“It Was Embarrassing”
December 1st, 2022
“Trust me, Tom, this will work.”
A former member of the Bill Parcells football clan seems to be having second thoughts on how good of a coach former Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians was after watching the “embarrassing” offense crafted by Bucs failing offensive coordinator Byron “Three-and-Out” Leftwich last Sunday in Cleveland.
Former NFL suit and coffee fetcher for Bill Walsh, Al Davis and Bill Belicheat, Michael Lombardi, really doesn’t give much respect to coaches who are not part of the Parcells/Belicheat tree.
Lombardi regularly rags on virtually all NFL coaches, sans Andy Reid and Pete Carroll (Lombardi likely knows he’d sound like a fool if he didn’t give those two props), who didn’t at some point in their careers work with or for Parcells or Belicheat.
(Lombardi respects Artie Smith in Atlanta, but Smith coached with Mike Vrabel, who of course is from the Belicheat branch of the Parcells tree.)
Over the years, Lombardi has openly scoffed about Arians and basically thought Arians was little more than a cartoonish figurehead with the Bucs. At the same time, Lombardi openly campaigned for someone to hire Todd Bowles as a head coach.
(Remember, Bowles coached with Parcells. Do the math. Coaches sure do look out for their own.)
Well, it seems Lombardi is having second thoughts about mocking Arians after watching the grossly underwhelming offense crafted by Leftwich.
In his podcast “GM Shuffle” this week, Lombardi admitted he didn’t think Arians was that involved in the Bucs offense. But the current product suggests otherwise, he said.
Lombardi teed off on Leftwich and said one problem with the offense is Leftwich doesn’t make timely adjustments, if any.
“They never got any rhythm on offense,” Lombardi said. “There were so many times in the game they could have put the game away and they couldn’t. They scored with 7:41 to go in the third quarter to go. up 17-10. After that drive they punted the ball six times.
“They punted every single time [after the third quarter touchdown] until the final drive at the end of regulation. They got six first downs.
“There is something wrong with your adjustments. All you have to do is put points on the board and you are going to win the game.
“It was embarrassing. It was embarrassing on all fronts. The offense has no identity.”
Former Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma, the FOX analyst on the broadcast, pointed out one such non-adjustment that may have cost the Bucs. Late in the game, Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett heated up. So what did Leftwich do? First, he tried to use Rachaad White on a chip block. Garrett just blew past him and Donovan Smith.
Then, Leftwich decided, nah, let’s put Smith on an island against sizzling hot Garrett. Whoops!
The list of gaffes this Bucs offense has had this season would be bigger than the pile of empty cans of Big Storm Brewing beer that Joe goes through in a season, if Joe had started an empty beer can mound in August.
And what changes have we seen in coaching? ZEE-roe.
Don’t get Joe started on accountability. There is none with this team.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:10 am
I will admit I felt the same way. I thought Arians was over rated until I seen how bad this coaching staff is without him. I was wrong.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:15 am
3 and out leftwich, perfect!🤣🤣
December 1st, 2022 at 11:15 am
Leftwich should be fired, I don’t think Bowles will (in which case he should be fired at the end of the year along with the entire staff). Either way though this should be the end of Leftwich’s coaching career.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:27 am
OK….we agree…..the JBF poll this morning was overwhelming in it’s negative view of Bowles…….even though it would be difficult…..BL would fare even worse.
Let’s move on please….
December 1st, 2022 at 11:42 am
The Glazers will not fire Bowles for at least another year, if at all. They will pray that someone is actually naive enough to hire Leftwich as a HC. It won’t happen and we’ll be stuck with both for another year. Once the Bucs are back in their usual hole, then they will act. No nads. No guts. Crickets from the front office. Can’t wait to hear how they support Todd and his staff during the 💩show that is the 22-23 season.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:44 am
I think Arians is guilty of UNDERESTIMATING himself. I have a job people routinely say ‘wow’ that seems so hard. To which I routinepy answer, nonsense…anyone can learn it. However, I’ve had friends pull me aside and ask why I am being stupid humble. I personally dont see it that way…it’s an easy job…TO ME. And I think Arians didn’t realize how easy it was to HIM. It isnt easy or intuitive for BL and TdBwls. Maybe Arians got lucky early and built confidence as a head coach because he had little to loose. Maybe that shaped his no riskit philosophy. But BL is either scared or really incapable of NFL style scheming. If you look at damn near any game on any given Sunday you see teams adjusting, shemeing amd pulling off plays that make the Bucs game plan seem like a lockout team who’d never played together salvage a NFL season with the most basic plays in the book! (I will say that BL has sucessfully resurrected the End Around, yippee)
Anyway, this team looks unfamiliar with one another, unfamiliar with the plan and poorly coached. I am not saying they are, but to the Sunday fan that’s surely how they look.
This coaching staff won a superbowl. TdBwls can wish he had his own assistants, but the truth is he has a SUPERBOWL winning staff and core.
Enough cannot be made about Brady not playing with HIS guys. Let’s just be frank, Tom Brady is a genius Savant at the qb position. He doesnt seem to be able to play with guys that aren’t equally saavy at their position. I LOVE Evans, Godwin, Jones, Miller, Lenny, Kieft…LOVE’EM. But it is painfully clear they dont see the game like Brady and he doesnt appear to be able to play down to their vision. Brown and Gronk played their positions with Genius and meshed with Brady. Lenny is close, Godwin is close, Evans sorta but you really get the feeling the playbook is either dumbed down for the talent or because Brady makes things too complicated. I dunno…looks like a lost seaon. Hope I am wrong. I will enjoy the last playoff season for a decade, if they can beat win the division. Fingers crossed.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:47 am
A good coach starts thanking about adjustments after the first series. BL hasn’t made any since Arians told him what they were.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:48 am
Bowels and leftwitch should both be burned at the stake as witches.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:50 am
The question that keeps circling around in my head Joe is ‘WHY do Licht & Arians allow this to continue?’ I don’t expect Todd Bowles to fire Byron Leftwich anymore than I expected Tony Dungy to fire Clyde Christensen. Clyde had been with Tony since 1996, had obviously been a loyal trooper, and it wasn’t in Dungy’s nature to sacrifice him at the end of the 2001 season.
In any organization if something’s dragging that organization down, it’s up to leadership to fix it. I view the HC as the Chief Operations Officer (COO), and the GM as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO is responsible for leading the entire organization, and the COO is normally considered to be the second in command, who can advise the CEO but not direct him. CEO trumps the COO in other words.
I have no idea BTW of where BA fits into that picture. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if BA knows where he fits into that picture. Bowles is in no way blameless, but the Architect of this mess is Jason Licht. And the time for him to take action to FIX IT is long past.
BL needs to be terminated now. Bringing in someone from outside the organization with 6 games left would be absurd. The only viable candidates on staff to take his place are Harold Goodwin or Clyde Christiansen (neither Bruce Arians nor Tom Moore would touch this mess with a 10 foot pole IMO; their legacy is assured so why tarnish it). I’d vote for Goodwin since he has 5 years of OC experience with Arians in Arizona plus 4 years here as Assistant HC. Promote him with the understanding that he’s fighting for his job and the jobs of the rest of the staff. And once that’s taken care of, JL might want to start doing his own job for a change, because if I was the Glazers he’d be the next one I’d be looking at to terminate.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:51 am
Hand the play card to Tom Moore…can’t be any worse!
December 1st, 2022 at 11:54 am
Off topic, but Antonio Brown is gonna get arrested again by TPD. Domestic violence
December 1st, 2022 at 11:54 am
No details
December 1st, 2022 at 11:56 am
There’s that silly Identity word again.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:03 pm
I can’t understand why BRADY would let that happen, does he not have the ability to change the play? To call Time Outs?
December 1st, 2022 at 12:05 pm
I’m looking forward to the Bowels presser after the Saints beat the s out of us Monday night.
We have to play better. We have to execute better. Lol.
Bowles your legacy is etched in stone now.
Complete utter failure as a head coach.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:05 pm
i’m going to start rooting for the opposing team. at least then i can watchg the game and come away happy.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:07 pm
Mike C, one guess as to why lots of QB’s or players on the field don’t have the final responsibility for TO’s: Adrenaline. They are worried about the play on the field, and getting the next play off in time.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:51 pm
Wish B.A. was still the head coach.
Also have to remember that B.A. is the man sole responsible for getting Bowles hired as head coach
December 1st, 2022 at 1:05 pm
D-ROK
From the other thread… I got my weeks backwards when I said how badly SF will beat us. I am not overlooking NO… in fact I don’t think we will win that game… I just think that the 49ers will decimate us because the coaches will be who they are and not change until we are down by 3 TDs in the 2nd half. Unlike BB, Andy Reid, Vrabel… ie any competent coach, they will not plan for what SF does nor will they make in game adjustments until the game is out of hand. Nick Bosa may very well kill TB12 if he doesn’t release in under 2 seconds on every pass since Wirfs is out. So I expect the worst offensive showing of the year in that game… which is quite a low expectation
December 1st, 2022 at 1:08 pm
God, I hope i’m wrong on this one.
Wait and you’ll see, TB will get terminated and BL will fill in as interim HC. 😀
Sean Payton 2023!
December 1st, 2022 at 1:16 pm
If the narrative about Arians stepping down was a Brady request to come back true..then it seems that Arians wanted to get back at Brady by putting this two (BL & Bowles)in charge, knowing they were gonna f@ck it all up all along. Just saying..you know since we’re all especulating 🤣🤣🤣🤣
December 1st, 2022 at 2:27 pm
The HC is not accountable so he can’t ask anyone else to be. Oh wait he does ask. Wonder why he doesn’t get what he asks. Another comical staff and no end in sight. I don’t really care if they get new coaches after Brady leaves to play somewhere else. We need it now
December 1st, 2022 at 4:25 pm
Notice how Licht has nearly disappeared lately ?
Not only did he ok the hiring of Bowles, but got him a 5 year contract to boot!
The Glazers have never ever fired a head coach during the season, even when there were billboards all over Tampa calling for Schiano’s dismissal.
It is a god darn shame that Brady’s last year in Tampa was wasted.
December 1st, 2022 at 4:26 pm
Notice how Licht has nearly disappeared lately ?
Not only did he ok the hiring of Bowles, but got him a 5 year contract to boot!
The Glazers have never ever fired a head coach during the season, even when there were billboards all over Tampa calling for Schiano’s dismissal.
It is a god darn shame that Brady’s last year in Tampa was wasted.
Got hit by the duplicate content filter again!
December 1st, 2022 at 4:35 pm
Anon,
At this point, down Wirfs, and we only have ONE starter on O-line playing from last year’s team (Smith), I can almost assure you we will get destroyed by the 9ers upfront. Many are calling 9ers D-front the best in football, and it sure is debatable.
If, a huge IF, our Bucs can somehow do well against the Saints D-line, then my hope for the 9ers game will rise to about 20% confidence.
It aint lookin’ pretty, that’s for sure.
December 1st, 2022 at 6:16 pm
Bucs offense is hot garbage and that is the fault of Leftwich. Honestly it also reflects on Brady–I get that he is not wired to get in the face of the Offensive coordinator or head coach but it must be obvious to him that these clowns are derailing this franchise every single week it is worse. Time for Brady to take over and no huddle us every down till the game is won!
December 1st, 2022 at 7:08 pm
Amen Joe! Well said and I have nothing to add due in large part to the complete apathy that I feel towards our coaches and some players. You Joes do us a public service by maintaining the patience and fortitude to write about our team even when they are pathetic. Unfortunately, you’ve had a lot of practice and I appreciate you guys since often times the exasperated tone in your writing is exactly how I feel.
December 1st, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Brian Flores or Eric Bienemy.
December 1st, 2022 at 8:42 pm
It will be embarrassing when they allow the saints to beat them. No way they win this game. The heart and soul is gone from this collection of athletes.
December 2nd, 2022 at 1:48 am
Maybe they should hand all the playcalling over to Antonio & let him coach?😃
December 2nd, 2022 at 10:18 am
Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:
“Got hit by the duplicate content filter again!”
.
.
That filter is trying to tell you that “you already posted this content,” not “hit the submit button again.” I thought you would figure this out by now.