Bucs Monday Mailbag: OC Interview Update

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Monday Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Monday Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Where would Kellen Moore rank on the Bucs’ offensive coordinator wish list?

Former Cowboys OC Kellen Moore – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Given the fact that Kellen Moore is a proven play-caller with three years’ worth of experience in Dallas, I expect there will be some interest from the Bucs. Yet, Dallas got rid of Moore for a reason, as head coach Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling duties for the Cowboys in 2023.

Dallas averaged 27.1 points per game (No. 6 in the NFL) in 2019, which was Moore’s first year as offensive coordinator. After slipping to 24.7 points per game (No. 17) in 2020, the Cowboys rebounded, moving ahead of the Bucs and averaging 31.2 points per game in 2021.

Dallas was fourth in scoring this year, averaging 27.5 points per game, but quarterback Dak Prescott struggled with turnovers, throwing 15 interceptions in 12 games. The Cowboys scored 31 points, including four touchdowns, in their 31-14 win in Tampa Bay over the Bucs in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Moore wouldn’t be the only candidate with significant play-calling experience the Bucs would be interested in. Tampa Bay will be interviewing Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken this week. Monken has called plays for the Bulldogs over the past three years, helping Georgia win back-to-back national titles and developing quarterback Stetson Bennett into a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Monken was the Bucs’ receivers coach in 2016 and became Dirk Koetter’s play-caller from 2017-18. He also was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2019 after Koetter and his staff were fired in favor of Tampa Bay hiring Bruce Arians. Pewter Report has mentioned that Monken was a likely candidate to replace Byron Leftwich dating back to December.

QUESTION: The Bengals offense really looks well schemed and they always look well coached. I know Zac Taylor calls the plays, but is there anyone on that staff that the Bucs could look at?

Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Yes, the Bucs interviewed Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher for their vacant offensive coordinator role on Friday and came away impressed. Pitcher has worked with Joe Burrow, helping to turn the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft into a legitimate MVP candidate. With the hope of retaining him, Cincinnati recently gave Pitcher a contract extension and a big raise over the weekend after Pitcher interviewed with Tampa Bay and drew interest from Baltimore for the Ravens’ offensive coordinator job, too.

A young offensive mind, the 35-year old Pitcher doesn’t have any previous play-calling experience, and that could work against him in the process. Yet, the three other candidates Tampa Bay has interviewed so far don’t have much experience, either.

Broncos QBs coach and passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak, the son of former Broncos and Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, called plays in Denver this year for Nathaniel Hackett with Hackett’s playbook. He also called plays in Minnesota in 2021. Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who also interviewed last week, last called plays during his time in Detroit from 2016-2018.

Former Bucs receiver Keenan McCardell has been a receivers coach in Washington, Jacksonville and Minnesota and interviewed for the offensive coordinator job last week. McCardell doesn’t have any play-calling experience.

QUESTION: Will Todd Bowles relinquish his play-calling to a defensive coordinator or will he continue calling plays?

ANSWER: That’s a good question and one that Todd Bowles will likely spend some time this offseason contemplating. Bowles’ defense held opponents to 21 points or less 10 times last year. That’s good enough to win with in the modern-day NFL, and the Bucs were 7-3 in those games.

I don’t think Bowles will hire a coordinator outside of the organization. If Bowles does decide to relinquish the play-calling duties, he’ll turn it over to either Kacy Rodgers or Larry Foote. Rodgers called the defense for Bowles in New York with the Jets and it didn’t turn out well. Bowles trusts Rodgers and might be inclined to give him another shot with a more talented defense in Tampa Bay.

Or Bowles could give Foote a shot. Foote doesn’t have any play-calling experience, but was a co-coordinator last year with Rodgers, specializing in the back seven on defense.

Bowles could also decide to just keep calling the plays in his second year as the Bucs’ head coach. The guess here is that Bowles will go that route unless he feels like he needs to pay more attention to Tampa Bay’s offense. I think Bowles’ decision to remain the play-caller or giving it up could be tied to how much experience the play-caller he ends up hiring has.

QUESTION: Last year, Todd Bowles’ Buccaneers had no identity on offense and no identity on defense. As a Bucs fan next year what do I have to look forward to? Listening to all the talk, best we can hope for is a high draft pick in 2024. Quality players, but no direction!

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: The identity of the Bucs offense will be determined by the new offensive coordinator hire and what he can do with the available talent. Todd Bowles knows that the modern-day NFL is a pass-first league, and that’s why the Bucs have looked at a lot of passing game coordinators and quarterbacks coaches so far in their offensive coordinator search.

At the same time, the Bucs want to be much better at running the ball so they can achieve some balance on offense. Tampa Bay actually did have an identity on offense last year. The Bucs couldn’t run the ball, were predictable on first downs and terrible on third downs and in the red zone. It was a bad identity, but that was the identity for the Bucs’ struggling offense in 2022.

As for Bowles’ side of the ball, Tampa Bay’s pass defense was improved last year at the expense of the run defense. The Bucs used to have a dominant run defense, but that slipped a bit in 2022, as did the team’s pass rush. Tampa Bay had 44 sacks after notching 47 sacks in 2019, 48 sacks in 2020 and 47 sacks in 2021.

I suspect one of two things will happen in 2023. Either Bowles finds the right offensive coordinator – and quarterback – and wins the NFC South again with a winning record, or Tampa Bay will have another losing season and Bowles will either be on the hot seat in 2024 or fired after the 2023 season ends.

The Bucs would likely have a Top 10 draft pick if that were the case. Tampa Bay fans, who seem split on Bowles’ ability to be a head coach, will be happy one way or another.

QUESTION: Why is this team panned as a rebuild now when we have been told it is a very good roster that Tom Brady decided to come play here not too long ago? Did Ali Marpet, Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul make it great?

ANSWER: A lot depends on whether Tom Brady comes back as the team’s starting quarterback. If Brady returns, the Bucs are favorites to threepeat as NFC South champions. If Brady retires or decides to play elsewhere, then quarterback becomes a big question mark, and the team is likely heading towards a rebuild.

It’s not just the decision to not re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh that helped sink the Bucs’ ship in 2022. The retirement of Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet and future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski was huge, as was the departure of Antonio Brown, whose speed and elusiveness helped open up the offense in 2020 and 2021.

Throw in the fact that Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen was also hurt and the level of talent on offense took a hit last year. Each team is different each year and it’s hard to sustain success in the NFL.

QUESTION: What are the chances of Buccaneers drafting Stetson Bennett and let him develop for one year behind Tom Brady?

Georgia OC Todd Monken – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Well, it’s unfortunate that Georgia’s two-time national champion quarterback Stetson Bennett got arrested on public intoxication charges in Texas early Sunday morning. Due to his slight, 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, there’s a real chance Bennett goes undrafted if he’s not selected in the seventh round like Brock Purdy was last year by San Francisco.

Bennett is a heady playmaker who was surrounded by supreme talent on a couple of elite Bulldog teams. He completed 65% of his passes at Georgia for 8,428 yards with 66 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Over the last two years, Georgia only lost one game and Bennett threw 56 TDs and just 14 interceptions. He also ran for 205 yards and 10 TDs last year as a senior.

Aside from his small stature, Bennett is also 25 years old, which isn’t ideal. Would the Bucs consider drafting Bennett? They might, given his moxie, big-game experience and penchant for winning.

If Tampa Bay were to hire Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who will interview with the team this week, it certainly increases the chances of the Bucs drafting Bennett late on Day 3 to be a backup. As for Bennett possibly developing behind Tom Brady for a year? Well, the Bucs would have to re-sign Brady first.