The major adjustment that will save the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Rob Leeds
Bruce Arians is a coach that most people would consider “a football guy.” This is a term that was once used as a sign of endearment, as the coach would show reverence to the old way of playing, but in the current NFL, this is a significant detractor of a coach.
More from The Pewter Plank
- Devin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on Twitter
- ESPN predicts surprising outcome to Devin White trade saga
- Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicamp
- Todd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with Bucs
- The Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023
Arians isn’t calling the plays anymore, that mostly falls on Byron Leftwich, but his decisions are impossible to understand at times. The offense uses his gameplan, and Arians has the final say on everything, and it is no surprise that the run-heavy approach early on and late is tied to a “football guy” coach.
While the play-calling has been bad, that has unfortunately not been the worst part of Arians’ decision-making as of recent.
NFL officiating has struggled over the past few years. The added versatility for coaching challenges is a great way to begin addressing the issues, but Arians needs to have all of his challenges taken away for the rest of his career. Arians should never use a challenge again for the remainder of his time in Tampa Bay.
Perhaps the opposing teams are somehow getting faulty information into Arians’ headset, but his challenges as of recent, as evidenced by today, have been down-right horrendous. There wasn’t an angle in existence that showed LeSean McCoy reaching the first-down line today, and Arians challenged the call anyway, after just calling a time out after the very same play.
The Bucs have been on the receiving end of some terrible calls over the years, but it looks like Arians’ stubbornness has gotten the best of his coaching ability, and Tampa Bay can’t win with wasted timeouts and challenges during its toughest matchups.