If Byron Leftwich leaves, Bruce Arians may take over playcalling in Tampa

Posted by Mike Florio on January 24, 2022, 12:16 PM EST
NFL: JAN 23 NFC Divisional Round - Rams at Buccaneers
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It’s unclear whether Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will be back in 2022. It’s also unclear whether Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich will return next season.

If Leftwich gets a head-coaching job, who will call the plays in Tampa Bay? Coach Bruce Arians hinted that it may be him.

“There would be a really good chance [of me calling plays], yes,” Arians said Monday, via JoeBucsFan.com.

Arians has delegated plenty of work to Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles since emerging from his second retirement in 2019. If Brady stays, calling plays becomes easier.

If Brady goes, well, that changes everything.

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27 responses to “If Byron Leftwich leaves, Bruce Arians may take over playcalling in Tampa”

  2. Something definitely feels off in Tampa. Brady has been saying for years he wants to play til he’s 50, and he is still good enough to continue. It fees like there is behind-the-scenes grumbling about playcalling and coaching. Could Brady be pushing Arians out?

  4. Have a feeling Brady will say he will stay as long as Arians is GONE. The guy is not who Brady wants to play for….Arians and Bowles should have MADE SURE defense was ready on the bomb from Stafford, inexcusable. Brady would have likely won that game if not for that. Arians is a coach who happened to get Brady at the right time. I think Brady will tell Bucs management it’s ME or Bruce, EASY choice.

  6. I don’t understand why a team (looking at you Jacksonville) would take a guy like Leftwich out of the only job he knows how to do and gamble that he can handle a job much, much more difficult.

    OTOH, there are qualified candidates out there (Pederson, Jim Caldwell for two) who have been through it already and would make perfect 2-3 year bridges to a younger HC hired into the system to learn the ropes.

  8. Kyle Trask has the type of attributes BA looks for. Big with big arm talent. Would be nice to see another QB develop into a starter in this league

  9. As much as everyone was impressed by the Bucs signing all their free agents last spring , I have a feeling the fuse has been set for the team to be blown up . Too many free agent players will take the $$$ and flee and that includes the coaches. Tom isn’t into a rebuild so he’ll retire soon.

  10. Arians needs to retire so Byron Leftwich can take over as Head Coach with the Tampa Bay franchise.

  12. Tampa Bay ought to just drop the pretense and just say that TB will be calling the plays.

  15. I would pump the breaks on Leftwich being a head coach until he calls plays without Brady. Call it the Gase effect, but I would hesitate on any OC who inherited a generational QB. And with Brady we’re talking about the best QB of all time.

  16. In his own mind, Arians can do everything better. The self proclaimed maven of football is a piece of work that he and only he understands.

  20. Nobody is to blame for Tampa loss! The Rams were clearly the better team in both games this season. Suddenly, the entire Tampa coaching staff can’t coach after one playoff loss? This the same staff that dismantled KC in the SB last year. Don’t be a prisoner of the moment.

  22. So he might actually do something instead of standing there and looking clueless like he did this season.

  25. I found it telling that Arians was so quick to tell the world he’ll be back. It’s not solely his decision, and his immediate declaration has me thinking Brady, front office or both would like to move on from BA.

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