Todd Bowles: “Guys Were Feeling Sorry For Themselves”
February 17th, 2021
Every Bucs season that ends in a Super Bowl is perfect and glorious, but that doesn’t mean serious issues didn’t arise along the way.
Typically tight-lipped Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles shed light on Bucs woes recently as he looked back at the championship season.
Bowles was a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio and explained that the Bucs defense surprised him this season in multiple ways.
“I thought we started out fast [defensively], probably faster than I thought we would have started out,” Bowles said. “The first six or seven games they were really playing good football.
“Then we kind of got nicked up along the way, and we went through about a three- or four-game stretch where I didn’t think we played well at all from a mental standpoint. And guys were feeling sorry for themselves, and there was like a lull in the season. Maybe the last five or six games they kind of picked it up a little bit. Once we got to the bye week and we were able to get back to fundamentals, I thought they could see the light at the end of the tunnel and I really thought they started coming together.”
Interesting to hear Bowles say guys were feeling sorry for themselves. How un-Brady-like! Bowles, of course, did a hell of a job snapping the defense out of its funk and getting it to close strong.
Joe will take an unpopular view and say the low point of the Bucs defensive season came against the Rams in Tampa. That had to be Jared Goff’s best game of the year — on the heels of Drew Brees playing his best game of 2020 against Tampa the previous week.
February 17th, 2021 at 2:25 pm
30 points a game helps snap any defense out of a funk. If the offense would have scored early in the 2nd Saint game and the KC game, the games would have been competative. GO BICS!!!
February 17th, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Well, plus they stopped playing a soft zone, and they started double-teaming when needed.
February 17th, 2021 at 3:07 pm
The Bucs defense (when it was all said and done)=the hearts of lions.
February 17th, 2021 at 3:09 pm
When your fireplug DLinman is missing, that would tend to make you have some doubts.
February 17th, 2021 at 4:14 pm
Part of the defensive struggles were also the scheme itself. For example bucs playing soft zone against Drew Brees instead of press man, allowing easy completions for Brees in the 2nd saints matchup. Also leaving Tyreek Hill on an island with Carlton Davis. It was very good that we faced these teams again in the playoffs and the adjusted scheme gave our guys the best chance to win.
February 17th, 2021 at 5:21 pm
I agree the schemes cannot be the same for every game. More adjustments needed to be made. The offense wasn’t in sync and the Brady signing was looking a bit questionable. Both O & D were plays were very basic. The team had to believe Brady was their guy, once he proved he was everyone got on board and started balling.
February 17th, 2021 at 5:33 pm
I’ll take those regular season losses every year if it means we come back and whoop those same teams in the playoffs.
Everything came together at just the right time. Defense played incredible during the playoffs, building upon each week to have their best performance when it matter most.
And the offense scored 30+ points in all 4 playoff games.
Love it!
February 17th, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Oh boy
February 17th, 2021 at 7:27 pm
I think it was the residual Softie93 effect.
The Crying Clown.
My bad Ben.
Let’s have fun!
February 17th, 2021 at 9:59 pm
We need to hold on to Todd Boles as our DC. If BA retires Boles knows how to be a Head Coach too and Boles should replace BA at that point, but when Brady retires he needs to become the Head Coach!