Byron Leftwich Deserves Head Coaching Interviews
A lot of NFL fans and media are mad at the fact that Eric Bieniemy did not land a head coaching job this year. The fact of the matter is, it’s easy to poke holes in Bieniemy’s coaching resume.
Every day Bieniemy goes to work, he is handed Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Furthermore, Andy Reid is the real genius of the offense. It’s impossible to know how initiative Bieniemy really is. Maybe Bieniemy is clever but you’re lying if you know.
There’s another offensive coordinator in the Super Bowl that frankly deserves more credit for his team’s success. Byron Leftwich is starting to earn a real reputation for himself and deserves credit for getting the Bucs to the Super Bowl.
On paper, the Tom Brady and Bruce Arians is a total clash of styles. Brady is a conservative take what the defense gives you type of quarterback (or at least was in New England). The check down and white slot receiver is your friend. With Bruce Arians, it’s risk it for the biscuit. Take your shots down the field.
Byron Leftwich has been the perfect moderator between the two. Tampa’s first 15 plays every game look shrewd and a lot of it has to do with Leftwich dialing up the plays. Bruce Arians is a good head coach but he also has the largest staff of any coach in the league. He gives a lot of responsibilities to Leftwich.
Yes, Tampa has talent. Maybe it’s easy to create explosive plays with the weapons they have. However, Tom Brady has looked significantly better than he did with the Patriots a year ago. Leftwich deserves more credit than what he’s getting.
From a coaching standpoint, Bruce Arians made it clear the former University of Marshall quarterback is the mastermind of the operation:
“I can’t say enough about the job [Leftwich] has done,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians told Rich Eisen on Tuesday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I mean, it’s just remarkable.”
“You know, Tom [Brady] is such a great, great player, but having left that system after 20 years, and ours is a lot different how we do things, Byron’s been the middle guy that’s just done all the work,” Arians said. “I mean, people give me way too much credit because I don’t do sh-t, really. He does it all. He calls the plays. I’m really upset he didn’t get a head-coaching interview. . . . Byron didn’t even get a call, and I think people give Tom Brady and Bruce Arians way too much credit and not enough credit for Byron Leftwich.”
Arians at this point is a mentor and CEO. Leftwich is the one that has his hands on the scheme and gets it called on the field. This Bucs team is in the Super Bowl for more than one reason. To completely ignore Leftwich’s influence doesn’t feel right.
Tom Brady threw 40 touchdowns in 2020 after throwing 24 the year before with New England. Do the weapons make up for 16 of those scores while becoming another year older? OR is it possible this Byron Leftwich guy is pretty smart?
Is it possible the offensive coordinator we should be paying attention is the one dialing up the plays Tampa Bay? Byron Leftwich looks like a potential star in the coaching realm. It’s time he starts getting some interviews during the next cycle.
