Dave Canales’ Belief Paved Way For Late Season Offensive Success
Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) hands off to running back Rachaad White (1) against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
After a tumultuous mid-season run that saw six losses in seven weeks offensive coordinator Dave Canales was no stranger to self doubt.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m human.” Canales said when asked this week if he questioned himself during the team’s losing streak. “For me, I didn’t have a choice but to continue to believe. I didn’t have a choice but to say, ‘This is what I know.’ … When I start to get a little discouraged with what’s going on here, it’s like, ‘Okay, forget about all of that. Don’t look down the road, just look at this game film. What can we improve on?’ That brings us all back to grounded. That puts our feet firmly on the ground and gives us something to really work on. So, for sure, but it was a real test for me, too, as a first-time coordinator, to say, ‘Are you going to stay with it? Are you going to be about what you said you were going to be about?’ … [I] continue to encourage the group like, ‘This is all we have boys, so let’s continue to grow that way.'”
It’s that resolution and steadfast nature that makes the team’s current offensive resurgence all the sweeter. As Tampa Bay enters a win and they’re in match against division rival New Orleans this Sunday, Canales is loving his thriving offense and their growth.
Media availability this week Canales discussed Potential of having two 1000 yard receivers and a 1,000 yard rusher:
“I think it just speaks to the balance of what we’re trying to build here. From the first press conference – it’s this attacking style of offense that has a run game that’s viable, that has play-action plays that come off of it, the screens that come off of it, and then the timing and rhythm of the pass game. It’s taken us all season to really get the whole thing working on all cylinders. I think that it’s really cool. Again, for me, I just want to build something that we can be proud of. That’s where my heart is, to say that we’re not a laughing stock – we’re not out here just throwing the ball around and doing those things or searching for the next big play. It’s something that we can hang our hat on, to say, ‘This is our system, this is how we do things, and here’s all the stuff that comes off of it.’ We’re continuing to expand, even now, as we solidify some of the things that we want to be consistent for us. There [are] plays off of plays that are starting to come alive for us. To have that kind of productivity coming out of the quarterback, the skill players that we’re trying to get going – to make the focal point of the offense – means that we’re doing a great job of putting them in a spot to be successful.”
He opined on the evolving offensive line:
“It’s a great opportunity to talk about ‘Goodie’ (Harold Goodwin) and Joe [Gilbert] and the job they’ve done with those guys. Luke [Goedeke] going over to another spot which he played before in the past, Tristan [Wirfs] flipping on the other side. There’s a lot of different analogies you can think of – trying to use your left hand to brush your teeth, for example. It’s a really cool thing to see them come together, to see Cody [Mauch] develop, to see [Robert] Hainsey really get a full season of work to see all the things he needed to see. [Aaron] Stinnie of course had some playing time in the past, but that chemistry has been huge. I’ve just seen them stick to the fundamentals and focus on the basics of their play. That’s what’s really come along for us.”
And on what a division title would mean for this group:
“It would mean a lot. It would be huge for the young guys to get it; it would be huge for the guys to get it that we’re here because everybody counted them out. I think it’d be huge for the coaches because they’re working their tails off and it would be huge for the city because all year, they heard we wouldn’t win one-two-three-four games. To have that title, I think everybody would have some sort of satisfaction.”
After an up and down year filled with challenges it is currently a good time to be a member of the Buccaneers thriving offense and a great time to be Dave Canales.
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