Former ill-suited Bucs OC Marcus Arroyo.
This is how bad the Bucs have fallen and how terrible of a job that Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has been.
Joe has remarked a couple of times how this Bucs offense under Robinson could be the worst Bucs offense since Joe launched this here website back in August 2008. So Joe started doing some research.
It is scary how bad this Bucs offense is.
The worst offense Joe could think of was in the 2014 season. You remember that season, right? It was lousy Lovie Smith’s first season with the Bucs.
And boy, that was a memorable season. The Bucs were so brutal they won the Chase for Jameis with the No. 1 overall pick, ending the season with a 2-14 record.
The Bucs offense, through four games this year, has scored 70 points, or an average of 17.5 points a game. In 2014, the Bucs offense scored 66 points through the first four games for an average of 16.5 points a game.
(Through the first four games, both the 2014 Bucs and 2026 Bucs had a pick-six.)
The 2014 season was a trainwreck before it started. Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford became sick during preseason and had to have a stent inserted for a heart issue.
To this day, Bucs types believe Tedford milked his illness as a way to get away from Lovie, realizing he had made a major mistake taking the job. Depending who you talk to, he either resigned or was dismissed a short time later.
Tedford’s quarterback coach, one of his former quarterbacks when he coached San Jose State, ill-suited Marcus Arroyo, was promoted to offensive coordinator. He had only been an offensive coordinator for one season in his life, the previous season at Southern Miss. He had never called plays before, in college or the NFL.
(In an interesting crossing of paths, Arroyo’s lone season at Southern Miss, he worked for Todd Monken, who was the Southern Miss head coach and playcaller. Two years later, Monken was hired by then-Bucs coach Dirk Koetter as Bucs offensive coordinator. Monken seldom called plays for the Bucs.)
Arroyo had little to work with. Aside from Vincent Jackson, Muscle Hamster Doug Martin, rookie Mike Evans, veteran guard Logan Mankins and a young, unpolished Demar Dotson, the Bucs offensive roster that season was made up of has-beens, never-beens and malcontents.
In other words, a far cry from the talent that Robinson has to work with.
Consider the Bucs’ offensive starting lineup in 2014:
QB Josh McCown RB Doug Martin TE/FB Luke Stocker WR Mike Evans WR Vincent Jackson TE Austin Seferian-Jackwagon LT “Sir SmokeALot” Anthony Collins LG Logan Mankins C Evan Dietrich-Smith RG Patrick Omameh
RT Demar Dotson
And yet, with all that talent, Robison barely has more production as a veteran playcaller and Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay disciple.
And yes, Bucs fans, if you recall, Arroyo also had to work with a backup quarterback as a starter.
Second-string quarterback Mike Glennon started Week 4 in 2014 at Pittsburgh and the Bucs shocked the mighty Steelers for a 27-24 win.
Here is how both the 2026 Bucs and 2014 Bucs finished their first four games:
**2014 Bucs**
_First four games_ L Carolina 20-14 L St. Louis 19-17 L at Atlanta 56-14
W at Pittsburgh 27-24
**2026 Bucs**
_First four games_ L at Cincinnati 33-27 L Cleveland 23-19 L Minnesota 23-16
L Green Bay 17-14
So in 2014 with mostly a bunch of NFL livestock to work with, a green-as-grass offensive coordinator had almost as much production as a veteran playcaller on a team loaded with high draft picks, stars and high-priced veterans.
Tampa, we have a problem.