Notable Quotables: Dave Canales Press Conference

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Dave Canales had his introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon. This was his chance to talk with the media and field questions for the first time. The press conference was over thirty minutes long and there was a lot said about the future of the Bucs offense.

Canales was energized and excited in his speaking. He went into details and stories that help paint a picture of his experience and his plans for this team. Here were some of the quotes that really stood out to me.

“Let’s make everything look the same”

This is a quote that might sound bland, but actually is something I find very exciting. Consider it having a poker face with the offense. Making everything look the same, regardless of what you actually intend to do, keeps the defense guessing.

This will be a nice change from last season. Too often the offense went to big packages to run the ball to try to get short yardage. This made the offense very predictable and the defense could plan for what the Bucs intended to do.

If Canales is true to his word, this might mean a more diverse attack in terms of formations. Sure, they will still use big packages on short yardage situations, but now it might just look like a run when it will actually be a pass. Vice versa, they might run spread sets and run the ball more often.

This is a little thing that can make a big difference for the offense.

The system”

Canales referenced his system many times in his thirty minute press conference. What system is he referring to exactly? That would be the Sean McVay system that he learned for Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Buccaneers fans should be very familiar with this style of offense as it has given the Buccaneers a lot of problems over the last several years. Perhaps that is part of the reason why Todd Bowles was drawn to Canales and this system that he brings. 

It’s obvious that Canales has bought into this system, although he has only worked in it for two years. How he installs it here and what exactly it will look like is yet to be seen. However, expect it to look similar to teams like the Seahawks and the Rams.

“It’s all about the ball”

One thing Canales was very clear about is that he values protecting the football. He described it as a responsibility of all eleven guys on the field. He also said it was a big part of why he brought in Dallas Cowboys running back coach Skip Peete, where they had zero lost fumbles last season.

Every coach tries to eliminate turnovers, but the way he emphasized this point makes me feel like it will really be a high priority. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the quarterback competition. It may week out potential free agent options such as Taylor Heinicky who have a track record of higher interception totals.

“I have never called plays”

Canales referenced having called plays at the high school level, but he owned this shortcoming on his resume. He discussed calling mock games in practice and having a mastery of the playsheet which could help him with this, but the inexperienced in this area is obviously a concern.

The staff does have coaches on it who have called plays in the past and Canales said that he would lean on them in different ways. He also mentioned drawing from the experience of guys who have played in the league, such as Thad Lewis. If nothing else, this shows some self awareness, which is a nice change from the previous offensive coordinator. 

It’s worth noting that Canales talked about play calling not being the hardest part of his new position. Getting everyone on the same page in terms of language is something he mentioned several times throughout the press conference, as well as building culture.

Time will tell if Canales can develop the rhythm that is needed for play calling, but it seems like he is coming in with an open mind that is process driven.

“We’re going to do things that are simple in concept, but complex in delivery”

It is said that simplicity is the greatest sophistication. The amount of different plays doesn’t have to be expansive for an offense to be unpredictable. Canales seems to embrace this concept in his own philosophy. 

The same play can be run from dozens of different formations. You can add to that different motions to make the same play look even more complicated, but it is still very simple in nature. This is what Canales might mean when he says complex in delivery.

If this is the case it would be a revelation for this offense. Motions can help quarterbacks identify defenses and make the opponent move and think and communicate changes. This can cause busted plays on defense and identify how to attack them better.

“Do whatever it takes to win”

There is always so much talk about how much an offense runs versus how much an offense passes. While this is undoubtedly a passing league, in the end it doesn’t matter which you do as long as you do it effectively. This is what Canales means when he said this quote.

If the team is effectively throwing the ball, they will throw the ball. If the team is effective running the ball, they will run the ball. This will change week to week depending on the opponent, but Canales made it clear that his offense will adjust to what is working.

“It handles any real type of quarterback”

When talking about his system and how it will fit Kyle Trask, Canales feels the system fits all quarterbacks. He referenced guys like Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson and how different they are. Kyle Trask can fit into that same system.

Canales also mentioned that he will tailor what they do to the quarterback’s strengths. He specifically mentioned that the quarterback runs he did with Wilson would not be something he did with Trask. Emphasizing what a quarterback does well and eliminating what he doesn’t.

“They just do so many good things outside the numbers with the one-on-one matchups”

This was a quote when talking about Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Canales was glowing in his praise of the two star Buccaneers receivers. There’s no question that he views this as one of the best wide receiver pairs in the NFL. 

It also might indicate that Godwin might be playing more on the outside. He has established himself as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL in the Bruce Arians offense. Now he might be used in a more versatile way to attempt to maximize his different strengths.

“Anytime you reduce football to just being mano-y-mano ball, it’s just not smart football”

This was the foundation of the previous offense. The my guy is better than your guy approach when the Bucs won the Super Bowl. At that time, the Buccaneers were basically better at every position than any opponent they would see.

This is a very different team now and the offense has to help scheme players open. This takes pressure off the playmakers and the quarterback to make things happen. Approaching the game in a smarter and more efficient way.

Full Canales Buccaneers’ Press Conference

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