What To Expect From Zac Robinson
July 8th, 2026
Players over plays.
Six words in this story made Joe’s ears perk up.
Veteran NFL scribe Dan Pompei of The Athletic may have made Joe’s week by typing six simple words on how the Bucs offense may change this year under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
“Emphasizing the player over the play” is how Pompei laid out Robinson’s likely philosophy. Here’s the full excerpt on how Robinson is the new guy at One Buc Palace to watch out for.
…Robinson has been a play caller for two years, so he has a feel for what can work and what might not. He also has experience working with Sean McVay and is expected to bring Rams concepts to Tampa, including emphasizing the player over the play. That could bode well for Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving and others. Robinson also worked briefly with Baker Mayfield in 2022, when Robinson was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator of the Rams, and Mayfield spent five games with the team, so he has a feel for his quarterback.
Joe always loved the story Nick Saban told. Saban learned it in high school from his coach, his first coaching lesson, Saban said. Down a touchdown in a do-or-die game. Saban, a quarterback who called the plays even as a kid, came to the sideline during a timeout. His coach offered advice.
You have an all-state receiver and a track champion at running back, Saban’s coach told him. Find a way to get one of those two the ball.
Saban fakes a handoff to the track star/running back and throws a touchdown pass to the all-state receiver. Saban’s team wins.
In crunch time, Saban learned, it was never how cute a play was, but that you get the ball in the hands of your best players. Let your playmakers make plays.
And the Bucs have several playmakers. The options for Robinson are many (and typing this makes Joe sick that Mike Evans bolted).
Pompei is right about Robinson. Bijan Robinson was clearly Zac Robinson’s best player at Atlanta. Look what Zac Robinson did with him.
Simple, yet effective.
@alabama__ftbl Nick Saban dialed up a game winning call at 15 years old?!?!?! LEGENDARY #NickSaban #coaching #RollTide #Alabama #Bama ♬ original sound – Alabama Crimson Tide on AL.com
July 8th, 2026 at 9:07 am
Zac Robinson VS. Todd Bowles on 3rd and 28 – ADVANTAGE Zac Robinson
Zac Robinson VS. Todd Bowles on 4th and 14 – ADVANTAGE Zac Robinson
Zac Robinson > Todd Bowles when it TRULY counted…
July 8th, 2026 at 9:17 am
While I’m excited to see what Robinson can dial up, he too was on an 8-9 team in 2025.
Part of the reason they got to 8 wins was his undressing of the Bowles schemed Swiss cheese defense. And he did it with a cadaver at QB. 3rd and 28!
Now he has to outscore that same defense he used to carve up.
Likely we will need to average 30+ points a game to even have a chance at victory.
That’s a big ask for a new OC that doesn’t have a HOF WR to use and a lesser RB1 at his disposal.
I’m in agreement with the stated philosophy. Let the best players make the plays.
I’d argue that you also need great coaching to coach those great players.
At the HC\DC position, we have an anchor dragging us to the depths of the bay.
Fire Bowles and you will see an instant turn around.
July 8th, 2026 at 9:27 am
AND – don’t forget – the WR that plunged the dagger into Todd Bowles heart is currently on the Bucs roster…
Welcome to Tampa Bay – David Sills.
I absolutely LOVE the IRONY…
July 8th, 2026 at 9:41 am
While I think he’s an upgrade over Grizz I’m weary of Zac. He was fired last year while their D Coord was retained. He had some good weapons to work with last year. In that players’ poll, he was the lowest ranked OC in the league.
July 8th, 2026 at 9:45 am
It’s funny, this weekend I was listening to the show Joe referenced a few articles ago where one of the hosts said the Bucs would go 8-9. The other one had the Falcons sweeping the Bucs this year because “they’ve taken 3 of 4 the last two years and in those 3 wins the Falcons have scored over 30 points”
Now, far be it from me to say the Falcons couldn’t sweep the Bucs this year. But if I could I would ask the “analyst” two questions:
What was different about the game the Bucs won?
Who are the three most important people in an organization when it comes to offensive production?
Answers are Kirk Cousins didn’t play and HC, OC and QB. The QB and HC are gone, and we have the OC. Like I said, of course we could get swept by the Failcons. But using the last two years as to why it will happen is just silly. And IMHO low effort analysis
July 8th, 2026 at 9:48 am
Joe, on Christmas Day of 2022 (Mayfield was leading the Bucs to victory opening day with Bucs at Vikings 2023) the Rams, led by Baker Mayfield and his QB coach Zac Robinson, put a 51-14 spanking on Sean Payton and the Broncos. That’s more than 6 words to make your ears perk up, Joe. But that oughta make them perk up again.
July 8th, 2026 at 9:51 am
Smart coach put the ball in the best player’s hands. Sounds easy, so in other words don’t keep putting Bucky out there as the lead back if he is not. Last year we kept trying to cram him down the throats of other teams as a lead back, and I feel like he was the number 3 back on this team most of the season. And I know Baker is one hell of a competitor, but if he isn’t healthy for F-sake get a back up in here that can at least win you a game or two if you need it. We need a healthy Baker down the stretch not a hobbled QB.
July 8th, 2026 at 10:07 am
Run,Run,Run..Makes life easy on the whole TEAM!
July 8th, 2026 at 10:20 am
If you want to have some real fun, put this in your AI Google machine:
how many different tackle, guard and center offensive line combinations did the tampa bay buccaneers use in 2025
Then when you get the answer ask how it compared to the rest of the league.
I learned 2 things. 1 – it wasn’t all in my head and 2 – the number 1 team kind of surprised me given I thought I was paying attention to things
July 8th, 2026 at 10:28 am
Finally, someone who recognized Grizzard was a nearly complete flop. Baker bailed him out in the opener against Atlanta, against Houston, and in Seattle or this team would have lost 12 games. Bowles has accepted the blame, but Grizz was awful.
July 8th, 2026 at 10:56 am
Next years top head coaching candidate Zac Robinson
July 8th, 2026 at 11:06 am
I’m hoping all the complaints ATL fans had of him like predictability, not utuilizing his top tier guys in high pressure scenarios, and a bad stretch of converting on 3rd down.
Same cook, different ingredients, so we should expect different results/meals, right?
July 8th, 2026 at 11:06 am
Todd will have Zac Robinson reminding us of Will Robinson from Lost in Space by week 6.
July 8th, 2026 at 11:06 am
I am hopeful this year. I am probably the only one that says goodbye to Evans. Great Buc and HOF but do we upgrade in FA if we signed him to 20m? Where did that money go? To the FA and our upgrades in the off season. We finally have some depth and competition on the D and WR. IMHO we would be in the 8 win season ceiling if we signed Evans with no depth minimal FA signing and the same D.
July 8th, 2026 at 11:24 am
This was Coen’s mantra as well… hoping Zac has similar results and positions himself to force the Glazers into the prospect of making the same mistake twice.
July 8th, 2026 at 11:35 am
Zac wasnt impressive in ATL…
if he was, he’d be the HC in ATL much like Joe Brady in BUF…Zac has a ton to prove this year
GO BUCS!!!!
July 8th, 2026 at 11:40 am
This time of year, there’s no hitting and many of us talk about HOPE. I hope Z-Rob will be a good OC but I’m on the fence with him.
His players, in the NFLPA report, only gave him a C grade. Reports and articles about him from last year aren’t encouraging.
In the article “Zac Robinson Defiant Amid Allegations Falcons Offense is Boring and Predictable” a couple ex-QBs note:
“Robinson was in the crosshairs of ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky after his very first game in charge, calling the Falcons’ 226-yard effort in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, “Scheme-wise, a complete and total joke.”
Kurt Warner: “”I love this game & breaking down tape, but I’m struggling to watch the ATL O tape!!! Predictable… boring (same plays over and over)… don’t like the spacing often… lots of miscommunication… just don’t really get it??!” Warner wrote on X.”
July 8th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
There’s an old saying in football that if you have 2 QBs you don’t have a QB. Zac had 2 QBs in Atlanta. Tough to win without a QB.
July 8th, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Joe, you need to get over your sickness for Mike leaving. We’re better off with our new 21 year old X receiver Ted Hurst. We have some sick weapons on offense, and no more get Evans his touches mandate. It’s going to be exciting, new, and I think better.
July 8th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
I would imagine if your options on Offense was either Bijan, Pitts or London it would look boring and predictable. That’s only 3 dudes and we have like 15 true weapons. Exaggeration I know but come on.
Zac is a smart dude who has called plays and can still learn from mistakes.
If the scheme is players over plays, the why criticize him for lesser players?
You still have to know when to beat man and how and when to beat zone and how. It surely has to be both players AND plays.
July 8th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
The German Shepherd pictured above would be a better head coach than the one we hasn.
July 8th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
To 3.28 Evans
Ownership pays the coaching staff the same rate it would pay the dog
July 8th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
To 3.28 Evans
Ownership pays the coaching staff the same rate it would pay the dog
July 8th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
I love this: “it was never how cute a play was, but that you get the ball in the hands of your best players. Let your playmakers make plays.“
Look, Evans was great. Until the last two years. They effectively did not have him last year. He’s not that big of a loss if you measure his contributions last year.
Godwin. Egbuka. McMillan. All are better than Evans right now. It’s true.
Add in a potential new path with the TEs, Gainwell and Hurst.
Add a healthy Mauch, Bredeson, Wirfs and Barton.
On paper, it looks much better.
July 8th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Zac isn’t calling plays against Todd’s Cover No One Scheme this year…
ATL fans chatter about the only times the offense looked good were against TB
July 8th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
Was Grizzard a complete flop when the Bucs were 6-2 before the bye?
Or just during the 2-7 Hindenburg style catastrophe that ended the season???
I ask because last summer all the Pom Pom waivers were saying that Grizzard was going to be better than Coen.
Now here we are in the summer of 2026 and the lemming speak has switched to Zach Robinson.
He was given a C grade by the players and his scheme was described as predictable, boring, and lots of miscommunication.
Does that sound familiar to anyone else?????
Bowles defense is the worst in the NFL. Zach Robinson might say hold my beer.
July 8th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
This is a way more talented team than we were fielding late last year minus all the injured players. It’s going to make a HUGE difference to the outcome of games. We will be able to run the football again and have actual holes to run through!
July 8th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
So…Zac Robinson came to the Bucs knowing he better win or else his career as an OC is in trouble…
And he coached Baker when he was with the Rams. So… his career is on the line and he chose to put his career in the hands of Baker Mayfield. Hmmm kinda sounds like he thinks a lot about Baker Mayfields talents…interesting
July 8th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Floormatt needs to share whatever meds it’s on with the rest of us.
July 8th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
Yes, let your playmakers make plays…until you have defenses totally focused on your playmakers. Then, let someone else do it.
July 8th, 2026 at 2:46 pm
3.28.(HOF bound)Evans
You crack me up. Better he be Will Robinson than Professor Smith. Better meds are ALWAYS in the cart
July 8th, 2026 at 3:12 pm
Some days I wish I had meds dealing with the likes of the people on here. I wish I understood what their ultimate goals are….total team collapse? Are they fans of the Jets and hoping they can get Baker Mayfield? I get hating Todd even though he really doesn’t deserve it and won us a Super Bowl. However, the *amount* of hate points to something else. It’s wholly out of sync with Bowles transgressions. Ultimately, I don’t get/understand them. There’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic right now with everyone basically healthy outside of Morrison.
Looking at the team with a critical eye I’m still concerned with our depth at corner and ILb. Outside of that though, I see plenty of reasons this team will be way better than expected, not worse. Especially if they remain relatively healthy!
July 8th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Let the defense tell us where to go. As others have noted we have a lot of potential playmakers. And with Mike gone Zac can focus on scheming to win games and not to win + keep Mike’s stat-line alive or keep feeding Bucky in spite of results.
I want to see opposing Ds try to blanket any combination of Chris, EE, J-Mac, Tez, Hurst.
Double any of our WRs and get burned by somebody else. And then there are our RBs and tight ends.
The offense has a chance to return to a top 10 squad after a step back with Grizz… Bless him but he was lacking in ego strength last year and not ready to lead the boys…. Wish Grizz the best but he was nowhere near being experienced enough. Like Arians said re: Robinson – he’s already learned from his mistakes in ATL, “he has the answers to the test”.
LFG bucs
July 8th, 2026 at 3:54 pm
Since there’s no “direct mention” of McMillan, it’s clear he’s going to have to shine ONCE AGAIN
July 8th, 2026 at 5:24 pm
Hey @ Stpetematt
If not for Arians, Bowles would never be a head coach again
We have seen that with our own eyes since he took over
When someone gets a job not because of their record and capability,
it bugs
We know what every other GM in the league knows
Todd Bowles is not head coach material
And he’s only defensive coordinator material with the perfect roster
of superstar
Then we come here and we get gaslit for the likes of you and others blaming everyone except for the coach
You don’t think Bowles wanted it Mayfield to come here
You don’t think Bowles hired Grizzard
You don’t think Bowles and installs his game plan and
scheme weekend and week out
He said himself they had done all they could do
He said he didn’t know what else to do
He said the players need to coach themselves
But some here which I do gaslight us into thinking he’s a defensive guru
So yeah, it irks some of us
July 8th, 2026 at 6:11 pm
Really fantastic little piece, love the Saban bit to emphasize your point!
July 8th, 2026 at 6:19 pm
I hope to see a lot of 3 and 4 WRs!! Spread the line out and run from that formation once in a while.. Zac didn’t impress me much last season. Bowles was so bad at calling D it’s hard to really know. Zac having more experience calling plays should help him and the Bucs.
New season new team and staff. D should be improved. Run game should be improved. ST with the new coach should be vastly improved too. Hope is here for now. Bring on September!
July 8th, 2026 at 7:12 pm
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. lined up in the shotgun. He motioned Drake London across the formation and the Falcons dropped back on a quick pass out to him in the flat. 49er defensive back Chase Lucas rallied and made a great play on the ball, knocking it away from the outstretched arms of London. The ball fell incomplete and the 49ers went on to ice the game with a 11-play touchdown drive.
After the game, Lucas said that he knew the play was coming before the ball was even snapped.
“When I kept looking at it, every time he’s at two [in the slot], he’s running that option route. He’s always outside, he’s always outside,” the 49ers’ defender said after the game. “When I see [Drake London] motion over I’m like ‘Oh wow they’re really about to run this on 4th & 1.’ I’m just mad that I missed the opportunity to pick it off.”
The Falcons’ offensive coordinator was asked about these comments.
“We haven’t run that specific play all season long,” Robinson said Wednesday. “Again, you don’t know what they’re talking about in their meetings, but obviously, he made a good play. In our room, we’re saying, ‘Hey, how could the details, fundamentals, execution been better in order for that not to happen?’ Obviously, he made a good play on the back hip. Had no problem with Mike [Penix] throwing that ball because we felt like, ‘Hey, he still had a yard and a half of separation. You can absolutely cut that thing loose, and we’ve seen you guys make those plays.’ Of course, it didn’t happen.”
Falcons fans started calling for Z-Robs head after this game. Funniest part to me, is Robinson saying they haven’t run that played up to that points as if teams won’t dig into the ‘24 tape along with the ‘25 tape to get a better feel for what an offense does with an OC they’ve had for multiple years. Great play, but even better play recognition and recall.
These OCs are proud, “Í run plays split veer, give it time it works like novacaine” until it gets figured tf out lol
Always be innovating Z-Rob
July 8th, 2026 at 7:19 pm
Zac is still slapping himself — wondering on how he was able to get fired and then find himself landing in an upgrade of offensive line and weapons.
If he’s actually embracing the mantra, “Emphasizing the player over the play”, we’re going to be tight and right offensively — and moving the ball more consistently.
“Emphasizing the player over the play” was the opposite of what Grizz was doing during the second half of last season. That’s why we fell short.
Won’t be long now until we find out.
Go Bucs!
July 9th, 2026 at 4:30 am
@Stpetematt,
Too funny to say you’re looking at the team with a critical eye, yet you’re obviously blind to todd’s massive ineptness. Subtly trying to throw the race card into it doesn’t add weight either lol
July 9th, 2026 at 10:25 pm
Todd has added a lot of weight, though.