Bucs Offense Was Ready To Play In 2024
June 24th, 2025
Preparation.
Two years ago, then-Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales never guided the Bucs offense to a touchdown on an opening drive.
Including the playoffs, that’s 18 opening drives with zero touchdowns.
That was borderline shameful, even for a first-time offensive coordinator like Canales was. You could easily suggest the Bucs weren’t prepared, if your goal is scoring touchdowns.
Well, last year, under then-Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Joe could argue the Bucs were very much ready to play. Per noted handicapper turned stathead Warren Sharp, no team averaged more yards on their opening drives than the Bucs. Tampa Bay led the NFL in average yards gained on their opening drives.
No quarterback/offense did better.
Not Pat Mahomes, not Joe Burrow, not Saint Lamar Jackson, not even Josh Allen oversaw offenses in 2024 that averaged more yards than Tampa bay.
There’s another high bar new Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has to reach.
avg yards gained on opening drives:
47 – TB
46
45
44 – KC
43 – NO
42 – CIN
41 – IND
40 – MIN
39 – BAL
38 – BUF, ATL
37 – GB, ARI
36 – CAR
35 – SF
34 – LAC
33 – DET, HOU, DAL
32 – WAS
31 – CLE
30
29 – MIA
28 – DEN, LV
27 – SEA, LAR, NYG
26 – NYJ, JAX, TEN
25
24 – PHI
23
22 – PIT…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 12, 2025
June 24th, 2025 at 5:52 am
Terrible. Just terrible. And it was even worse than that Joe. It was 19 games including the playoffs. Not 18.
June 24th, 2025 at 6:12 am
Saint Lamar Jackson — funny. Mahomes and Brady make this Super Bowl thing look easy. So many Teams and QBs in that just below tier wanting, planning and trying to break on through to the other side. Baker and the offense are clearly top tier, but you also need the defense to get you there. 2023 was exciting because we did not know if Baker had the “it” factor”. 2025 is exciting because we do not know how improved the defense will be. Do we have the talent and coaching to break on through? Go Bucs!
June 24th, 2025 at 6:23 am
the bucs and all bucs fans so lucky canales got promoted.
June 24th, 2025 at 7:08 am
Joe … ‘There’s another high bar new Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has to reach.’
‘HAS TO REACH’? I pity poor Grizz already. Never called a play in the NFL, yet the expectation is that he’ll at least equal the best in the NFL last year. What could possibly go wrong?
June 24th, 2025 at 8:03 am
Losing Canales turned out to be a blessing in disguise, although I argue that no disguise should have been needed. He was vastly overrated simply because they had a few decent games at the end of the season against garbage teams and made the playoffs. The major of the year the offense was trash under Canales.
June 24th, 2025 at 8:11 am
New Orleans being third in that stat is the surprise to me.
June 24th, 2025 at 8:16 am
Canales will be fired v this,season
June 24th, 2025 at 8:28 am
Canales was a good, not great, OC. He was also a definite improvement over the guy he replaced. Canales strikes me as a guy who will be a better head coach than coordinator because he has that head coach demeanor but lacks the creativity to be a top shelf OC. I’m glad we had him and I’m glad we moved onward and upward since then. Gonna be a fun year but we need to give up fewer sacks and turnovers.
June 24th, 2025 at 8:55 am
The Fleagles were very nearly the worst in the league, and ended up the champs. Some stats simply don’t mean much.
June 24th, 2025 at 9:21 am
Wow finally an offense that gets yards on the first drive? How did we do on TDs?
Go Bucs!
June 24th, 2025 at 9:29 am
so we were good at flipping the field lol…
grizz needs to run the ball…
defense needs to stay healthy….
baker needs to protect the ball…cant lead the nfl in INTs & Fumbles this year baker
GO BUCS!!!!
June 24th, 2025 at 9:52 am
I feel like Lee wrote this piece. Specifically because of “Saint” Lamar Jackson Lmao
June 24th, 2025 at 10:05 am
those yardages can be skewed by field position. Packers picked off a pass on opponents first drive and have a short opening drive and it knocks them down the list.
Where 47 means more is the Bucs were tied on opening drive TD’s with
47% of the time. 24% FG and 24% Punt. Bucs led the league with 65% scoring on opening drives.
Canales and the Panthers had offensive scores 35% of the time in 2024 which had them tied with teams coached by Payton, Harbaugh, Serriani and Tomblin. Three of which made the playoffs and were one and done like the Bucs were and one hoisted the Lombardi.
Bucs offense was still quite good on opening drives. 8 TD’s 4 FG’s 4 Punts and 1 other which was probably one of those NFL leading interceptions.
June 24th, 2025 at 10:14 am
Great stat… but the team that won it all is at the bottom, proving it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish
June 24th, 2025 at 11:23 am
^^^Agreed