Tom Brady “Other-Worldly” With Play-Action
August 18th, 2021
Bucs OC Byron Leftwich
Whenever Joe hears Bucs offensive coordinator Bryon Leftwich talk, it isn’t his non-stop use of empty clichés to eat up time so he can stomach his way through his NFL-mandated press conferences that stick out to Joe.
No, Joe cannot get past one of the more outrageous comments he has ever heard from a coach. It came from Leftwich last year.
Leftwich was asked why he doesn’t run more play-action passes when it’s a clear strength of park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller-coaster-scared, numbers-rules-peeved, helmet-tossing, football-punting, Bucs-Super-Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Leftwich said “to be honest with you” — he says that a lot — he didn’t know.
Either Leftwich was fibbing to fans or he accidentally admitted in a very public forum he’s a figurehead. Either way, it’s not good.
Well, can someone at One Buc Palace have an intern print out this story and tape it to Leftwich’s office door?
This should explain very simply why the Bucs should have Brady throwing play-action passes regularly. Matt Bowen of BSPN did a breakdown of the Tampa Bay offense and the best ways to potentially slow it down. Then he documented stats for Brady when the Bucs use play-action. They will blow your mind.
What the Bucs do best: Bruce Arians’ system puts Tom Brady in a position to carve up defenses by throwing seams and overs off play-action out of 12 and 11 personnel. Brady averaged a league-leading 10.3 yards per attempt and had a QBR of 88.2 on play-action throws last season. If we include his four-game postseason run, that QBR number jumps to an otherworldly 91.2. This is classic Brady, delivering the ball with high-level location and accuracy to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. And we have to give credit to Arians and coordinator Byron Leftwich, who helped take this offense to the next level at the end of the season.
Just like Joe cannot wrap his head around why a coach/coordinator wouldn’t want to constantly throw to such elite receivers and tight ends, why on earth would anyone not want to keep going back to the play-action well time and time again until someone demonstrates they can stop it?
Come to think of it, perhaps Leftwich last year really was actually leveling with Bucs fans. Perhaps he wanted to stick with play-action passes and didn’t know why the team strayed from this battleplan.
Maybe Leftwich did want to run more play-action passes and it wasn’t his call?
August 18th, 2021 at 10:19 am
lets be honest…BLs job is to score enough points so that we win the game….BL did that….
all this BS about not running on first down and using more play action is pure BS….
we had 1 of the best offenses in the league that ended with a SB win and some folks still arent satisfied…lol….
i trust BL…not some of you clowns…lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
August 18th, 2021 at 10:29 am
“he accidentally admitted in a very public forum he’s a figurehead.”
Bingo…BL doesn’t do shyte.
August 18th, 2021 at 10:44 am
I guess it’s first world sports problems when we’re arguing about how much influence, or not, our offensive coordinator had on a team with a high powered offense that just won the Super bowl.
August 18th, 2021 at 10:55 am
Seems to be possible a rift..I hope not .But when we have motion and play action going this offense is impregnable. I don’t know if Lefty is just not giving anything away or what. But they have the same stats that we have. Only a complete idiot would try to do what wasn’t working. Run on 1at run on 2nd pass on 3 and 9. I hear Lefty is a brilliant coordinator we won the Bowl so no complaints. It just seems odd you would scheme away from what is most successful.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:05 am
The lack of reporters’ access to the locker room is resulting in a press conference format that is lacking genuine human connection. Many coaches and players are just communicating rehearsed ownership mandated fluff designed to reveal nothing but speculation. Don’t blame Leftwich- he’s just working within the system that’s designed to protect owners’ interests.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:10 am
BL is just throwing everyone off. He’ll not run a lot of play-action at the beginning of the season, because everyone will be expecting it. Then he’ll start using it more as the season progresses once everyone is lulled into thinking it won’t be used much. Tricky fellow that BL. SARCASM! Oh, and by the way, who gives a damn what the offense runs as long as they score points. When they stop scoring more points than their opponents, then we can start pontificating about what they’re doing wrong.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:11 am
I agree with 813 and Steven on this. We had a top 5 offense last year, perhaps a top 2 offense after the bye and in the playoffs. BL was the OC for that. Let’s stop worrying about what he has or hasn’t figured out, because the results can’t be questioned.
More importantly, BL EMPHASIZED in that same interview, this offense is BASED ON THE QB. Which frankly, is the best statement he could have made. Whether he argued or split hairs about the importance of pre-snap motion, or play action passes, he flat out said, this offense is about our QB.
We know that TB12 wants pre-snap motion and play action, and we saw tons of it during the 8 game win streak. BL said we’re going to see more of that but better. Box checked.
We’ll be fine, and frankly, BL and BA are doing a phenomenal job running this offense!
August 18th, 2021 at 11:15 am
Random Musing: We’ve heard from countless players how great Bowles is as a coach. I can’t recall a player compliment BL.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:18 am
Didn’t know they had play-action passing on other worlds. You’d think the Examiner or the Star would have mentioned something like that.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:27 am
There is no doubt what TB wants, he gets. Play action aplenty in Tampa so no worries folks.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:38 am
Last time I checked coachs and coordinators rarely give away their schemes or tendencies in press confrences. Agreed it was an ungly answer to say he didnt know but he was never going to say they would run more play action heading into the playoffs.
Im more concerned with the bottom line. Our offense matured and became more potent last year. Byron now has the job to continue that……..And we need to peak at the right time again. If that means he needs to run less play action and unleash it again for the playoffs so be it. If it means more play action all year, fine. What matters is results……..So far hes done a great job managing this offense. Yes, Super Bowl titles matter.
August 18th, 2021 at 11:45 am
I think it’s a strategy. Mohammed Ali let his opponents think he’s losing early , then boom ,he knocks you down! Bucs knew what Toms strength is and they unleashed him when it mattered. But then I might be also talking about our defense boom!
August 18th, 2021 at 2:19 pm
“Figurehead”
Thats the word…thats Leftwich. I’m sure he’s a great guy, just not a great playcaller.
August 18th, 2021 at 2:54 pm
Qbr is an espn creation that I ignore, but I get the gist. 😎
August 18th, 2021 at 4:05 pm
Insulting to call BL a figurehead. That would be the guy in the golf cart. You really think BA works like Gruden use to all hours of the day, and night drawing up game plans? Byron would not be an NFL OC if he didn’t work his tail off, and have the talent. He’s a super bowl winning OC Joe, calling him a figurehead is insulting. If I was Byron I’d be pissed at Joe for writing that.
August 18th, 2021 at 4:08 pm
Insulting for an alleged offensive coordinator to say he doesn’t know why he (?) doesn’t call more play-action passes when they clearly work.
Then he shouldn’t say mindless crap like he did in a press conference.
You know who is really insulted? The Glazers. Bet they are wondering why they are paying an OC (?) hundreds of thousands of dollars when he doesn’t know why he calls plays.
August 18th, 2021 at 6:25 pm
I really hate all this simplified call for more motion on the Buc’s offense. As long as we dictate the offense to the opposing defense and their defense does not dictate to our offense what we will do, we will win many more of the offense v. defense matchups.
Do you realize that every time we choose to do motion, we are slowing down the pace of how quickly our offense snaps the ball?
Do you realized that every time we do motion, you take away from Brady his ability to just read the defense and make a safe check down play?
Do you really think that motion plays allow Brady the same set of check downs that he could do in a set offense?
Let’s see, if we run motion a bunch more, then we are more likely to run the play that BL called from the sideline based upon the length of time that a motion play takes.
Yet, if we stick with the set offense more, we will get Brady’s knowledge of reading a defense with many more opportunities for him to check into superior plays than the one that BL called.
The thing I would like to see more this year from BL is the variation of how quickly we run plays. Teams can put the same sort of stress on a team by varying the pace of play. I.e. Super-fast tempo, then the fast tempo, then the ‘okay no-huddle’ tempo, then the slow tempo. That’s will screw with a defense just as much and allow Brady still the opportunity to change a play.
Just my opinion.
August 18th, 2021 at 6:53 pm
So Joe, you know better than BL about how much he should call play action? How much more Joe, 10 plays a game, 20? Dude is a S.B. winning O.C., I’m sure the Glazers are happy paying him.
August 18th, 2021 at 10:11 pm
You people amaze me. BL will never get the credit he deserves from some of you. If he is a figure head in your book, he is a Super Bowl winning one who is paid well to lead a successful high powered offense. For the critics compare his results with your results in your chosen profession and honestly assess how you stack up
August 18th, 2021 at 11:19 pm
P’raps last season TB12 wasn’t so interested in play action with his damaged MCL.
August 19th, 2021 at 4:07 am
He didn’t admit to nothing. He answered truthfully. Good for him The Bucs adjusted and won. They’ll be hard to stop with all the weapons they have. GO BUCS!
August 19th, 2021 at 10:14 am
I thought it was obvious that BA was the one creating the battle plans for the offense last season. He surrendered his play-calling duties but he is still an offensive minded coach. BL is known around the league as an amazing play-caller; and he is. But idk if anyone ever accused him of being the one who actually drew up plays for Sundays.