Bruce Arians’ Ironic Take On Passing Yards
September 19th, 2019
Bucco Bruce Arians put his foot down this week on the subject of what a good offense looks like, but there was a pirate ship full of irony in his chatter.
No offense had more passing yards than the Bucs’ last season, and only two had more total yards. For those keeping score at home, the Bucs averaged 415 yards per game.
That’s not exactly where Arians wants to be this season. For him, that wreaks of an imbalanced offense.
“I don’t care to be third in the league in passing offense. That means you’re last probably in rushing,” Arians told the Buccaneers Radio Network. “That means you’re probably throwing the ball 50 times a game because you’re losing. No, if we’ve got the ball at the end of the game and we’re running and passing then we’re in it.”
Should Joe remind Arians that his heralded 2015 Arizona Cardinals were second in the NFL in passing yards?
Or should Joe tell Arians that the mighty Chiefs were third in the NFL in passing yards last season while still winning 12 games and averaging 4.8 yards per carry?
Also, Arians’ 2016 Cardinals attempted more passes than the 2018 Bucs offense. That Cardinals team went 7-8-1 with a stingy defense that allowed the second-fewest yards total in the NFL. They also had All-Pro running back David Johnson healthy for that entire season.
Joe thinks Arians is spinning a bit to take pressure of his starting quarterback, Jameis Winston.
The head coach went on to say total pass offense is one of the most misleading stats in football because padded stats at end of games when you’re losing has nothing to do with winning.
Speaking with pure admiration in his voice, Arians spoke of a stat that studied the 22,000 or so plays called by Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs with the Redskins. Per Arians, the total was 51 percent run and 49 percent pass. “Now that’s coaching,” he said.
This week, the guy who replaced Arians as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, Todd Haley, was on SiriusXM NFL Radio talking about the total yards stat. He said he believes in an old NFL formula that says for every 100 yards of offense a touchdown should be scored. So if he team grinds out 100 on the ground and 250 through the air in a game, then they should be looking at three touchdowns and a field goal, or 24 points in the game. If your team is scoring less than that, Haley said, then you have red zone and kicking issues.
Joe liked the analogy, its simplicity and how it relates to the Bucs.
September 19th, 2019 at 5:16 am
I don’t think BA is talking about any other team, just last year’s bucs. If someone brings up the passing yards last year, I would think this is a very appropriate response.
September 19th, 2019 at 5:37 am
Had never heard that rule-of-thumb but I like it for its’ simplicity. We got 295 total yards in the SF game so we should’ve scored 3 TDs I guess. Did Todd Haley have any rules-of-thumb related to turnovers resulting in Pick-6’s?
September 19th, 2019 at 5:46 am
There’s definitely a need for balance. I foresee a change coming to the nfl. I believe there will be a shift to running backs being the emphasis. Here’s why. Defenses have now over the last 10 years been built to combat the pass. Defenders are smaller and faster but have lost size. Thus leaving a glaring susceptibility to bruising backs. Ie Barkley, Elliot and Lynch. We are trying to do it with barber.
September 19th, 2019 at 5:47 am
I don’t know about the ’16 Cardinals, but last year’s CHIEFS were led by a freak-of-nature-made-a-deal-with-a-crossroads-demon Mahomes. Just ’cause they could have crazy passing yardage along with a good rush doesn’t mean its normal.
September 19th, 2019 at 5:52 am
The Bucs under Koetter were one of the top passing teams in the league, 5-11 5-11.
September 19th, 2019 at 6:39 am
The Redskins had their hogs that helped make the runniing game click. Results
matter and with a special running back like John Riggins the players bought in to the sytem. Problem is there aren’t enough of those backs that are both bruisers and fast enough to take it to the house to go around.
I believe our players are doing the same,and the improved blocking scheme helps.
September 19th, 2019 at 6:46 am
Maybe those 2016 Cardinals is why Arians thinks what he thinks. That season kinda backs up his theory.
September 19th, 2019 at 7:00 am
Bucs was also 12th in scoring. The problem was turnovers and the defense. They are not running the ball better than they did last year they just doing it more. They average 3.9 a carry last year same as this year. At least they scored more points last year.
September 19th, 2019 at 7:43 am
More empty carbs for the Nuthuggers!
September 19th, 2019 at 7:44 am
Feast away idiots!
September 19th, 2019 at 7:46 am
Tampa was 29th in rushing totals in 2018. Redzone TD’s they finished at 15th. I know through most of the season they weren’t even top 20 inside the redzone. For reference Dirk Koetters current stint in atlanta their redzone scoring is ranked 22nd. 24th in total scoring, 9th in passing yards and 28th in rushing yards. Matt Ryan has 5TDs and 5 INTs.
September 19th, 2019 at 7:54 am
“Joe thinks Arians is spinning a bit to take pressure of his starting quarterback, Jameis Winston…”.
totally disagree. It is to take the pressure off of Leftowich.
Jameis has proven being capable of lots of yards. But with no running game and no D (last year), then no clock management and we loose. This year we have a slight running game and so far a nice D, so a balanced team. Jameis will come around.
The idiots on here are not fans, they are just people who like to be negative and complaining; just a sorry bunch
September 19th, 2019 at 8:03 am
We hear so much about all the “weapons” for Jameis…….well, they are not weapons, they are targets….Jameis is the weapon and if the weapon doesn’t fire straight, the targets aren’t hit.
We need to concentrate on hitting open targets…..we can win without a great running game but we can’t win without a defense. Looks like that problem is solved.
September 19th, 2019 at 8:13 am
He stating what we’ve witnessed for years….there’s a two sides to the coin. Some teams post passing yds because they are dominant….other teams like ours do so because we are playing from behind.
September 19th, 2019 at 8:15 am
“Mr Senor Harry is 100% correcto
My Dad and I
is adamant that our weakness is the reincarnation of Mike Smith as Byron Leftfoot
Bowles and our defense will need our offense and Left to do their share
Left is 30% on 3rd down conversion. He is not using JW and the skill players strengths
another total misuse of OJ and my Dad will be forced to restart the OJStocker movement once again
put both our pass catching TEs constantly on the line and blocking. why not just put Aulchair in there?
This Sheep Bucnation is going to find out we bought in the 2018 Arizona offense. 1990s offense
Leftfoot is a QB coach intern
you all will see what we see”
Son of Kobe Faker
September 19th, 2019 at 8:32 am
You know what stat matters the most for the offense and defense?
W’sWins!
September 19th, 2019 at 8:42 am
I just hope the offense steadily improves because they are hard to watch right now. Also, where are the screen passes? I thought Arians offenses use screens. I dont recall any since preseason. At least the defense is fun to watch again. I just dont have much faith in Winston and Leftwich.
September 19th, 2019 at 8:42 am
Leftwich’s offenses in 2019
10 points Week 1
20 points Week 2
Looking at his 2018 Cards offense it isn’t very pretty. Leftwich will hold this offense and weapons back big time
September 19th, 2019 at 8:44 am
Hodad Says:
September 19th, 2019 at 5:52 am
The Bucs under Koetter were one of the top passing teams in the league, 5-11 5-11.
BINGO!!!!!
and our OC in 2017 was dirk…..OC in 2018 was monken….
2 different OC’s same results…..lotta yards….no TD’s….5wins….
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 19th, 2019 at 8:50 am
loyal
BL wasnt even the OC the entire year….lol….
Mike mccoy was OC and then got fired…..
he was forced to finish something mike mccoy started…similar to the way duff had to finish what smitty started….
BL cant take the blame for the cards offense the same way duff cant take the blame for the bucs defense last year once he took over….
you act as if BL’s play calling caused 3 TO’s and 10points not JW’s bad decision making or poor throws…..lol…
GO BUCS!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 19th, 2019 at 9:13 am
Yep so Joe/s you should now officially dismiss your bUT tHE oFFeNSE iSNt tOp 5 crying bs to bed. Please lose the loser mentality 🙂
September 19th, 2019 at 9:21 am
Side note – society should probably stop using the term “rule of thumb” as it apparently originated from a law (written or unwritten) stating that a husband could whip is wife with a stick as long as the stick was no wider than his thumb.
September 19th, 2019 at 10:17 am
@ iron wombat
Dirk’s redzone numbers have sucked every year he has been an OC going all the way back to his days in jacksonville. Thats why i laugh at the idiots who blame the qb. Its obvious it a coaching philosophy issue. But as usual blame jameis.
September 19th, 2019 at 10:39 am
74 Bucs fan Says:
September 19th, 2019 at 9:21 am
Side note – society should probably stop using the term “rule of thumb” as it apparently originated from a law (written or unwritten) stating that a husband could whip is wife with a stick as long as the stick was no wider than his thumb.
^^^I missed the good ol days
September 19th, 2019 at 12:52 pm
What he is trying to say in the PC world that we live in: we don’t have the right QB in place t throw the ball often and expect success. JW is a game manager at best. The more he has the ball in his hands the more turnovers will occur. It’s not rocket science
September 19th, 2019 at 5:30 pm
He’s not covering Jameis but rather leftwhich
September 19th, 2019 at 9:12 pm
I just watched Byrons latest presser and he said that playcalling shouldn’t be dictated by what the defense is showing you.He said it really doesnt matter what kind of coverages the defense is showing you as long as the offense executes it should be dine.
THIS GUY ACTUALLY SAID THIS CRAP!!!! EXACTLY LIKE LOVIE AND MIKE SMITH UNWILLING TO BEND BREAK OR ADJUST!
Just like I called failure by lovie and smitty on the defensive side of the ball ive BEEN calling the failure by Byron. The guy isnt even game planning.his offense every week based on what the opposing defense tendancies show he is simply planning the same crap every week and expecting excecution to rise up even though the oposing defense study and know his tendancies. This guy is way out of his league and not quakified.to be running an nfl offense on his own. The ENTIRE offense looks lifeless comparred to years past. This crap has to stop. How long will Bowles be here? How long will Arians be here? In a game where the Bucs offense should explode and.dominate the time of possession my money is going on a close game and possibly our second home loss with exactly the opposite of what we have seen in years past. We have swapped spots. We finally have a good defense and now we have to worry about the offense shatting itself every week with runs up the gut for loss with predicatble passes on first and second down without utilizing our tight ends or rbs enough or at all in the screen game.How about more slants? Something creative!!!!
WEAK LINK LEFTWICH!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE US WHAT WE PAID FOR ARIANS….YOU CALLING THE PLAYS!!!!!!!!!
September 19th, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Correction I meant to say with predictable passes on second and third down.
September 19th, 2019 at 10:32 pm
PAY ATTENTION JAMEIS-HOMERS,
Notice how our Mighty Coach stated, “That means you’re probably throwing the ball 50 times a game because you’re losing.”
This statement is CONFIRMATION of the fact that Winston’s big yardage in his career so far (yet failure to win many games) DIDN’T MATTER.
AKA… GARBAGE-TIME YARDS.