Some Thanksgiving leftovers from One Buccaneer Place …
Tez Keeps Impressing: Tez Johnson, the 5-10, 165-pound rookie from the University of Oregon, continues to make a noteworthy mark as part of Tampa Bay’s offense. His latest contribution – a 14-yard touchdown reception in the Bucs’ 34-7 loss to the Rams last Sunday – was his fifth TD catch of the season. Johnson is now tied for the second most touchdown grabs by a rookie this season, trailing only fellow rookie and No. 1 pick Emeka Egbuka. And hey, his dazzling double-flip in the end zone after some of those TDs has got to be the best in the league.
“(It helps) having Mek and Shep (Sterling Shepard) in my ear, telling me to just keep on doing what you’re doing and trusting them in their words,” said Johnson, who has 23 catches in all for 237 yards. “I’m always looking up to Mek because he’s having so much success. He had it in his college and his entire life. (But) like I say, my role is no bigger than the next man. My individual success does not matter more than CG (Chris Godwin) or Mek or Sterling or anybody’s success.”
Johnson knows he has benefited from seeing man-to-man coverage while Egbuka, filling Evans’ role, has been drawing double teams in recent weeks. “Yeah, I like it a lot,” he said. I mean, who wouldn’t want man-to-man? That speaks to what Mek’s been doing in this league already, getting double coverage as a rookie.”
Johnson’s emergence as a reliable target has allowed offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard to work him increasingly into the game-plan. “He’s preparing the right way,” Grizzard said. “His snap count and his volume on how much he can handle, I think, has gone up. …He’s shown the ability to beat man coverage. (There’s) his play speed – he just loves being out there. You guys see him bouncing around. It’s like he doesn’t even touch the earth, even in these walkthroughs – he just kind of bounces around everywhere and loves to play, loves to compete.”
Mek-ing His Mark: Then there’s Egbuka, who continues to amass noteworthy numbers even while drawing the extra coverage. He currently leads all rookies with 748 receiving yards and the six TDs and is tied for fifth overall in receiving yards and third in receptions of more than 20 yards with 16.
“I think it’s incredibly difficult for most people to do it,” Grizzard said. “I think because of the way he’s built and he’s wired – even I take it for granted sometimes how easy it is for him to be able to play three different positions and be able to have the route conversions and … go in there and play different spots. So, it’s really a testament to him that he’s able to do it, because … you’re dealing with the guy in Mike Evans, who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and now you’re kind of shifting into that role. So, his production for the most part has stayed up.”
Working Bucky Back into the Flow: Don’t expect a heavy amount of playing time from tailback Bucky Irving after missing seven games – even if he feels up to a greater workload. Irving will be working off a “pitch count” to gradually re-integrate him into the running game that has been anchored by Rachaad White and Sean Tucker in his absence.
“I think it’s a lot like we did with Chris [Godwin Jr.], where you can’t expect a guy who hasn’t played in numerous weeks to go out there and get a normal lion’s share of the carries,” Grizzard said. “…I think Chris (Godwin) played 25 [or] 26 snaps, (last week) so (we want) to be able to bring them along, allow them to get their confidence back up, allow them to build their play strength back up. …(It’s) trying to find that balance between using them and knowing they’re going to help us – but just thinking they’re going to go play 60 snaps off the rip … would be a disservice to those guys.”
If Teddy Gets the Call this Sunday: Judging Teddy Bridgewater from his second-half performance against the Rams isn’t exactly a fair gauge. He came in for injured starter Baker Mayfield with the game already out of hand at 31-7. All told, he managed only eight completions in 15 attempts for 62 yards, but very little was working offensively the entire game. Should Bridgewater be called upon to start Sunday at 1 p.m. against the 3-8 Cardinals, he’ll do so with experience from an 11-year NFL career and the confidence of his coaches and teammates.
His last extended action came in 2021 when he went 7-7 with the Broncos, throwing for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. But Buc fans may also remember his 5-0 stint filling in for the Saints’ Drew Brees in 2019. Bridgewater has been working this week with the first-team offense, but a decision on who'll start won't be make until Mayfield's injured left shoulder is assessed Friday.
“There’s definitely a different demeanor (between Bridgewater and Mayfield,” Grizzard said. “Of course, how they conduct themselves is similar, but there’s a command in the way that they speak to people that might be different. When they speak and they adjust things, Teddy does it in a different form or fashion, but it’s with the same intent of getting all 11 (players) on the same page, talking to the young (wide) receivers, young (running backs). It’s definitely done in a different way and different leadership style, but I think both are effective.”
Should Bridgewater get injured if he plays, the Bucs do have an emergency QB plan – but the identity of that player is under wraps.
“Yeah, I don’t want to give that away,” Grizzard said. “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do that or not. There is a plan in place. It was unfortunately thought about during the game, quite naturally, but I don’t want to give away what that is.”
State of the Defense: It’s no secret that the Bucs have struggled on defense since their 23-3 win over New Orleans four weeks ago – especially being victimized by big plays. That was the difference in the 28-23 loss to New England and 44-32 defeat at the hands of Buffalo. And the unit was simply unable to stop the Rams’ Matthew Stafford’s aerial assault last Sunday night in Los Angeles. The defense currently ranks 21st out of 32 teams, with 341.2 yards allowed per game, while ranking 27th against the pass (243.5 yards per game) yet eighth against the run (97.6 yards per game).
What’s the coaching staff’s primary message to the defense heading into the Arizona game?
“The main message is nobody is coming to save us,” said run game coordinator and outside linebackers coach Larry Foote. “We (have) to come together, we (have) to keep our confidence and (we have) to keep swinging. … This league will humble you (and) young guys are learning that, but (our) guys have to stay together most importantly. You have to avoid finger pointing and when you get whooped like that on national television, everybody just has to go to (their) own separate corner, look yourself in the mirror and figure out how I can do better."
Looking ahead to the Cardinals, Foote stresses the danger posed by quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who has taken the helm since starter Kyler Murray suffered a foot injury in October. In six starts, he’s completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 1,887 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
"We played against him a few times since (I've) been down here,” Foote said. “He's not a backup. I heard some of that talk – (that) we are facing two backups back-to-back weeks for the next two weeks. He's not a backup; he makes every throw. You can make an argument that the offense has taken off since he took control. … He's seen everything, but he can make some throws. For a big guy, he can scramble too. He has the ability to pick up first downs with his feet, so it's going to be a challenge. He can make every throw.”
A Mayfield Turkey Day Memory: Asked if he has any one memory comes to mind on Thanksgiving, Baker Mayfield, ever the tenacious competitor, came up with this one. "My Dad ruined it one day," he said with said with a smile, "because we did a throwing competition in the backyard of my grandparents’ house, and he wound up winning. ... This was when I was in college, so that ruined Thanksgiving for me and my brother. That's a core memory, something I still hold dearly."