Is Buccaneers Byron Leftwich the NFL's Best Offensive Play-Caller?
Rankings are always subjective, and criteria aren't the same from person to person or outlet to outlet.
So Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive play-caller Byron Leftwich not being ranked the top in his group may sit wrong with some, while others will see validity in being near the best, just not quite No. 1.
According to Pro Football Focus' Eric Eager, Leftwich is top three, behind Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kellen Moore of the Dallas Cowboys.
"(Leftwich) had another good year in 2021, leading Tampa Bay to the league’s second-most points and the league’s highest yards per play mark on offense," Eager wrote. "Much of which came without wideouts Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, among others. Most people will — and probably rightfully so — give a significant portion of that credit to quarterback Tom Brady, but Brady has had to learn a new offense in Tampa Bay, and Leftwich is a big reason why that transition has flourished."
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We've talked about the dark side of the 'Brady Effect' before.
Teammates and coaches often times get undervalued because of his presence on the team.
While his leadership and influence are certainly real, that alone doesn't produce the league's best yards per play and second-highest scoring output.
It's Brady that I believe knocks Leftwich out of the top spot, and perhaps some lingering questions about just how much influence former head coach Bruce Arians really had on gamedays.
While I respect what Reid has done in his career, a lot of what we see Kansas City do these days relies on Mahomes' abilities to improvise after the play called has developed to the full limits of its design.
But nobody is talking about the 'Mahomes Effect' yet.
Moore's Cowboys finished one spot behind the Bucs in yards per play, and one ahead of them in points.
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Eager acknowledges some might be confused by Moore's ranking here, and credits Dallas' production despite losing receiver Michael Gallup.
Some may call me biased here, but the losses of Brown and Godwin far outweigh the loss of Gallup - who I like, but let's be real here - while Moore also gets a pass for the continued decline of running back Ezekiel Elliott instead of having that depletion of production held against him.
Regardless of where you have Leftwich ranked in your personal assessment, it's clear Tampa Bay has one of the league's best offenses, and even with Godwin expected to miss the early part of the regular season, that trend should continue into 2022.
For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!
