Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Jeff Tedford taking indefinite leave

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t off to the start they thought they’d be off to this season under Lovie Smith, as the team is 0-3 and facing an 0-4 hole with the Pittsburgh Steelers on deck this week.

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Not all of, but certainly part of the problem in Tampa Bay this season has been the absence of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. After undergoing a heart procedure this offseason, Tedford has missed the first three games of the season and is going to miss a lot more.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Buccaneers offensive coordinator is going to be taking a leave of absence from the team and isn’t expected to be back anytime soon.

"The Buccaneers offensive coordinator is taking an indefinite leave, the team announced Tuesday. The reason for Tedford’s leave is because his medical condition has not improved, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported, according to two sources informed of the situation."

This begs the question of how much stress the game puts on coaches as we’ve seen a rash of medical issues strike various coaches across all sports. Urban Meyer took a leave from Florida a few years ago after a health scare, John Fox had a heart attack and missed time last year and Gary Kubiak had an episode in the middle of a game.

Tedford’s health is of chief concern here, and the Buccaneers will just have to carry on without him.

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