We all know how much of a problem the offense was for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.

It's a major part of the reason why they went 8-9 during the regular season and one-and-done in the postseason. The unit was marred by inconsistency, inefficiency, and worst of all: ineptitude.

The only reason why the team made it to the playoffs was because the NFC South represented arguably the NFL's worst division. If the Buccaneers were even in a slightly competitive division then Tom Brady would've missed the playoffs -as a starter- for the first time in his career.

It became quite clear early-on that former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was not the guy, despite the injuries and personnel changes affecting the offense. Therefore, Leftwich was let go after the season.

But that's all in the past, now. The Buccaneers have entered a new era of offense under their new offensive coordinator, Dave Canales.

Based off Canales' introductory press conference, there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to the future.

Canales has been with the Seattle Seahawks since 2009, so he knows winning football and how to design and operate effective offenses. But the most important part is he has a modern offensive background thanks to working with guys like Seahawks OC Shane Waldron.

And Canales plans on bringing that smart, yet effective, attack to Tampa Bay.

"We are going to be a very smart football team," Canales told reporters Wednesday. "We're going to know what we are looking at and the situations. The play calls are going to come out based on the specific area of the field. The players are going to be aware of, ‘When we get this situation, we should probably only be calling this one or two plays.’ They will be in tune with a lot of that stuff, and then of course ready to adjust.

"The thing that allows you to adjust is not having so much volume. When you keep the package tight then you’re able to adjust and make little fine-tuning changes within a gameplan so that they can continue to play fast."

It's a breath of fresh air for the Buccaneers. The offense, even though it was still rooted in the same system that helped them win a Super Bowl, became stagnant for multiple reasons.

And, to make matters worse, it was starting to trend towards a more old-fashioned style of play. One that is quickly fading from the NFL.

But Canales will kill that trend, immediately. And it's not just because he's a young guy at 41-years-old.

It's because he knows how to construct an effective offense in today's NFL.

"We’re going to do things that are simple in concept but are complex in delivery," said Canales. "What do I mean by that? It’s not going to be a lot of plays. It’s going to be a few plays out of different personnels and different looks so that our execution stays at a high level there.

"… It's not about establishing the run, it's about establishing an attacking offense that makes you have to defend the run but also defend the pass. Then that's when you become dangerous.”

When juxtaposed with the prior offensive mindset, it's easy to see why the Canales hire is an encouraging one, to say the least.

"You just have to deal with it and win your one-on-one matchups," Bruce Arians said back in 2021 when asked if the New Orleans Saints had a psychological advantage over the Buccaneers due to the past success.

"Anytime you reduce football to just being mano-y-mano ball, it's just not smart football," said Canales. "So, anything you can do to get a matchup, an advantageous matchup or to move a gain to gain access, we'll do those things."

Don't expect the Buccaneers offense to look like the unit that dominated the NFL in 2020 and 2021. I wouldn't even expect it to look like the unit that finished top-3 in points per game in 2019.

But, it's clear the offense is in good hands when it comes to both the short- and long-term. Granted, actions hold more weight than words, but as of now, the Canales hire looks to be a good one.

And that in itself is plenty of reason to be excited for the future.

Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports