Byron Leftwich: Fired

[MJW]

Just breaking now.

So long, fatboy.

[MJW]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... -leftwich/

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said a couple of days ago that there was no decision about offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich’s future with the team, but the Bucs have now made that decision and it will result in a change in Tampa.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Bucs have fired Leftwich. That move was widely expected after the Bucs finished 25th in points scored during the regular season and flamed out offensively again in their playoff loss to the Cowboys.

Stroud reports that the team is parting ways with a number of other assistants as well.

It’s a steep fall for Leftwich, who was up for head coaching jobs at this point last year and was reportedly in talks for the job with the Jaguars before they pivoted to Doug Pederson. The 2023 season was Leftwich’s fourth running the offense in Tampa and they won a Super Bowl in 2020, but it was also his first without Bruce Arians as the head coach and the team wasn’t nearly as successful as they’d been in Leftwich’s previous seasons at the rudder.

The search for a new coordinator in Tampa will be impacted by uncertainty at the quarterback position. Tom Brady is set for free agency and has given no indication that he’s planning to return, so anyone taking the job will do so without a clear idea of who will be filling the most important spot on the unit.

[King Bootz]

Yea just what we needed....Yet another thread on Leftwich/Bowles....

[MJW]

Yea just what we needed....Yet another thread on Leftwich/Bowles....

Literally breaking news. But you're free to ignore it. We know you won't, because you have a burning desire to make yourself the center of every thread possible. But you can. It won't hurt my feelings.

[King Bootz]

Yea just what we needed....Yet another thread on Leftwich/Bowles....

Literally breaking news. But you're free to ignore it. We know you won't, because you have a burning desire to make yourself the center of every thread possible. But you can. It won't hurt my feelings.

News broke over an hour ago and we've all been discussing it here

viewtopic.php?t=1170&start=245

[acmillis]

The dude spamming the board for years cries about a thread for the biggest news of our off season....rich.

[nybf]

Every. Fucking. Thread.

[IronDog]

Rich, this is!

[Heisenberg]

finally

[Miller4Prez64]

I’m glad to hear it. I feel bad for the guy going from a hot HC prospect to being out of a job like that but life in the NFL comes at you fast. 4 years as a coordinator with a Super Bowl is a good run anyways, we need some changes though and this year was a disaster.

[Snake]

Props to Bowles for pulling the trigger.

(Assuming he had a choice.)

[Terry Tate]

He never should have gotten the job in the first place. He didn't show much working under Arians. It's why I was praying the Jags would hire him as OC this last off-season. This season was everything I feared it would be.

I am not 100% sold on Bowles as HC but I wouldn't mind another year of him if he gets a real OC

[Snake]

What’s his EPA?

He^he_he

[Buc2]

One thing this firing says to me is that Arians did, in fact, have his thumb heavily on the scale those 1st 3 years that Leftwich was the so-called, OC. Otherwise, I can't imagine one bad season, even as bad as it was, would have pushed them to fire him. They would have considered it an outlier and would have blamed other circumstances for the failure, i.e., injuries. Alas, without Daddy Bruce there to oversee things, it resulted in his spectacular flameout.

Anyway, will it's a good call, don't expect things to be much better this coming season. The best we can hope for is to see some good signs that the new OC knows what he's doing and things will turn around once some key positions are upgraded in this offense.

[Buc2]

Props to Bowles for pulling the trigger.

(Assuming he had a choice.)

Yeah...not 100% sure it was his choice. I hope it was, though. He is the HC and it really should have been his call to make.

[mdb1958]

I said to much about him as a player so I was determined to not join the rock throwers when he was coaching here. That said, I think he's a worthy human and I wish him well.

[King Bootz]

One thing this firing says to me is that Arians did, in fact, have his thumb heavily on the scale those 1st 3 years that Leftwich was the so-called, OC. Otherwise, I can't imagine one bad season, even as bad as it was, would have pushed them to fire him. They would have considered it an outlier and would have blamed other circumstances for the failure, i.e., injuries. Alas, without Daddy Bruce there to oversee things, it resulted in his spectacular flameout.

Anyway, will it's a good call, don't expect things to be much better this coming season. The best we can hope for is to see some good signs that the new OC knows what he's doing and things will turn around once some key positions are upgraded in this offense.

Could be the case. I also think this is an opportunity for Bowles to have his own coaching staff and not 1 handed down to him. His coaching philosophy doesn't seem to fit what Arians did but the entire staff was made up of Arians guys.

Bowles gets to carve his own niche now.

[Buc2]

One thing this firing says to me is that Arians did, in fact, have his thumb heavily on the scale those 1st 3 years that Leftwich was the so-called, OC. Otherwise, I can't imagine one bad season, even as bad as it was, would have pushed them to fire him. They would have considered it an outlier and would have blamed other circumstances for the failure, i.e., injuries. Alas, without Daddy Bruce there to oversee things, it resulted in his spectacular flameout.

Anyway, will it's a good call, don't expect things to be much better this coming season. The best we can hope for is to see some good signs that the new OC knows what he's doing and things will turn around once some key positions are upgraded in this offense.

Could be the case. I also think this is an opportunity for Bowles to have his own coaching staff and not 1 handed down to him. His coaching philosophy doesn't seem to fit what Arians did but the entire staff was made up of Arians guys.

Bowles gets to carve his own niche now.

Yep. He's making his own bed now. As a Bucs fan, I really hope he succeeds. I'm even willing to give him this season even if we don't make the playoffs (I don't expect we will) so long as things seem to be progressing in a positive direction.

[Max]

Good riddance, piece of shit loser.

Don't let the door hit your sorry ass on the way out.

[13F11B]

Let the good times roll.

[IronDog]

Yea just what we needed....Yet another thread on Leftwich/Bowles....

Despite everything, including this classic whining, and your even pointing to a different thread you (surprise surpise) overposted in, youcan't seem to refrain from overloading the post count in this thread. Classic.

[Brazen331]

This really was the only route the team could have gone I think. Getting rid of Bowles could never really be on the table because he did make the playoffs in his first year. The potential PR hit would be too frightening for ownership probably.

But man, I really do not want to go through a rebuild with Bowles. It seems to me you are only extending the rebuild a couple years because you are going to have to hire someone else to start over after you have to fire Bowles.

I wish I felt differently but I have zero confidence in this guy as a HC. What success has he ever had in this position? Not every assistant is cut out out to be the top guy.

[Buccabeer]

I hope we get rid of our crappy Special Teams Coach as well.

[Snake]

I hope we get rid of our crappy Special Teams Coach as well.

You mean this guy? (Worth the click. He’s angry.)

[Primeminister]

I hope we get rid of our crappy Special Teams Coach as well.

You mean this guy? (Worth the click. He’s angry.)

“You ain’t good enough to be an asshole”

LMAO!!! I want this man fired, but that video is LOL

[13F11B]

“You ain’t good enough to be an asshole”

Sounds like he needs to be summoned to the front office and someone should just play that clip for him. Then point at the door.

[Big Irv]

I had a little conversation with ChatGPT about our off-season moves… This is what chat GPT said when asked, “Give me 1 good reason why Byron Leftwich should keep his job as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

It replied, “One reason why Byron Leftwich should keep his job as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is that he played an instrumental role in the development of quarterback Tom Brady's game during the 2020 season. Under Leftwich's guidance, Brady had one of the best seasons of his career and led the team to a Super Bowl victory.”

Oh wait, what’s this!?!

“One reason why Byron Leftwich could be considered for termination as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is that the team's offense may not have performed as well as expected during the 2020 and 2021 season, despite having a wealth of talent on the roster and a quarterback like Tom Brady. This could indicate that Leftwich's play calling or offensive schemes were not effective, and that a change in leadership may be needed to improve the team's performance on that side of the ball.”

ChatGPT was being indecisive, so I pressed it for the hard truth.

“It's not clear what you mean by Tom Brady's "disappointing season" or "losing his family." Tom Brady has had a successful career and is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He has also had a strong personal and family life. If you are referring to his performance during the 2020-2021 season and any potential impact that may have had on his family, I would not be able to confirm that as it would be a personal matter. It would be unfair to speculate on it without concrete information.”

Gotta send this last one to Goodell…

“Ronde Barber is considered one of the best defensive backs in NFL history and many believe he should be in the Hall of Fame. Barber spent his entire 16-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time first-team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. He is also the first player in NFL history to record at least 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in a career. He also won Super Bowl XXXVII with the team. These achievements and contributions to the team over the years make him a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame.“

[mdb1958]

How many players have hit 40/25 since Barber?

[MJW]

https://andscape.com/features/with-the- ... -fall-guy/

Turns out, Leftwich was fired because of racism you guys.

[nybf]

How many players have hit 40/25 since Barber?

Wtf does this have to do with Leftwich being fired

[The Outsider]

One thing this firing says to me is that Arians did, in fact, have his thumb heavily on the scale those 1st 3 years that Leftwich was the so-called, OC. Otherwise, I can't imagine one bad season, even as bad as it was, would have pushed them to fire him. They would have considered it an outlier and would have blamed other circumstances for the failure, i.e., injuries. Alas, without Daddy Bruce there to oversee things, it resulted in his spectacular flameout.

Anyway, will it's a good call, don't expect things to be much better this coming season. The best we can hope for is to see some good signs that the new OC knows what he's doing and things will turn around once some key positions are upgraded in this offense.

The 'taking a red pen to the game plan' comment from Arians makes a hell of a lot of sense now.

[Big Irv]

How many players have hit 40/25 since Barber?

Wtf does this have to do with Leftwich being fired

That was my fault. I was having some fun with interactive AI last night and had to throw a Ronde Barber question in there.

[Big Irv]

One thing this firing says to me is that Arians did, in fact, have his thumb heavily on the scale those 1st 3 years that Leftwich was the so-called, OC. Otherwise, I can't imagine one bad season, even as bad as it was, would have pushed them to fire him. They would have considered it an outlier and would have blamed other circumstances for the failure, i.e., injuries. Alas, without Daddy Bruce there to oversee things, it resulted in his spectacular flameout.

Anyway, will it's a good call, don't expect things to be much better this coming season. The best we can hope for is to see some good signs that the new OC knows what he's doing and things will turn around once some key positions are upgraded in this offense.

Could be the case. I also think this is an opportunity for Bowles to have his own coaching staff and not 1 handed down to him. His coaching philosophy doesn't seem to fit what Arians did but the entire staff was made up of Arians guys.

Bowles gets to carve his own niche now.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. 8 assistant coaches fired or pushed out the door. Most of them date back to 2019 and the start of the Arians era.

For Bowles’ sake, I’m glad he gets a chance to remake the offensive coaching staff to his liking. Give him a real chance to succeed by allowing him to bring in HIS guys. “Retread” hires don’t happen often in The NFL. Certainly there’s hardly a 3rd opportunity. For Bowles, this may be his last shot at a HC gig. I’m glad he’ll get to make this staff in his own image, not Arians.

Those firings show me that Bowles is getting or taking more control of things. Which I think is good. Give him a chance to pass or fail on his own merit. He doesn’t need Arians’ hand-me-down staff. Let him carve out his own legacy.

[Buc2]

Could be the case. I also think this is an opportunity for Bowles to have his own coaching staff and not 1 handed down to him. His coaching philosophy doesn't seem to fit what Arians did but the entire staff was made up of Arians guys.

Bowles gets to carve his own niche now.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. 8 assistant coaches fired or pushed out the door. Most of them date back to 2019 and the start of the Arians era.

For Bowles’ sake, I’m glad he gets a chance to remake the offensive coaching staff to his liking. Give him a real chance to succeed by allowing him to bring in HIS guys. “Retread” hires don’t happen often in The NFL. Certainly there’s hardly a 3rd opportunity. For Bowles, this may be his last shot at a HC gig. I’m glad he’ll get to make this staff in his own image, not Arians.

Those firings show me that Bowles is getting or taking more control of things. Which I think is good. Give him a chance to pass or fail on his own merit. He doesn’t need Arians’ hand-me-down staff. Let him carve out his own legacy.

Since he's staying, I don't see how anyone can argue with this.

[BucsNBills]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. 8 assistant coaches fired or pushed out the door. Most of them date back to 2019 and the start of the Arians era.

For Bowles’ sake, I’m glad he gets a chance to remake the offensive coaching staff to his liking. Give him a real chance to succeed by allowing him to bring in HIS guys. “Retread” hires don’t happen often in The NFL. Certainly there’s hardly a 3rd opportunity. For Bowles, this may be his last shot at a HC gig. I’m glad he’ll get to make this staff in his own image, not Arians.

Those firings show me that Bowles is getting or taking more control of things. Which I think is good. Give him a chance to pass or fail on his own merit. He doesn’t need Arians’ hand-me-down staff. Let him carve out his own legacy.

Since he's staying, I don't see how anyone can argue with this.

Yeap, just gotta get rid of one last Arians holdover....