Warren Sharp Calls Out Dave Canales, Bucs
November 11th, 2023
Taken to task.
Are the Bucs trying to get colleagues canned in two months? That’s what handicapper-turned-stathead Warren Sharp seems to imply as he takes a look at the Bucs offense.
Sharp has simply seen enough of Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales trying to run the ball with dudes who cannot run. And Sharp posted an emotional video, armed with stats and evidence, that the Bucs offense does better when it tries to get first downs on first and second down rather than waiting to try to convert third-and-longs.
Sharp pointed out that two weeks ago Baker Mayfield, and to a lesser extent Canales, seemed to publicly admit maybe they need to pass the ball more because they can’t run.
Well, Sharp said the opposite has been the case and the last two weeks the Bucs posted more runs on first and second downs than before their statements about passing more.
And Sharp simply doesn’t understand the logic when the math and the evidence are right before their very eyes, with playoff prospects dwindling by the week.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Dave Canales needs to come out and pass significantly more in this game this week,” Sharp said. “They must become more of a pass-first team.
“They’re running attack is not working whatsoever. I’m not sure when the light will turn on for this team. But the sooner it does, the better the upside.”
After the Raiders snapped out of their funk with the sh!tcanning of Josh McDaniels, the Raiders are no longer the worst-rushing team in the league.
It’s the Bucs. Again.
Just eyeballing the galling loss to the Texans, Joe took to Twitter to say while the best offenses (and most teams) use first and second downs to convert to a new series of downs, the Bucs’ strategy seems to be using first and second downs to set up third-and-long.
But hey, it’s all good. They’re winning the turnover battle!
It’s a unique approach, no question.
Even casual Bucs fans know the Bucs have major weapons in the pass game, but that doesn’t matter to the folks running the Bucs because the head coach and offensive coordinator want to be a running team, come hell or high water.
Both appear to be coming as the losses mount.
Joe does not expect the Bucs offense to change. Why? The Bucs, despite Sharp’s factual analysis, just had their best scoring output of the season with 37.
Are we really to believe Todd Bowles or Canales want to change the offense’s strategy and not pound the ball, the week after putting up the most points the Bucs have scored in the Bowles Era?
Highly unlikely.
someone please tell Dave Canales enough is enough
early down runs are KILLING the Bucs
he ran even more on early downs in losses last 2 weeks
75% run on 1st half early downs last wk??
run: 2.5 YPC, 13% success
pass: 12.7 YPA, 67% successmake him watch this via @SportsGrid pic.twitter.com/jzOE9Hn6H4
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 10, 2023
November 11th, 2023 at 12:31 am
At the end of the day I firmly believe Todd Bowles is the one who is determining that run/pass splits and Canales is just allowed to call his plays from a menu as long as it sticks to Bowles’ overall philosophy of pounding the rock into a brick wall for 3 yards a carry.
This goes back to the HC.
November 11th, 2023 at 12:35 am
Here is an idea. Fix the Oline and then you will magically be able to run the ball. Imagine all the problems that will fix.
November 11th, 2023 at 12:42 am
Mat, I am right there with you. Leftwich was doing the same thing and the common factor: Todd Bowles.
November 11th, 2023 at 12:43 am
Trask is inevitable
November 11th, 2023 at 12:50 am
My best friend’s son goes to school with canales son. He jokingly told me he was going to give him a piece of his mind when he saw him at school. I told him to be careful , he will run straight at him for a yard multiple times
November 11th, 2023 at 12:59 am
The coach lives in a different reality than the fans, it seems like the twilight zone. 16% success rate running on 1st and 2nd down’s. 🤮 Bowles likes to fit square pegs in round holes
November 11th, 2023 at 1:02 am
Ball control…run…eat up the clock…move the chains.
15 play drives. Keep the score low. Play defense.
Have a chance to win in the 4th.
It’s 1989 football.
It’s gross, outdated and a losing prop.
November 11th, 2023 at 1:02 am
Common misconception about Leftwhich is that he was run heavy but it’s the opposite, Lefty relied on screens to offset the bad running game/bad o-line last year so the offense was actually pass heavy as the Bucs led the league in pass attempts.
But just like Leftwhich always started 1st and 10 with a Lenny HB dive , I’m fully expecting Canales to start the game with 2 forced runs and a incomplete pass to Keyshaun Vaughn.
November 11th, 2023 at 2:19 am
Well don’t blame Canales for giving Bowles what he wanted. He wanted to run the ball more do there you go and you deserved to be fired
The talent is the receivers, even the o line is better at pass blocking. He wants to run the ball but didn’t draft a single running back
November 11th, 2023 at 2:29 am
So a stat nerd is smarter than our OC now?
We ran the ball well enough against Houston. I suspect the O line is finally fguring it out and so is White.
Come on man!
Go Bucs!
November 11th, 2023 at 4:13 am
Well I was calling for Bo Nix last year if he came out (and laughed at)….looks like we’ve got a good chance at him this next draft….F it, its over.
November 11th, 2023 at 4:45 am
Cannales reminds me of some Jim Carrie character, he’s a jokester. I thought after the Falcons loss the offense would go no huddle up tempo. What is all this talk about we gonna run but can run the ball all about. Play to ur strength. When we go up tempo we are unstoppable. The Texans couldn’t run on us so what’d they do…pass for over 400 yards n a win. A first year head coach with practically all new coaches came came in with a rookie qb, no name receivers, n out scored, out played, out thinked, n out right layed the blueprint for winning a game without a run game on offense.
November 11th, 2023 at 5:31 am
As many have said, and Canales admitted to this week – Todd decides the O approach and Canales gives it to him
There is absolutely no doubt Todd neutered Byron and Dave the same way
Ray Perkins reincarnated- we are gonna run Lars Tate until it works!!!!
November 11th, 2023 at 5:34 am
I’m starting to think Byron was doing the same 1st down run consistently to sarcastically please Bowles and his demands/wants…
November 11th, 2023 at 6:02 am
With the Jets, and now us, wherever Todd goes, offense dies.
November 11th, 2023 at 6:43 am
The more I look at our 2023 wins & losses, the more certain things jump out at me. For instance, Bucs don’t have a true franchise QB in Mayfield, so if we’re gonna win, it’ll have to be a TEAM EFFORT. We also don’t have a true beast RB (like Derrick Henry), so our OLine must either excel at run-blocking OR we’d probably be well-advised to find a different strength. We also have weaknesses on defense (no pass rush to speak of?) plus little depth, so it’d probably be in our best interest to keep the defense on the sideline as much as possible.
Bowles & Canales answer to that has been to try to emphasize winning the TOP Battle (by emphasizing the run) & winning the Turnover Battle (don’t make mistakes) it looks like. In our 3 wins, it actually worked OK (not great, but OK). We won the TOP Battle in each of those games by running on roughly 50% of the plays (albeit not very effectively). We won the Turnover Battle convincingly in each of those games also … 8 takeaways vs 1 giveaway.
In 3 of our losses (Eagles, Lions, Bills) we got our butts handed to us offensively & defensively. We had to emphasize the pass a lot more because we fell behind by the half in each game & couldn’t catch up. We lost the TOP Battle convincingly in each game, but broke even on the Turnover Battle (3 takeaways vs 3 giveaways). Superior coaching & talent prevailed, and we were never in any of those 3 games.
But there were 2 losses that were very winnable … Atlanta & Houston. Bucs were tied or ahead at halftime AND late in the 4th quarter … but found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Bucs lost those 2 games by a combined total of 5 points. Bucs defense allowed the Falcons to drive 42 yards with 45 seconds to go to set up the winning FG. Bucs defense allowed the Texans to go 75 yards with 46 seconds to go to score the winning TD. Sorry Todd, but THAT’S ON COACHING.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:07 am
Warren is a sharp dude. I agree.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:13 am
Does anyone know the reason Bowles continue to allow JTS on the field to impersonate an nfl player? Let’s go ahead n confess that he’s another OJHoward, first round bust.Talented Markee Watts is hungry, ready n just sitting on the bench. Give him a try over JTS. Do u think JTS is a bust or he need one more year. I was done with him after the Bengals game last year.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:13 am
D.F.
Once again your football analysis is superior.
Todd shouldn’t be a Head Coach, and unfortunately for him he should be fired as a defensive coordinator let a lone as Head Coach. You have to be smart enough to know what you don’t know, and he doesn’t even know that.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:23 am
DR, I always love reading your posts – they are well thought out.
But this post was one of your best. Those 2 losses are on coaching, completely
November 11th, 2023 at 7:30 am
What is missing in Sharp’s analysis is to what extent Bowles – who has been confirmed to be on the headphones with Canales – is interfering with Canales’ play calling?
November 11th, 2023 at 7:33 am
D.R., the voice of reason at JBF.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:37 am
Defense Rules Says: “Bucs don’t have a true franchise QB in Mayfield.”
So why are we prolonging the experiment? Maybe it is time to see what our second rounder can do? Ya think? I have no doubt that other teams in this situation would be reaching for the cupboard and looking ahead.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:39 am
Trask bois gurgle gurgle
November 11th, 2023 at 7:45 am
Joe, why don’t you do us all a favor and at Canales next presser, ask him
this question directly with the provided stats. I’d love to hear what he has to say.
November 11th, 2023 at 7:51 am
I agree that we don’t have the horses to run the ball – either on the O-line or RB side. That puts Mayfield behind the 8 Ball all the time. That said, Baker’s numbers are better than 50% of the starting QBs after 8 games. And soon he’ll be in the Top 10. The problem isn’t Baker and the solution sure isn’t Trask!
November 11th, 2023 at 8:03 am
Bowles is toast he won’t be back next year. Glazers should can his ass now and see what Canales can do without clueless Todd in his ear the entire game. Go Bucs!
November 11th, 2023 at 8:22 am
Speaking on Trask……the Bucs drafted him for the day Brady retired, we’d eat the dead cap charge and determine whether he’s capable or not….that was the plan. Now look at the Jets, they are built to win now but Rodgers goes down….what do they do? They see what they have in Zach Wilson. If he fails, great….they’ll be positioned to draft another young QB to groom behind Rodgers next year. If he succeeds, they now know he’s their guy after Rodgers. Organizations committed to winning make BOLD moves….the Bucs under Licht routinely try to scramble for a quick fix. In our weak division, running Trask out would have been the bold move. If he failed then we should be positioned to draft another prospect….instead we’ll like be near .500 (classic Todd Bowles) just good enough to not be a top 5 pick but not enough to win the weakest division in the league.
November 11th, 2023 at 8:33 am
Game 1: Baker led offense scored 20 points against a 5-4 Vikings team and won
Game 2: Baker led offense scored 20 points against a 2-7 Bears team and won
Game 3: Baker led offense scored 11 points against a 8-1 Eagles team and lost
Game 4: Baker led offense scored 26 points against a 5-4 Saints team and won
Game 5: Baker led offense scored 6 points against a 6-2 Lions team and lost
Game 6: Baker led offense scored 13 points against a 4-5 Falcons team and lost
Game 7: Baker led offense scored 18 points against a 5-4 Bills team and lost
Game 8: Baker led offense scored 37 points against a 4-4 Texans team and lost
*Defensive TD’s like Shaq’s in Chicago do not count towards offense
Bucs record led by Baker: 3-5
Bucs offense average points per game led by Baker: 18.875 points per game
Baker has led the Bucs to a losing record over the first half of the season.
Baker has produced offensive production in the bottom 1/3 of teams in the NFL over the first half of the season.
We should have been blown out by Atlanta. Please don’t tell me counting on 2 fumbles from a team on the goal line as they are about to score a TD after they torched the defense is a viable path to multiple victories. If that’s what you think is a winning strategy, then god bless your heart.
That strategy did work in the game against Minnesota where Kirk Cousins destroyed our defense and the Vikings defense controlled our offense. Thankfully the Vikings turned the ball over 3 times to the Bucs. I guess we need more games like that from our defense. Don’t count on it.
Good defenses shut down the Baker led offense.
The Minnesota defense held the Bucs offense to under 250 yards.
The Eagles defense held the Bucs offense to less than 200 yards.
The Lions defense held the Bucs offense to 250 yards.
Right now, Baker is a losing QB for a bottom 1/3 of the league offense and our defense gets destroyed by offenses led by rookie /green QB’s in Stroud and Ridder.
That’s not good.
November 11th, 2023 at 8:36 am
Copy Paste
Good job.
November 11th, 2023 at 8:37 am
Seattle Buc … Relatively few teams have true franchise QBs IMO. Patrick Mahomes is the best of those IMO (10th pick overall in 2017 draft; Mitch Trubisky was drafted #2 that year, and Lenny Fournette was drafted #4). Joe Burrow & Trevor Lawrence were both top picks & are now bonafide franchise QBs IMO, but they each had their struggles to start off with. Justin Fields impresses me as being a franchise QB, but he’s struggling now with the Chargers. There are several others, but relatively few.
Only point being that there are no guarantees and they’re hard to find. Most QBs are only as good as the team around them. Baker Mayfield is one of those IMO, and there’s a good chance that Kyle Trask would be also. Very few can put the team on their shoulders & carry the team to victory like Tom Brady could.
November 11th, 2023 at 8:53 am
The man of many names strikes again
November 11th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Canales is so needy and desperate for everyone to like him. It’s absolute cringe mode when he speaks.
Leaders don’t GAF if everyone likes them. They are there to do their job and execute, and that’s all that matters. Nothing will stop them and they will allowing nothing to get in there way. Meanwhile, Canales thinks he’s running for class president in high school.
The Bucs are a perfect organization for him. It’s a collective of loser coaches where everyone tries to cover for each other.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:03 am
First off the Bucs should give Trask a chance to see what he can do the last few weeks. Due to cap restraints the Bucs should unload White, Davis, Shaq, JTS & Evans & most of all Bowles and his coaches. Actually Bowles should have been gone already.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:10 am
2021 Bucs passed on 1st down 270 times and averaged 7.7 yards and were second in attempts to Buffalo.
2022 Bucs attempted 273 passes on 1st down for 7.8 and attempted the most.
Both seasons they averaged around 3.5 per rush.
Passing on 1st down. Been there. Done that.
2021 Brady had Jensen. Bucs did well. Brady did Brady things.
2022 Brady did not have Jensen. Bucs struggled. Brady did Brady things.
If Bucs are to win games and be a contender then you need to be able to run the ball with success regardless of the down.
If the O Line finally starts to click and Baker mysteriously gains Brady’s Skillset and Deep Ball Touch Bucs will continue to be less than average and struggle.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:11 am
Bowles is the culprit here. Canales just does what he is told. A junior high football coacb would have made the adjustments needed at this point. Bowles is just stubburn and arrogant. We know this because they guy has an excuse for everything. That is not leadership or the behavoor of someone that is willing to adjust and make changes. The guy knows one way of doing things and can’t adjust.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:28 am
BelleGladeBuc … Nice analysis. I like it. I’m still on the fence though about how much of our winning & losing is on coaching (strategies, tactics, personnel packages not working) and how much of it is on player talent (we’re starting some guys who wouldn’t even be quality backups on winning teams IMO). I really hate giving up on the season in November, but it’s hard to be optimistic after games like the Texans game.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:31 am
@DBS
Copy paste is effective.
Chick Fil A does it every day.
What facts do you dispute.
The Bucs are a losing football team, led by Baker who produces 18.875 points per game.
Trask is no good. BA told us that. BA is a good coach.
We have no running backs, ME13 will leave us for his last pay day or chance at another ring, Godwin will leave us because we can’t afford to franchise him again and he wants money and a good team, and our OLINE is not good except for Wirfs.
The Bucs have zero pass rush, the secondary and lb’s except for Winfield and LBD are average to below average ball players.
The Bucs are a losing football team coached by Bowles on Defense and Canales on offense.
That’s not good enough for me.
I hope that’s not good enough for any Bucs fan.
This team is in need of a deep reset that needs to start now.
Otherwise, teams like the Falcons and Panthers who have already begun that process will be that much further ahead of us in the future.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:41 am
The offense is getting better. Bucs need better RB’s – not much there after White- and although the OLine is improving- need to continue that path. Otton played his best game. Mayfield has a good arm- sometimes he misses on his reads, but he and Canales are starting to get on the same page. The Houston loss is 100% on the defensive coaches.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:41 am
BelleGladeBuc
November 11th, 2023 at 9:47 am
If you are trying to say it is all on the QB( of course which you are) you are wrong. 2 games were lost by the defense and Bowles. And you have know way to know how Trask would turn out other than your predictions and opinion.
November 11th, 2023 at 9:50 am
Bowles is toast. Glazers are at owners meeting every year and because the direction of this game the owners have clearly advocated for high scoring games. This fool decides to take it back to the 80’s and force a dead run game. He’s burnt today
November 11th, 2023 at 9:57 am
Call me crazy (get in line) but the odds of the Bucs having a combination of the worst run-blocking o-line AND the worst RB is tough to fathom. I watch every NFL game every week. I see teams with lesser-skilled backs and make-shift o-lines (due to injury) have better success than we do. They aren’t great, but not as shabby as the production that we get.
We’re ranked at #30 at the moment in yards per game so there are 2 teams that average fewer yards per game. We’re dead last in yards per attempt at 3.1. Only 19 teams average 4.0 yards per carry or better.
I still think it’s coaching, play design and predictability/timing. Or do we just have the absolute worst physical specimens in our running game? I’m not buying that for a minute.
There are lesser WRs with better numbers than Godwin (and lesser QBs throwing to them). There are lesser LBs with better sack and pressure totals than Shaq. What I’m getting at is that with the right coaching, designed for your specific UNIT that you put on the field (with your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses considered) you can succeed.
Sharp is on the money and so is Joe. The early (non) production on 1st and 2nd downs is killing us and putting too much pressure on Mayfield and the passing game.
You can’t abandon the run but you can abandon how you do it. A screen pass is as good as a run when dealing with an over-aggressive pass rush. Jet sweeps. Delay handoffs, there are dozens of ways to change it up.
Coaches just fall in love with their “philosophies” and their playbooks to a fault.
And holding on running plays. Wtf? When Madden used to call games, in between “bams” and “booms” and taking about Turducken, he went nuts on that. “How do you hold on a running play??!!! Your job is to him them in the mouth, not dance with them!”
November 11th, 2023 at 10:10 am
Yeah I’ve seen enough to make an evaluation. Canales must be ordered to run just like leftwich. You can’t have two coordinators in a row that makes the same decisions when they shouldn’t. Run run pass. I think bowels has his hands all over it. I believe canales would be smarter than this garbage we are seeing.
November 11th, 2023 at 10:37 am
@DBS
If you want me or any other football fan on here to respect your thoughts and opinions, when you respond to those fans make sure that what you’re saying is accurate.
In the year of 2023 the NFL has dictated that the QB is the most important position to winning.
They are the highest paid, most heavily marketed, they win the MVP’s, rules are designed to help their offensive production and protect them.
Bottom line, you need a good QB to win in the modern day NFL.
Apparently you disagree with that.
Baker and Trask are neither good QB’s. They are average to below average at best. I’m sorry that you think they are good qbs.
Secondly, I never said that the Bucs failures are all because of the quarterback play. You stating that this is my position is just factually incorrect and has me and others questioning your honesty.
I stated that Bowles and Canales are bad coaches.
I stated that the Bucs have a bad OLINE except for Wirfs.
I stated that the Bucs do not have any good running backs.
I stated that the Bucs have zero pass rush.
I stated that the Bucs LB’s are not good except for LVD.
I stated that the Bucs secondary are bad except for Winfield.
All of those reasons are why the Bucs are a bad and losing football team.
The Bucs are 3-5. That’s a losing team. And as far as predations are concerned, Vegas agrees with me that the Bucs will be a losing football team. Money talks louder than words.
You are what your record says that you’re. No ifs, ands or buts. Those are excuses, and losers make excuses.
Bless your heart as you think differently than me.
November 11th, 2023 at 11:07 am
He will say how they want to establish the run and it will only take some time to get it going and when it does, everyone will be happy if not impressed.
November 11th, 2023 at 11:49 am
It’s been said the best coaches taylor there offensive and defensive strategies to what there players do best. The offense is better at passing and terrible at running. So Canales and Bowles to what’s going to be there owm detriments in the end. Continue to plug a round peg into a square hole. Just plan not good coaching. The same can be said regarding the defense now. The secondary is better at press man coverage but yet Bowles continues to use press man covering corners in majority zone coverage plays. I’m just a fan so I’m not presenting as if I know more here. But the even fan’s notice the defense is not playing to it’s strengths. Trying to put a Round peg into square hole there as well. I mean one could even wonder if there trying to lose games at this point. Because how can professional NFL coaches do the opposite of what they do well game after game after game. I don’t know anything about anything. Just making another observation from outside looking in. Regardless, Let’s Go Bucs!!
November 11th, 2023 at 12:03 pm
You know the Bucs offense had this same issue last season. Offensive play calling and strategies game after game after game was designed towards there players strengths. Common denominator there is Todd Bowles. Because now we know Byron wasn’t the only problem. I sound like a broken record here. But I’ll say it again. Where is the master offensive mind of Tom Moore in all this. I know he is old but he is on the staff. Where is his impact here. I’m not seeing it.
November 11th, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Was not designed towards there strengths last season*
November 11th, 2023 at 12:46 pm
tony dungy’s first year started bad but by the end of the year, you knew the team had turned it around. canales might do the same, lets wait and see. its possible given the improvement in the offense and running game recently
November 11th, 2023 at 12:47 pm
i call Canales..Mr Chipper. He’s always in a great mood..laughing and smiling. I’m pulling for him and his staff. Because When Bowles goes..He Goes.
November 11th, 2023 at 2:09 pm
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. That’s what I think of when I see the Bucs continue trying to run the ball up the middle. Love my BUCS and hope the coaches cand get their s!t together before it’s too late. Go BUCS!
November 11th, 2023 at 8:37 pm
“They’re running attack is not working whatsoever.”
———-
Actually the running attack, when White was in the game, was working just fine.
November 12th, 2023 at 10:29 am
This is Todd Bowles Jets teams all over again. There is a reason he got fired from there.
Yes the running game is non existent, the play calling is awful for all of the offensive guns the Bucs have. The Bowles defenses have been just as bad giving up leads with big plays down the field in the second half and the fact that his defenses absolutely get tourched by any rookie QB they play against so there are plenty of reasons to move on with this GM and coaching staff but who are you going to hire? Now you are going to lose your core skill players . Looks as if a rebuild is inevitable either way
November 13th, 2023 at 3:10 pm
In all these discussions to ascribe responsibility or blame, I think we all seem to be missing a component. It could be Bowles or Canales or Mayfield or the RBs or the oline or any combination of those. My challenge is that I see $35M in dead money which I understand to reduce the ability of the team to improve in these other areas. That money is attributed to one person who isn’t contributing to the team at all. It would be great to spend that money on various of those positions e.g. RB, QB, oline, etc. This person’s salary never gets mentioned as a source of the problem, but creates a huge depression in the salary cap reducing the team’s ability to do well. It’s kind of like they are playing with one hand tied behind their back.