Assistants like OC Josh Grizzard doing strong work.
Yeah, the defense has had to deal with injuries this year. Losing Calijah Kancey was a big hit. And there is always the Jamel Dean injury or two.
But on offense, Joe cannot remember an offense being ravaged by injuries quite like the Bucs this year, though San Francisco and Baltimore fans will argue they’ve been bitten by the injury bug worse.
Think about it: The Bucs yesterday were down to their No. 3 right guard and Nos. 6 and 7 receivers, who both caught touchdown passes.
Joe has already remarked today how the Bucs’ coaching staff has done a fantastic job getting guys ready to not just play, but produce.
This afternoon, Bucs coach Todd Bowles gave his assistants shoutouts for coaching up the backups.
“They’ve been great,” Bowles’ said of his staff. “I can’t name one that stands above the other. They all go around [and] they work well together – they understand what they have to do.
“When you tell them somebody is down and they might have to use this guy or that guy, they just put their heads down and go to work right away – maybe a sarcastic comment or two, but after that they kind of go to work.
“[Bucs assistants] understand what they have to do, and do the best job I’ve seen getting guys ready to play whether they’ve been here for three days or whether they’ve been here for three weeks. That’s hats off to them, and we wouldn’t be where we were if it wasn’t for those guys.”
Joe thinks this only strengthens the notion that Bucs rookie offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard may be a one-and-done playcaller for the Bucs, a Tampa Bay tradition.
How many offensive coordinators have dealt with this many injuries and still have their team winning games? And Grizzard is learning this on the fly in his first year calling plays. Imagine what he would be like with a consistently healthy offense?
Grizzard has already proven how to get production despite his offense getting hammered by injuries. He’s shown right away in his first year calling plays that he can adapt, adjust and overcome.
Trust Joe, Grizzard’s work is being noticed in NFL circles.