TAMPA, Fla. -- Now, more than ever, the Buccaneers need to follow Jeff Tedford's vision for the offense.
The offensive coordinator is taking a leave of absence after having a heart procedure in the preseason. Tedford never has called a play for the Bucs, but the team needs to follow his original plan.
The Bucs are 0-3 and we haven't seen the up-tempo, diverse offense that Tedford was supposed to bring. That's due largely to the fact that the Bucs have spent most of the season trailing and never have gotten into an offensive rhythm.
But Tedford is a good offensive coach. I have no doubt that he drew up a good playbook and that's what the Bucs need to follow. Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo has been calling the plays and he'll continue to do that with input from the rest of the offensive staff.
Arroyo spent two seasons as an assistant to Tedford at the University of California. That's a good thing because Arroyo is more familiar with Tedford's offense than anyone else on staff.
Arroyo needs to get back to -- and stick with -- the basics of Tedford's offense. In simple terms, that's a solid running game with some shots downfield in the passing game.
With the likes of Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, the Bucs have the potential to be a decent offense, even with second-year pro Mike Glennon likely filling in for an injured Josh McCown at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
You don't suddenly change offensive schemes in the middle of the season. The Bucs have to go with what they have and we can only assume that's more than we've seen. Tedford spent the whole offseason installing a new offense.
Now, it's time for the Bucs to use it.