A New Human To Leftwich
May 5th, 2019
Praised by OC.
People like to suggest Bucco Bruce Arians doesn’t like throwing to tight ends.
Well, Joe remembers the Steelers throwing to Heath Miller a fair amount of time. And it’s pretty obvious Arians never had a tight end like O.J. Howard on one of his rosters.
One of Arians’ backup quarterbacks with the Steelers, his current offensive coordinator with the Bucs, Byron Leftwich, sure hasn’t seen a target like Howard. Last week when Leftwich spoke to the local pen and mic club, Joe asked him about Howard and Leftwich raved about one of his new toys.
“Man, I’ve never seen guys like that,” Leftwich said. “It’s hard to be around guys that can do what O.J. can do. He’s very – there’s not a lot of those human beings walking around on earth. Trust me, because everybody is looking for him. Everybody is looking for the next O.J. Howard. He’s a young guy in this process, but what he can do being that big, being able to run it’s a match up nightmare for defenses.
“For me, I’m just trying to figure him out too. I’m trying to put him in positions, put him in some easy predicaments, put him in some tough predicaments, so I can see how many different ways I can use him right now and that’s the thought process with everybody. Just put them in some unique, different situations that they may have never been in, just some thoughts that we can do, because of the talent level on this team and just try and put them in the position to always win.
“Trust me, it’s good to see a guy that big run around the field and be able to run the routes and catch the ball the way he can do all those things.”
Now this is cool to hear. Leftwich is playing around to see how best he can use Howard.
There probably isn’t a linebacker in the league that can cover Howard and not that many safeties. Joe liked how Dirk Koetter used Howard. But maybe we may see a more diverse use of Howard this fall?
May 5th, 2019 at 8:12 am
Right guard, perhaps?
May 5th, 2019 at 8:18 am
Different era in the NFL….TE’s are big bully pass catchers these day and nearly as fast as WR’s….BA and his crew will use the TE’s plenty , IMO
May 5th, 2019 at 8:21 am
OJ needs to do some yoga or something. Just seems to fall awkwardly a lot. Even when it doesn’t injure him, it looks bad.
Also having him running more than seam routes and drags across the middle, is probably a good idea….
May 5th, 2019 at 8:46 am
Maybe he could be a RB…….think OJ should be on the field….every play…..
May 5th, 2019 at 8:55 am
Etzel that’s where he should be making all his money. H3ll you can play Madden and quickly notice that.
May 5th, 2019 at 8:55 am
Dirk didn’t use OJ. Played 59% of the snaps. Max targets were 4-5 a game.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:00 am
Leftwich should look at koetters playbook because he always got oj wide open or in a positive winnable mismatch
May 5th, 2019 at 9:16 am
Its a shame that the qb would rather stare down and throw to the other TE because he sits down in the Zone and fall down or runs come backs!!!! That is why their is almost no yac !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its a shame that the Bucs had below avg QB’s last year, as Buc nation could have witnessed some serious offense had the Bucs had an accurate, solid QB!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, maybe in the 2020 draft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 5th, 2019 at 9:17 am
As long as he is healthy, the offense shoukd be centered around howard. Move him all.over yhe filed..At yhe same yime start sprinkling in some screen plays to ROJO. let our new 6th round wr be the new kick return man. Let.Justin watson and Evans play outside and in the slot like fitzgerald did in Arizona and let Godwin and the new guy play on the outside and the slot. Mive everyine EVERYWHERE!!!!! SOMETHING KOETTER NEVER DID BECAUSE HE WAS AFRAID TO MAKE ANY MISTAKE WITH THE LEAGUES WORST DEFENSE BEHIND HIM!!!!!!!!!
May 5th, 2019 at 9:23 am
I’m confused on OJ Howard. What exactly has he done so far besides land on injured reserve. Pro Bowls? Nope. All Pro? No. Significant receiving yards and TDs?
At this point, finishing a season after playing in 16+ games would be a GREAT accomplishment.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:25 am
BA didn’t throw a lot to TEs because he didn’t have talent there. Miller was OK and he got a lot of targets. Gresham was always injured. Good coaches adjust scheme to their players.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:26 am
he should be happy about OJ
he is the only legit receiving target besides Mike Evans and Chris Godwin..
the rest is easy replacable..
even barring injurys this WR/TE corps is no good.
Since ever (since the 1st year of Gruden) the Suckaneers started to suck more and more @talent evaluation and @Roster Building..
Now with Licht(weight of a GM) they have a roster full of holes, no good depth, salary Cap Hell, and overall very weak talented roster…
just sh…itty talent to be exact..
No coaching stuff could coach a 5year old boy to win a boxing fight against MikeTyson in his prime..
but that is the analogy of the Suckaneers Clownshow of “professional” team against an SuperBowlContender..
I am realy a better GM (better at draft planing and scouting) than the whole Suckaneers Organization.
The past 7 years – every single player i wanted the Suckaneers to draft went on to have a great career, while the Suckaneers draftet guys like a Kicker in the 2nd round (who is not even with the team anymore ahahahhahahahahaha)
and VernonHargreaves hahahahahahhaha
it´s so laughable
and then spending sooooo much money on garbage players like the Center, like Demar Dotson and like Donovan Smith…
just laughable
and then they got lucky and have the chance to adress the weak @ass trenches which you need to have a good team – but no –
they go on and select a guy with potential on a not premium position (MLB WHITE) instead of a sure fire star on a premium position (DT Ed Oliver)…
while they only have VitaVea and McCoy as good DT´s and the later is very old … and goood teams should have more than 2 DT´s able to contribute…
well
Bucs fans: if you want an actual professional team, than you should start to boykott this Clownshow and demand the Glazers to hire an intelligent Foootball mind, able to evaluate talent and to acually build an Roster
Join the
FIRE LICHT TONIGHT
movement!
(i already know, so i tell you: THis season, the Suckaneers will suck again, because instead of building sth. and improving, and didn´t do sh….it in the offseason – maybe they got even worse)
May 5th, 2019 at 9:33 am
Louden
Who were you before louden? Dude – worried about your state of mind
Don’t do anything crazy Out there man.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:47 am
@louden. ….. that’s a big paragraph! Full page lol. Too much to read.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:53 am
@Bird
Something tells me its Port Richey Lou. Could be wrong. But the general structure and irrational nature of the thoughts tells me its him. He no longer has the worlds most disgusting douchebag’s podcast to vent through so hes here posting the same garbage every day about how coaching doesn’t matter.
May 5th, 2019 at 9:56 am
Can he kick?
May 5th, 2019 at 10:04 am
I like Cameron brate. How come no one is talking about him getting paid 7 million dollars this year. I think he only had around 30 catches last year
May 5th, 2019 at 10:19 am
Devin White may be the only LB in the NFL that can kinda cover Howard…
May 5th, 2019 at 10:21 am
I mean Devin White did have a faster 40-time than Odell Beckham Jr at like 50lbs heavier… That’s pretty beast
May 5th, 2019 at 10:43 am
OJ is special, easy to see that when he’s on the field. I like what Leftwich said in general about experimenting with all the players.
This will be an interesting season at least. Not a huge difference in talent this year on the offensive side, if we get a run game going and produce tds in the red one this year it’ll point directly to the coaching change.
May 5th, 2019 at 10:53 am
@Adnargy
yeah, but if someone is interested to know why the Buccaneers became Suckaneers and how to change this – then it´s worth the read ..
in short:
Suckaneers suck @talent evaluation and @Roster building, that´s why even an ArmChair GM like me makes better calls than them.. (i mean it, the last 7 years the Suckaneers would have been better off if they would have done what i wanted them to do)..
any ways:
that´s why they need to hire an intelligent football mind able to build a Roster and who can evluate Talent
this is a sorry @ass of an “professional”clown-show team
FIRE LICHT TONIGHT
May 5th, 2019 at 11:13 am
@louder
Everyone thinks they are a better GM than the buccaneers GM. Truth is, you’re just a couch gm thinking you’d have the best team but you’re not. So stop the whine and if you can’t stand the suckaneers please do us all a favor and go be a cowgirls fan.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:15 am
Man U just lost and are now kicked out of the Champions league…looks like the Glazers have 2 dumpster fires on their hands.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:33 am
It’s simple – if Howard is as good as you say; watch tape of Gronkowski and see how NE used Gronk. Then simply do the same
May 5th, 2019 at 11:36 am
It’s quite clear that O.J. Howard has all the talent to be a top five TE in the NFL,however, he has to prove that he can stay healthy through out the season, and he’s going into his 3rd year, so there’s so much to learn. In my opinion i think Dirk Koetter could used O.J. in more diverse ways.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:38 am
Mr Lucky
If anything about what the Patriots do in New England is simple, then the entire league would be doing it.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:46 am
Leftwich is just another Buc BS artist. Its amazing he didn’t say OJ was better than Gronk. But maybe he did if you read between the lines. It would be great just to see OJ get through a season without getting injured.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:51 am
Plus nobody shields the pass like Gronk.
He weighs about 20lbs more than Howard.
Helps to have Brady placing the ball too.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:54 am
Just stay healthy first. Enough of missing half seasons.
May 5th, 2019 at 11:56 am
Aside from OJ, Evans & Godwin….the WR/TE corps sucks?……well, I think if you took away three from most any team you could claim the same.
May 5th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
Must admit Joe that the title threw me off … “A New Human to Leftwich”? But that’s good because I had to look closely at the article to figure out what the title was trying to tell me. Leftwich’s quote … “He’s very – there’s not a lot of those human beings walking around on earth” … tells me a lot actually about his impression of OJ.
That said, OJ has been with us now for 2 years. Cost us a 1st Rnd pick & a few shekels. He’s a beast IMO but the Bucs haven’t gotten the productivity out of him that they should’ve. In 2 years OJ’s now got 60 receptions & 997 yds. Personally I expected more productivity from such an elite athlete, but I don’t hold him responsible for that. He has scored 11 TDs in those 2 years (quite good) & is averaging 16.6 yds/catch (very good). He’s only played in 24 games (missed 8 due to injuries) which is a big concern in my book because sooner or later multiple injuries catch up to you IMO.
I think a big part of OJ’s ‘limited’ productivity (in comparison to what he COULD have done) is how he was used in his first 2 years here. Last year he had 435 offensive snaps in his 10 games, and he had another 608 snaps in his 14 games for a total of 1,043 snaps in 2 seasons. He was targeted 48 times in 2018 & 39 times in 2017, for a total of 87 targets … out of 1,043 snaps that he played. IOW, OJ was targeted on just a little over 8% of the offensive snaps. Point being … OJ’s wasn’t targeted nearly enough for someone with his talent. Personally I suspect the reason why is because he’s such a good blocker, and Koetter felt that he NEEDED OJ’s blocking skills even more than they needed his receiving skills. IF that’s true, that’d lend even more credence to the argument that we NEED to FIX OUR OLINE.
May 5th, 2019 at 12:03 pm
Good one, Todd! 😀 Who knows? :-G
Hopefully, OJ won’t have to do all of the things that have been suggested here today. ;^)
__
What I have seen so far gives me high expectations for him. I have watched his blocking closely on occasion just for the fun of it, just to mention another thing.
__
In addition to experimenting with what he can do, I believe this staff will guide his conditioning properly. They will also have him eliminate any bad habits in any aspect of his performance including how he may land on the turf.
May 5th, 2019 at 12:48 pm
“Joe liked how Koetter used Howard”
You mean like when he used Howard as a decoy against Redskins on a pass intended for Shaun Wilson and resulted in an interception at goal line?
Koetter underutilized Howard , if anything, because Koetter is the classic case of overthinking coach.
May 5th, 2019 at 12:49 pm
All the people complaining about licht, nobody misses on that many fitst and second rounders. Pete carol, Bill bellicheat, andy reid, sean peyton ,mcveah, a ton of other coaches would have done better than 5-11 with the exact same roster. WAKE UP!!!
ITS COACHING!!!!!
May 5th, 2019 at 1:14 pm
@louden… We all just waved goodbye to your credibility 👋 👋 👋
Wr/Te Corp above acceptable talent
RE/ JPP… above acceptable talent
LB/ David and White above acceptable talent.
But I should know by now that getting on here and wasting 15 minutes of a Sunday to read ass trolls like you and or Tmaxipad spew so much hate and hot garbage.
Hey real NFL knowledge fans.. Louden says the Buccaneers WR/TE Corp is unacceptable talent! 😂😂😂😂😂
This really is a hilarious take.. I can’t make up this kind of ignorance if I tried.
May 5th, 2019 at 1:15 pm
louden –
There’s an old saying you might want to ponder for a bit…
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool – than to speak out and remove all doubt”
Please go back on your Meds – or better yet – just Go……
May 5th, 2019 at 1:24 pm
Howard, imo, falls awkwardly because he has a really awkward running style. His knees don’t seem to get very high when he’s running so guys can literally just fall at his feet and voila, injury. I love Howard and everything he brings to the table so it’s not necessarily a knock on him, it just is what it is.
May 5th, 2019 at 1:28 pm
louden will bring peace to the Middle East, end climate change, conquer world-hunger, and GM a professional NFL team to a Super Bowl faster than we can all collectively say…bull$h!t.
May 5th, 2019 at 2:01 pm
@all the “intelligent” ones:
hahahaha you guys that are fronting me are so laughable it shows you are as clueless as the Suckaneers FrontOffice especially the scouting department
i am gonna post this all season untill you will admit that i was right all the way:
because of the off-season-moves i can guarantee to you that this lousy @ss of an clownshow team will suck again
and you didn’t believe me..
WR/TE corps is just an injury from Evans, Godwin, Howard away from being torally BS
and you say its good
hahahahaha
May 5th, 2019 at 2:01 pm
OJ Howard should be used like Julio Jones.
May 5th, 2019 at 2:18 pm
Doesn’t really matter how much Arians uses his TE’s, on the field the TE is Jameis’ favorite target and that doesn’t change with scheme. Anywho OJ is a superstar and they’ll make sure he gets the ball. The one that might not get the ball however is Brate – well until OJ gets injured yet again.
May 5th, 2019 at 2:29 pm
Louden if you are that smart then prove it. You claim it but you are clearly full of it. Total BS.
If it not BS proove it and tell us who the 7 players are who you would have drafted.(Nobody gives a rats ass who you would take at #5 thats very easy).
Otherwise you’re just another crazy on the internet blowing hotair.
May 5th, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Also you have to do the total job. I want at least 4 UDFA.
I also want your list of players you are going to bring in as free agents with training camp deals and a tryout to crack the roster.
These players are a vital part of building a roster which you say is your thing.
May 5th, 2019 at 4:59 pm
Joe..I fear Louden just might need..Some psychiatric assistance.
May 5th, 2019 at 5:02 pm
@laughable guys:
it’s not about the garbage talented players from later rounds and practi e squads, it’s about the first 4 round of NFL draft and FreeAgency
+
thinking about which players to resign and replace..
=
building Rosters
getting the best 11 talents to play
(rest is coaching)
and thats how you build a winner – with a little luck and goid scouting you even getting good players in later rounds too, of course…
heck, hundreds of new talents coming out each year…
so nice to choose from them..
but Suckaneers suck at evaluating talent and Roster building
and some stupid people pay money for such a clown-show
hahahaha
no thats not funny
its actually sad
as i liked the Buccaneers back then…
FIRE LICHT TONIGHT!
May 5th, 2019 at 5:21 pm
like i have said we will see who is right
lets go Suckaneers go suck another season!
May 5th, 2019 at 7:06 pm
Like I said louden you could put your money where your mouth but you won’t cause you can’t. Your just a BS artist wannabe.
Continue on with your namecalling deal since that’s what you really wanna do.
May 6th, 2019 at 6:58 am
@jimmijack
sorry but i don’t have the time to post an complete Last-Offseason-Review and analysing/writting what should have been done..
my post are even now pretty long, dude..
@BucsFans that want a turnaround of the Suckaneers:
start boykotting this clown-show and don’t spend money on the Suckaneers, as long as they don’t change their weak @ss rosterbuilding approach..
Join the
Fire Licht Tonight
movement
May 6th, 2019 at 7:01 am
but one clue to jimmyjack
instead of Devin White(while i think hehas good potential)
thepick should have been DT Ed Oliver
watch this Kid becoming a very good disruptive DT in the NFL..
all while McCoy is in his layt years (with the Suckaneers)..