When Tom Brady revealed that he was headed to Tampa Bay to play for Bruce Arians and the Bucs, New England fans cried while Floridians flocked to buy tickets and #12 jerseys, predicting Super Bowl LV would come through, and the trophy would stay in, Tampa Bay.
While the team hasn’t steamrolled its competition every week, the Bucs finished the season at 11-5 and won their playoff game against Washington, 31-23. Fans are ecstatic over the high powered offense that has been blistering secondaries lately, further amplifying their cries for a Super Bowl title. But while they have praised Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and head coach Bruce Arians, one name has been conspicuously missing from the headlines and commentary.
Byron Leftwich.
The Bucs’ second year offensive coordinator’s accolades appear to be lost in all of the TB12 hype and highly scrutinized Bruce Arians post-game press conferences, yet he is rightly deserving of some props.
Brady finished third in both passing yards (4,633) and passing TDs (40) this season. The Bucs’ offense ranked fourth in passing (4,766 yards) and second in passing TDs (42) and fourth in total TDs (59). That means that Leftwich leads one of the top offenses in the league, yet he’s seldom mentioned when it comes to the Bucs’ success. Need proof? Google his name and see how many times he’s quoted as opposed to Brady or Arians.
To his credit, Arians recognizes what he has with Leftwich and knows that his talented OC will likely get a few calls about head coaching vacancies next season, especially if the team wins it all this year.
“I thought he did a heck of a job with the offense last year – numbers wise,” said Arians of Leftwich in November. “Bringing in Tom [Brady] has been totally different. He and Tom have a great relationship. Byron’s done a heck of a job. I love his patience with the running game right now and setting up those chunk plays in the passing game. I think he’s done a heck of a job with our offense.
“We’ve got guys ready to take their place just in case that happens. Hopefully, we go all the way and they both get jobs.”
Brady also acknowledges the job Leftwich has done with the offense, tweeting his love for his OC in November.
So maybe it’s time that the media and NFL fans show their overt appreciation for Byron Leftwich and acknowledge the fact that Arians and Brady aren’t the only two who have the team in a position to stay at home in February and keep the Lombardi Trophy at Raymond James Stadium.
