Clear Goal For Zac Robinson
August 14th, 2026
Click through to visit BillCurrieFord.com and see their extraordinary July discounts. Family-owned in Tampa since 1960! Bill Currie Ford general manager Sean Sullivan is ready to help you PERSONALLY and give you the famous Ira Kaufman discount. Don’t Worry, Drive Currie!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
The ghost of Liam Coen continues to haunt the Buccaneers.
Former Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
While Buc fans are still outraged this team couldn’t make key stops down the stretch in 2025, it’s easy to forget Tampa Bay’s offense has been rather pedestrian in three of the past four years. The outlier happened in 2024, when new coordinator Liam Coen called plays for a beautifully balanced attack that averaged nearly 30 points per game.
This defense has been overhauled in the offseason — new coaches, new players — but Todd Bowles is counting on returning players to stay healthy and make a difference for OC Zac Robinson this fall.
Coen is an odd duck to be sure, but he knows how to befuddle opposing defenses and reach the end zone. Want proof?
Coming off his stellar work in Tampa, Coen just transformed Jacksonville’s limp offense into a dynamic unit as a first-year head coach. The Jags finished with nine wins in their final 11 games, averaging 32 points in that span, as Trevor Lawrence flourished under center.
In his one full season working with Coen, Baker Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs, earning a Pro Bowl invitation. Dave Canales was merely adequate replacing Byron Leftwich in 2024 and Josh Grizzard’s lack of experience showed often last season.
Here’s a look at Tampa Bay’s key offensive metrics during the past five seasons:
Year – Points per game – Coordinator
2021 30.1 Leftwich
2022 18.4 Leftwich
2023 20.5 Canales
2024 29.5 Coen
2025 22.4 Grizzard
Games Scoring 24 Or More
2021 16 of 19 games
2022 3 of 18
2023 7 of 19
2024 14 of 18
2025 6 of 17
Yes, this offense was superb in 2021 for the defending Super Bowl champions. That was the last time Tom Brady’s mind was totally focused on football, rather than marital and business concerns.
Now it’s Zac Robinson’s turn at the helm after two seasons with the Falcons. Atlanta averaged 22.9 points in 2024 and 20.8 points last year, but Robinson deserves a bit of a pass because there was no continuity at quarterback.
Mayfield has made all 51 starts as a Buccaneer and he senses a robust ground game will be the catalyst for this attack.
“We used to say that our offense runs through Mike Evans,” Mayfield said, “but even in 2024, it ran through our run game. That opens a lot of things for us and guys know that. You cannot just go back there and drop back 50 times in a game. That is not a recipe for success in this league.”
Grizzard’s year as OC was marred by chaos up front. Injuries ravaged the offensive line and a run game that averaged 5.3 yards per carry under Coen was not respected by opposing defenses. Robinson was smart enough to make Bijan Robinson the focal point of Atlanta’s offense — and now he has more weapons and a significantly better quarterback.
We’re about to find out just how invaluable Coen was to this franchise.
Robinson’s got plenty to prove and if Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s O-line remain relatively healthy, this team has enough playmakers to win a few shootouts.
In Chicago, offensive guru Ben Johnson is aiming high. “I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever,” says the second-year head coach.
That’s a lofty goal to be sure. Buc fans are taking a more realistic approach:
Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson, just make us forget about Liam Coen for awhile.
August 14th, 2026 at 11:19 am
Amen.
August 14th, 2026 at 11:23 am
Our pitiful secondary is now being coached by assistants to the awful secondary coaches we had here.
How is that an upgrade?
August 14th, 2026 at 11:27 am
The Bucs should have hired Coen after 2024 and if Robinson has the offense humming at anywhere near (or over) what Coen did in 2024, he needs to be the head coach next year.
Why? Because unlike Incredibly Average Todd Bowles, the textbook definition of the Peter Principle, that result is not incredibly average.
I said what I said.
August 14th, 2026 at 11:55 am
Clear goal for Zac Robinson?
Don’t suck as much as the last guy did…
Is that a clear enough goal?
August 14th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Don’t be as predictable as you were in ATL, and forget Liam do what YOU do with what you have at your disposal because if you can put it together nobody is going to care about Coen anymore.
Also, for all the love Coen gets I just want to remind ya’ll running an end around that deep in our territory in the playoffs was cute and dumb.
Learn to get Tucker more involved, which was something Coen couldn’t do.
Get Payne involved and reward him for all the blocking he’s been doing, because for him to be into year 4 with 17 catches is weird to me. Man had more college TDs than he’s had NFL catches.
We know the wide-zone should be a staple, but damnit if we don’t have some gap schemes in there to let our OL get downhill and be nasty in the run game.
Intitially I loved the hire, but after doing some reading up on Robinson and becoming a little more informed on him as a playcaller, I’ll say I’m more cautiously optimistic
August 14th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Grizzard was good enough for the first 8 games. It wasn’t that he sucked. Injuries did this team in, as they often seem to do. Two years ago our secondary was decimated. This past year it was our O-line and wide receivers decimated. And Kancey. And Baker because of the O-line. You put that much capital and draft stock in the training room, your team is doomed.
Simple as that.
August 14th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
Ira,
A little off track, but why did you use a picture of the late,great Gene Wilder circa “The Producers” for this article?
August 14th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
More Bowles apologies from Ira.
A mediocre HC/DC is the reason we have a revolving door at OC.
3 of 4 years the O is sub par he says.
Leftwich is unemployed. Canales just won our division as a HC and was a first time OC with us. Grizzard was also a first time OC handpicked by the HC who said he was in over his head.
What are we talking about here!? The strength of the team has been the offense despite some rough outings and our stubborn HC won’t hand the keys to the O to try to win.
Coaching matters! A new offense every year with green play callers doesn’t make it easy.
August 14th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
No! Never forget Liam Coen. He is the greatest argument against keeping Todd
Bowels. We could have had 11-12 wins last season with Liam but we got 8-9 Todd Mediocrity instead. Never forget which guy the Glazers chose. And then they followed that up with promoting a film room guy who never ever called him plays before. For everyone dissing Liam, he was smarter and went to a better ownership team. Kahn> all glazers… no caps intended!
August 14th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Screw Coen and screw anyone still sucking his co#k
August 14th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Don’t forget the corrupt refs and the injuries. The League doesn’t want the Bucs and Bowles to have the dynasty they deserve. The truth will come out. Bowles is way better than most coaches and his record proves it.
August 14th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
Liam was good but overrated imo…
Baker led the NFL in INTs and Fumble in 2024 and it was Canales NOT Coen who won a playoff game as a first time OC with no prior history of working with baker…who knows what wouldve happened if baker didnt throw that 4th quarter INT vs DET in the playoffs…
Zac has a ton to prove but i hope he’s more like Canales than Liam….Commit to running the ball and keep baker on a short leash
GO BUCS!!!!
August 14th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
Liam Coen – Lethal Playcaller, Odd Dude 😂
(For the first several weeks of that 2024 season under Coen, it was the run game AND CG driving the offense. Not Mike. Not only was CG highly more productive overall, Mike’s catch to target rate was pretty pale in comparison too.
August 14th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
some real idiotic comments in this thread from people who still whine about how bad they think coen was because he did or didnt do x. his results that season with the bucs and last season with the jags speak for themselves.
an elite level fubar by bucs mgmt letting coen get away. quite the contrast in outcomes between the jags and bucs last year. hard to say he made the wrong choice getting out of one buc place so fast….
August 14th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
I was initially very optimistic about Z-Rob. But when I saw his Atlanta players gave him a C grade, I did some digging. I read more negative stories than positive ones, so I’m now lukewarm about him. Let’s see how he does…
August 14th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
his results that season with the bucs and last season with the jags speak for themselves.
1 and done in the playoffs… just like 2024…it sure does speak volumes lol
GO BUCS!!!!
August 14th, 2026 at 1:44 pm
We hired a guy who averaged 20 points per game? With a top 3 RB? And a freak TE?
I am not surprised he got fired.
I just hope he doesn’t get flustered like Grizzard.
Viens is truly a master OC.
He’s so aggressive and intelligent. He’s passionate and he knows when to call certain plays depending on field position.
Coen was the best OC in Bucs history.
August 14th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Anyone not impressed by what Coen has done and his abilities as a play caller is either an uninformed football fan or has sour grapes.
Coen is one of the best offensive minds in football.
August 14th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
813Bucboi is out to lunch here.
Didn’t you read about Bucs PPG and Jags PPG under Coen. Top tier stuff.
We were one and done in the playoffs because of what I said earlier… Bowles is too stubborn and believing in his D to hand the keys for the gameplan over to the offense.
I’m on record saying Bowles didn’t call a bad game vs Wash but the inability to get stops and Bowles subsequent inability to fight fire with fire and let Coen and the 4TH RANKED OFFENSE play with 4 downs and keep our D off the field cost that game.
No doubt in my mind what happens in that game if at half time Bowles says to Liam well guess they are playing all 4 downs all game… let’s do the same, play call accordingly, drain their D and rest ours.
August 14th, 2026 at 2:19 pm
Potential is just some hype. Ability to function with the potential is the only thing that counts on the football field. The Bucs have had many drafted player with potential that are out of football.
August 14th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
Bowles has led the Bucs to two winning seasons and a playoff victory in his 4 seasons. That’s a lot better than many other coaches. And he fights the refs and the bad luck of injury epidemics every game and still manages to win some.
Extend the man now.
August 14th, 2026 at 2:34 pm
Simple Teresa: get off of the fence and tell us how you really feel. LOL 😂
August 14th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
JL screwed up when Coen walked!! NO DOUBT!!! If the O can stay relatively healthy, Robinson should have enough skill players to put up points!! I’d love to see the Buc’s O average around 30 points a game ! Maybe just maybe then they could get some respect from the talking heads!
August 14th, 2026 at 2:57 pm
I’m Definitely NOT sold on Robinson. He’s just another losing franchises throwaway For One!
Why did we hire him again? Oh yeah, that’s right… So that the offensive couldn’t “COMPLETELY” out pace the defense ONCE AGAIN so that Bozo doesn’t have another contender for his mediocre to lousy job that he bore’s us with or bozo doubles down and makes us from Very Sad to hating him fkr ruining what once was a good thing..
In fact I’d say they (bozo and Robinson) are pretty close to equal standing in regards to their overall success records.
Personally, I can only hope that Robinson FINALLY Finds Away to Shine! It’s FAR TOO LATE for the clown. He’s Made It CLEAR! He’ll never change… He’s just too old and Pig Headed to grasp new concepts, OR HE WOULD HAVE BY NOW!
Definitely Not sold on Robinson but I’m open for miracles…