It’s fair to say the Buccaneers’ offense has embraced offensive coordinator Liam Cohen’s offensive line, and that’s been a central theme at the team’s facility over the past week as Tampa Bay prepares to host the Commanders on Sunday to open the regular season.
After finishing 32nd in the run game the past two seasons. Big concerns heading into 2024 The question is how much the rushing attack will improve, with a solid ground game being paramount to quarterback Baker Mayfield’s success.
This was the topic Previous Pewter Report Podcast And it’s something that just about everyone is talking about.
The Buccaneers have confidence in OC Liam Cohen’s offensive line.
Buccaneers RB Rachad White and C Graham Barton – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Coach Liam Cohen got a glimpse of the success this year’s Buccaneers offense can have when the starting lineup played its first series together in the preseason finale against the Dolphins.
It took just seven plays for the offense to go 70 yards and score a touchdown on their opening drive. Running back Rachad White scored a touchdown run from four yards out. If this sounds new, it’s because the team didn’t start a game with a touchdown last season. Getting early scores will allow head coach Todd Bowles to be more creative and aggressive on defense.
When that happens, good things usually happen.
Baker Mayfield enjoys playing with a chip on his shoulder, but He may still be a little overconfident, All he can do is control the tempo early in the game. The rest will be up to the team’s running backs to hold the ball and tire out opponents, and Cohen believes they’ll all work together to get the better of it.
“I think it’s about our guys understanding, that you need all 11 guys in the run game, that it’s not just the blockers and the runners, that the receivers are part of it, the quarterback is part of it, and just being disciplined in our tracks,” Cohen said. “If you want to get good at something, you’ve got to pay attention to the details, and if you look at the details that they’ve had and played in the passing game over the last few years, it’s always been at a high level.
“What we’re trying to do is put a little bit of that focus into the run game and say, ‘Guys, if we’re going to do well in this game, we’ve got to all work together.’ And the guys have done that. Our coaching staff has done a great job of coaching us so far. We’ll just have to see how it turns out in the actual game.”
Buccaneers OC Liam Cohen and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Mayfield is confident that Cohen, offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci have taught him what he needs to know to make the run game great.
“I’m very confident,” Mayfield said. “Very confident in our guys doing it and, obviously, the new strategies and the new things they’ve put in place. Coach [Kevin] Carberry has done a fantastic job organizing all the details for them, and Brian Picucci is in the room helping them out, and Liam. [Coen] He just focuses on that. He demands excellence on the track and in everything. [running] “The Bucks do that too. He’s very critical of their footwork and stuff, but that’s what it takes to be a great running team.”
The details are something the Buccaneers’ OL has been emphasizing.
It’s a detail that coach Liam Cohen has repeatedly emphasized all offseason as he puts together the Buccaneers’ offense, and it was something the Buccaneers’ starting offensive linemen discussed further.
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs is the captain of the offensive line. One of the six team captains The names were released on Wednesday, and Captain Wilfs, in typical captain fashion, said the ship’s fate was sink or swim.
Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs and RT Luke Goedeke – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
“What did we do last? [in rushing] “It was a big win for the team last year to stay in the league, so we had to emphasize that,” Wirfs said. “We worked hard every day in practice and I think we did a great job. Like I said before, it’s just five guys on the same page. If we screw up, we all screw up. We just have to be quick and get off the ball. It’s going to be a fun game and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Right guard Cody Mouch told Pewter Report that the increased practice sessions have helped him become more polished.
“Everyone understands everything better. [and] “Now we can really focus. We all know what to do. Now we just need to get the steps right, the hand placement, knowing where Luke is when we’re taking double teams, trusting the guy next to us. [Goedeke]I think that’s going to happen. If I can get more practice with that, I think it’s a good thing. I can focus more while knowing what I’m doing.”
Mauch knows where Goedeke is, and the team’s right tackle said that common focus on detail should translate into better execution this season.
“I think it’s just the attention to detail and the different looks we’re giving the defense,” Goedeke said of his improvements in the run game. “Whether it’s motion, they’re doing a good job at pad level. They’re communicating and executing on everything, where they’re going.”
How will the Buccaneers utilize their running backs?
Buccaneers OC Liam Cohen and RB Bucky Irving – Photo: Corey Perin/USA Today
The Buccaneers’ offensive line is more in sync when it comes to the finer details, which will benefit running backs Rachad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. White will remain the starter, but another variable to consider in the running game is how much each running back will play. Head coach Todd Bowles was the first to respond.
“I think it changes game by game,” Bowles said. “Usually you bet on guys who are in form, but nobody’s played yet so obviously Rachad [White] From there we’ll see how other players are used.”
Coach Liam Cohen wants everyone involved, even if that means rotating three players, which he dislikes, and the talent is there to justify the management overhead.
“Of course I want to get the players involved, but Rachad [White] “He’s the guy. He’s going to keep playing and he’s going to keep playing,” Cohen said. “Bucky [Irving] Once you have certain things and you can play, Sean [Tucker] We need him to go in there and give them a shot. I think he’ll do a great job. We have full confidence in all three of them. At the end of the day, it’s a long season.
“We’ve done three-back rotations in the past, but it’s exhausting for the coach and the play-caller because now it’s like, ‘Okay, who’s in the game? What are they good at? What do we want them to do?’ At the end of the day, it’s Ratchad’s show, and Bucky and Sean are going to have a lot of work to do, and hopefully when they’re out there, they’ll be efficient and do a great job.”
Buccaneers OC Liam Cohen – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Cody Mouch thinks they’ve all become more aggressive in hitting the holes.
“They seem to be hitting great,” Mauch said. “Sometimes I don’t see very well.” [of] “What they’re doing with the Bucks. Just focusing on what they’re doing, but they seem to be attacking hard. Bucky, Rashard, those guys there, Sean. The Bucks are doing really good right now.”
Famous lines from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams “If you build it, he will come.”
With everyone focused on building a great run game, the Buccaneers will hopefully start seeing results come Sunday.
