Booger McFarland Has Unique Offensive Strategy That May Apply To Baker Mayfield
September 6th, 2025
Interesting offensive angle.
Even with Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan on the shelf, don’t try to tell Joe the Bucs can’t pass the ball.
They have a top-10 franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield. The Bucs also have a Hall of Fame wide receiver in Mike Evans. In addition, the Bucs have what appears to be an electric rookie receiver with Emeka Egbuka. And of course the Bucs have a very solid No. 3 veteran receiver in Sterling Shepard.
Throw to win!
That seems to be what former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland is suggesting.
For context and background, during the Chiefs-Chargers game last night (stop with the whining about Friday nights are sacred for high school football — should movie theatres be shuttered across the land on Friday nights because that’s when high schools perform plays?), Twitter was abuzz about how often Justin Herbert was throwing the ball. Why not keep running to nurse a lead and bleed the clock?
But McFarland, who loves the run game and ball control, believed running was not right at this juncture of the season, not with a superior quarterback like Herbert.
The Dixie Chicks have (possibly) two rookie edge rushers: James Pearce and Jalon Walker. Joe typed “possibly” because Joe isn’t positive the Dixie Chicks signed Leonard Floyd to have him sit on the bench on pass plays and scratch his end zone.
So why not take advantage of your strength (passing — yes, Bucky Irving can catch, too) and capitalize on this angle that pass rushers aren’t in shape?
Should Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard open it up to slice the Dixie Chicks’ secondary apart and wear out Atlanta’s defense?
September 6th, 2025 at 7:22 pm
I think the Buc’s should pass to set up the run. On first downs use play action to slow down the rush especially. Also, screens and quick slants and outs to set up the deeper goes and crossing routes. WON’T BE LONG NOW!!! LFG!!
September 6th, 2025 at 7:26 pm
I look forward to seeing BI7 catch a deep one and perhaps score! The Falcons will not see that coming for sure.
September 6th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
I agree……Sling it – get everybody some touches and get a rhythm going early!
September 6th, 2025 at 8:06 pm
I’m thinking Tez will be open on 3 WR sets
September 6th, 2025 at 8:06 pm
I wouldn’t throw it every down, but to be effective I definitely think we need to ‘pass to setup the run’ and ‘run to setup the pass’. And throw on 1st downs basically every time.
And that is based on cold hard stats just fyi.
September 6th, 2025 at 8:07 pm
I meant to say *not run to setup the pass.
We definitely need to pass to setup the run in order to be effective overall and have an effective run game.
September 6th, 2025 at 8:45 pm
If Heck can pass-protect, I’d love to see some plays with an empty backfield, going 5-wide, sending Evans, EE, Tez, Bucky, and White out. I’d like to be the OC for one game. 😉
Even with the injuries, Grizz has so many great weapons! He’s going to drive some DCs crazy. If our remaining players on offense stay healthy we can average over 30 points per game.
September 6th, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Gotta score lotsa points.
40 burger for the win.
September 6th, 2025 at 10:01 pm
No risk it no biscuit!! Sling the heck out of the ball !! Mix in a few runs with Bucky and Rashad !! The buccaneers have to win !!
Go Bucs Beat the Falcons!!
September 6th, 2025 at 10:11 pm
Gotta see how it goes. Pass to set the run is fine if it’s there, take what’s there and push the envelope to see what you can do and go from there. If it’s run first then do that. Keep doing what works and then throw in the left cross to see if it lands
September 6th, 2025 at 10:20 pm
Booger is defined as a piece of dried nasal mucus.
Booger, the person, seems ok, but come on man, lose the moniker.
Even “Poop” or “Puss” McFarland has a more sanitary ring to it. At least those two items are wiped away with something sanitary. But boogers are finger pickings.
I vote NEW MAME.
September 6th, 2025 at 10:36 pm
After watching the first two nfl games, booger is right. I haven’t seen any pass rush yet and almost all QB’s were able to scramble for massive chunk yards. That being said Hassan reddick is getting 3 sacks
September 7th, 2025 at 3:07 am
Pass often and hide the run.
Put Bucky in motion and hit him with a quick pass and let him make guys miss.
Put Tez in motion from the slot and let him take a quick handoff and leave defenders with a handful of air as he jukes them out of their shoes.
Bring Mike across looking like a Jets sweep and quickly dump it off to White running in the opposite direction from Mike.
Mix it up.
September 7th, 2025 at 4:17 am
Booger … ‘Pass rushers aren’t in shape this early in the season. Pass it every down.’
Pass EVERY down? Horsepuckey. That’s a prescription for the offense becoming totally predictable, and eventually even a mediocre NFL defense could stop it.
Last year’s 2 losses to Atlanta contain some fabulous lessons. Fans might ignore them, but I doubt that Grizz & Baker are. In our 1st game against them, Bucs had 51 plays … 26 runs (160 yards, 0 TDs) and Baker was 19-for-24 passing (79%) for 180 yards & 3 TDs. We had 333 total yards of offense, 1 turnover (fumble), went 6-for-11 on 3rd downs, had 27:38 TOP and scored 30 points. Lots of explosive plays, passing AND running (we scored 24 of our 30 points in the 1st half & led 24-17). Bucs only scored 6 points (2 FGs) in the 2nd half, but SHOULD have won … but we didn’t.
Falcons had 81 plays … 18 runs (73 yards, 0 TDs) and Cousins was 42-for-59 passing (71%) for 509 yards & 4 TDs. Falcons had 550 total yards of offense, 1 turnover (INT), went 6-for-14 on 3rd downs AND 2-for-3 on 4th downs, had 33:37 TOP and scored 36 points. Thay also had lots of explosive plays, all passing (Cousins was 6-for-9 deep for 148 yards, with 1 TD). Defense couldn’t stop their short passing game & it ate us alive (BTW both Tykee Smith & McCollum each allowed 2 TDs in that game; Dean allowed none).
Second loss to the Falcons was very different. Bucs went heavy passing & the Falcons used a more balanced attack (the 2 teams literally swapped attack philosophies it looked like). Bucs the better stats in almost every category in that game except one: TURNOVERS (we had 3 TOs, they had 0). Again though, Cousins ate our defense up with the short passing (he went 23-for-29 (79%) on the day for 276 yards & 4 TDs). Of that Cousins was 4-for-6 deep for 115 yards & 1 TD.
In BOTH games our defense controlled the Falcons running game very well, but we crapped the bed trying to stop their passing game. And oh ya, we sucked on stopping their 4th down convesions (they were 2-for-3 in Game 1, and 2-for-2 in Game 2). We also did very well offensively in the 1st half of both games, but fizzled in the 2nd half of both (scored 2 FGs in the 2nd half in Game 1, and 1 TD in Game 2).
September 7th, 2025 at 9:21 am
DR, I sure hope the refs didn’t ‘help’ slide Atlanta across the finish line last season. I don’t think they did, but I don’t watch the boob tube. Now, let’s see if Grizzard will get CREATIVE especially on FIRST down.