Was Byron Leftwich Blaming Aaron Stinnie?
December 9th, 2022
Injured Bucs guard Aaron Stinnie.
Since Joe lives Buccaneers football 24/7, Joe listens to news conferences with a different ear.
Embattled playcaller Byron Leftwich did his weekly Q & A with media yesterday and was asked, of course, about offensive struggles.
He had a lot to stay. Most of it reminded Joe of a high-profile political debate or the funk track “Talkin‘ Loud and Sayin‘ Nothing.”
Leftwich lectured about other low scoring games around the NFL and noted that he’s not playing fantasy football. Leftwich also said offensive line injuries have affected playcalling.
“I don’t think people understand how many guys, the guys that were supposed to start got hurt. (laughs) Then we bring in, you know, [rookie left guard] Luke [Goedeke] — Luke get hurt,” Leftwich said. “So we got down the line in our offensive line group. And anytime you do that, that always makes it difficult.”
Joe’s connecting the dots here. Backup guard Aaron Stinnie, a Super Bowl starter, was battling with Goedeke, Nick Leverett and Robert Hainsey for the starting left guard gig in training camp. The Bucs pegged it as an open competition, but now it seems it was Stinnie’s job, per Leftwich’s comments.
Joe finds this interesting on a few levels if Leftwich is being forthright.
First, in an all-in Tom Brady season, the Bucs drafted a backup guard, Goedeke, in Round 2 when they could have rolled the dice on an impact player. Or was Goedeke not as good as expected?
Second, Goedeke is healthy now after a foot injury, but Leverett remains the starting left guard. So did Leftwich incorrectly assess Leverett in training camp and rank him behind Goedeke to start the season?
Third, if Stinnie was supposed to be the starter, then why was he playing in the third quarter of a meaningless preseason game when he got hurt?
Joe supposes it’s remotely possible Leftwich was referring to before center Ryan Jensen getting hurt, when it’s possible Leftwich thought current center Robert Hainsey would start at left guard, though that seems highly unlikely.
Joe might need a Big Storm beer before 9 a.m. today.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:32 am
Not playing fantasy football yet you have a fantasy QB. Jensen hasn’t played all season Hainsley has. So your left with two spots left guard and TE. These guys went to college right? They can’t get it right after half a dozen games? I call BS AGAIN! Poor Brady going to get embarrassed in front of his family & homies. All due to putrid coaching. All Bowels cares about is D turnovers, nothing for his O that faces the #1 D. SAD!!!
December 9th, 2022 at 7:32 am
Excuses are like Suhholes. Everybody’s got one.
Oh wait we don’t. We didn’t sign Suh.
Never mind.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:33 am
Is he blaming Stinnie? I would say he is blaming the whole Oline and even though it has been rough, what has Leftwich done to coach/scheme to maximize the strengths and weaknesses of the Oline? That’s his job. One that he has not done well.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:38 am
It couldn’t possibly be his junior high school play calling. We all know that. The dude is an offensive genius. Everyone else sucks. Yeah. Got it.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:44 am
Not only is this guy clueless when it come to play calling, when he speaks he sound uneducated. How in he’ll did Jax even consider this clown to be their head coach. Damn I wanted him to take that job when it was offered.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:46 am
I go back every few days and watch film. The most glaring thing that I see play after play is the middle push the Oline gives up on pass plays. Seldom a clean pocket. There’s no room for Brady to step up or step into his throws. He’s not Rogers or Mahomes. He’s a slide up pocket passer. Too many back foot and flat footed throws. Not his game. The predictability of the offense compounds this. When was the last time you saw Brady slide up in the pocket and rip a pass. Hell , even the bomb to Evans last game was thrown flat footed.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:49 am
Joe, what makes you think that Boron is ever “forthright”?
December 9th, 2022 at 7:50 am
Blame Licht, he missed badly on Goedeke and Hainsey, particularly the former who is hot garbage.
December 9th, 2022 at 7:53 am
🍻 Joe
December 9th, 2022 at 8:27 am
How many more excuses are y’all going to look for lol 🤣🤣?? I can’t wait until Brady is done so y’all can find another scapegoat!!! Now when we win Sunday and the offense plays well I can promise you Brady will get all of the credit and Byron Leftwich won’t get no credit for play calling.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:27 am
Byron “It’s someone else’s fault” Leftwich
December 9th, 2022 at 8:36 am
Herschel Leftwich or Byron Walker.. I can’t decide.
Vampire or werewolf?
December 9th, 2022 at 8:39 am
Oneiltobradyyall, you maybe the only one on this site that can actually decipher what Byron is saying. So in your EXPERT, this offense is playing the same as last season? Please don’t use the Gronk & AB excuse because Gronk missed 5 games, AB left after the Jets and NO Godwin and Lenny was out for multiple games. What’s your answer again?
December 9th, 2022 at 8:47 am
Bruce Ariens scammed this organization big time.
It was a massive mistake to allow him to anoint the next head coach and the OC here .
That’s not how it’s supposed to be done. This staff is awful led by Bowles/BL. How many more games do we have to look like garbage before this ownership group gets involved? We need a mutiny.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:55 am
I don’t see much creative play calling that takes some pressure off the OL…
December 9th, 2022 at 8:57 am
“How many more excuses are y’all going to look for lol 🤣🤣??”
What excuses are there? As of today, how many starters from the last 2 seasons are starting for the o line right now? It’s not excuses, it’s fact! Stop acting so c*nty all of the time and being defensive.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:59 am
Oneilbuc Says
Does the pit crew win a race????????????????????????
December 9th, 2022 at 9:02 am
Byro the Clown. Get him wild red hair and a red nose and some lipstick. Put him in the circus. He doesn’t belong in a professional organization.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:05 am
Joe:
The guy doesn’t know what he is doing. If the Bucs had almost any other starting NFL QB the Bucs would probably be winless at this point.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:14 am
Way to stay consistent, Oneilbuc. You obviously look at the game through a single lens. Your anti-Brady bias keeps you from seeing the glaring deficiencies in the offense. And it keeps people from taking the legitimate things you do say seriously.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:14 am
Very funny post Joe!
nothin wrong with the Occasional breakfast beer!
December 9th, 2022 at 9:16 am
ExPatriot fanbois are funny
December 9th, 2022 at 9:49 am
Stinnie wasn’t to blame. But his loss certainly made things more difficult.
December 9th, 2022 at 9:52 am
Leftie will blame anyone other than himself. If he was even a half of an OC he could scheme around some of those injuries, instead of looking like he is lost.
December 9th, 2022 at 10:01 am
Tim – “Byron ‘It’s someone else’s fault’ Leftwich”
Exactly. Everything he said in his response was a deflection. Once again, no accountability.
December 9th, 2022 at 10:58 am
Can’t see where BL ‘blamed’ Stinnie for anything Joe. Sounds like he was just stating facts when he said ‘the guys that were supposed to start got hurt’. (I presume that he was talking about Jensen & Stinnie). And yes, I think most kinda assumed that the veteran Stinnie would start over the rookie Goedeke.
Cobraboy … Agree 100% with your comment that ‘I don’t see much creative play calling that takes some pressure off the OL’. It’s really hard to tell how much of the breakdowns are the lack of OLinemens’ strength, technique, etc versus how much of breakdowns are the result of poor scheming, design, play calling, etc.
Kentucky Buc … Great observations IMO about the impact of poor blocking on Tom Brady & his movement within the pocket. I’m seeing the center of the OLine collapse backwards far too often also & it has to be impacting Brady. Our 2020/2021 OLine of Smith/Marpet/ Jensen/ Cappa/Wirfs was better IMO than any we’ve ever had. Comparing that line to Smith/Leverett/ Hainsey/ Mason/Wells is amusing if folks can’t see the obvious difference in talent levels.
December 9th, 2022 at 11:08 am
Leftwich and Bowels have less accountability than Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter or Mike Smith; all of whom were epic fails; Bowels especially reminds me of Lovie: incredibly stubborn with a heap of ineptitude. Leftwich is just as bad with his idiotic pressers where he attempts to deflect blame. The Glazers need to fire these nimrods else they are going to see season ticket sales crater next year; no one will pay to see those nimrods lose games 16-10 every ****ing week.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
Pit crew doesn’t win races?
Happens every year!!
They also lose races all the time.
We are hurting because we don’t have the BEST coaches, but that’s not to say we still can’t win.
I can genuinely say that if we win this week, it will be despite the coaching staff, not because of them.
That sucks to say, so us as fans are tired of it.
Good teams are winning games with MR Irrelevant.
We have Tom Brady and a bunch of excuses.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:17 pm
1. Stinnie should never have been playing late in a preseason game. That’s on Bowles.
2. Licht got cute in the draft again with Hainsey and Goedeke the glass eater. Fortunately Leverett has been decent.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:35 pm
As much talk there is about players being accountable, there sure is none from BL. Dude is lucky to ride the coat tails of BA and Brady.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:36 pm
Byron Leftwich reminds me of “check yo sheets”.
Utterly inept at self-awareness.
December 9th, 2022 at 1:16 pm
Ridiculous BL is an idiot, what gave him any indication that Luke was better than Nick because in season that answer is clear
December 9th, 2022 at 1:53 pm
Oneiltobradyyall
I think this dude has some side-kink going on with Leftwurst… Otherwise he’s making dirt look smart… either way I think he needs a hug and maybe a hanky for all those deliciously salty hater-tears he cries
December 9th, 2022 at 2:24 pm
Lol 😂😂😂 Brady’s worshipers are something else 😂😂 !!! They think everyone hates Brady because you speak the truth about Brady 😅. Is it BL fault when Brady throws balls to the dirt? Is it BL fault that Brady missing receivers wide open to dump it off the a running back?? Is the coaches fault that Brady is 45 years old I guess his worshipers blaming BL for Brady’s age to . Lol 🤣🤣🤣. Now when the bucs blow the 49ers out I wonder if y’all going to give BL credit for calling a good game ??
December 9th, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Past time for BL to go.
December 9th, 2022 at 8:09 pm
Oneiltobradyyall, you going to give Brady credit if he has to bail the killer B’s out AGAIN like Rams & Saints? Hate on, Oneiltobradyyall.
December 10th, 2022 at 8:14 am
NE. Those were 2 good drives by Brady but they ain’t winning nothing playing good for only 2 minutes a game on offense.
December 10th, 2022 at 10:27 pm
Once again a loser speaks, he was a lover in his last coaching job and still is. Go back to coaching high school. Wake up Glazers. You are going to win games with this lover and soon will be losing fans. Forget about season ticket holders they will be leaving.