“I want to make Coach Bowles proud,” says Dave Canales.
Following Byron Leftwich’s ouster this past summer, Todd Bowles and the Bucs dug deep for their next offensive coordinator. As a matter of fact, the search involved many weeks of interviews with ten different applicants. In the end, Bowles and company selected veteran Seahawks assistant Dave Canales.
As Canales enters his 14th game in his rookie season as a play-caller, the Tampa Bay offense has improved recently. Early on, the team had its fair share of duds; in home defeats to the Eagles, Lions, and Falcons, respectively, they scored 11, 6, and 13 points. After that, there was some gradual but positive growth, especially with Rachaad White and the run and short passing game.
Then, throughout the past two weeks, Dave Canales’ offensive has started to take shape. Two weeks ago, the Bucs won a crucial game in Green Bay by scoring 34 points after scoring 29 points and leading a late touchdown drive in Atlanta. Tampa Bay is now on a three-game winning streak and is well-positioned to contend for a third consecutive NFC South championship and a fourth consecutive postseason trip after those two victories.
Many people both locally and nationally are praising Dave Canales for this recent run, and with good cause. Although the Bucs lost quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Mike Mayfield in the winter, Canales and the 2023 offense are now in better shape.
Only slightly less than the league average of 21.8 points per game, Tampa Bay is scoring 21.1 points each contest. The squad, on the other hand, fell significantly short of the league average of 21.9 points per game last year, scoring only 18.4 points per contest. That is undoubtedly a criticism of Leftwich, but it also speaks highly of Canales and the effort he and his team have put in this year. Although there is always room for improvement, the first step has been taken, and given the current state of affairs, it is appropriate to mark it off.
This season, the Bucs have been incredibly resilient, particularly offensively. During the first part of the season, the unit was very much a work in progress; but, Dave Canales’ side of the ball has been winning games for Tampa Bay during the season’s final stretch. Todd Bowles’ defense was expected to be this team’s strongest suit, but Canales’ offense has been stepping up lately. Consider the victory over the Packers last week.
However, when questioned on Thursday if this most recent run has validated him as the team’s play-caller, a visibly upset Canales started by praising those who gave him an opportunity and trusted in him.
