Sweeping Changes in Tampa Bay, Tuck Rule Anniversary, Steelers Sticking with Canada, and Other NFL Bullets

Alright, let’s try this again. I’ve been trying to get the morning bullets going, but news keeps popping up. Most notably, the Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich this morning.

  • The Buccaneers joined the Chargers, Rams, Titans, Jets, Patriots, and Commanders as teams in the market for new offensive coordinators this offseason. Leftwich went from hot head coaching candidate following the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win two years ago to unemployed after an 8-9 season and a disastrous Wild Card loss to Dallas.
  • While Tom Brady gassed up the passing numbers for Tampa Bay, they were the league’s worst rushing offense. They ranked 15th in yardage and 25th in scoring this season. Of their 31 offensive touchdowns, 26 belonged to Brady, and five to the running game.
  • The NFL also announced they will be heading back across the pond in 2023. The Bills, Titans, Jaguars, Patriots, and Chiefs were named participants in the 2023 international games. Those games will take place in London and Germany. More details here:
  • Today is the 21st anniversary of the “Tuck Rule” game that helped Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on their way to their first Super Bowl under Bill Belichick.
  • One team that will not be looking for a new offensive coordinator this offseason is the Steelers. According to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, Canada will be retained by Mike Tomlin and the Steelers.
  • Canada wrapped up his second season as the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh and has one year remaining on his contract. While Canada spent most of the season under fire for Pittsburgh’s early season struggles, Mike Tomlin credited him with improvements down the stretch. Pittsburgh finished the season ranked 23rd in total offense in each of Canada’s two seasons with the team.
  • While the Steelers struggled early with Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett under center, they finished the season winning seven of nine games. Pickett got substantially better as the season progressed.
  • With the second-half turnaround leaving them just a tie-breaker shy of a playoff berth, Mike Tomlin decided that changing coordinators heading into Kenny Pickett’s second year wasn’t the direction he wanted to go.
  • In some off-the-field news, the Ravens and the Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation have committed $20 million to a local project. The project will transform the Hilton Recreation Center in West Baltimore into the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center.
  • Remember this game? Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs had one of their signature moments of this era in the 2019 AFC Championship on this day four years ago.
  • We sometimes take Patrick Mahomes for granted because he’s so good all the time. There’s no “wow” factor anymore. It’s like when you become “smell blind” to something.
  • The Seahawks took the best free-agent kicker off the market on Wednesday. Seattle inked Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers to a four-year extension worth $21.1 million:
  • 2022 was supposed to be the year of Trey Lance in San Francisco. Instead, Brock Purdy has the 49ers two wins from the Super Bowl and has emerged as the favorite to be QB1 in The Bay in 2023:
  • Want to hear everything that new Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren had to say? Luis has you covered:
  • The Bulls are in Paris today! Make sure you’re following Eli’s coverage before the action starts this afternoon.
  • written by

    Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

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