Arians: A Lateral Move?
Let's take a serious look at our head coach, fellow Buccaneers fans.
Bruce Arians has definitely raised some eyebrows in his short time in Tampa and not always in a good way. From the "kicker competition" to the highly questionable handling of a former franchise player in Gerald McCoy, the "secondary is totally fixed" claim and flip-flopping at post-game pressers.
So far, Arians has been a strange mix of previous BUCS head coaches in my eyes.
He arrived with the aura of Jon Gruden, a guy that somehow got the rectitude of being a QB guru though he had never actually groomed a QB into success in his history. One could say he was the original "QB Whisperer". Both guys are media darlings and great for sound bites if you're into those.
Arians came in with the bravado of Lovie Smith having assured everyone that a quick turnaround was, for sure, in reach and highly probable with his "expertise" and experience being a driving factor.
Arians also came in with an offensive concept quite similar to that of the guy he replaced in Dirk Koetter.
Long developing routes? Check.
Offense highly dependent on explosive shots downfield?? Check.
In-game adjustments in question??? Check
Clock management in question????? Check
All of those, plus the fact they both have former head coaches as defensive coordinators employing questionable tactics at crucial moments and at this point in the season, it seems like the Arians hire was either a lateral move or maybe even a step back. The step back notion applies because many of us felt like it was resetting and starting over fresh. But now instead, we're seeing the same issues from before persist.
The 2019 Buccaneers defense looks slightly improved even though it's largely due to one facet: the run defense. The pass defense is still developing. However, Arians told us, the fans, that the secondary was fixed. Apparently, the belief was that it was fixed through the 3 consecutive picks in the 2019 Draft. So far....Not so much.
The 2019 Buccaneers offense looks a little less explosive through six games than the previous iteration under former coach Dirk Koetter, now of the Atlanta Falcons for the 2nd time. Through Week 6, the BUCSs have had one high-scoring game in which the offense looked to be on par with the quick explosion seen a season ago. That game, on the road, against the L.A. Rams came as a result of awesome game planning and execution on the offensive side and a big game from the defense, forcing 4 turnovers giving the offense short fields. The offense capitalized off the defensive stops, and points were put on the board. Our starting QB threw 4 TDs in this outing in what was undoubtedly one of his best games as a professional. The offensive line seemingly put to rest questions about its ability to hold up against a top-notch defensive front.
That game somewhat mirrored the Week 1 performance in New Orleans when backup Ryan Fitzpatrick put up 4 TDs against the hometown favorites. That effort, too, was jump-started when the defense got 3 consecutive stops and the offense capitalized.
Other than that game, the offense hasn't taken the step forward many believed it would take under Arians. The expectancy was that the grizzled, no-nonsense, new old head coach would be able to get his "quick turnaround" plan in motion and hit the ground running with long-time pupil and former BUCS QB, Byron Leftwich. Again...Not so much.
Heading into the bye week, the Buccaneers' record is worse than where they were a season ago after six games: 2-4. Last season, they were 3-3. And that was with a "backup journeyman" under center for 2 of the wins.
It's early in the season, yet the BUCS and Bruce Arians are seemingly running out of time. The Head Coach was hired with a direct responsibility to prove the QB is that of a franchise-saving caliber. The argument can be made that 2 of the 4 losses have been on the arm of the QB. While it's never one man's complete fault, losing games that are predicated on INTs will ALWAYS be focused on the QB. And if anything's being focused on the QB, it's gonna focus on the self-proclaimed "QB Whisperer".
But is anyone gonna blame Arians if he can't "fix" the 5yr bad habits of a QB?
More specifically, will the front office blame him??
Personally, I don't dislike Arians. In fact, I'd like to drink with the guy. He's a fellow connoisseur of Crown Royal. He seems like he's got the kind of sense of humor your favourite uncle would have.
He's one of those guys that can sell you anything you wanna buy.
Simply put: He can talk that talk. And Tampa fans and media LOVE hearing that talk.
I've always been wary of those types, though. No different here. I hope he can make good on his talk, but I've never been sold.
However, I think the Team can still turn it around this season. I believe if/when they do, it'll be on the strength of the defense. The offense is full of weapons that can scorch most opposition in any given week if they get out of their own way. That side of the ball also has been more heavily invested in, with the Top 5 salary cap hits being allotted to that side of the ball, so the expectation is just a bit higher.
It's hard to see the BUCS winning 7 of their last 10, which would put them at 9-7. But even if they do, Arians would only tie the former head coach's 1st season with the BUCS and likely face the same fate of not making the playoffs.
Earlier, I mentioned the previous BUCS coaches Arians reminded me of. I wonder if there's gonna be backlash for hanging out and drinking with players like there was with Morris if the losses keep mounting up. You just hope he's not fooling himself into thinking he has more time than he actually does to fix his choice of a franchise QB like Schiano.