When Zac Robinson was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their offensive coordinator, there was a lot of skepticism surrounding him due to his past struggles with the Bucs’ division rival Falcons.
However, one key positive was that he had worked with Baker Mayfield before when both were in LA and was a mentor in turning around his career. After tarting five games with the Rams, the Bucs signed him an he has now gone on to start 54 games for the team, and win two division titles in that span as well.
Robinson pointed out Baker’s unique leadership skills in his first press conference with the team: “When you have a guy like that, you have a chance to win every single Sunday. The impact that he has, obviously just as a leader – you can speak to the talent and the type of player he is and all those things, but those guys that give you a chance every single Sunday – and the guys in that locker room know it – it’s a big deal.”
Why Baker Mayfield Was Central to the Hire
Mayfield also decided to attend Robinson’s press conference, perhaps as a nod to his support for the decision. However, what should impress Bucs fans is Robinson’s very acute mindset when it comes to his offensive philosophies.
One aspect of Robinson’s offense that came up was his usage of pistol formation. With Atlanta, they ranked No. 1 in the league in plays out of pistol formation. This drew a lot of ire from Falcons fans, but Robinson seemed to be noncommittal about it: “We won’t dive too much into that. Obviously, we’re tailoring everything to your personnel and what you believe is the best way to move the football and there’s definitely some advantages to that, working out of the pistol,” Robinson said about the formation.
Certainly, the pistol won’t be favored by many due to its predictability and the limitations it may present. Still, with a mobile QB like Mayfield, chances are Bucs fans won’t have to worry too much about it.
What Robinson’s Scheme Means for Tampa Bay’s Offense
One area of Robinson’s game plan that Bucs fans might like more is his usage of pre-snap motion. He used them in Atlanta 65.6 percent of the time, the fourth most in the league. When addressed in the press conference, Robinson didn’t seem to shy away from it. “We’re not just going to motion — You’ve got to have the right intent behind it,” Robinson said. “But you talk to a defensive coach, the thing that they want you to do is line up in static formations, typically normal width, and they can just tee off on it… the more that we can create leverage advantages in the run game as well, or manipulate second level defenders in the run game, pass game.”
With that clear offensive mindset, the Bucs can seemingly move on from the struggles the offense faced this season. Whether Robinson is the right guy to carry out said vision remains to be seen.
New Bucs OC Sets Clear Offensive Vision for Team