Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Studs and duds vs. Saints in Week 11
Dud: Byron Leftwich
Of the 59 plays that the Bucs ran on offense, 51 of them were passes. That is equal to 86.44 percent of plays through the air. That is a ridiculous stat. Why on earth did Winston, Ronald Jones II and Dare Ogunbowale only get eight carries the entire game? Furthermore, why did Peyton Barber get none at all?
The biggest head-scratcher for me was two straight runs by Ogunbowale from the 2-yard line on first- and second-and-goal late in the game. Why on earth was he running in that scenario and not Barber? Or even Winston?
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This was just one example of the many play-calling miscues from offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich on Sunday afternoon. Arians needs to become more involved in the play calling and planning of this offense ASAP. There should be no disputing that.
I’m not saying take away play calling from Leftwich. Not at all. The Bucs’ offense is one of the most explosive offenses in the league. However, Arians needs to take on more of a role moving forward. The success of the team depends on it.
Stud: Cameron Brate (10 catches, 73 yards)
Yes, I’m aware that these aren’t the most eye-popping numbers ever produced by Brate. Nevertheless, it was nice to see Winston finally get his tight end involved once again. For the majority of the game, Brate was there when Winston needed him most. He tied the Bucs’ single-game record for receptions by a tight end with 10 and was targeted another four times beyond that.
Arians and Leftwich need to capitalize on the big games that Brate and third year tight end O.J Howard have had the past two weeks and incorporate them into the game plans more. I know that Arians’ history with tight ends has been spotty, to say the least.
However, he’s never had two tight ends as talented as Brate and Howard. If they can get more involved moving forward, the Bucs’ offense will be even deadlier as the season moves towards its’ conclusion.