Ominous Stat Tied To Bucs’ Coordinator Change
February 21st, 2025
So CBS HQ dropped an interesting nugget yesterday.
The Bucs are the fourth team in the Super Bowl era of NFL history to lose an offensive coordinator to a head coaching job in consecutive seasons.
The first was the 1990 Redskins. Hey, Todd Bowles played for that team! But those Redskins don’t really count because head coach Joe Gibbs was the offensive playcaller and mastermind, per Joe’s research.
Next was the 2007 49ers. After the 2005 and 2006 seasons, respectively, playcallers Mike McCarthy and Norv Turner left the building. In 2007, the Niners ranked last in the NFL in offense with only five victories.
The last time a franchise was left in this predicament was the 2015 Ravens.
They collapsed.
Jim Caldwell bolted for the Lions head coaching gig after the 2013 season and a year later Gary Kubiak ran to the Broncos. Baltimore finished 2015 season with a 5-11 record. It was the worst season of John Harbaugh’s iconic head coaching career — by a mile.
And here come the Bucs. Rookie playcaller Josh Grizzard has taken over for Liam Coen. “El Serpiente” is now the Jaguars’ head coach and 2023 Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales enters his second season running the Panthers.
Very small sample size, but it seems losing quality coordinators back-to-back is a major challenge.
Yes, Joe knows all about continuity and the Bucs’ desire to achieve it by promoting Grizzard. Smart move, but it’s also wise to understand the offense will change a lot more than Bucs fans might be considering.
February 21st, 2025 at 5:10 pm
If Grizzard wasn’t already part of the last staff and was bringing in a new system, I might be slightly concerned. Under the circumstances, it’s a worthless datapoint.
February 21st, 2025 at 5:12 pm
Ok here’s the plan: we plan EVERY play like it’s 3rd and 8
February 21st, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Statistically…I dunno how anyone could expect Grizzard to improve upon the last two seasons. Maybe it’s all the talent but it sure looked to me like Coen had a fantastic feel for play construction nuances, exploiting other teams expectations/tendency and game flow. He had some bonehead calls…but if this guy doesn’t do worse by more than a game I’d be absolutely shocked. I mean…how do you keep hitting O Coordinator humerus? And yeah, Canales in and of himself wasn’t a homerun, but he sure seemed like the right guy at the right time with his attitude and a decent coord. Coen was a homerun. Most refreshing Offense I’ve seen from the Bucs.
February 21st, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Not sure why ppl keep thinking Canales was a good OC. He had major growing pains, his offense struggled to run the ball which he was brought in to fix and a focal point of his offense, ranking dead last running the ball. Also, his offense struggled to score more than 2 tds per game. If the defense didnt keep teams consistently to 20 pts per game that year, no chance they get to the post season. Canales may have been a good qb coach if anything helping Baker reach his potential. But as an OC, glad we found Coen and hoping Grizzard can be at least better than Canales.
February 21st, 2025 at 6:13 pm
No worries Bowles will find a way to get close….to .500. Bucs Norm. No matter what. The rest of this drama is just window dressing and off season fun.
February 21st, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Ben
“his offense struggled to run the ball which he was brought in to fix and a focal point of his offense, ranking dead last running the ball.”
Agree with the observation. But I would add a caveat in his defense. The Bucs OL improved significantly between Canales and Coen’s regimes’. Not just new players like Barton but the maturation of Goeddeke and Mauch. The OL really bonded last year.
And R E S P E C T! Bucky was a SPECIAL player last year. He could have even been used better if Coen was a little quicker to figure out what he had back there.
Baker also continued to show you don’t have to be elusive, fast, and fancy to be a running QB. He ran more like a light RB than a QB. Baker rushed for
378 yards last year more than DOUBLE any other season. I do not expect that to keep up. I worry about Baker’s health!
Great OL with some depth, QB hitting his prime, 1 great RB and 2 very good backups, there’s no reason for the Bucs to not continue with a strong run game.
February 21st, 2025 at 7:02 pm
The Ravens and 49ers each had their starting QB go on IR those seasons which probably had as much if not more of an effect than the new coordinator
February 21st, 2025 at 7:45 pm
Let Baker call the plays.
February 21st, 2025 at 8:10 pm
I’m convinced even at this late date that if they dumped Bowles tomorrow they would be no worse off and quite possibly better than having that miserable excuse of a coach hanging around. The short careers of outstanding players being squandered by a coach that is absolutely unfit for the job. OC can see it and they get out at the first opprotunity.
February 21st, 2025 at 9:23 pm
Sure, we replaced a phenomenal offensive play-caller that led a top-5 offense in his first year with a guy that’s never called plays…
But on the brightside we still have Bowles and his defense that has sound tackling, gets lots of interceptions, great communication, and keeps getting better every year!
February 21st, 2025 at 9:35 pm
@Ben I can see why you didn’t think Canales was a very good OC, but you’ve gotta give him so credit in Carolina. The owner is a total turd and his QB was a big steaming pile of poo his rookie season and the beginning of this year. By the end of the year that QB had made a 1000% improvement and did exactly what the owner brought him in to do. So I think he does deserve some credit for what he’s done this season. If he continues to improve it’ll be really hard to say he’s not very good.
So if both Canales and Coen turn out have good success and turn around their teams, does that mean they’re tied to Bowles coaching tree and Bowles taught them how to be good coaches?? Kinda like Bowles is tied to BA??? Haha
February 21st, 2025 at 9:49 pm
That’s it. Season is over.
February 21st, 2025 at 11:15 pm
What StickinUp4Centers said, plus did either of those teams have other personnel issues… major injuries, started leave in FA, etc… etc…
Need to look at the big picture. Talent wise our offense is set. We’re pretty solid in the trenches with just the addition of a decent FA edge rusher, a ittle retooling of the defensive backfield and ILB group via draft & FA… we’re still set to win some games depending on player health.
February 21st, 2025 at 11:26 pm
The wrong coordinator left!
February 22nd, 2025 at 1:30 am
It would help if there was a full time head coach to bring the new guy along. That doesn’t fit the role of a genius though.
February 22nd, 2025 at 6:43 am
You can’t say bad things about Todd on this site without getting banned.
February 22nd, 2025 at 8:16 am
2005-2006 49ers were a 4-12 then 7-9.
2013 Ravens 8-8
2014 Ravens 10-6 and Flacco played the full season
In 2015 Joe Flacco missed almost half the season. Per Google “14 of their games were decided by 8 points or less and Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Steve Smith, Sr., and Terrell Suggs all suffered season ending injuries“
Just for more context.
February 22nd, 2025 at 9:09 am
I would figure this is the 5th consecutive season we’ve changed offensive play-callers. In order, Ariens (HC), Leftwich (OC), Canales (OC), Coen (OC), and now Grizzard (OC)
February 22nd, 2025 at 10:20 am
Both Canales and Coen look good because they had Baker Mayfield for their QB. Baker is still here so we will still be good
February 22nd, 2025 at 12:12 pm
Tellitlikeitis …wrong.
February 22nd, 2025 at 9:21 pm
4 times is too small of a sample size to extrapolate any real conclusions