Former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich didn’t make a mistake in having the Bucks throw the ball with great regularity last year. After all, Tampa Bay had the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Tom Brady, under center, and two Pro Bowl receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
But where the Leftwich and Bucks offenses have stumbled in 2022 has been their lack of commitment to running the ball. That would have made the Tampa Bay offense more balanced and less predictable. When the Bucks attempted a run, it was predictably on a first down, and the end result was the league’s worst run game, with an offense scoring just 18 points per game. This is down from 30 points per game in the previous two seasons.
The 45-year-old Brady most wanted to do last year was set new NFL records for most passes attempted (733) and made (490), but the Bucks relied too much on the passing game. It happened to me.
Bucks head coach Todd Bowles wants the offense to be more balanced this year and a stronger commitment to running the ball, which will result in the defense resting and making Tampa Bay a better player in 2023. It will allow you to play complementary football. That’s why he hired a new offensive coordinator. Dave Canales A native of Seattle, he worked under defensively-minded head coach Pete Carroll.
Dave Canales’ offense will move the ball more, but Bucks’ WR will never be forgotten
Bucks RB Rachard White and QB Kyle Trask – Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
But don’t expect the Bucks’ new offense to be three yards and a dust cloud under Dave Canales, or return to the Dungey Ball that Tampa Bay played in the late 1990s.
In fact, Seattle’s offense last year was pretty explosive Quarterback Genno Smith earned his first Pro Bowl spot and earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Smith passed for 4,282 yards, Seattle got two 1,000-yard receivers in DK Metcalfe (1,048) and Tyler Lockett (1,033), plus rookie Kenneth Walker III, who ran for 1,050 yards. He also got a running back.
The Seahawks averaged 23.9 points per game last year. Ranked 10th in the NFL Up from 23.2 points per game (16th) in 2021.
appearing in No Off Days Podcast by Scott Smith of Fox 13, Canales was asked how Evans and Godwin feel about the potential for more call runs and fewer chances in the 2023 game plan.
“I was very excited,” Canales said. “If you look at what we’ve done in Seattle over the last 12 years, you can see that a lot of the work comes out of the receiver. Just last year we had two 1,000-yard receivers and one 1,000-yard back, and we wanted to see what Rashard Penny would have been like if he had been healthy all year. considers balance.”
In fact, Seattle has had six 1,000-yard receiving seasons between the Rockets and Metcalfe in the last four seasons, despite being one of the most productive and efficient rushing offenses in the league on an annual basis.
“The great thing about this game is that you may not get 15 pass targets per game, but what you do get comes from play action. They come in known pass situations,” Canales said. rice field. “The world of play action creates a whole other explosive element to run-after catches and yards-per-catch.”
Bucks use more play action to create big plays in passing game
![Bucs Wrs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans](https://www.pewterreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Godwin-Chris-Mike-Evans-pewter-celebrate-300x200.jpg)
Bucks WR Chris Godwin and Mike Evans – Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucks failed to capitalize on play action under Leftwich, frustrating fans and players alike. But when Tampa Bay used play action, it proved very effective. Canales’ offense requires more pre-snap motion and play action to excite receivers.
“I like him, I really like him” Bucks wide receiver Chris Godwin said: He is finishing his third 1,000-yard season in six seasons with Tampa Bay. “I think the first thing that comes to mind is he’s a very smart guy. I really understand what he wants to do, and I think that really comes through in meetings, and it shows in how he delivers his message to the players in the boardroom and on the field.
“I think the players respond really well to that. He’s not a yelling guy. He’s not trying to cuss men. He’s not trying to criticize men. He’s a teacher. So we want to communicate that effectively, and so far it’s been going well…they’re flying around – the intensity is high.”
Canales has received great feedback from receivers and other offenses during the OTA so far.
“So just by showing the different wrinkles you can put on there, how it all fits, the attack and the approach, the moving parts of a simple concept, you can see that the players are really excited,” said Canales. rice field. “And just taking different tempo packages and such, they’ve been really supportive and excited about what we’re doing. There was no backlash at all.”
As receivers, Evans and Godwin are on par with or better than Metcalf and Rocket. So if the duo can hit Seattle’s 1,000-yard dash in two seasons, which they’ve done twice in the last four seasons, there’s no reason Evans and Godwin can’t have the same level of success this year.