If there are any changes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense this year, they aren't going to be noticeable. Byron Leftwich remains the offensive coordinator after not landing the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job, yet will be handling more responsibility this season.
With Bruce Arians retired, Leftwich will assume command of the offensive game plan. The philosophy Arians installed over the past three seasons isn't going to change.
"I guess I'm an offensive coordinator with an offensive-minded head coach, so guys think (Arians, the head coach, is leading the offense," Leftwich said Tuesday, via NFL.com. "But it was never nothing even close to that from the time I walked in, in 2019 with Jameis (Winston), it's been me full-go.
"I'm just no-risk-it, no-biscuit, too. Same thing, same thing. Nothing will change. Everything should be status quo."
The Buccaneers offense was one of the best in the NFL over the last two seasons, becoming the only team in the league to score 1,000 points in the regular season (NFL leading 30.4 points per game). Tampa Bay was also second in yards per game (395.3) and yards per play (6.1). The Buccaneers were also first in pass yards per game (298.6) and second in pass touchdowns (85).
Tampa Bay became the first franchise to have two different 5,000-yard passers in a season with Leftwich as offensive coordinator -- Jameis Winston (2019) and Tom Brady (2021). Brady has completed 66.7% of his passes for 9,949 yards with 83 touchdowns to just 24 interceptions for a 102.1 passer rating. Brady has the most passing yards and the second-most passing touchdowns over the last two seasons.
The Buccaneers offense should still be explosive with Leftwich on the controls -- and the majority of the personnel back from the past two years. Tampa Bay even added Russell Gage to the mix of talented receivers Brady gets to throw to. All the Buccaneers need is a Rob Gronkowski return...
"We're going to try to do the best thing to put us in position to score points and win football games," Leftwich said. "Whatever we can do from an offensive standpoint to help us win, we'll try to do that. Don't really matter to me how we get that done."
