Josh Grizzard Is Failing… Well, Not Really
September 10th, 2025
Week 1 2024 vs. 2025.
OMG, the sky is falling. The Bucs will collapse. The season is doomed!
Hold on, not quite. Joe’s having a little fun with readers.
One reason the Bucs decided to hire Josh Grizzard as Liam Coen’s successor as offensive coordinator was his work with the third-down offense in 2024.
That was one of Grizzard’s responsibilities. Coen often gave Grizzard credit for the third-down calls. Grizzard was high up in the coaches’ box and was Coen’s eyes from up above.
The Bucs last year converted a league-best 50.9 percent of third-down plays. That is exceptional no matter how you slice it.
So how did Grizzrd do Sunday on third downs since he’s in charge of the Bucs offense? Not quite as good. As in barely. The Bucs converted 7 of 14 third downs. 50 percent.
So Grizzard came up less than a percentage point 1 from matching the 2024 season total. In Week 1 last year, the Bucs converted 9 of 13 third downs. Other numbers to compare:
Week 1: 2024 2025
Net yards: 392 260
Rushing: 112 101
Passing: 280 159
First downs: 22 16
Rushing TDs: 0 0
Passing TDs: 4 3
Time of possession: 33:41 24:48
September 10th, 2025 at 5:20 am
Stats are for accountants and losers. Just win baby win.
September 10th, 2025 at 5:29 am
I’m not sure what conclusions can be drawn about Grizzard until the O-line is less chaotic. Shuffling all those guys around was an insane way to go into the season opener.
September 10th, 2025 at 5:55 am
Converting that gutsy 4th down made up the .9 difference by 100%. That’s at least 3 points for ATL minimum. Someone that is failing is the new time manager/director. It’s only one game and got the W on the road. Hope the team and staff get better as the season goes. Primetime game is on the way a chance to be dominant for everyone to see.
September 10th, 2025 at 6:36 am
I have never been prouder of my team, Any comparison between the first game of
2024 (at home) and 2025 (at Atlanta and also a division rival who beat us twice last year) fails to consider the incredible advantage the Falcons had playing at home in
Mercedes Benz Stadium. It was LOUD and Falcon fans were definitely expecting a win. Michael Penix is legit and with Pitts and Robinson on their roster they are going to be a formidable foe for years to come.
September 10th, 2025 at 6:51 am
The scheme is fine, the execution throughout the game was sporadic and lacking polish.
Last Year week one we had Chris Godwin, and Hutchinson had 4 sacks before breaking his leg. This Falcons game was a lot sloppier than that Detroit season opener.
Stats are an indicator of potential, production, and capability. Only people who are still intimidated by arithmetic at their big grown age think they don’t matter lol
September 10th, 2025 at 6:52 am
when your QB is your leading rusher something has gone wrong. with the celebrated O line shuffle in the rear view mirror the bucs had better fix the run game cause what rushing they did on sunday was pathetic. baker running for his life is not what the running game should be.
September 10th, 2025 at 6:53 am
Bucfan, spot on.
September 10th, 2025 at 6:57 am
Time will tell how the running game goes after Wirfs comes back.
Did notice Coen had a 200+ rush game in Jax.
Coen sure seems dialed in on how to have a decent running game.
Time will tell with the Grizz, 3rd down packages helped him get the job.
1st and 2nd down is when most running happens, so again we we will see how things work out by the 3rd-4th game of Wirfs already being back.
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 10th, 2025 at 7:30 am
McLaughlin left 4pts on the field and Baker missed a sure TD to Otten. Should have scored 34 despite having an off day. Points are the only stat that matters.
September 10th, 2025 at 7:32 am
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
September 10th, 2025 at 6:51 am
I was at that Lions game. We won that game because Bowles outcoached Campbell. Campbell made one bad decision after another in that game.
Bowles had a clean game all the way through.
For whatever reason — fans only remember the games where their coach might have made tactical mistakes and always forget the games where the other teams coaches screwed the pooch.
September 10th, 2025 at 7:32 am
He has a pass until the Oline gets back together. By mid-season we’ll know. This team still doesn’t appear to be a Super Bowl team.
September 10th, 2025 at 7:33 am
Need more passing to backs & TEs …fewer runs on 1st downs..
September 10th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Agree with Tampabaybucfan, more passes to the backs if the run game isn’t working. I wonder if Otton is healthy yet, so try the other TE’s. Is Culp healthy?
September 10th, 2025 at 7:53 am
2024 Game one v Washington: Chris Godwin 8 targets / 8 receptions for 83 yards, 10 yard average. There might be the difference.
September 10th, 2025 at 8:06 am
He doesn’t pass, catch, or block, but somehow he sucks at play calling. SMH
September 10th, 2025 at 8:08 am
The run blocking needs to improve fast. We’re not going to win many games running the ball that poorly. I have a feeling Wirfs will be back week 3 and it will return to form. The OL experiment really opened up a lot of depth options going forward. Jordan is solid depth at G and Graham and Bredeson looked like a good backup plan at Tackle & Center. BB has some amazing intelligent, smartest guy on the team and it’s not a team full of slackers.
September 10th, 2025 at 8:12 am
The Bucs were out of sync. They showed rust. Offensive line was shifted around, the first team never played in preseason and it was evident on Sunday.
Tristan Wirtz will be back in October and the offensive line will be back in their normal positions.
Hopefully the injury bug 🐛 🙏 will not be as devastating as 2024.
September 10th, 2025 at 8:20 am
Considering this was the first live action for Mayfield since January, I will take the win anyway that we can. Once we get to Philly and beyond (minus any further injuries) team should be up to speed with actual game play.
September 10th, 2025 at 8:28 am
When key starters don’t play in the preseason and you have e a cobbled offensive line. What in the hell do you expect?
The Bucs hid the Oline shuffling before the ATL game, Houston has film to look at. Baker better get ready to scramble his ass off again.
September 10th, 2025 at 8:32 am
They had their opportunity to promote the savant el serpiente and chose to stay the course of mediocrity- watching how both Bucs and Jags do this season with considerable interest – Go Bucs
September 10th, 2025 at 9:15 am
@Geno
People place a lot of importance in the optics of an HC, sometimes over how that coach operates in terms of preparing, leading, & growing with the team. To go into Atlanta and allow the team to have the time to gel in-game and to watch them iron out some of their own wrinkles isn’t a sexy part of how HCs are viewed.
If anything, the Falcons game is a great teaching tool for our whole staff to tell their guys what we can do and where we can be better, and like fans they’ll probably focus just as much on the bad than they will the good they did this past Sunday prepping for Houston.
September 10th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Still thinking the reshuffling of players caused some discord. Grizz and the team came through. Not worried.
September 10th, 2025 at 9:45 am
All week I’ve been upset that the national ppl ignore the O-line shuffle and other offensive injuries when talking about the impact of the OC change. It’s not really a fair comparison to week 1 of last year when we had a healthy O-line and all our weapons available that had been practicing all offseason together.
September 10th, 2025 at 10:04 am
Can’t even make a comparison to last year at this point. The makeshift O line was doing everything they could to protect Baker, but we’re not good at run blocking.
Don’t think the play calling was bad, more like the team was rusty and out of synch. Atlanta played press coverage and the LBs played close to the line so it was difficult for plays to develop. BTW, a lot of Atl pass coverage should have been pass interference, but was never called. Some of the calls against the Bucs like roughing the passer were bogus, yet Atl DB’s were allowed to crawl over the back of WR’s before the ball arrived.
September 10th, 2025 at 10:09 am
Regarding that Detroit win, Campbell said point-blank they were outcoached by Bowles, and krewe. I gotta say though, Aidan Hutchinson is a monster talent. So, Grizzard was an in-house hire, hmmmmm. Hope he’s better and gutsier than Coen. Open up the gameplan for crying out loud!!!! The Bucs have the talent.
September 10th, 2025 at 10:24 am
Did they hire someone new to be the 3rd down coordinator or assist Grizzard and be groomed to be a future coordinator?
September 10th, 2025 at 10:34 am
Week 1 is always too early to tell anything. They were missing two of their top receivers, had a makeshift O line, first time calling plays, Baker was looking a little rusty most the game, and still should have had 27 points on the board instead of 23 because of a couple kicking miscues.
Houston’s defense is better, they’ll have to step it up, but week 1 was a success
September 10th, 2025 at 10:34 am
I’d like Grizz and Bake to score on that opening drive or at least the first quarter, unlike the ATL game. Stay on the gas and don’t let the opponent catch up.
September 10th, 2025 at 10:38 am
“Hope he’s better and gutsier than Coen. Open up the gameplan for crying out loud!!!! The Bucs have the talent.“
We’ve got to be able to activate and deploy the jab, before we start working in the hooks, uppercuts, and haymakers.
September 10th, 2025 at 11:53 am
Maybe, he should go back upstairs to being in the booth? I want to go at a FASTER PACE see more TEMPO. Get Baker goin EARLY. RWhite, and ‘quick-hitters’ to Bucky! I want to see ‘aggressiveness’ inside the RedZone and during the “Middle-8” of ballgames. Get Bake into an ‘early’ RHYTHM and Let’s Goooo.
September 10th, 2025 at 12:00 pm
SAMPLE SIZE OF ONE?
OMG! One game. The Bucs don’t have 3 starters on offense. Let’s pump the breaks.
Only stat that matters right now is 1-0
September 10th, 2025 at 3:17 pm
Last year week 1 was a cupcake compared to this year. Division games are always tougher. Falcons Saints and Panthers all give us their best punch. It’s too bad we don’t seem to return the favor until the second half!
We weren’t at home, not the usual OL… Grizz did just fines the new OL wasn’t opening run game holes as well, I’m surprised the rushing yards are similar. Baker was off on the first 3 drives. Washington doesn’t have Jessie Bates or AJ Terrell. Not to mention I thought that Deablo from LV looked pretty good for them at LB.