See What Adjustments Will Do?
December 26th, 2022
Finally, an adjustment.
One thing Joe harps on so much about failing Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is that he rarely adjusts.
How a coach adjusts, not from game to game, but from possession to possession or even play to play can make a world of difference. It can result in a win or a loss.
Hearing Bucs coach Todd Bowles speak earlier today, it seems Leftwich did make one adjustment late in the game that played a big part in the Bucs’ comeback to win in overtime last night.
Bowles was asked about the protection from the offensive line on the final drives. Bowles sort of shrugged his shoulders and said it was “decent.” But Bowles believed an adjustment (Leftwich?) made in the routes the receivers ran made more of a difference in keeping heat off Tom Brady.
“We were turning up, shortening some routes for [Brady] as well just to help out the protection,” Bowles said. “The guys were all on the same page and they fought.
“They knew that it was witching hour for us, and they had to come through with a play, and they did. They built up a drive that got us a field goal.”
Joe doesn’t know who exactly came up with that idea but surely Leftwich had to implement that move to make sure both the receivers and Brady were on the same page. So Joe will give Leftwich props here.
Does that make up for all of Leftwich’s mismanagement throughout the season? No. But it is a positive step.
Joe’s been tough on Leftwich since the Bucs lost to the Stinking Panthers earlier in October. He deserves every word of criticism for his hand in ruining this offense.
But Joe wants to be fair. Leftwich did a solid job adjusting last night. For a change.
Good job, Byron.
December 26th, 2022 at 7:44 pm
Hmmm. Is that really how it happened ? I’m calling hogwash or as they say back home hogwarsh.
December 26th, 2022 at 7:47 pm
Oh yippee kye yeah
December 26th, 2022 at 7:51 pm
Lest we forget this is the same guy that ran practically the same play 3 times in a row on 2nd and inches. Fail. Fail. Fail. Not much adjusting done in that series.
December 26th, 2022 at 7:53 pm
Watching the Bucs try and execute their single flawed game plan this year has been painful. I can’t even imagine how the players feel when they go home at night.
December 26th, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Only took until the last five minutes of week 16. Atta boy
December 26th, 2022 at 8:10 pm
Need more pump fake. Worked all 3 times they tried it this year.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:17 pm
I don’t buy it. Every game they throw WR screens, out routes and RBs in the flats… The majority of their passes are within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. It’s pathetic looking.
When they start playing with tempo, some play action, and no huddle then they start throwing passes 7 to 15 yards down the field.
They don’t need to throw it 40 yards down the field, just more intermediate routes, and when they’re playing with tempo, the pass protection holds up just fine.
They did not shorten routes, look at the passes Evans finally caught at the end. Look at the past of the middle Godwin caught. They were finally throwing it down feel a little bit.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:22 pm
It took us 15 games for the OC to realize that we need to shorten the routes because our Offensive Line can’t hold up. It’s utterly embarrassing.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:30 pm
No credit for finding a way to beat a pathetic team.
Turd Bowels and Firin’ Byron share responsibility for this sh!tty offense.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:34 pm
Final quarter vs NO
A couple drives vs KC
1 half vs ATL
Final 55 seconds vs LA
1 half vs SEA
Final 5 minutes vs NO
1 half vs CIN
Final 8 minutes vs AZ
That sums up when the offense played well the entire season. 4 times at the end of the game when they abandoned their philosophy of being a 1975 power running team. Two other times, Seattle and Cincy, they actually played with some tempo in the first half.
For those of you old enough, it reminds me a lot of late 80s – early 90s when Dan Reeves coached John Elway. He basically put handcuffs on him until the end of games and then told him to go win it. Horrendous.
Speaking of… The Broncos just fired their coach. Just saying….
Hopefully the Glaziers are currently formulating a plan on new coaches.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:40 pm
THE GAME HAS EVOLVED. BOWLES HAS NOT.
The schemes Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay work on are incomprehensible to Bowles.
Bowles is part of Parcels’ coaching tree. If Belicheck looks outdated, how does Bowles’ stand a chance?
Evolve or Die … never have truer words have been spoken.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:41 pm
David – Good summary. Hope a coach or two reads it.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:43 pm
I could care less whether they win this garbage division. Bowles and Co. are so bad I hope Carolina wins it so the Glazers have no choice but to clean house. Get it done so we can move on.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:48 pm
Leftie, quit peeing on my leg and telling me it’s raining. I saw your wonderful adjustment last week against the Bengals.
A working team effort got squashed at halftime.
Coming out of the half this week was a couple of three and outs.
I think nothing happened until Brady got sick of it and mutinied.
December 26th, 2022 at 8:59 pm
One big problem is this league is based on offense now. Yes, you need a great defense (and I would love to be able to keep Bowles as the DC, he has done wonders the last few years with the injuries they’ve had), but the HC needs to be offensive minded.
Thoughts on Josh Heupel HC/OC @ Tenn?
He basically uses a zone running scheme, which has almost always worked well in the NFL. He does not let teams stack the box by spreading the receivers out wide and having a lot of intermediate and deep routes.
Like most new offenses, it works better when you have a QB that can threaten to run, but his offense has worked at every level of college football so far, it’s been impressive.… and he adapts.
Just a thought towards the future
December 26th, 2022 at 9:01 pm
What adjustments? Seriously?
December 26th, 2022 at 9:01 pm
Byron can’t spell adjustment.
Hell scheme the same crap
December 26th, 2022 at 9:24 pm
There so bad in the second half. It’s tough to watch every other team even the poorly coached ones make adjustments. Tampa Bay never does on ofence. Until down 10 with little hope and #12 go’s rogue.
December 26th, 2022 at 9:27 pm
It’s not a coincidence that hurry up always works. Minimal input from coaches.
December 26th, 2022 at 9:30 pm
He should have been fired after Pittsburg.
Steelers were down their top 3 cornerbacks, a pro bowl safety AND they’re all pro DE TJ Watt- the best pass rusher in the league. But dumbfahq Leftwich and Bowles thought the Bucs should run for no gain over and over and over, rather than take advantage of a woefully weak pass defense.
They are stubborn inept buffoons who have ruined this team.
December 26th, 2022 at 9:38 pm
It’s like Bowles is so afraid of being in BA shadows that he’s willing to ruin this whole season to prove he can do it his way. If he does he should be gone at the end of the season everyone of them. If BA was wanting to be a gm somewhere I would be scared if this is the coaches he thought should be in charge
December 26th, 2022 at 9:48 pm
Quite a few teams, Jags Packers are. two examples who had pretty prolonged slumps but turned it around.
Win the next two and the world might look different as I think we host a playoff game round one.
Never count Brady out.
December 26th, 2022 at 10:20 pm
As much blame as Leftboob deserves, I’m conviinced the true blame lands at the feet of Toad’s Bowels, head Incompetacoach
December 26th, 2022 at 10:51 pm
What a boner! Should have went no huddle earlier in the game. It’s been the only way to spark the offense all year. Pretty sad that the morons running the show don’t even know what’s been somewhat successful this year. Do everyone a favor and just walk.
December 27th, 2022 at 12:51 am
Leftwich is way too dumb to come up with anything other than that 3rd down draw play with a min left. No, it was Tom Brady running the 2-min offense and calling the plays at the line when they were in the hurry up. Shockingly, Leftwich mostly got out of the way, and you can tell if Leftwich is screwing up everything since Brady will be in a zone and Leftwich will thing bring everything to a halt by doing huge personnel changes which destroy all momentum. On that last series, the Bucs were in shotgun but not in a hurry up so stupid Leftwich was there to squash the drive with his 3rd down draw. Seriously, how does this idiot still have a job today?
December 27th, 2022 at 6:39 am
I see an assistant coach of the year award in his future!
December 27th, 2022 at 6:43 am
Easy to see the criticism of the play-calling, the game-plan, etc. Despite the offensive line woes, missed tackles, interceptions, dropped interceptions and failure to score, I still root for this team. What I struggle with is the infantile 2nd grade names people use on this site to define coaches and players they say they are fans of. Its elementary and defines the “fans”, not the team. Only 2 posters (that I can tell) offer thoughtful analysis and actually know football. The rest…Madden superheroes. Go Bucs!
December 27th, 2022 at 7:20 am
not nearly enough adjustments were done, so many opportunities to of turned it around why wait till the 4th quarter awful bowles and leftwich need to be fired!!!!!!!!!!!
December 27th, 2022 at 7:42 am
ReachAround 87 oh boo hoo