Zac Robinson Admits Bucs Have Had Receivers Open On Intermediate Routes
September 26th, 2026
Bucs OC Zac Robinson.
Joe watched that debacle Sunday at The Licht House, how the Bucs played gutless football and did their best to keep the Browns in the game by kicking field goals that allowed the Browns to make a play in the fourth quarter to win.
Go ahead and look at Joe’s X timeline Sunday and look at the timestamp. Joe called that. It was so friggin’ predictable. Joe was downright sick.
Well, the suggestion from the locker room after the game was that the reason why the Bucs weren’t throwing medium, intermediate passes is receivers were covered.
Ben Solak of ESPN took to the All-22 and documented that the Bucs indeed had receivers open. But to take advantage of that, Baker Mayfield would have had to be quick with the pass. Instead, Mayfield was dancing around in the pocket and by the time he did get rid of the ball, Browns defenders closed the open windows.
Asked about trying more intermediate passes instead of the asinine passes targeting backs five yards behind the line or 50-yard bombs, Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson admitted this week that, yeah, the Bucs did have some receivers open, albeit briefly.
“Yeah, there’s been some great looks on tape of those guys separating,” Robinson said. “I think ‘C.G.’ (Chris Godwin) has run some really good routes. ‘Mek’ (Emeka Egbuka) the other day had a couple opportunities and maybe we had to move off the spot. …
“So yeah, no issues in terms of separation or anything. It’s just still so early in the season. We don’t have a ton of inventory of dropback pass at this point to really draw on. [We’ve] definitely got to get that uptick in that for sure.”
We shall see. Joe will give Mayfield and Robinson a pass, sort of, if the timing is off. It was only Week 2.
But here is the problem: The Bucs have no more room for error. Bucs lose to drop to 0-3 and the chances of the Bucs making the playoffs are about the same as you or Joe going to Ferg’s and walking out with Hannah White, arm-in-arm.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:09 am
“Asked about trying more intermediate passes instead of the asinine passes targeting backs five yards behind the line or 50-yard bombs …”
Spot on. That is perfectly phrased, Joel!
September 26th, 2026 at 10:15 am
I give Joe better odds of dating Sidney Sweeney then Bucs making the playoffs. This O.C. sounds like he is getting it after the fact. Like he sees the problem now after multiple sports outfits have analyzed and broadcasted it. Cannot imagine there is not someone a bit more amped up enough to point this out during the game/debacle. Why can’t Baker see it, is he afraid?
September 26th, 2026 at 10:17 am
We don’t have a ton of inventory of dropback pass at this point to really draw on. What is the reason for training camp to sit around telling everone how great your going to be. Try looking at the other good teams they came out with preaty good inventories.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:19 am
The problem with the offense is baker! Watching the regular broadcast you can see Godwin open. He crosses bakers face at least three times wide open.
September 26th, 2026 at 10:26 am
Repeat: bring in a sports psychologist for Mayfield pronto: a few hundred or few thousand bucks to improve returns on a $165M investment.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Zac Robinson does not trust Baker right now. Baker gets happy feet far too often.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:05 am
So the OC just tosses the qb we resigned right under the buss. Things are looking pretty good for tomorrow.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:06 am
“Joe will give Mayfield and Robinson a pass, sort of, if the timing is off. It was only Week 2.”
Well, that’s the purpose of those “useless” pre-season games. To get the timing and such right. Not after two games that count, both losses that are on the record!
September 26th, 2026 at 11:11 am
Pretty sure another loss will disheartening to them and they’ll play like that for the rest of the season. Yech.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:17 am
Weekly practicing against Todd’s soft prevent zone and defend the spot of grass not the player scheme probably doesn’t give the OC a true test of what real defenses do. Most teams do not hang out 10 yards off the receivers and retreat at the snap. Zac and Baker are confused when the game day defenses are actually covering the receivers. What looks wide open in practice is covered during the games. Hence, Baker is holding on to the ball hoping for someone to get open. Practice is virtually useless because it’s not what they will see when the game starts. Add in all the mistakes, bad routes, dropped passes and penalties and you have the Todd Bowles experience. Practice makes perfect.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:18 am
ModHairKen:
Thank you!
September 26th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Patrick Mahomes leads the league in passes behind the line of scrimmage this season. With 19. Baker is second with 18 passes behind the line of scrimmage. We are a smidge off the mark, and I know everyone wants to see Baker flinging it down the seam, we want to see some wheel routes like Godwin ran at Detroit a couple of years ago or Bucky ran against Philly last year. And we will!
I’m going to trust Mayfield and Zac on this. These passes in the backfield have to be timed just right, synchronized. And we’re gonna be seeing alot of them, too.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:39 am
I don’t care whether the pass is behind the line of scrimmage, just beyond the line of scrimmage, or to the middle of the field, as long as the chains keep moving!!! Make that happen consistently and all will be good.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:42 am
If Baker would make quick decisions, there are WR’s open on almost every play during the first 1-3 seconds.
But Baker is horribly indecisive right now and therefore our offense sucks.
September 26th, 2026 at 11:55 am
this is mayfield’s fourth OC in 4 years and this combination is not working whose is the blame QB, OC or head coach I believe it is Robinson or Boles or a combination of the two. This is the first time Mayfield did not have a good start
September 26th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
After Thursday night, we could be 0/4 to start.
September 26th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
When is the last time we decisively beat a team that pay press man against us?
September 26th, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Yeah intermediate routes are probably my favourite. People tend to get extreme and think it’s either dink or dunk vs bombs. Intermediate is more than enough to keep a defense honest. Actual bombs aren’t that necessary. Just the occasional theat of one
September 26th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
They Bucs have MULTIPLE receivers open on EVERY pass play
But the wannabe Michael Vick can’t connect with them
He’s either running and fumbling, or inaccurate, when he do throw the ball
We need better play from our QB, there’s no more excuses
The Glazers paid him well, the OLine is healthy, our run game is better
Our receivers are getting separation, they are getting open
The new OC is dialing up the right pass plays
The only thing missing is an accurate NFL QB
September 26th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
where there is smoke there is fire why did he have to answer that question? there was a suggestion in the locker room after the game they werent seperating. gruden called out emeka and godwin
September 26th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Unfortunately, the defense isn’t going to make up for the offense’s mistakes—it’s only going to exacerbate them. Therefore, Baker needs to learn to step up in the pocket while keeping his eyes on the receivers. There are guys open; they’ve been open all season. But he’s going to his first read, then checking it down or running it himself.
As much as I blame Bowles and his coaching style, Baker has played awful through two weeks. If he can just play like a middle-of-the-road QB again, the Bucs would be winning. Sadly, it really is all on the QB right now, which normally isn’t fair because Quaterback is the position that gets blamed even when its not there fault but in this circumstance it’s really is….
ALL ON BAKER!!!
September 26th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
No. Duh. It’s for team leaders to tell everyone how great they already are, pout about how you’re underpaid, demand more money, then go out and prove your just a jag at this point in your career. “Leadership” matters Joe.
September 26th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
Isn’t it the job of the QB to throw the ball to the wide open guy? Asking for a friend. Maybe I’d Baker just wasn’t injured he could see the open receiver. Or if he got lasik. Or of the OL could hold their blocks for longer than 5 seconds. Or if Todd Bowles had a better defense, THEN Baker Winston could see them. But golly, he sure is scrappy and has moxie.
September 26th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Baker has had guys wide open all over the field the last 7 games as the team went 1-6. The issue is Baker isn’t a good QB, when he loses confidence he starts his stupid routine of patting the ball, bouncing up and down, then running around in the circle — or if he does throw the ball, he’ll have guys open, but doesn’t have confidence to make the throw so he just reverts to a checkdown. He was really really bad at this his last year in Carolina, its why when reviewing his tape when we signed him I was so down on Baker. In addition to literally being the worst rated QB in the NFL in the two prior years, he had the lowest combined QBR over that span of any QB, when you watched him in Carolina he was playing exactly as he’s been playing lately. He’d have guys open, but had zero confidence in being able to deliver the ball, so would just hesitate, then check the ball down, over and over and over. Then dummies who just look at box score and passer ratings, would talk about his high completion percentage – like that means anything when it’s 3rd and 9 and you’re throwing 2 yard passes to the RB.
The good news is that Baker did, eventually, snap out of it – once Carolina got sick of him and dumped him. But the Bucs went the other route and made him the 3rd highest paid player in the NFL, and impossible to bench.
September 26th, 2026 at 4:18 pm
I assume that in every instance, receivers were not only open but he had plenty of time and a clean window in which to make the throw. I saw no mention of that. The way this is presented, the receivers and offensive line get total absolution and Baker is guilty as charged!