Jeff Tedford : Offensive Guru

Lovie Smith, since his hiring, has made it fairly clear what type of defense will be run employed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this upcoming season: the coach plans on using a Tampa 2 scheme with a four-man front, utilizing speed on defense. On the other hand, the offense has remained a mystery, with one of the only implications being Jeff Tedford’s comments about “speed in space.” With that said, there have been some indications of Tedford implementing a versatile, multi-faceted offense with looks similar to those seen in other teams across the league.

Running Game

So far, the overwhelming assumption has been that the running game will feature a zone-blocking scheme. Although it’s just conjecture, it derives from what seems to be an emphasis placed on athleticism in the team’s offseason approach to the offensive line, particularly the acquisitions of versatile players Anthony Collins and Evan Dietrich-Smith. With Demar Dotson manning the right tackle spot, three of the five positions are locked up by relatively athletic players. Dietrich-Smith, among many, was more well-known for being stomped on by Ndamukong Suh, but proved to be an asset to the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line in his time there. This article shows the impact of his play (and injury) on the Packers in the 2013 season.

This season Dietrich-Smith’s performance will be pivotal to the success of the Buccaneers’ offense, especially considering the state of the guard positions right now. In Green Bay, Dietrich-Smith was bookended by very good guards. In Tampa, that position’s outlook is very different. The leading candidates to be starters are a late-round rookie draft pick in Kadeem Edwards, a second-year player plucked from a practice squad in Patrick Omameh and two underwhelming veterans in Jamon Meredith and Oniel Cousins. So far in camp, the starting duo has been switched fairly often, but Omameh and Edwards are young players who have been said to be good in motion, a necessary attribute for a guard in a zone-blocking scheme. Their development is crucial to the team’s success in 2014 as well as its draft strategy for 2015.

Behind the offensive line, weapons like Doug Martin and Charles Sims will be featured, with the third running back spot still to be determined. The downhill running styles of both players, along with their cutting ability, can flourish in a zone-blocking scheme. If the guards develop well, the Bucs could feature a dangerous running game with a talented stable of running backs.

Passing Game

The passing game is a little more difficult to project. The Buccaneers feature weapons whose skillsets are similar to players on other rosters, and Jeff Tedford is rumored to be an innovative coach who adjusts, implements different schemes and looks, with different personnel groups. Taking a look at the Buccaneers receivers shows a very talented group that Tedford is in charge of molding into a formidable unit.

·      Wide Receivers

The wide receiver unit for the Buccaneers has widely been compared to that of the Chicago Bears because of the size of the starting receivers’ skillsets and size. Like Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson is a No. 1 receiver whose ability to line up all around the formation makes him a nightmare for defenses to deal with. The trend of using primary receivers in the slot has become more prominent recently, creating mismatches for those receivers and the defenders responsible for covering them. Jackson has been part of the trend, being a headache to deal with as an outside receiver, while also seeing great success when he lines up in the slot. On the other side of Jackson, rookie Mike Evans will look to make a big impact on the offense. Not the fastest player at the position, Evans made a name for himself in college by using his 6’5” frame and jumping ability to come down with contested passes, similarly to what Alshon Jeffery consistently did in his second year in the league. Evans has shown deceptive speed as a long-strider and does has great hands, even while catching in traffic. Those two alone may be enough to give defensive coordinators fits, but there other talented players who will compete for time as third and fourth receivers, like 6’4” Louis Murphy, Chris Owusu and last year’s biggest surprise, tight end Tim Wright.

·      Tight End

Speaking of Tim Wright, the second year man joins rookie Austin Seferian- Jenkins and Brandon Myers to make a group of tight ends comparable to that of New England several years ago, post-Aaron Hernandez murder investigation. Seferian-Jenkins’ combination of size and speed, along with his ability to be a difference maker in both the running and passing game, reminds scouts and football enthusiasts of what Rob Gronkowski showed on his way to becoming one of top tight ends in the league before injuries shortened his past two seasons. That skillset will likely earn Seferian-Jenkins a starting role sooner rather than later, but his second-year teammate Wright will still be given looks in two-tight end sets. So far, Tedford has given both Seferian-Jenkins and Wright looks out wide in practices, but it seems that Wright has seen used that way more often. More recently, Wright has been put into motion and lined up as a fullback during some practices, with Seferian-Jenkins getting more reps as a traditional tight end. Although it’s not set in stone and these are just practices, it would seem that Tedford is intending to use two-tight end sets similarly to how Bill Belicheck & Co., used the Gronkowski-Hernandez duo. After all, Tedford did seek advice from Belicheck on how to better use the Cal tight ends. If Tedford is going to use his tight ends to the best of their abilities in the upcoming season, their roles may similar to the New England duo, with Wright serving in the Hernandez role. Chris Rich gave a great analysis of the duo in this article.

Conclusion:

The Tedford-led offense should be exciting to watch. The wide receivers will present matchup problems for any defensive backfield in the league, while the tight ends have the speed and athleticism to cause trouble for linebackers and safeties.  The Buccaneers have a dangerous combination of size and speed at their skill positions, but are depending on journeyman Josh McCown to turn in an outstanding season after playing well for injured Jay Cutler last season. Although many laughed when McCown was handed the starting job, he’s looked good in practice (by many accounts) and has shown leadership that the Buccaneers have missed at the position.

Tight ends Tim Wright and Austin Seferian-Jenkins have the physical skills to be big-time playmakers and will be coached by Jon Embree, who has gotten great production from some notable players at the position.  Making the statement “I came here to dominate. I didn’t come here to just be good,” shows Seferian-Jenkins hunger to be great. With Embree pushing them, there is no reason that he and Wright cannot become a great tandem, especially while the defense has to give great attention to the pair of 6’5” receivers on the outside.

Tedford will likely show many looks, as he has the personnel to do so. A talented stable of running backs, along with tight ends and wide receivers with imposing combinations of size and speed to be threats in the short and long passing game. With a strong running game, the offense could be potent once it gets over its bumps and bruises.