Watch For Bowers In 2014
December 27th, 2013
Bill Sheridan makes a stunning revelation
Now this should spread immense hope and optimism throughout the Tampa Bay area for the next eight months leading into the 2014 season.
Struggling defensive end Da’Quan Bowers “has never been well” this season, Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said.
Bowers was placed on injured reserve yesterday with a bad knee, not the one that plagued him in college and early in 2011 with the Bucs.
“I’m hoping actually the surgery will help him. Because I think he’s, and maybe people wouldn’t be aware, I know for a fact he’s nursing that all year,” Sheridan said. “You know he’s never been well. And so, you know, you’re trying to decide all season on whether or not to make that move. ‘Is he healthy enough to play? Can he at least play on third down? Or are we better off just getting surgery and getting him cleaned up and letting him rehab for an offseason and come back?
“I think you’ll see a different guy next season.”
Earier this week, Greg Schiano said Bowers already had surgery in recent days for “kind of a wash out deal” on the knee.
Joe’s somewhat speechless. Bowers was largely ineffective. Why not just pull the plug on him and a get a live body on the field? Was Steven Means not better than an injured Bowers? Why not get a look at a player off the street and let Bowers heal? It’s not like the Bucs were hunting a playoff berth.
If nothing else, this surely means 23-year-old Bowers will be back for his fourth season in Tampa, the final year of his inexpensive contract. He’s been hurt for three seasons, so the Bucs have never really seen what he is. Or maybe they have.
December 27th, 2013 at 10:46 am
Hey mark dominik there was a reason several teams needing a pass rusher continued to pass on bowers even in round 2. Yet you chose to go with him and do the same instead of signing Bennett back.
December 27th, 2013 at 10:49 am
Ira Kaufman on 98.7 yesterday afternoon said there is zero chance Bowers is back if Schiano is coach (and for that matter a new coach)
December 27th, 2013 at 10:50 am
Joe’s speechless that this front office mishandled an ailing ineffective player?
Does the word “MRSA” mean anything to Joe?
How could Joe report on and be witness to the mishandling of Freeman and then wonder how or why the Schiano regime got it wrong with Bowers?
This kind of report makes me question the team’s honesty or ability to report player progress let alone accurately diagnose and treat player injuries and health.
In a nutshell Joe you’re right to wonder about the reasoning for letting Bowers put bad play on tape game after game when they KNEW he was hobbled. That shows quite clearly there is ZERO depth on this team, and Schiano/Sheridan are reckless
with other people’s career. I seem to remember a public and press outcry begging for this team to sit Doug Martin when it was clear he was really hurt and the team was going nowhere and even THAT decision took longer than most would be comfortable with.
This whole front office is in disarray and has been this whole season. #BlowItUp
December 27th, 2013 at 10:50 am
Dominic=Idiot
December 27th, 2013 at 10:55 am
More brilliant talent evaluation by the pop star. Ride out another draft bust instead of moving on. If Bennett only had awful stats and knee issues he would have got a 3 year deal with a 10 million signing bonus.
Please someone tell me how Selvie never made this team and Bowers is given chance after chance to sh&t the bed weekly! Bowers excuses are very Freemanesque.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:03 am
Pehaps it’s just me, but I tend to trust statements by assistant coaches more than those of head guys. So maybe, just maybe, there is room for cautious optimism here. Can’t hurt to have Bowers in camp.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:19 am
@MikeJ – I agree. I say draft a good DE and have Bowers compete for the job when he’s healthy next year. If he’s not costing us much then let’s let him have a chance to finally get healthy and perform while costing us relatively little. Let’s tolerate him until we can replace him.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:29 am
Bowers will play for another team and contribute.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:34 am
Just sounds like another mis-handling of a player by the staff to me
December 27th, 2013 at 11:37 am
I would never want to go to Vegas with Dominick. He would immediately go to the roulette table and lose his shirt.
Instead of going with the safer pick (Blackjack) that will still give back good results, he goes for the far, far riskier pick that could give back all pro results, but the odds are far greater that it will be a bust. Here we are, 3 years in, and he’s been hurt the whole time.
Risky. Like going into 2012 with that paper thin defensive backfield. Did that cost the team? Or going into 2013 with no proven defensive ends. Did that cost the team?
Now, sure, on occasion, that style will pay off. Blount, for instance, was a character risk yielded some results. But, in general, you get burned when you operate so dangerously.
So unnecessary. Fire Dominick.
December 27th, 2013 at 11:42 am
This story does beg the question of ‘why was he playing?’. Perhaps Gholston could’ve gotten more reps and been more advanced in his play by now. If he comes back, great, he can back up Gholston or at least compete anyway. I have no problem with that. It doesn’t hurt to have depth at any position.
I think at some point though, we need to stop shopping for damaged goods. Good knee, bad knee, doesn’t matter. He was injured prior to us drafting him. Keeping Bennett was the wiser choice but that’s water under the bridge. The position needs a playmaker whether that player is on the roster now or if it’s someone we acquire in FA. We’ve been “addressing this position for years. Get it done already, jeez!
December 27th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I don’t see how anyone can say taking a chance and drafting Bowers was a bad idea. When someone with that much natural talent drops because of an injury, and your doctors say he’ll be good to go (even if it’s not right away), then taking a chance in the second round is not a bad deal at all. The guy was projected to be the first pick in the draft; it’s not like he was projected in the fourth round and Dom reached or something. I don’t fault Dom whatsoever for drafting Bowers. The handling of the DE position outside of that, by the entire organization, is a different story.
December 27th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Completely agree with mvermulm.
December 27th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
“I don’t see how anyone can say taking a chance and drafting Bowers was a bad idea.”
Even now, you don’t see how it was extremely risky? It’s called foresight. It would be one thing if you already were set at defensive end, and you are using the pick as an “extra” that hopefully works out. But, when the team has next to nothing at DE, and you put all your eggs in one basket, and he is an injury risk? Blatantly negligent.
I think you answered your own question. This guy could have been number one overall. Imagine how scared other GMs must have been to let him drop all the way to 51. #1 –> #51, think about that. But, Dominick just pulled the trigger. Why not, right? It’s only a position that TB desperately needed production from?
He could have gotten Justin Houston. Not a flashy player but, he now has 26.5 career sacks. Bowers has 5.5.
December 27th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Have you guys ever had cartilage floating around in a shoulder or knee joint? I have. Dislocated shoulder and the cartilage came off the bone…it caused pain of course and a “hitch” in the shoulder from the floating cartilage. No fun. In my shoulder they drilled three holes, picked and flushed all the garbage out, and cut any spurs off the bone to smooth it out. The good news is that it is much much better, and would think Bowers would be to if the knee works like that. And it is better almost better immediately. Don’t know what the rehab on the knee is like, and I never jarred the shoulder again like the pressure Bowers will put on his knee…but I expect it will make a big difference in his play. And after all, my surgeon was very good, but his will be among the best in the entire country.
December 27th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
So he hasn’t been right all year, yet we don’t resign Bennett because he wasn’t right? I’m baffled by the idiocy.
December 27th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
there was a highly touted defensive tackle we drafted that everyone was ready to write off after his first couple of seasons. turns out he was actually a dominant player who had just had a bad run with injuries. Here’s hoping Bowers is following the Gerald McCoy path to stardom. based on everything i read about him he seems like a genuinely good person, and i really hope he becomes what everyone thought he could be.
December 27th, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Coming back too soon from an Achilles injury can blow out the opposite knee.
Now he has two bad wheels.
December 27th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
The difference is that every GM in the league knew to back off of Bowers but one due to injury concerns. Their concerns seem to be quite prescient. GMC’s issues came after the draft.
28-51: 5 years under Dominick. He really outfoxed those other GM’s on Bowers, I tell ya.
December 27th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
This is where Dirtstar Dominik’s self proclaimed deep knowledge of knees will come in handy! The Bucs have become the Dunder Mifflin ( The Office reference ) of the NFL….except it’s not that funny to us fans.
December 27th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Mishandling of Freeman my ass
That kid did it all to himself and than some
December 27th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
@oil derrick brooks – funny thing is, the knee that everyone was worrying about has not been an issue as far as i’m aware. aside from a general concern that coming back from one lower body injury might put you at greater risk for some other lower body injury (which would be a red flag for plenty of guys drafted higher than bowers over the years) sometime in the future, there is no direct correlation between a knee injury and an achilles injury over 2 years later. maybe the achilles contributed to the other knee, but like mccoy, that is an issue that nobody could predict and is isolated to his time as a pro
December 27th, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Joe, you are looking at it from the wrong angle. They kept playing Bowers to get him reps. He’s a young player that hasn’t played much in his short career, and as such practice and game reps are extremely important to his development.
I am sure they see more upside in Bowers than Means, and so they probably determined it would be more valuable to play the former (even sparingly). Smart decision, in my opinion.
December 27th, 2013 at 5:18 pm
The difference being, the concern is FAR less for an upper body injury for a DT vs. lower leg injuries for a DE. How many guys are ever the same after those types of injuries? Sure, some may be ok, but, not the majority.
The reality is that he was dominant in college. But, he has never proven himself in the pros. He was red flagged as an injury risk going into the draft, and nothing has changed, three years later. So now there’s the knee going into the draft, the Achilles, and now this. Am I the only one who sees a pattern? Do you really expect a sudden reversal of fortune? There’s a reason Vegas wins big. They play the odds. Dominick plays the long shots, repeatedly. Bowers is by far a long shot now.
And that’s ignoring the poor shape that he has kept himself in throughout his pro career. Do you remember issues with his stamina in training camp? Look at his weight. He can’t even motivate himself, yet the team allows it. I see red flags everywhere.
It would be one thing if he had ever demonstrated the ability to dominate on this level. He has not. Why would we continue to nurse him along, while the pass rush suffers because of it? The only reason that I can think of is the same reason that Myron Lewis (another bust) lingered on the roster so long, Dominick hates to admit bad draft picks.
December 27th, 2013 at 6:01 pm
I love all the genius NFL GM’s on here.
Every other GM on the league didn’t pass on Bowers. They passed on him in the 1st round…as did Mark Dominik.
Its not like if Dom hadn’t taken him he would have gone indrafted. It’s called risk vs reward. You weigh the risks of him not being the player you believe he can be vs the upside if he turns out to be healthy.
Sometimes you hit sometimes you miss.
You’ll never get anywhere in life of you’re afraid to take risks.
December 27th, 2013 at 6:14 pm
This is so funny. People were absolutely thrilled when we drafted Bowers. We all knew it was a risk, but he would have been the #1 pick in the draft. How often do you get a chance to get a top pick in the second round? Now because it hasn’t worked, everyone is claiming as if they were furious with the pick from day one. Give me a break with that nonsense. Nice try though. I think it’s hilarious that these same people are probably the ones that want us to draft Aaron Murray because he will fall in the draft due to a torn ACL. And if that doesn’t work, they’ll develop amnesia again.
I wouldn’t be so quick to give up on Bowers. He may not stay in Tampa, but I wouldn’t close the book on him having a good NFL career.
December 27th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
@D$
Correct, but the smart GMs take a risk when they have a reserve of solid DE starters. You don’t do it when you jack dikk on your team. He bet the house and had nothing in case it didn’t work out.
It doesn’t take a genius GM to figure that out.
December 27th, 2013 at 7:06 pm
Bowers may have been a great gamble if you you had a nucleus of team that already had the pieces in place to win, not gamble that this pick Will Be a piece that will contribute. Risk vs Reward is only good when you can afford the risk. popster can not and could not afford the risk. I believe he also wasted another second round pick on Brian Price…how did that work out…also, toss out the entire 2009 draft…how did that turn out…
Can the Dom! Keep Schiano under a new GM
December 27th, 2013 at 7:09 pm
That’s such ridiculous logic. So you can only take a chance if you have a stable of talent? So risk takers should only be winning teams? I don’t follow that logic. If you aren’t a good team, why not take a risk with the possibility of a huge boom? You see, there’s two ways to look at it. But again, I guarantee you the majority of you crying like little girls loved the pick when it was made. Go ahead and lie and tell me you didn’t. I was on this board at that time, and it was OVERWHELMING support for the pick. So everyone can try and play couch GM all they want, but we all know the truth.
December 27th, 2013 at 7:15 pm
We’ve got all pro, elite players at all three levels of defense, as well as an elite WR and RB, yet you see the problem at GM? I don’t even care if Dominik is gone, but it seems pretty obvious that we have talent on this team. The guys Dominik has gotten rid of (Winslow, Bennett, etc.) have been the result of the coach not being able to get along with them. We have lost close game after close game, which leads me to believe the issue may be coaching. Was it Mark Dominik telling Schiano to go conservative against New Orleans? Did Dominik instruct Schiano to play Rutgers ball against Seattle in the second half? Was is Dominik calling for us to continue to run Bobby Rainey into a wall on first and second down against the Rams? But nah, the problem can’t lie with the coach that hasn’t won squat. It must be the GM and the GM only. I’m sure that’s the problem. I feel very confident. I mean, our coach has taught the players how wide the field is. That is incredibly useful knowledge that is going to bring us home a championship. I can feel it in my bones.
December 27th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Another Bucs player falls to the “Dominik Round 2 Curse.”
December 27th, 2013 at 8:04 pm
I think a lot of you need 2 look more into all this before you gudge in Greg schianos system the defensive ends do get many sacks even when he was in college it was like that they are bigger to play the run not to pass rush http://www.trentonian.com/sports/20131119/rutgers-says-scheme-causes-lower-sack-totals-for-defensive-ends same system we are runnin right now that’s 1
December 27th, 2013 at 8:22 pm
2 wen clayborn and bowers were drafted the defensive end coach forgot his name told clay born and bowers to drop weight to be quicker resulting in clayborn having a great year in the Morris zone scheme the let the defensive ends rush but had to be faster in this scheme that schiano runs he asking the dends to be bigger and play more for the run then the pass explaining why he does so many stunts be cause they are not quick to get a corner bowers played college at about 267 right now he isplaying at aalmost 290 a defensive tackle size that’s y as well as clayborn is struggling to rush as well no were close to his rookie numbers they drafted gholston because of his size and it fits perfect in the scheme bout 284 bowers is not use to this weight same thing happened to Roy Miller in the Jim bates scheme they wanted him to get bigger and he’s knees started acting up because he wasn’t use to it and it took him years to get back down to weight and play with his right size schianos do sent change for his players he expects players to change for him and that’s y he never gets the best of players I promise you bowers goes to another team with the right system that a lower him to slim down he will have a good career
December 27th, 2013 at 8:51 pm
I swear there’s a guy we drafted in the second round to break that Dominik second round curse that you claim. What’s his name? Oh boy, just can’t think of it, but he’s only a defensive player of the year candidate. Kinda blows holes in that theory, don’t you think?
December 27th, 2013 at 11:17 pm
PRBucFan Says:
December 27th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Mishandling of Freeman my ass
That kid did it all to himself and than some
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No; the coach mishandled that from the get go. He wasn’t sold on Freeman from the get go but kept sending mixed messages. Freeman didn’t get a lot of reps in preseason games ( the great QBs such as Brady stress the importance of preseason reps.) The Bucs should have gotten a draft pick for Freeman.