There’s been loads to absorb for the brand new Bucs offense this offseason. That’s why it helped having new vast receivers coach Brad Idzik include offensive coordinator Dave Canales from Seattle to Tampa Bay as the one different coach on the workers who is aware of this offense that the Bucs will run this season.
Canales’ offense shall be an enormous departure from Bruce Arians’ system that Byron Leftwich has referred to as over the previous 4 seasons. There shall be much more pre-snap movement together with play-action and quarterback bootlegs and waggles, however that’s only the start. Tampa Bay had many issues to get by even earlier than the beginning of coaching camp, and the workforce took full benefit of the offseason program. To get each one among Idzik’s vast receivers trending in the suitable course, there was one principal precedence that he wished to give attention to.
It wasn’t catching the ball or studying a selected play. These are givens. What Idzik wished the entire receivers to get down was the footwork.
“I like the construction of part one, part two and leaping into part three of OTAs, it provides you a whole lot of time to work particular person drills,” Idzik stated on a latest episode of the Pewter Report Podcast. “That was the purpose of emphasis for us was footwork.”
Brad Idzik Explains The “Tom Moore Strategy”
The Bucs are putting in an offense that has shorter routes like hitches, mesh routes and slants that give the receivers loads of room to get open after a fast go and achieve yards after the catch. As a way to have all people purchase in, it was assistant coach and up to date Corridor of Famer Tom Moore who spoke to the significance of placing of their due diligence.
“Tom Moore gave an awesome little speech to our guys about mastering your craft after which doing 1,000 reps, and it’s nonetheless not sufficient to have that muscle reminiscence so you bought to steal these reps,” Idzik stated.
“We might take the Tom Moore method when it got here to particular person drills. Our guys would snort at it, by the tip of it, it was type of tongue and cheek, Chris (Godwin) and Russell (Gage) have been guessing ‘Okay, what drills is Brad doing right now?’ It’s like, properly, we’re going to take the Tom Moore method, we’re attempting to get to a thousand on the hitch route, we’re attempting to get to a thousand on the slant route versus inside leverage or exterior leverage.”
Canales has been on the report describing the offense as “eye sweet” while you watch it. It’s additionally been often known as “quarterback pleasant.” That is all for the viewer who likes watching an offense succeed as a result of what they’re doing is attempting to make each means they line as much as look precisely the identical to be able to confuse the protection. And all of it begins with the footwork from every receiver.
“All the things for us, as soon as we obtained previous the fundamentals of our stance and begin, our vocabulary and all that, every thing was footwork,” Idzik stated. “We wish every thing to reflect up, we would like every thing to look the identical coming off the ball for the DBs. For us, we might simply sluggish it down, have our guys actually hone in on what am I doing if there’s an inefficiency in my route? Is it at first? Is it within the stem or is it on the prime? There’s actually three phases to the route.
“And footwork is every thing. It’s humorous while you watch it at first it appears to be like like ‘Oh my gosh, are you ruining a possible NFL receiver?’ As a result of now the wheels are turning, he’s considering, however no, now we’re simply discovering out how can we high quality tune these guys to make them that significantly better. They’re all phenomenal athletes, however we sluggish them down we make them jog, we make them stroll.”
Brad Idzik Is Working With Deven Thompkins To Enhance
Not each participant goes to determine issues out on the identical charge. Brad Idzik shared a narrative about taking time with Deven Thompkins to get the basics down. Thompkins may very well be large for the Bucs this season, as he’s within the working to be their kick returner once more and his agility is a trait that Canales can work with. He missed a few practices for precautionary harm causes, however it could have inadvertently helped him.
“Deven Thompkins is a kind of guys who’s tremendous quick,” Idzik stated. “And every thing he does whether or not its considering, whether or not its executing, whether or not its going for the ball, he’s tremendous aggressive. The footwork factor for him at first was tough, it was powerful to sluggish him down, it was powerful to say ‘Hey, I need you to give attention to the place are you able to be higher in your routes? Let’s discuss by the steps.’
“I feel truthfully one of many higher issues that may’ve occurred to him, you don’t desire a man to get injured, however take a pair days there. He didn’t even get injured, just a bit pressure, we took him out of a pair practices the place we might take these particular groups intervals and we might stroll by footwork up and down the sphere.”
Thompkins wowed with a powerful coaching camp and preseason final 12 months as an undrafted rookie. He initially caught on the follow squad earlier than taking up kick return duties as soon as the workforce parted methods with Jaelon Darden. He noticed little time at receiver, totaling 5 catches for 32 yards, however this offseason has been a giant one for the younger receiver. Idzik stated he informed Thompkins that the practices he missed in the course of the summer time may work to his benefit if he used the time on the sideline appropriately.
“I used to be like ‘Deven, take this proper now, make this your warmup within the offseason while you go in the summertime and now you can get that muscle reminiscence of the footwork,’” Idzik stated. “‘So after we come again and we hit coaching camp and we’re watching movie of you within the one-on-one interval when pictures are actually flying, now we are able to say bear in mind what we talked about after we have been simply strolling by your steps.’
“After we discuss footwork, that’s every thing for us. These guys are going to have the ability to catch the ball, we’re going to catch the ball within the workforce intervals and we’re going to get after it that means, but it surely begins with the ft.”
Watch Brad Idzik On The Pewter Report Podcast
Try the latest episode of the Pewter Report Podcast with Particular Visitor: Bucs WR Brad Idzik by clicking the hyperlink under.