TAMPA, Fla. — Dave Canales wasn't the Buccaneers' first interview when they were looking for an offensive coordinator this offseason. The 42-year-old was a long-time offensive assistant with the Seattle Seahawks, but he had never called plays in his NFL coaching career. Tampa Bay decided to take a chance and hire him. Canales decided to take a chance on the franchise trying to navigate in the wake of salary cap issues and the retirement of Tom Brady.
Canales got emotional when reflecting on the process that ultimately brought him to Tampa.
"First and foremost, I want to make Coach [Todd] Bowles proud. I want to make him right…[He is] just a guy who believed in me and gave me a shot," Canales said Thursday. "For me, it’s about grinding, working hard, and trying to prove him right. Jason Licht, too, and the whole group – it means a lot to me, it’s important."
Bucs assistant coach Nick Rapone has been coaching football for longer than Canales has been alive. Canales says Rapone gave him a valuable piece of advice earlier this season.
"Bottom line, don’t change.’ It was during a special teams period, he walked over and said, 'Don’t change. Be you. Don’t change. You’ve got to evolve, you’ve got to grow, but don’t change.’"
It would've been easy for Canales to change things up when the Bucs were losing six out of seven games this season. But his players give him credit for staying the course. Tampa Bay's offense shined in their 34-20 win in Green Bay on Sunday.
"He never wavered. He was still the same guy, you know, day in and day out," wide receiver Chris Godwin said. "It was cool to have the game that we had and for him to feel the love that he was getting from people."
The Bucs hope they can breathe life into their offense this weekend when they host Jacksonville. Tampa Bay is averaging 16.3 points per game at home this season. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who recorded the first-ever perfect passer rating for a visiting quarterback last week at Lambeau, has only six touchdown passes against five interceptions at home this season. But Mayfield says nothing will ruin the Christmas spirit around his team this weekend.
"It’s awesome that we get to do it here. Obviously, the winter in Florida is nice, as well, so it’s not like we’re going to have severe weather," Mayfield joked after practice. "But yeah, you get to enjoy it, you get to enjoy it with your teammates and hopefully come out with a win, which makes it even more special."
The Bucs (7-7) take on the Jaguars (8-6) this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
