There has been a lot of positivity coming out of the hiring of Josh Grizzard as the next Bucs offensive coordinator, especially after his introductory press conference on Thursday. It’s evident that Grizzard has a vision for how he wants to take a Bucs offense that was already a top four group in the league to new heights.

Some Bucs fans had one specific worry about Grizzard, though, and it had to do with him coming from being the passing game coordinator and a first time play-caller. The concern was that Grizzard may lean too much into the passing game given that this was his area of expertise a season ago, which in turn would neglect the running game, and Bucky Irving specifically.

Irving had a stellar rookie season, running for 1,122 yards with eight touchdowns, becoming the first Bucs running back to reach over 1,000 rushing yards in almost a decade. For his efforts, he was named to the All-Rookie team.

Irving is too good to forget about in the offense and at time was what the group operated around. Would Josh Grizzard mess with that momentum? Don’t worry Bucs fans. He knows how effective Tampa Bay’s ground game is and his philosophy is right in line with the offensive line and running the football.

Josh Grizzard Believes In The Bucs Winning In The Trenches

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

“At the end of the day, we want to be physical,” Josh Grizzard said when asked to describe his offensive philosophy.  “We want to be physical because the trenches win. When you’re able to run the ball and you’re able to press on a defense for four quarters, that’s what wins ballgames.

“We also want to be multiple. It could be a week where we need to throw the ball more or we need to run the ball more. Like last year, the guys get hurt and how do you have guys step up? We want to attack, and through that, it’s back on the players to do their part.”

Grizzard also said that Baker Mayfield will continue to use audibles at the line of scrimmage to check out of bad plays and into more favorable plays.

“With the scheme you saw last year, we were able to change plays at the line of scrimmage. We are able to can third downs. We’re able to change things in the low red [zone]. By doing that, we put the pressure on the defense, but it’s the players who have to put the work in during the week so that you can do that and not just go call a play and say, ‘Hey, we will run it and see what happens.'”

Irving was in attendance showing during Josh Grizzard’s press conference on Thursday showing his support for the new play caller along with several other assistant coaches. It’s also important to remember that Irving didn’t become the primary ball-carrier until half way through the season as he split reps with Rachaad White. Tampa Bay still wound up fourth in the league, averaging 149.2 yards per game. Just imagine how it’ll look with Irving at the helm from the beginning.

Grizzard spoke about the emergence of the ground game last season.

“It’s great to see because you know that you’re molding the offense to fit the skill set of the players, which is what we’re tasked to do,” Grizzard said. “It also puts pressure on the defense if you can be multiple in your run game style – if you have multiple runs out of 12 personnel or the package where Bucky and Rachaad are on the field at the same time – because then you don’t necessarily have as many tendencies when you go into that game. Being able to evolve and try to stay ahead of what coordinators are trying to do to us, I think, is huge and that will always be huge.”

Josh Grizzard Praises Bucs RB Room

The beauty of the Bucs run game is that it’s not just the offensive line and Bucky Irving that are responsible for its success. Rachaad White and even Sean Tucker have played a role, too. In fact, two of the three running backs in Tampa Bay’s room earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week during the season. Tucker got it first in Week 6 at New Orleans while Irving did it in Week 13 on the road at Carolina.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

White has been the best pass blocking running back for the team and has done a lot of damage in the passing game. Grizzard said he has plans to have a more vertical attack with the backs. No team ever wants an injury to occur to its players, but if Tampa Bay has to cross that bridge, the team is in a good spot with the overall depth of the group.

“It’s a good problem to have. They’re all deserving,” Grizzard said. “You can see what Bucky did by being able to step into that role and set the tone. Rachaad was in there – three down back – did an unbelievable job getting the ball in his hands and making people miss, holding up in third down protections, and I know he’s going to take that to the next level.

“We want to involve both of those guys even more in the actual drop back passing game, trying to get it to them not just being perimeter screens and things of that nature. And then you saw what ‘Tuck’ did, especially in the New Orleans game with his opportunity, so there’s a spot for him to add on to what he’s done. He’s deserving of getting the ball in his hands because, ultimately, he had some production when he did it.”

Pewter Report broke down all of what went on during Josh Grizzard’s introductory press conference on Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast. Check out the video below and subscribe to our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.