System Knowledge Limiting Tez Johnson
October 1st, 2025
About six weeks ago Todd Bowles referenced rookie receiver Tez Johnson needing more time to “grasp the offense.”
That’s still a thing.
“Tez is probably our biggest deep threat,” Bowles told the Buccaneers Radio Network this week. “He’s probably our quickest and fastest that can run with the ball. So as he gets the system down, his time will increase more and more, and I really think he can be a weapon down the line.”
The Johnson comments really stand out considering Bowles and many others have talked about the extreme football intelligence of fellow rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka. Baker Mayfield has said Egbuka knows all receiver positions and has for a long time.
On Sunday’s FOX broadcast, the crew of Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady shared a story of Mayfield telling them Egbuka corrected him on a playcall during a May practice, and that was a eye-opening moment for the Bucs’ franchise quarterback. Yes, Egbuka was right.
Joe hopes Johnson can catch up, soon. But perhaps the Bucs won’t need him when Mike Evans returns later this month.
October 1st, 2025 at 10:54 am
STUDY THE DARN PLAYBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 10:56 am
Bad coaching. They can’t give him a couple of routes to run? You know go long? Doesn’t make sense, he doesn’t need to know the offense backwards, and forwards to run a couple of plays. I have a bad feeling after these next four games Bowles and his excuses will be on the hot seat.
October 1st, 2025 at 10:58 am
I’d still argue these playbooks are overly complex. Coaches get off on all these coded messages and calling three plays with multiple adjustments but it’s still the same game for decades. I’d bet a simpler scheme could be just as effective. I’d love to hear Gruden talk about it.
October 1st, 2025 at 11:02 am
too slow time to go.
October 1st, 2025 at 11:17 am
Cant wait until we get all the wr core back Evans and jmac
October 1st, 2025 at 11:23 am
That’s because Oregon doesn’t run a pro style system, and is Tez even going to dress once we get JMac & Mike back?
October 1st, 2025 at 11:35 am
RELAX, TEZ WILL GET IT! It’s not the first player to struggle a bit with a playbook!
October 1st, 2025 at 11:39 am
2 rookie WR’s: #1 has all positions studied (apparently flawlessly if early on he could actually correct Mayfield – WOW!!!) and is ready to roll even before the season starts.
#2 WR still doesn’t know the playbook after what – a solid 4+ months of study time?
Don’t tell me it’s a complex playbook. If it was, no WR’s would understand this system until mid-way through first year.
HIT THEM BOOKS, Tez!!! Us fans wanna see your electricity on the field.
October 1st, 2025 at 11:58 am
Not only a dwarf, but a dim dwarf who can’t catch but at least can’t study or learn.
Still waiting for Vita to hurl his little buddy over the LOS and sack a quarterback.
October 1st, 2025 at 12:07 pm
Ummmm, after watching Tez in motion on the first drive and then draw a LB who he smoked in coverage down the sideline, only to see Baker hit Godwin right for a 2 yd gain is not Tez not knowing the playbook.
Baker also had Godwin on a quick slant when he targeted Egbuka.
It seems like Baker is making pre-snap decisions early in games.
The pass to Tez would have been an easy one.
You can’t tell me that talent doesn’t make the field regardless of playbook knowledge! We need to see more plays that you can tell they practiced to take advantage of mismatches.
Tez is a mismatch every week. The OC needs to figure it out!
October 1st, 2025 at 12:14 pm
Hodad, it probably has more to do with the fact that they send multiple plays in every down and then give Baker all the freedom at the line. Maybe they don’t trust Tez to keep up with Baker switching plays at the line, but who knows. Hopefully he gets there! I can be patient with a 7th rounder with high upside
October 1st, 2025 at 12:20 pm
@Billy
I hear you, but the only other player I can recall Bowles saying this whole ‘needs to get up to speed’ spiel about is Sir’Vocea. Now I’m no genius but he is TERRIBLE in the open field. If you look back at the chunk plays through the air that are allowed over the middle, most of the time you’ll see #8 dragging along behind the pass-catcher.
So if that’s any sign of how behind Tez Johnson is on the offensive side (yes, he’s a rookie, Dennis is in his 3rd year) I’m glad he’s not out there making mental mistakes.
The absolute last thing I want to see is a turnover caused by Tez not doing what he should do/what Baker thinks he’d going to do.
Now, I loved Trey Palmer. I wanted him to be the guy in Tampa and he seemingly never got the chance (possibly because he was also behind the 8-ball). I just hope if it is an issue, staff are working with him to get a better understanding of the scheme and not watching him fail and criticizing him for it. Something I never got the feeling was done with TP10 (it may have, I’m uninformed on this).
October 1st, 2025 at 12:23 pm
@Thomas
100%. I understand I’m in the comments of a fan blog and not on the practice field but man, I’d have my nose in the playbooks from day to night. You don’t have to be talented to be smart.
October 1st, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Interesting Coach mentioned Tez today. He only got 1 target vs Eagles.
October 1st, 2025 at 12:34 pm
bowles is the reason why tez hasnt grasp the playbook!!!
fix it bowles!!!!
and when tez starts ballin, all the credit will go to Grzz and Baker
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 12:39 pm
813, I see what you’re doing, keep going lol
Bowles was also in the book depository and on the grassy knoll all at once, can’t forget that
October 1st, 2025 at 12:51 pm
I’d like to see what Garett Greene has to offer at WR
October 1st, 2025 at 12:56 pm
I would say Tez is our smallest deep threat. I mean, he can’t be more than 5-8, amirite?
October 1st, 2025 at 1:03 pm
If Tezette can’t grasp the playbook, move him to the cheerleading squad where he can backflip and entertain the crowd with his gymnastics stunts and diamond teeth grilled smiles
October 1st, 2025 at 1:18 pm
WBL
sad to hear that the RB coach had to get rushed to the hospital this morning…prayers are up for him….
but i blame bowles!!!!!…..no way should bowles have had his coaches out there coaching football!!!!
this is the mess bowles has to “FIX”!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 1:46 pm
Can he figure out how to return kickoffs?
October 1st, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Likely learning multiple receiver spots based on all the injuries
October 1st, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Prayers up for Coach Peete 813
Maybe if they practiced at the local YMCA instead of the million dollar indoor facility, it wouldn’t have happened and for that I too blame Bowles…Go Bucs!!
October 1st, 2025 at 2:13 pm
Tez had 2 touches… 5 yard run, 8 yard catch.
He should be matched up against opponent’s 3rd or 4th best cover guy in most cases.
I’m hoping he gets a few more targets every week. We need to keep him in the loop.
Todd is trying not to throw Grizz under the bus.
October 1st, 2025 at 2:13 pm
remember David Moore? Big games against the Packers? That big TD against Eagles in play offs? Now in Carolina. When you have that much talent, but don’t get your number called that often..theres a reason ( and its usually between the ears).
October 1st, 2025 at 2:19 pm
WBL
LOL!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 2:26 pm
He’ll get there. It took J Mac the first half of the season to finally get it. He will not explode like J Mac did because they’ll be too many other weapons on the field, but he will be very useful.
October 1st, 2025 at 3:02 pm
Emeka supposedly corrected Baker on one of the plays called in camp way back in the Spring, and he was right while Baker was wrong. Which is hilarious in and of itself.
Can EE tutor Tez? He must have quite the study system. Would help out everybody.
October 1st, 2025 at 3:03 pm
One thing seems sure, Tez has good hands.
He just isn’t going to win any 50/50 balls.
October 1st, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Last I looked, Grizzard is Tez’s main coach, not Bowles. Grizzard better be getting up to speed. Grizzard grade: barely above a D. I’m factoring in all the injuries.
October 1st, 2025 at 3:32 pm
Ryan Killer didn’t get any snaps or targets.
I think that was a huge mistake.
Ryan Killer is a fearless warrior at WR.
He doesn’t drop balls. He plays with iron balls!
Get Ryan Miller back on the field!
Godwin shouid have split the reps with Ryan Miller.
We overworked a rusty Godwin. Not smart.
His ankle and leg muscles are still healing.
AND.
It was in Daley hot last Sunday!
We really risked Godwins season by overusing him.
Ryan Killer deserves more snaps and targets.
He has proven himself again and again
October 1st, 2025 at 4:13 pm
I remember Johnson as being one of our slower WR’s with 4.7 speed at the NFL combine which puzzled me why we ran him on a reverse.
October 1st, 2025 at 4:18 pm
drdneast
Welcome to the club, fella
October 1st, 2025 at 4:41 pm
813 now I get you keep up the good postings
October 1st, 2025 at 6:57 pm
Most rookie receiver don’t fully understand the playbook until the second year. That’s just a fact. Egbuka is special, and you can tell by the way he talks that he’s quite intelligent. Tez will be fine, just like J Mac was.
October 1st, 2025 at 7:05 pm
Blame the systems they come from. These guys get up to the line of scrimmage and look to the sideline for the play. It takes time to be a pro.
Emeka is a unicorn
October 2nd, 2025 at 6:53 am
Keep working I’m in even when Evans gets back we will need that default threat the more quantity with quality receivers the more scrambled the defense
October 2nd, 2025 at 12:22 pm
Ohio state receivers never have this problem.