Week 1 Offensive Strategy Revealed?
July 17th, 2025
Attack with the run?
Let’s talk some Week 1 ball! Joe will hit a brief pause on lists and disrespect.
The Bucs play at the Dixie Chicks to open the season. It could be a game where the Bucs are without two stud players on offense, Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin.
Lotta time between now and then so Joe’s not going to get ahead of his skis and cry in panic.
Last night Joe was listening to the best damn football show on radio, “Movin’ the Chains,” with former Jets pro personnel director Pat Kirwan and former Bucs quarterback Jim Miller, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
(Fun fact: It was Kirwan who turned the card in at the 1986 draft in New York for the Bucs to select Bo Jackson.)
As Joe was listening, Kirwan and Miller chatted up a Dixie Chicks fan bullish on Atlanta’s chances to break through and make the playoffs.
This fan believed the Dixie Chicks solved their edge rushing problems by drafting Jalon Walker and James Pearce. Kirwan politely, gently cautioned the caller to tap the brakes.
Kirwan confessed he doesn’t expect much from Pearce and Walker in Week 1. In fact, Kirwan questioned whether Falcons coach Raheem Morris will even have the two of them on the field full-time.
Kirwan said Morris will likely have special packages for the two to ease their way into the NFL.
Then, without so much as mentioning the Bucs, Kirwan laid out how teams will take care of Pearce and Walker this year.
“Teams will run at them,” Kirwan said. “Try to wear them down.”
Joe took that to suggest Bucky Irving and Rachaad White will carry a bunch of mail when the 2025 season kicks off.
Yeah, Pearce and Walker may be good. But they’re rookies. For every T.J. Watt or a Bosa brother who excels as a rookie edge rusher, there are 20 Chris Braswells.
July 17th, 2025 at 7:34 am
I bet the Falcons are better this year, but so are we
Bucky is going to be HUGE in fantasy this year, I’m stoked.
July 17th, 2025 at 7:35 am
Offensive strategies are interesting and can perhaps impact a game at the margins and on odd occasions perhaps swing a single game.
But think of all the great teams. Did they win because the Coaches were geniuses who divised all kinds of “trickeration” to win games.
I guess you could say Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense was innovative and “helped” win some games but Joe Montana and Jerry Rice had a LOT to do with that “genius”.
The great teams like the Packers were the opposite! The famous Green Bay Sweep was NO secret. It was simply lineup your D and we’re going to run it down you throat. GB had the talent to do that.
Pittsburgh…Shula’s great Dolphin teams…
The bottom line for me is that ONE common denominator of great teams is not great coaching but GREAT PLAYERS.
I’ve always thought to win a SB a significant number of players have to enjoy “career” years. But another poster (forgot his name or I’d credit him) pointed out that this year’s team is so talented that career years are not necessarily required. A true TEAM effort of everybody have good years simultaneously, a tight team that plays very SMART (missing at times last year) can go a long way.
As a fan I’m very pleased with the Bucs product. Is there anybody out there who still wants to claim the Bucs have NO chance for success this year because of the coach/QB/talent?
July 17th, 2025 at 7:55 am
I think Joe meant Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker will be the mail carriers.
July 17th, 2025 at 8:10 am
StPete … ‘The bottom line for me is that ONE common denominator of great teams is not great coaching but GREAT PLAYERS.’
I get your point St Pete, but the Cleveland Browns have convinced me that it’s a COMBINATION of excellent coaching AND great players. I’ve seen some years where I was convinced they were bound to win the AFC North, and instead they’d finish 3-14 or whatever. They had plenty of talent, but their coaching couldn’t seem to be able to bring it together.
I still remember 2019 when the Bucs got Bruce Arians as our HC, and the Browns promoted one of his right-hand men in Arizona, Freddie Kitchens to be their HC (he’d been their OC the year before). Kitchens had Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr, Kareem Hunt, Nick Chubb and a lot of other very good talent. Plus he had Todd Monken as his OC & Steve Wilks as his DC (both quite good). Browns finished 6-10 that year, Kitchen got fired, Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020 and took them to an 11-5 season and the playoffs. He’s still their HC, but has only had 1 winning season since. Lots of talent though.
What I’ve seen here in Tampa and what’s transpired in Cleveland leads me to believe that the truly elite teams are strong from the very top to the very bottom. Any weak links can derail you very quickly because you’re competing with 31 other teams at the pinnacle of the profession.
July 17th, 2025 at 8:20 am
Of course for every on Watt or Bosa there are 20 Braswell’s. That’s the difference between being taken 3 overall in the draft/ early 1st round and 57th / late second round. Apples to Orange comparison again.
2024 Draft had Latu, Turner, Verse, and Chop Robinson going 1-4 and if the Bucs had taken any one of them Joe would have been making an argument for instant impact based solely on his yearning for an Edge Rush. Look up the production on all 4 and they made an impact with Verse being DROY
Great Edge Rusher are about as rare as QB’s so I can get the 1 to 20 analogy.
To put it in perspective Braswell was taken 7th in the 2024 draft. In that same draft the 7th QB taken was Spencer Rattler. Not much was expected of him and was often framed as trash on this very site.
How could anyone expect more from Braswell than what they got in season one?
Hopefully for him he takes a step up in year two and gains some knowledge from the addition of Riddick. Same kind of knowledge that Floyd will bring to the two 1st round Edge Rushers @ ATL.
It would not break my heart if the Bucs vs Falcons in week one ended 9-7 with a defensive clinic held by both teams. That would mean that maybe the NFCS could be moving up from being the Braswell/Rattler Division in the NFL.
July 17th, 2025 at 8:21 am
Fellas, I believe in the 80-20 rule: it’s 80% talent and 20% coaching. But they need to add to 100 to win the big one.
Similar to what I’ve asked about “schemes”, offensive or defensive. Would you rather have a great scheme and crappy coach, or a crappy scheme and a great coach? I know what I would pick. Conversely, I would take great players and a crappy coach though most teams muddle through the great middle like we did for the lost decade.
July 17th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Let’s start embracing Joe’s mantra. BEAT ATLANTA!!
For a number of reasons we need to come out of this came with a W. Let the rest of the division know right away, we’re still king of the hill, and you ain’t going to topple us.
July 17th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Pearce and Walker will have to wait until their second season to “shock the world.”
July 17th, 2025 at 8:52 am
And during their second season, the Chicks will not have a number one draft pick. LOL
July 17th, 2025 at 9:05 am
Run and screen game, it’s literally our “thing” offensively. Grizzard has coached under Gase, Brian Flores, & Mike McDaniel so I’d like to think what he’s been exposed to a variety of offensive styles that could work for him building his playbook with our talent.
I will say, having started his career in the northeast, he’s definitely going to run the rock with the talent we’ve got in our RB room. That’s all Yale did when he played and coached there.
July 17th, 2025 at 9:14 am
Yeah, Pearce and Walker may be good. But they’re rookies-
and the Bucs will have a backup left tackle facing them.
Bowles better have a package ready that confuses Penix Jr. He usually has the D ready for game 1.
July 17th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Great players do have a huge impact on their own but there are 21 other players that have to be coached and thats where the great coaches make the difference. You have coaches that can see talent and puts that talent in the best possible positions to succeed. You have other coaches that invent new schemes like the air raid or wishbone in college. Then others are talented at adapting in game at what is thrown at them. Others are really good motivators of players. Some are really good at calling plays. Maybe the great ones are a little of all those. In the end the really great players are very rare and that is where great coaching is a must because you just can’t wait around until that rare player comes along and saves you. By then you would be exposed as a bad coach.
July 17th, 2025 at 10:19 am
Are 1st game strategy should be trying to stop Drake London from destroying our secondary like he always does!!!! Go Bucs
July 17th, 2025 at 10:42 am
Nailed it Joe! Rookie Edge rushers. Would not have taken Pearce even as a UDFA. Character counts. On defense? Find someone to cover Pitts, stop the run game and get in Penix’s face quickly Mr Reddick.
Go Bucs!
July 17th, 2025 at 11:07 am
Atlanta has pretty good run game too..
And we know they can put up 500 yards passing on us.
This story isn’t about our offense at all..
BEAT ATLANTA!
July 17th, 2025 at 11:39 am
D.R. and Jack Mercer
I totally take both of your points!
D.R. I do not disagree exactly. I think a bad coach can certainly hold back great talent. But I do not believe a great coach can elevate bad talent. I think I tend to agree with JBM.
” I believe in the 80-20 rule: it’s 80% talent and 20% coaching. But they need to add to 100 to win the big one.”
That is a concept I agree with. I do not claim to know the %’s but Jacks seem about right to me.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Kirwan and Miller are the best talking head duo in the game. I enjoy listening to them but have to change channels when they start taking calls from the maroons of the universe.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:17 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
July 17th, 2025 at 9:05 am
Run and screen game, it’s literally our “thing” offensively.
It’s the ‘thing’ until it isn’t. Broncos, Chiefs, and 49ers made sure of it. Not to mention the Commanders who held the Bucs backfield to 4 Receptions for 20 yards.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:25 pm
St Pete…
“Pittsburgh…Shula’s great Dolphin teams…
The bottom line for me is that ONE common denominator of great teams is not great coaching but GREAT PLAYERS”.
In the words of Bum Phillips, he said this about Don Shula “He can take hisin and beat yourin, and he can take yourin and beat hisin”
Great coaching does matter.
Like Defense said, it is BOTH.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:32 pm
Lt. Dan Says:
I think Joe meant Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker will be the mail carriers.
^^^^^
It’s just you and I Lt Dan. No one else has figured out that is our best paing at RB.
It’s like Week 6 never happened – 277 rushing yards, 51 points, Tucker Player of the Week.
White returned to start the next three games and they lost all of them. They never went back to Bucky – 1, Tucker – 2. I still don’t get it.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
@Sly – agreed.
July 17th, 2025 at 12:56 pm
“It’s the ‘thing’ until it isn’t. Broncos, Chiefs, and 49ers made sure of it. Not to mention the Commanders who held the Bucs backfield to 4 Receptions for 20 yards.”
4 games out of 18 games and even with the struggles against those teams mentioned, our RBs had reception TDs in 3 of those 4 games.
The bigger question moving forward to Grizzard is what other aspects of our offense can we lean on when what I’d call our bread & butter isn’t working?
July 17th, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Sly and Lt. Dan
I’m with you. I’m Tuckers #1 fan.
July 17th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
Last year Atlanta’s run defense was about middle of the pack. Their pass rush was why they drafted these guys. Looking at their draft profiles I kinda wonder if either will be good this year, not that draft profiles are Gospel. Jalon Walker is smallish for an outside linebacker and the draft profiles suggested he could play ILB. It appears to me he will play on the edge in Atlanta. At 4.5 in the 40 he certainly is pretty darn fast. 6’1″ is unusually short for an OLB, but heh, we drafted another Walker (David?) at 6’1″, but in the 4th. Difference is their gut is 243 and ours is 261. Their gut is said to be very inexperienced. That’s not going to be helpful in September. James Pearce is more prototypical in height at 6’5″. At 243 he could stand a bit of bulk. They don’t have Grady Jarrett anymore. The other interior guys are nobody’s. Maybe Moving the Chains is right. Even without Words we should be able to run it right down their throats. There isn’t a ton of experience and almost no accomplishment up front.
July 17th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
All those guts are supposed to be guys. All thumbs.
July 17th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
Culp.
July 17th, 2025 at 2:29 pm
I 2nd…Culp.