It’s safe to say the Bucs’ offense has bought into offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s offense, and that’s been a central theme at the team’s facility over the past week, where Tampa Bay has been preparing to host the Commanders on Sunday for the opener of their regular season.

After finishing 32nd in the running game over the last two seasons, a major concern for 2024 is how much the running attack will improve. To put quarterback Baker Mayfield in the best position for success, a consistent running game is paramount.

That was the topic in the last Pewter Report Podcast and something that almost everyone is talking about.

Bucs have bought into OC Liam Coen’s offense

Bucs RB Rachaad White and C Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

Liam Coen got a glimpse of the potential success of his Bucs’ offense this year when the starting lineup played the first series together in the team’s final preseason game against the Dolphins.

The offense needed just seven plays to cover 70 yards and score a touchdown on the first drive, which running back Rachaad White capped with a four-yard scoring strike. That sounds new because the team failed to start a game with a touchdown last season. The ability to score early will allow head coach Todd Bowles to be more creative and aggressive on defense.

When that happens, good things usually follow.

While Baker Mayfield likes to play with a chip on his shoulder and he may still be a little “arrogant”, He can only control the tempo to a certain extent at the start of the game. The rest falls to the team’s running backs, who have to keep the ball under control and tire out the opponents, and Coen sees everyone getting involved to achieve better results.

“I think the guys have to buy in – they have to understand that the run game really takes all 11 players, that it’s not just the guys blocking or just the runner, but the receiver and the quarterback are involved, that they get involved and are disciplined on our routes,” Coen said. “If you want to be good at something, you have to be detailed about it. You see how detailed they are in the passing game and playing here for years, it’s always been at a high level, always.

“We’re trying to bring some of that focus to the running game and say, ‘Hey, guys, if we’re going to be good at this, we’re all going to have to buy in,’ and that’s what the guys have done. The coaches have done a great job so far and we’ll have to see what the results look like in a real game.”

Bucs OC Liam Coen and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Mayfield has complete confidence that Coen, offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci have taught him everything it takes to run a great running game.

“I’m extremely confident,” Mayfield said. “I’m extremely confident in the guys doing this and obviously the new strategies and the new stuff they’ve put in place. I think Coach (Kevin) Carberry has done a great job of explaining all of that work to them in detail. Brian Picucci in that room helps the guys as well and Liam (Coen) just brings the focus. He demands excellence on the track and in everything the (running) backs do. He’s extremely critical of their footwork and so forth, but that’s what it takes to be a great running team.”

The details are something that Bucs OL hammered home

The details that Liam Coen has been harping on about building the Bucs’ offense during the offseason were discussed in more detail by each of the Bucs’ offensive linemen.

Left Tackle Tristan Wirfs is the captain of the offensive line and one of the six team captains on Wednesday. Like a captain, Wirfs noted that they sink or swim together.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs and RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Last year we were last in the league (in rushing), so that had to be a focus,” Wirfs said. “I think we did a great job of that and fought hard every day. I think I’ve said it before, it’s just five guys on the same side. If we mess up, we mess up together. You just have to move fast and get the ball flying. It’s going to be fun, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Right guard Cody Mauch told Pewter Report that he is better trained by doing more repetitions.

“The guys just understand everything a lot better (and) understand the scheme that we’re trying to execute,” Mauch said. “Now you can really focus on that — we all know what we’re supposed to do. Now we just have to get our steps right, our hand position. When we attack double teams, we have to trust the guys next to us, but know — for example, I know where Luke (Goedeke) is going to be. That’s just how you get more reps, so it’s good. While you know what you’re doing, you can focus on more things.”

Mauch knows where Goedeke will be, and the team’s right tackle shared that the common denominator of attention to detail should lead to better execution this season.

“I would say the attention to detail and all the different angles we give the defense,” Goedeke said of the improvements he’s seen in the run game. “Whether it’s movements, we do a good job with the pad level as well, just communicating and executing where we’re going and everything.”

How will the Bucs’ RBs be used?

Bucs OC Liam Coen and RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Corey Perrine/USA Today

Having the Bucs’ offensive line on the same page on details will only help running backs Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. While White will remain the starter, another variable to consider in the running game is how much each back will play. Head coach Todd Bowles was the first to respond.

“I think it’s a game-by-game decision,” Bowles said. “Normally you bet on the good hand, but since no one has played yet, obviously Rachaad (White) will start and then we’ll go from there and see how the other guys are used.”

Liam Coen wants to include everyone, even if that means he has to reluctantly run a three-man rotation. The talent is there to justify it, even if it’s a lot to manage.

“We obviously want to get guys involved, but Rachaad (White) is the best – he’s going to start the game and keep playing,” Coen said. “Bucky (Irving) will get his special skills and be able to play, and if Sean (Tucker) has to go in and give the guys a hit, he’ll do a great job as well. We have full confidence in all three guys. At the end of the day, it’s a long season.”

“I’ve done three-defenseman rotations in the past and man, it’s exhausting — for a coach, for a playmaker, because now it’s, ‘Okay, who’s in the game? What are they good at? What do we want to do with them?’ Ultimately, it’s Rachaad’s show and Bucky and Sean are going to get a lot of work and hopefully be efficient and do a great job when they’re in it.”

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Cody Mauch believes each of them hit the holes more aggressively.

“Looks like they’re hitting it great,” Mauch said. “Sometimes I don’t even really see much of what they’re doing back there. I’m just focused on what we’re doing, but it seems like they’re hitting it hard. Bucky, Rachaad, all the other guys in there, Sean. So far, the backs are doing really well.”

A famous line from the 1989 film Field of Dreams is: “If you build it, he will come.”

The Bucs hope everyone will focus on building an excellent running game and that the results will start to show on Sunday.