Getty Tom Brady talks things over with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting outscored by surprising NFL teams, a change is in order for offensive play calling.
The Bucs need former head coach Bruce Arians donning a headset again, JoeBucsFan.com writes. Arians retired in the offseason and became the senior football consultant to the general manager as Todd Bowles took the reins at head coach. Tampa Bay’s offense hasn’t looked the same since under Bowles – a shell of the explosive aerial attack for three years under Arians.
“Team Glazer is paying a brilliant offensive mind millions to be disengaged on game day,” JoeBucsFan.com writes. “It’s almost ridiculous considering Arians’ knowledge of the personnel and the fact he attends practice.”
GettyBruce Arians talks with Julio Jones at practice.
While Brady and offensive coordinator Bryon Leftwich had the main influence in offensive play calling under Arians, the former coach was the “architect of the offense” as JoeBucsFan.com put it. Arians said in May 2022 that he would review the game plan “and add things” in “collaboration” with Brady and Leftwich.
“What’s the harm in having him listen in and pick a spot or two each game to say, ‘Hey, Byron …?’ That’s exactly what Arians did previously,” JoeBucsFan.com wrote.
Getting Arians more involved may face one hurdle because of his sideline appearance during a Week 2 brawl at New Orleans. Arians and the Bucs received a warning letter from the NFL about his presence in the player and coaches section of the sideline according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Arians is in the Bucs front office instead of the coaching staff at this time.
Free Fall from Arians Era
Tampa Bay ranked in the top three offensively with Arians at the helm from 2019 through 2021, and that first year didn’t include Tom Brady at quarterback. This year’s Bucs ranked 20th for points and 22nd in yards. As JoeBucsFan.com writer Ira Kaufman noted, four non-playoff teams from 2021 rank ahead of the Bucs in scoring: the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and both the New York Jets and Giants.
The Bucs don’t have a first quarter touchdown this season, and the red zone woes sit at 50% for scoring touchdowns – mainly bolstered from a strong first half against Atlanta in Week 5. Tampa Bay went 25% in the red zone in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with three field goals until a late touchdown.
Bucs Offense Stalled Under Bowles
It once looked like the Bucs would run the ball more under Bowles after a 127-yard performance by running back Leonard Fournette in Week 1, but that all changed afterward. Fournette nor any other running back has gone over 65 yards since, and the Bucs virtually abandoned the run in three of those games with 14 or fewer carries by Fournette in those cases.
Brady meanwhile hasn’t performed at the level normally expected of him, and he doesn’t have a game-winning drive this year. Statistically, he has 1,652 yards and eight touchdowns versus one interception through six games. While he is on pace to finish with 4,680 yards, his pace of 22 touchdowns for the season would be his lowest since 2001.
Tom Brady perfectly throws it where only Mike Evans can catch it! #GoBucs
Amid Brady’s passing struggles, he arguably hasn’t found star wide receiver Mike Evans as much as needed this season. Evans had only four receptions on four targets for 42 yards on Sunday, October 16, at Pittsburgh, and he has only two games with touchdowns and one game going over 100 yards this fall.
Arians didn’t hesitate to call out Brady for mistakes or not throwing the ball enough to Evans during the previous two seasons. It couldn’t hurt the Bucs offense to have such dynamics again.
“What do they have to lose? Whose feelings are they afraid to hurt?” JoeBucsFan.com wrote.