (zone, man, gap, etc). Screens, flat passes, and WR runs. I’m guessing that Coen and his staff are doing a very good job in self scouting to remain unpredictable.
December 31st, 2024 at 10:36 am
Mike Leach’s quote is 50 percent awesome.
December 31st, 2024 at 10:51 am
Offense struggles against the 2nd worse defense and lose. Then blow out the league’s worse.
Wind held up a Game winning FG in Washington Sunday Night or the Bucs could have started packing up their gear until Spring. they have had more Lucky breaks than unfortunate one’s this season.
Bucs drew 5 of the worse teams in football the last 6 weeks. If you play crappy teams your offense should look great.
If Bucs get past the Saints and on to the Vikings or Lions at 2 and 3 against the run better hope that you can find some balance because 5 passing TD’s games of 2,1,10,5, and 16 yards don’t come around often and won’t be available if there is no threat to punch it in. Passing game is not as good if the defense has made the opposing offense one dimensional.
If the game has to be won by passing alone and is put on Mayfield’s shoulders the Bucs will come up a little short.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:53 pm
Dave Canales should have listened to him. Why he tried to run the ball with a third string RB is beyond me. He should have had the QB dropping back or rolling out on almost every play and throwing the ball against the worst pass defense in the NFL. Lets hope the Saints make the same mistake.
January 1st, 2025 at 1:02 am
Defrock the Saints!