Offense Should Be Improving But It Is Getting Worse
September 30th, 2026
Sinking, not swimming.
You hear it all across the country, in every NFL market.
If the offense stumbles or looks rusty out of the gate, folks blame teams for not allowing their starters to crack their heads, blow their knees out and have their ankles stomped on for a game(s) that doesn’t mean one GD thing other than to stuff the pockets of orthopedic surgeons.
So let’s play along and blame the Bucs offense for not getting beat up enough in worthless preseason games.
If that is true, the offense should improve right after a couple of games? Instead, it is getting worse!
Sunday at The Licht House, the Bucs offense was a full-blown abomination. In some circles, Bucs offensive coordinator (emphasis on “offensive”) Zac Robinson would have been arrested for impersonating an NFL assistant.
One way to judge if an offense is running smoothly, if not effectively, is how it does on third downs. Here is what the Bucs have done on third downs in each game this season so far:
At Cincinnati:
Converted 5 of 10 third downs (50 percent).
Vs. Cleveland:
Converted 7 of 16 third downs (43.8 percent).
Vs. Minnesota
Converted 2 of 17 third downs (11.8 percent).
Converting 12 percent of third downs with the players the Bucs have is appalling and insulting to Joe.
Then there was this little nugget from Kevin Patra of NFL.com. The Bucs last Sunday were part of one of the worst offensive games in years.
The teams combined to go 4 of 32 on third down, the fourth-worst in a game since at least 1991 (minimum 30 attempts) and the worst since the Jets-Giants matchup in Week 8, 2023 (4 of 34).
What in the wide, wide world of sports did Robinson do to destroy this offense? Again, the offense is getting worse by the week in converting third downs, not improving.
This is why Joe has a hunch if Robinson cannot get his offense to snap out of it, inexperienced rookie quarterback or not, maybe by a week from Friday he could be out of a job.
Why Friday? That will be the morning after the Bucs travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on national streaming television. So the Bucs would have a mini-bye to get things sorted out with a new playcaller/coordinator.
Yeah, it is that bad.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:06 am
Joe has a point on Zac. I remeber when Smitty was mailing it in on Koetter’s staff. They lost 48-10 to the Bears and Koetter stuck with him, the next game Smitty’s D gave up like 35 points in the first half to the ATL and Koetter was forced to axe him. Bowles might be forced to do the same thing with his hand picked OC but who becomes the playcaller? Chandler Whitmer even though he has never dialed any up? It is a Bucs life.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:06 am
So Melifonwu was promoted to the 53-man and Brett Rypien replaced him on the PS – does this mean McMillan goes to IR and Easton Stick / Rypien will battle it out weekly for elevation ? or will Stick be promoted to the 53 and somebody else is demoted – maybe Joe can shed some light on this
September 30th, 2026 at 12:19 am
Would it be possible there’s a “gentlemen’s agreement” between Zac and the Falcons for an under the table payment at the end of the season when the Bucs are at the bottom of the division?
September 30th, 2026 at 12:22 am
I mean it was straight up embarrassing offensive performance, BUT- it’s worth acknowledging that the Vikings have by far the strongest defense of any team we played so far. They held Chicago to just 3 points a week earlier. Context matters.
So this game may be end up being an outlier more than a trend, as the conversion percentage for the Bucs was pretty similar between weeks 1 and 2.
That said, the offense has still been pitiful overall.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:46 am
I think all of our offenses look great in practice. Especially when practicing against a Todd bowles defense
September 30th, 2026 at 12:56 am
Agree on the context matters. Willing to give Zac more than three games to get things rolling. He wasn’t part of the 2nd half collapse last season, so he get’s a bit more leeway imo. Hopefully Joe and others that continually use the injury excuse as an out for todd last season are starting to see it was not the major factor for the collapse. SF was just one team that dealt with more injuries and shined, and they’re facing the same adversity this season and yet are still 3-0 in spite of it. They’re #2 in scoring & #4 in pts/allowed. Coaching matters, eventually the Glazers will have to understand that.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:13 am
Everyone should know what a team is able to do on 1st and 2nd down has more to do with their 3rd down success than any other metric.
The Bucs were behind the chains and faced 3 and 8 or more on virtually every drive. A team that’s in that position isn’t going to convert very often and will sustain drives even less.
Penalties, missed assignments and flat out terrible play calls are killing the Bucs on 1st and 2nd. The opponent absolutely doesn’t matter when an offense ties their own hands behind their backs. Until Zac is gone or pushed aside this isn’t going to end.
Jalon Daniels won’t even have a real chance to prove what he can do with the offensive system and play calling he’ll have to overcome to succeed.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:17 am
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Baker has been that bad he’s been missing and/or not making routine throws and that explains the poor offense, and it started the Saints game before the bye. Jalon just has to make the easy throws and this offense will at least be okay.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:20 am
Mayfield is leaving a wake of destruction in his path. He is that superhero he tries to be on the field. In reality he is the bad guy tearing this team apart by the seams. (Not letting blowes off the hook here) Go Bucs
September 30th, 2026 at 2:25 am
It doesn’t matter how bad it gets. There is close to zero chance that Bowles would fire a guy I season.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:33 am
The Glazers need to fire Licht, first and foremost. Jason, if you’re up late on the crapper, maybe go and update your resume. Don’t forget to flush.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:37 am
If you think talent is the main issue behind the malaise this franchise has been in since todd took over, you’ve not been paying attention.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:50 am
Robinson has no Bijan, Pitts or London to hide behind with his play calling. Robinson is stealing paychecks.
September 30th, 2026 at 3:39 am
Honestly, I had my doubts about the marble Zac from his seemingly subpar results in Atlanta. I was hoping I was wrong or mistaken or paranoid… Whatever. I find no solace nor justification nor even a quantum of solace in watching my BUCS lose all interest in what could have been greatness and instead grovel for a measly enormous paycheck and a comfortable couch come February… Or January. Ok! Ok! You’ve made your guaranteed money. You don’t actually have to play football anymore. Congratulations on your financial success.
And Joe(s). I honestly mourn for you guys. I know the margins of victory weren’t exactly headline worthy, but WOW! The team effort has been dismal. These games were certainly not as close as the score would suggest. We all watch football. We’ve all seen close, nail- biting games. Those weren’t exciting games but any fan’s measure. The only sounds out of that locker room is that cashing of checks and the laughter of their CPAs.
September 30th, 2026 at 5:04 am
Without Robinson, Zac has nothing. Terrible play calling. Atl fans warned about this total moron. Has the guy ever heard of a two minute drill? Use of WRs and play calling is pathetic. Every defense knows exactly what he is going to do. zero talent on match ups and fooling defenses. Just horrible, worse than Grizz if that is possible. Bucs really screwed up hiring this guy. huge mistake. Bucs are doomed.
September 30th, 2026 at 5:43 am
I thought this guy would be better than what we had in Griz, but I think Boweles has something to do with the horrible offense. I stand corrected this guy has no balls against dink dong Boweles to push back on his stupidity. The whole organization is a clown show. What a crime this season has become.
September 30th, 2026 at 6:08 am
I really thought this guy would help. My thinking was he would push back on Boweles and his clown like coaching. I was wrong, and looks like Griz was a better OC compared to this guy. Mayfield is my least liked player since he decided not to take accountability for his mistakes. Boweles spews garbage no one listens to him, he needs to shut his pie hole and grab a donut. What are all these guys lining their pockets collecting $$$$. I still think you could spend that money better by giving it to yolks that need help. Mayfield you crying baby you stink and you’re a con artist. I’m ok with Vea getting paid, he still shows effort and tries to do his job, like he has in the past. He’s a beast.
September 30th, 2026 at 6:43 am
Maybe the 3rd downs decreased because they didn’t throw behind the line of scrimmage as much.
September 30th, 2026 at 6:55 am
It’s going to get better now, #6, isn’t going to be playing now! Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
September 30th, 2026 at 7:33 am
It’s because the players are playing poorly first and foremost. Plays are there to be made, but it’s been bad reads, bad blocking, not running the ball much, and self inflicted wounds. It’s a combo of any of these things and then some, that’s got this offense trying to drive the field with the e-brake on.
Robinson is doing something we haven’t asked an OC to do since Mike Sullivan and that’s to field a competent/productive offense w/o the ME13 cheat code. So all this Liam Coen stuff and expecting to catch 2024s’ lightening in a bottle is a trick us as fans are kind of playing on ourselves. If anything has been clear since the start of the season, it’s this offense needs to find a new way and IDK if Robinson will have an answer early enough.
September 30th, 2026 at 7:39 am
Average yards to go on 3rd was over 10–owing to all the sacks and holding penalties. Not gonna convert too many of those. OTOH, Liam’s 3rd game was that 26-9 drubbing by the Broncos, gotta wait a few more
September 30th, 2026 at 7:49 am
The same thing happened to Leftwich. Once other teams have tape on what you’re trying to do it’s over unless you’re an excellent offensive coordinator which it doesn’t look like he is. Bowles struggles with this as well. The NFL is about adapting to what the other team is doing throughout the game. We start the games slow and we come out of halftime slow. That’s all coaching. Bowles bet everything he had on his defense being great so he brought in Robinson to run a ball control offense. Has not worked out well!!!!
September 30th, 2026 at 7:54 am
Joe
What would a good coach and offensive mind look like for the Bucs? I read Prisco’s predictions and about Jaguars and Coen.
“ Liam Coen is quietly building an unstoppable juggernaut in Jacksonville. The Jaguars have won 10 of their past 11 regular-season games, and those 10 wins have come by an average of 20.6 points per game.
The Jaguars are beating people so badly that Trevor Lawrence is regularly being benched well before the game is over.” Lawrence has sat down 7 of the last 11 games.
Yes wish it was possible he was our head coach but that was just a hope and not reality. However this is a good example of the success you get with a good offensive coach. While we are now 2-11 through last year.
September 30th, 2026 at 7:58 am
I’m going to give Zac a pass as Minnesota has probably the best defense in the league. Green Bay however, had one of the worst. Rookie free agent QB or not, this offense better look a helluva lot better Sunday.
September 30th, 2026 at 8:08 am
Has anyone ever considered that maybe Coen left for Jacksonville because he had the opportunity to coach Lawrence, whom he might believe has a better chance of winning, instead of Mayfield?
September 30th, 2026 at 8:15 am
Joe, too early in the morning for those stats. I just dry heaved in my cube. Kind of embarrassing.
September 30th, 2026 at 8:22 am
“Has anyone ever considered that maybe Coen left for Jacksonville because he had the opportunity to coach Lawrence, whom he might believe has a better chance of winning, instead of Mayfield?”
You’re almost there Alan, but you forgot Canales.
Some, myself included have said those 2 coaches got hired partly because they managed to field winning, successful offenses with Mayfield at QB. Lawerence & Young both showed promise before those coaches got there and since they’ve both looked better leading their respective offenses.
Some here don’t like that and will argue you down off that about Bowles v. Coen, rather than Lawerence/Young v. Baker. It’s weird man.
September 30th, 2026 at 8:23 am
Maybe this is what happens when you hitch your wagon to a overhyped average qb.
September 30th, 2026 at 8:34 am
Perhaps the media should stop gas lighting the fan base in the offseason in an effort to pump up the new OC that clearly was mid at best.
I remember hearing on repeat how much better Robinson was going to be than Grizzard.
But if you dug into the numbers you would have seen that his best days were actually against the Bowels Swiss cheese defense.
As is the case with every OC in the NFL. A college team could beat Todd’s scheme.
September 30th, 2026 at 9:10 am
ATLBUC; So u think Baker throwing 41 tds, having over 4500 yds passing , a 72% passing percentage and a QB rating of 106.8 for the season under Coen scared him off!?? Cmon man that’s laughable…Hell he might have been better with a second year together! Not ONE O.C.in the league has production from his QB at that elite stat level and goes Jesus i have to get out of here before this top 5 QB ruins my reputation! That play level got him a head coaching job!! Bad take my man
September 30th, 2026 at 9:36 am
Trevor Lawrence sucked and was almost out of the league until Coen got there. Same with Bryce Young—both were literally asked how they were going to “fix” the quarterbacks.
The three guys you’re referring to are 1A, 1B, and 1C—decent QBs who, in the right scheme and with the right coach, look a lot better than they really are.
Seriously, how do people not get how important coaching is? Look at Seattle and Sam Darnold. Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, with the 49ers—Kyle Shanahan has proven he can do the same thing with just about any QB.
And then you get Patrick Mahomes: dominance from an actual top-5 QB paired with a top-5 coach. A great system raises both the floor and the ceiling. With someone like Brock Purdy or Sam Darnold, an elite play-caller minimizes their flaws while maximizing their baseline decision-making, making a solid distributor operate at an MVP-adjacent level.
September 30th, 2026 at 9:59 am
December 24, 2024 Baker led Bucs played Trevor Lawrence led Jags in one of the more dominant Buccaneer victories in recent memory. What a Merry Christmas it was!
September 30th, 2026 at 10:04 am
Most fans don’t understand. Coaches don’t play on the field. They don’t get passes picked, miss tackles, let passes down field get caught or fumble the ball. They don’t let returns for scores happen. So you don’t fire the coaches because they’re not playing in the game the players on the field are. Well at least that’s what I’m seeing here lately. Just think of all the coaches this team has fired for no good reason. They didn’t play and cause 3rd and 28 4th and 14 or 3rd downs to become automatic first downs.
September 30th, 2026 at 11:53 am
Who in their right mind thought the offense would improve with Robinson?! Atlanta fans celebrated when they kicked him out and now they are laughing at our misery! This offense makes Grizzard and Marcus Arroyo look like geniuses!!!