What are we even witnessing? A Buccaneers’ team with some of the most talented players in all of football, playing down to competitors seemingly every week. Last season we saw the cracks forming, and they were ignored.
Coaching
When it was reported that Bruce Arians was writing off Byron Leftwich’s game plan the week of the game, NFL fans were furious at Arians. How can Arians go around discrediting one of the most well-respected coaches in the league? Now that Arians is gone, those game plans are no longer scratched out and have produced a nearly unwatchable offense. I am never one to judge an offensive coordinator harshly, but Leftwich has made a joke of what used to be one of the league’s best offenses under Arians.
Todd Bowles is a defensive head coach that has given a relatively young signal caller, Leftwich, the keys to the offense. Leftwich has created some changes that haven’t gone over well.
Uninspiring Play
Coaching isn’t the only problem. Some of the talent is playing a truly uninspiring brand of football. The offensive line isn’t holding up, and the Buccaneers are on pace to be one of the worst rushing offense in over two decades. This is after paying Leonard Fournette and spending a third round pick on Rachaad White. The defense is still playing at an elite level, but it doesn’t matter if the offense cant moves the ball.
The fundamental problem with this offense is simply that Tom Brady has the worst offensive line he’s ever had. When the line plays badly, that forces you to have to throw the ball quickly, which heightens the issue of questionable coaching. The pressure is coming from the middle, collapsing the pocket, so there is essentially nothing Brady can do to stop it. Leftwich hasn’t put together successful game plans and that’s shown. Even the passes they are completing are tight window grabs that aren’t reliable to sustain a drive.
Silver Lining
This team has already proven they are worthy of a Super Bowl run. Their quarterback after all is Tom Brady. Todd Bowles is experienced and smart enough to change this. Byron Leftwich is one of the most passionate minds in the sport. This whole situation can only get better. We simply haven’t seen the best of this team. This is why I still have them ranked a top 5 team in football. Brady has adapted to bad offenses and bad weeks before, and sometimes they have turned those into Super Bowl runs.
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