Byron Leftwich Not Focused On Weather… Yet
January 14th, 2022
Bucs OC Byron Leftwich.
Today is a big day for Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Why should that be? The Bucs are in the playoffs again (how weird is it to read that?) and the first game isn’t until Sunday. But it’s the day Leftwich will start monitoring weather forecasts.
As Joe is typing this here story at 9 a.m. Friday. The current forecast for Sunday’s game is rain in the first half (85 percent chance) with winds at 20 mph and wind gusts up to 35 mph. The temperature should be 65.
Leftwich said yesterday that today is when he’ll start watching the weather because anything past a two-day window is just guessing.
“Anytime you’re down here you just wait until Friday or Saturday to make sure it’s accurate,” Leftwich said of the weather forecasts. “I saw [Sunday’s forecast] about two days ago and I just turned it because there is no need to even look at the weather down here until you at least get to Friday.
“[Today], we’ll really start paying attention for it, but we are prepared for what may come our way as far as weather.”
Leftwich said he’s not concerned with running the Bucs’ offense in the rain at all, noting they have done so before.
“We’re down in here in Florida too, so we practice in it some. We get it,” Leftwich said, adding that the Bucs do wet ball drills.
Still, any coach will note that wet ball drills simply do not compare to playing in the rain. Practicing in the rain is the only way to prep.
Before the Glazer Shed was erected, Bucs fans at training camp used to fully melt down on social media whenever the Bucs had to practice in the rain. They howled on Twitter about the gall Team Glazer had not to allow their team a chance to practice inside.
Joe tried to reason with some of these folks that coaches thought the total opposite of that. Coaches dreamed of practicing in the rain to prepare the team for what is expected on Sunday.
Joe remembers once Bill Cowher attended a Bucs training camp practice during the Lost Decade (it had to be when Raheem Morris or Greg Schiano were coaching) and the Bucs let Cowher on the field and he was poking his nose in the defensive huddles, fully involved.
SiriusXM NFL Radio was doing its annual training camp tour that day from One Buc Palace and they noted how Cowher was like a little kid when it started to rain, bouncing all over the place on the field.
Later, Cowher stated how teams simply cannot prep well with wet ball drills for rainy games, so they must take advantage of practicing in the rain when the opportunity arises.
Cowher confessed when he was with the Steelers, and before that with the Chiefs and Browns, he absolutely loved practicing in the rain.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:02 am
The weather here is ridiculous. We were supposed to have a 90% chance of rain this past weekend, did not rain. Weather here changes at the drop of a hat.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:10 am
My forecasts show rain will be gone by game time, with strong winds from the east persisting.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:14 am
Turn the sprinklers on at practice lol…also don’t get hurt
January 14th, 2022 at 9:15 am
We used to LOVE playing football in the snow when we were kids… Hey tackled, you’d slide just like they did on tv. After the snow melted, THEN you got to play in the mud!
January 14th, 2022 at 9:23 am
Cobra – Hope you’re right. I know football is meant to be played in the elements, but I like a crisp game. I Cant stand sloppiness, turnovers, slipping on the field. As it pertains to this game, the wind/rain would/will dramatically even the playing field for “lesser thans” to have a chance to steal a win from a team with superior talent. Ideal world – beautiful sunny day with perfectly manicured field and a sea of RED everywhere with fans going nuts and flags waving. Likely scenario – Murky, rainy day played in slop, with half the stadium wearing green.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:37 am
Both the ECMWF and GFS models show the rain will pass. My experience, especially with fronts and tropical storms, shows those models are most accurate.
IMO, the best interactive weather app, by far, is Windy.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:39 am
Usually, the team rents a firetruck to hose them down while playing. I think I saw it during a Patriots practice during the TB12 and BB era.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:43 am
@Cobraboy
My forecasts agree with yours. Rain gone by game time, with 20 to 30mph wind gusts.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:48 am
My forecast says it will be cool and dry – in my living room -all that matters.
January 14th, 2022 at 9:57 am
@Lesko: that is exactly what one of my teams did when any possible wet weather was predicted for a game, three big hoses with diffusers shot into the air…
In college, I remember one game where it rained literally three inches during the game (vs. Vanderbilt). I played one game in the pros where the field (Shreveport LA) literally had 3″ of mud everywhere, and you ran in virtual slow-motion.
Wet ball drills alone don’t cut it.
January 14th, 2022 at 10:12 am
He is right on the money.
January 14th, 2022 at 10:26 am
It’s all about the receivers. Brady has played in weather his whole career
January 14th, 2022 at 10:38 am
How can you not practice in the rain? Wet balls don’t help with footing for every position. Sorry, I’m used to watching Pat’s and hearing their methods, not familiar with cush practices. I played in HS and college and always practiced in rain, snow, wind & freezing temps. I don’t understand how you don’t, there are so many variables. Whatever, this team always lacks preparation any way. GO BUCS.
January 14th, 2022 at 11:00 am
Nothing, absolutely nothing lit up Bucs fans on Twitter the way they fully freaked out whenever Bucs had to practice in the rain. It’s like they wanted to punch a Glazer. Coaches were the total opposite for obvious reasons.
Never, ever understood the meltdown Bucs fans had for practicing in the rain.
January 14th, 2022 at 11:40 am
As many here know, I live in Montana. My son practices in the snow every day practically once November hits. They play in blizzards so bad that volunteers have to shovel the yard lines after every possession before play resumes.
That is football. Just play the game!
January 14th, 2022 at 12:07 pm
I think the Eagles will sell their souls to prevent the big play anyway so Im fine with rain in this game.
We probably need to check it down more anyway.
And rain doesn’t even the playing field because they are slower too.
If anything it helps the Bucs with a big bruising back who runs straight forward anyway.
I remember an LSU game in the rain and Fournette absolutely POUNDED the rock and was unstoppable.
Looked like hands were just sliding off him.
January 14th, 2022 at 12:37 pm
We would shovel the field for my daughter’s freaking HS lacrosse games. These practices are like Spa days for Brady & Gronk.
January 14th, 2022 at 1:33 pm
Joe, they said that they did not practice in the wet after the close win against the O pool Patriots.
January 14th, 2022 at 1:59 pm
Good analysis the Patriots game and that was on turf, the only reason that was close was due to weather and clearly not prepared. The only game Brady one of two games Brady didn’t throw a TD in. Now the fans dictate how the team practices? That’s crazy.
January 14th, 2022 at 5:31 pm
I seem to remember Bucs fans complaining about not having an indoor practice facility, because practices were cut short due to lightening. Had nothing to do with rain.
January 14th, 2022 at 5:48 pm
Winds will effect the kicking game and the long passes. All the underneath stuff the Bucs run won’t be effected by wind. The cooler weather will definitely have an effect on the crowd. They’ll be wound up and loud. Much rather be there on a cool day than the humid Sept/Oct games.