(04-02-2022, 08:18 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(04-02-2022, 07:57 PM)TheDuke007 Wrote: "Bottom of the barrel" is going too far, but you are also completely failing to mention the fact that the 2019 Bucs were DEAD LAST in giveaways.  Not below average, not bottom third, not ranked 31st.  Their offense was 32 out of 32 teams in giveaways.  Winston had his career high in interceptions and it isn't even remotely close.   Any team could inflate their yardage totals if they were willing to risk a ton of interceptions.  If you don't think interceptions matter, then you must think Blake Bortles was a good quarterback.

INTs DO matter, but that isn't necessarily the result of poor playcalling or poor offensive design...things that would indicate a faulty offensive coordinator.  The same offensive coordinator running many of the similar plays finished 3rd in scoring the very next year and won the Super Bowl, and the QB did not throw 30 INTs.  Brady threw 12 INTs. In 2021, Brady threw 12 INTs again.  The positive offensive output was consistent over those three years, but the turnovers decreased.  If BLs presence had nothing to do with the positive offense output and causes QBs to throw higher INTs , explain that. 

My mandate in this debate was not to show it's impossible for BLs offense to perform poorly in some areas, but to show there is some basis to think he may be a good head coach.  Considering the Bucs offense finished 3rd or higher in scoring for three straight seasons, only two of which were with Brady, there is ample reason to think he may have something to offer as a head coach, especially in light of the other successful head coaches I listed who had less experience and success as offensive coordinators than BL has had.

Tom Brady didn't have a lot of interceptions because he's Tom Brady.  As many have said, he doesn't need a coach.  He can coach himself.  I think that's the point.

The question becomes has Leftwich shown himself to be an effective offensive coordinator when he doesn't have Tom Brady as his quarterback?  He took over as offensive coordinator mid-season with the Arizona Cardinals.  They finished dead last (32 out of 32) in both points and yards.  No one can credibly call that season a success.  It leaves his one year with the Bucs with Jameis Winston as quarterback.  Leftwich supporters, as you did, will point to the large number of yards and touchdowns.  However, just as you did, they will conveniently leave out the part about the 30 interceptions and the team finishing dead last in the NFL in giveaways.  

As far as interceptions not being Leftwich's fault, I find it hard to believe that it is a coincidence that Winston's number of interceptions under Leftwich were over double the amount he averaged in prior seasons and then the interceptions dramatically decreased once again when he switched teams.  He only had 3 interceptions in 7 starts last year.  I don't think it is hard to connect the dots.  His high passing yards and touchdowns in 2019 were clearly the result of him taking chances and making risky throws.  Yes, it leads to more yards, but it also leads to more interceptions.  You can't fairly judge the 2019 Bucs offense without mentioning giveaways.  At best, it was mixed results and even that seems overly generous.  Was Blake Bortles a mixed quarterback or a bad quarterback?  I think most would overwhelmingly say a bad quarterback.

I want to make it clear that I'm not hating on Leftwich.  He has done well with Brady.  Having Brady doesn't prove you are a bad offensive coordinator.  The problem is that it also doesn't prove that you are a good one.  Teams with head coach openings won't have the GOAT and most of them won't have someone even remotely close.  Leftwich's lack of success outside of Brady is the main factor holding him back from getting one of the head coaching jobs.  It has nothing to with race or how he wore his hat in the past.  Ironically, I think Brady un-retiring is a huge blow to Leftwich.  If Leftwich could have taken some inferior quarterback this year and still delivered high results, his chances of getting a head coaching job would have increased significantly.

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