With some minor exceptions from the head coach, of course.
When the Bucs hired offensive coordinator Liam Coen, much was said of the link he had the quarterback Baker Mayfield and the similarities between his offense and the one former coordinator Dave Canales ran. That’s great and all, but many still wondered what the limitations would be with head coach Todd Bowles.
Well for those that are/were really concerned about it, don’t be. The ol’ coach is giving Coen “leeway” to run the offense the way he feels it should be run.
“He has all the leeway he wants,” Bowles said from Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. “You know, my whole thing is if you’re not ahead by three touchdowns, with five and a half minutes to go, you still try and score – you score the ball. If you’re less than three touchdowns, five and a half minutes to go, you’re not going conservative trying to run the ball and eat the clock. You know, you [have] to be smart. Obviously, any offensive coordinator has leeway coming in, but you understand what we have to do.”
Bowles wants a balance between both sides of the ball, in other words. To support the defense when they struggle and when they’re playing well call an offense that’ll put the game away.
And Bowles has all the confidence in Coen to do that and do it well.
“He has to read the game when we’re playing well defensively, when he might have to outscore someone, and it’s never just run, run, pass, he has the leeway to call his plays. I’ll have the say so on whether to go for it on fourth down, things to do on two minute, and so forth – as well as redzone – but he has a lot of leeway. I have a lot of confidence in Liam, and I think he’ll do a great job.”
We may not know just yet how this new Bucs offense will look. Surely Coen is hoping his vision of calling plays for Mayfield, Mike Evans, Rachaad White, and Chris Godwin becomes a reality if the first two agree to return.
But at least for now those concerned Bowles will hold back the playcalling can rest easy knowing that He won’t be holding back the offense.