Josh Grizzard Very Much Involved In Emeka Egbuka Pick
May 21st, 2025
Bucs OC Josh Grizzard.
Maybe this is weird for Joe to think this way but hear Joe out.
Joe remembers when the Bucs selected America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, No. 1 overall 10 year ago. Just before that, Joe was up at Florida State to attend Jameis’ Pro Day.
Bucs brass were, too.
That included then-Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. The first-year Bucs signal-caller was asked how much input he had into researching Jameis that day. Koetter said, basically, the Bucs asked him if he could work with Jameis and he told lousy Lovie Smith and Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht that he could.
End of story.
So that was 10 years ago. Maybe things have changed? Again this year, the Bucs have a new rookie offensive coordinator, Josh Grizzard. Unlike his predecessor Liam Coen, Grizzard has never called plays at any level.
So Joe asked Grizzard yesterday how much input he had into the Bucs selecting Emeka Egbuka in the first round four weeks ago. To hear Grizzard, he was very much involved.
“Absolutely, yeah, it was very collective,” Grizzard said of the research he did on Egbuka. “From the time we started watching his tape to meeting with him in Indy, it [was] something that’s very collaborative between myself and [wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon], of course, Coach Bowles and Jason [Licht] and the rest of his staff.
“So we go through anybody that’s really draft eligible.”
Grizzard emphasized that everyone directly below him on the Bucs’ football totem pole, as well as everyone above him, was “aligned” in trying to make Egbuka a Bucs receiver.
“We were very fortunate to do so,” Grizzard added.
So with the Bucs 10 years ago, all Koetter, had to do as the veteran head of the Bucs offense was basically give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to whether he could co-exist with a quarterback.
With Grizzard, the Bucs told him to roll up his sleeves and dig in with research on receivers.
May 21st, 2025 at 4:37 am
Hopefully we have no drop off with a new offensive coordinator. Just need the D to improve and we should have a great season
May 21st, 2025 at 5:45 am
This shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us. Massive culture change at 1 Buc over the last decade. Licht stubbed his toe a lot early on, but he’s built an organization that does things right at every level. Now, if they could just develop an edge rusher….
May 21st, 2025 at 6:27 am
And I hope we grab another WR in the 1st round next year.
Bowles and Licht can find solid defensive players in rounds 2-5.
A third young WR next year too!
May 21st, 2025 at 6:38 am
Grizzard looks and sounds like an A+ coach and with his pedigree I have very little doubt he is going to light it up with this set of toys
I think Canales and Liam greatly benefited from the level of talent we had just as much as their ability to coach or call plays.
We have added firepower to an already explosive offense
Can’t wait for the season to get here!!!!
May 21st, 2025 at 7:20 am
So if Canales gets the Panthers on a winning trajectory, and if El Serpiente totally turns around a perennially struggling franchise, and if Griz gets hired as a head coach in the next year or two because of his success, are we then talking about Todd Bowles’ offensive coaching tree??
May 21st, 2025 at 8:07 am
I hope Gizzard gets head coaching interview the next off season, it will only mean that the Bucs offense is still humming
May 21st, 2025 at 8:32 am
If our offense outperforms last years offense (and I think it will), we better offer Grizz the type of raise that he can’t refuse.
We gotta keep one of these guys longterm and I think/ hope Grizz will be the one who stays…
May 21st, 2025 at 8:48 am
Bridle
Not sure being somewhere for one season on the opposite side of the ball from the HC really counts as a coaching tree.
May 21st, 2025 at 9:25 am
What a well managed organization does, and Bucs do it better than anyone. Todd and Jason make a great HR department.
May 21st, 2025 at 9:34 am
If luck strikes a 3rd time for the Bucs when it comes to OC, hopefully this guy can parlay this job into the next Bucs HC gig!
May 21st, 2025 at 10:10 am
Someone with the name “Grizz” really should have a beard.