It’s hard to argue that there was a more disappointing division than the NFC South this season. The South finished with three teams sitting at 8-9, and the Carolina Panthers won the title thanks to some fortuitous tiebreakers.
The way the season went is especially hard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who missed the postseason in a year where they expected the partnership between head coach Todd Bowles and veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to put them in a position to make a deep playoff run.
Instead, the Bucs will be watching the playoffs from their couches, and major changes are coming to Tampa Bay’s sideline, according to one prominent league insider.
“Sources: Bucs fired OC Josh Grizzard after he served just one season on the job, replacing Liam Coen,” reported ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Grizzard wasn’t the only one to lose his job, either.
“The Bucs also are moving on from quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, per source. Tampa Bay will let the new offensive coordinator replacing Josh Grizzard pick his QB coach. Lewis was with Baker Mayfield for all three of his seasons in Tampa Bay,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported.
Fans reacted to the firings on social media.
“Results oriented business. Always sucks for someone to lose their job but the offense took a step back this season. This was warranted,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“It feels like Tampa is desperate to find that Liam Coen spark again but firing an OC after just one year shows zero patience,” someone else added.
“Dumping Josh Grizzard after one year just proves the Bucs had no real plan only a scapegoat,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if Tampa’s offense improves next season.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.