There have been huge changes to the Bucs coaching staff this year. Not only does Todd Bowles become the head coach, but Bruce Arians isn’t totally leaving either. Arians remains in the organization as the senior advisor to the general manager.

On offense Tampa Bay’s coaching staff is still intact after Byron Leftwich almost moved to Jacksonville to become the Jaguars head coach. But that opportunity fell through and Leftwich is back to call plays once again.

It’s fair to ask, though, is it fully Leftwich calling the shots or will Arians have some input as well?

“Probably not from an offensive game plan standpoint,” Leftwich said earlier this week. “And I don’t think that’s new.”

Arians was always high on allocating responsibility to his coaching staff. It’s Arians’ offense, but Leftwich has been responsible for the success that the Bucs have had. There was a hilariously false report that Arians would come in after Leftwich and Tom Brady came up with a game plan for the week and cross things out with a red pen. Unprovoked, Leftwich addressed that myth on his own. He also explained how his coaching style isn’t all too different from his mentor anyway.

Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I remember last year you guys talked about red line – that’s never happened,” Leftwich said. “I don’t know where that came from. That is not what he’s ever done. I think the good thing with B.A. and him knowing me, I would struggle with that. I would struggle myself with that. And nobody was telling B.A. what to call either, so he understands that. That type of stuff, it would be the same as 2019.

“I guess I’m an offensive coordinator with an offensive-minded head coach … but it was never not even close to that from the time I walked in in 2019 with Jameis [Winston], It’s been me full-go. I’m just no risk it, no biscuit, too. Same thing – nothing will change. Everything should be status quo.”

Leftwich game-planning on his own is one thing. But will the offensive coaching philosophy change at all with a defensive-minded head coach like Bowles in charge?

“I don’t think it would be no different,” Leftwich said. “But how I feel – as the head coach, you do what you want. Whatever you say, we’ll try to do it to the best of our ability. I don’t see too many changes coming. Each year is different, though. We played a little different in 2020 than we played in 2021 just by the way teams played us, so it looked like a different team. We were able to do it in two years, two different kind of ways to be really honest with you. Will there be some subtle changes? I think it is every year according to what personnel truly ends up out there each week.”

And why would the Bucs want to change anything? They were second in the NFL in points per game (29.9) and yards per game (405.9) last season. They also led the league with 307.6 passing yards per game, and that was even with crucial injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown’s departure.

Not much should change. There’s always room for improvement, but Tampa Bay’s offense is already at or near the top of the league. Quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen confirmed as such.

“I don’t think there will be major changes,” Christensen said. “I really don’t,  I think that’s part of this whole transition thing. Hey, let’s keep building on where we are. We’re not going to redo anything or recreate anything just to do it. Todd is going to build on the foundation that B.A. has laid and just keep building on it.”