What Exactly Will Todd Bowles Change?
April 17th, 2022
Concerned with Todd Bowles.
Joe has a very simple saying often heard on “The Ira Kaufman Podcast.”
“Don’t fix something that is not broken.”
It’s a life motto that also applies to football.
That saying popped in Joe’s head while listening to BSPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky. The former Bucs backup quarterback hopes new coach Todd Bowles keeps his nose out of the offensive huddle and offensive meetings.
Orlovsky noted that 75 percent of the Bucs’ offense last year came through the air partly because of the no-risk-it-no-biscuit mentality of former Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians.
Orlovsky fears Bowles, being a defensive guy, will want to pull back their reins on the offense. That might be the worst thing to do, Orlovsky said, and noted that every head coach he has played for who had a defensive background sang the same song, only changing the notes.
“We need to run the ball.”
Joe cannot agree with Orlovsky more. The Bucs are built to throw. The their passing the past two seasons has been otherworldly, among the best the NFL has ever seen. Why oh why would you want to throw cold water on that? There is no reason to fix the offense, not even to tinker with it. None. It’s not broken. At all.
Joe is always spooked by defensive coaches who become head coaches. More often than not, they are conservative to a fault. It’s OK to run — provided the offense is built to run the ball.
Please Todd Bowles, don’t mess with the offense. Please.
April 17th, 2022 at 7:33 am
Todd Bowles might be alot of things. I don’t think conservative is one of them.
April 17th, 2022 at 7:42 am
We definitely need to run the ball, otherwise we become too one dimensional. I can’t imagine Bowles really inserting himself into the offense. If there’s any truth to Arians being forced out, I’d imagine Bowles wouldn’t want to cross that line
April 17th, 2022 at 8:04 am
The one thing I would change….and I believe this is on BL & Brady……is when it is 3rd & short…..2-4 yards…..quit throwing low-percentage passes downfield…..just move the chains.
This cost us many times last year.
April 17th, 2022 at 8:07 am
Tampabaybucsfan
No doubt. Totally agree w the dumb plays downfield. We need to have common sense on down and distance
April 17th, 2022 at 8:14 am
TBBF, agree 100%. Safe check-down passes when it’s 3rd and short. You might throw the occasional bomb in those situations if you think you’ve caught the defense sleeping, but more often than not, just pick up the 1st down.
April 17th, 2022 at 8:15 am
The nfl is a passing league. Maybe titans are loan team that is run heavy first but they have the rare running back w good oline to do that.
We have three stud receivers again to carry the load. And gronk will be back
Another tight end in draft may make this aerial attack even better.
April 17th, 2022 at 8:23 am
TBBF, unless Godwin is on the field and healthy, he was money on extending drives on 3rd down during our SB run.
April 17th, 2022 at 8:38 am
Not running the ball is why we lost games we should’ve won. When Brady throw for 40 times and we run 10 times, it’s very obvious for us to be stopped by great teams. Or offense need to be balanced and unpredictable badly.
April 17th, 2022 at 8:43 am
There are many ways to win in the NFL. There is not currently a one method approach to win. That being said, I agree with Joe that the best path for the Bucs to win is to be a pass heavy team.
There will always be Monday morning quarterbacks who will somehow suggest that if we lose a game, it will be because we did not run enough or our plays were too predictable.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:03 am
I can’t believe The king of blitzing is going to go all turtle shell with the GOAT at QB
April 17th, 2022 at 9:09 am
Amen!
April 17th, 2022 at 9:14 am
If hes starts messing with the offense and it backfires he want ladt long.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:16 am
We all know that the league and the Bucs are built for the pass but, is it ever ineffective or unwise to play situational football? Attack your opponent’s weaknesses. Even the great TB12 probably shouldn’t throw 40+ times a game. I’d love to see more creative plays that leverage the “O’s” talent & advantage of knowing where the play is going, instead of relying solely on the talent “winning” each similar-looking, 5-7 step drop-back, deep-ball first, play. For the love of Brady, more (much more) play-action passing! TB12 is killer at it (another reason to establish the run, too)! Some teams (‘aints & rams) seem to have figured them out. How much longer before others do?
How did TB12 win before the Bucs?
April 17th, 2022 at 9:26 am
Dungy fell victim to this curse. Cost him a SB with TB. Was his thinking a result of not having a prolific passer? He did change his tune with the Colts, and won a SB with Peyton under center. I don’t worry about Bowles making the same mistake as Dungy with the Bucs. Having Tom Brady would’ve made Lombardi abandon the sweep. No chance Bowles rolls out with a run heavy, field position strategy.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:28 am
Tom wouldn’t allow that
April 17th, 2022 at 9:32 am
TBF…
The one thing I would change….and I believe this is on BL & Brady……is when it is 3rd & short…..2-4 yards…..quit throwing low-percentage passes downfield…..just move the chains.
———————————–
X 100. Amen.
Anyone remember “1st and Ike”?
April 17th, 2022 at 9:36 am
When we have leads in the 4th quarter being defensive minded is beautiful. The rest of the game you just let Brady and Leftwich do their thing.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:37 am
What you do on offense…is KINDA dictated by what their defense does. If they have single coverage on Evans (and that guy ISN’T Lattimore) with no deep help, you forget about the short pass and you heave it to Evans
April 17th, 2022 at 9:56 am
Brady is at his best, when attacking the field horizontally. Those long throws on third and short, showed the autonomy he had on offense. Everyone needs coaching, even Brady. Of course a QB with that degree of cart blanche, is going to get into some bad habits. It’s the only nit to pick in an otherwise tremendous season. Deep down Brady understands how important running the ball is. He’s not going to throw over and over against light boxes. Sometimes he’s too smart for his own good, and I think if bowles does anything with the offense, it’ll be reminding him to take the high percentage play.
April 17th, 2022 at 10:07 am
I could see more screens and timely runs when the defense dictates it. If we could force teams out of cover 2 and force them to play the run could be helpful with play action and negate their pass rush. Although that can be done with short passes also. We definitely need to be more creative with our running plays. But I’m talking a minor tweak not a whole sale shift. We want our best players getting the ball.
Most teams don’t want their quarterback throwing forty plus times a game. We have Brady so it’s not that big of deal. Brady had twelve games where he threw forty or more passes including the playoffs in 2021.
The other question is game management. Will Bowles be more aggressive or less, say on fourth down? Will he be a stats guy and do this on this down because the numbers dictate it? Will he call for more punts instead of attempting a 50 yard field goal?
April 17th, 2022 at 10:08 am
We actually need to run the ball more though. That would’ve won us the game against the rams in the playoffs
April 17th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Lol even your boy Brady has said it’s imperative to run the ball better in 2022. It was literally among the notes he gave management and coaching at the end of last season. He’s 45. It makes all the sense in the world to focus on strengthening the ground game.
April 17th, 2022 at 10:26 am
You have to adopt a Patriots mentality on offense which is to say you change the strategy based on the opponent. Flexible offense is what I’d call it. Don’t pass just for the sake of passing. That’s why the saints supposedly “have Brady’s number”. It’s not that they actually have his number, it’s that the Bucs offense is too one dimensional and the saints have the defensive backs to cover the Bucs weapons. So now Brady is having to go through multiple reads every time he drops back against the saints and that extra second of time allows cam Jordan and company to pin their ears back and get after Brady relentlessly. Brady then gets frustrated and does desperate things. The simple remedy to all this is for the Bucs to simply run the ball a healthy amount in that sort of matchup and take the pressure of off Tom. Instead of insisting that our receivers will always win one on one matchups. It’s the same problem against teams with a great pass rush like the Rams too. The Bucs haven’t beaten the Rams since Tom’s been here. Again, establish the run and then make Tom play action. I promise you he’ll look way better against teams like the saints and Rams, I promise you! Just because you have an elite quarterback doesn’t mean you should pass all the freaking time. Stop passing just to pass; make life easier for Tom like the Packers do for Aaron Rodgers by running the damn football! Rant over…
April 17th, 2022 at 10:31 am
Ok if we run the ball a little more. Just not up the gut on first down every time. Try going outside once in awhile. Happy Easter everyone!!!
April 17th, 2022 at 10:33 am
Sparrow, well said.
April 17th, 2022 at 10:51 am
Well said Sparrow!
April 17th, 2022 at 11:16 am
Bowles going conservative is my biggest fear too. Will he go for it on 4th and short when he has a small lead and the half is almost over? Will he stay aggressive when he has the lead?
April 17th, 2022 at 11:52 am
Bowles might say let’s try to run it a little more effectively and give the run game a better chance… but nothing radical.
I believe I read something where Arians and Licht were talking about improving the running game even before Bowles stepped up.
I’m not concerned.
April 17th, 2022 at 11:56 am
Bird whats that you got in your mouth lol some seeds
April 17th, 2022 at 11:56 am
Thank you Sparrow. This isn’t Madden. You actually have to be balance and run the ball more. Everything else will fall in place.
April 17th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
He’s not passive on defense though so idk why’d be passive on offense
We do need to be more effective running the ball though, and that has been more about playcalling than personnel in my mind
Brady is most effective when the play action threat is real
April 17th, 2022 at 12:22 pm
Bowles has already said he planned on getting more involved in 3rd and 1 situations. My guess is he also didn’t like like those deep shots on 3rd and 1. Brady has been known his entire career as surgical and he always took what the D gave him to move the chains. That changed in TB. The no risk it no biscuit is archaic and often inefficient. Yes, our offense puts up points, but that doesn’t mean it’s not flawed. The Rams were ranked ninth in offense and I believe the Bengals ranked like 12th. This offense is totally receiver driven. When we didn’t have the receivers to win one on one matchups, we were totally exposed. We couldn’t scheme anyone open. I would like to see that change. I also agree with Joe that we need to draft a receiver. If Godwin isn’t ready, we don’t have a true WR3. Tyler Johnson has shown he’s not that guy. I’m very fearful that we will get off to a slow start without Godwin. Clyde Christensen recently said Brady called him up 12 hours after he unretired, and said Brady went over ways that what he and the team could improve and he mentioned running the ball more. Brady also said the team needed to unload the chamber. Yes, we picked up Gage, but in my opinion we really haven’t been that aggressive. Rams have improved from last year, we haven’t. Also, A 45 yr old QB dropping back 50x a game isn’t prudent, especially with the LG position is in question. I would love for one reporter to ask Brady why they don’t utilize play action more when the numbers show that it’s been very effective. In general, I wish some reporters would ask more football questions instead of the palace intrigue nonsense.
April 17th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
We need to run ball more. It doesn’t need to be huge amount more but by running more it keeps defence guessing and opens up the pass and play action, throw in some draw plays and our offence becomes a head ache for every defence we come up against. We are more pass heavy set up, and we shouldn’t abandon that entirely, but at same time increasing the run frequency doesn’t hinder that, it helps Brady keep upright and keeps his arm fresher
April 17th, 2022 at 12:34 pm
I doubt much changes he won’t want to mess with the continuity that Brady has with the offense most players are there that he has already played with next season will be a different story this season you don’t mess with too much with what is working.
April 17th, 2022 at 12:46 pm
@mcruzer
TBBF, unless Godwin is on the field and healthy, he was money on extending drives on 3rd down during our SB run.
Exactly why CG14 got his knee shredded because Brady went to him damn near every third down. I felt during that Saints game he was targeted WAY too much. Brady fixated on him. So too did the Saints defense. I remember being at that game saying, he’s getting to much attention from Brady.
April 17th, 2022 at 12:54 pm
Personally I’d like to see Todd be able to defend the field at the end of the fourth quarter.
Bills…..Rams…..yeah.
Teach your players what they are supposed to do, and then call what they know how to do. Todd.
April 17th, 2022 at 1:43 pm
10 years ago I would say a team should be 50 / 50 passing and running. With today’s rules more like 60 pass / 40 run. Of course the key to success is “keeping the defense guessing”!! The more unpredictable you are, the more successful plays you will run, and the more wins you earn!! Don’t run every first down please!! Except of course, if you’re gaining 5 or 6 yards every time!
April 17th, 2022 at 2:01 pm
How about we become a powerful running team…how about we become an explosive passing team (already there) how about we are able to consistently move the chains and sustain drives like the “OLD Brady Patriot teams”…and are also able to hit bombs behind the defense like the newer Brady/BA “no risk it” offense.
We can do both!!! We have the talent to do BOTH! Why not do BOTH? Run or pass…BOTH! Offense or defense..BOTH. The Bucs have the talent and attitude be a very balanced, complimentary (H/T to D.R.) team that can adjust to all situations…bad weather…defensive struggle…wide open shootout..physical pound it football…artistic throw it around football. The Bucs can do it all!!!
April 17th, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Don’t worry @WillieG, Brady will just shake off the play call, and embarrass bowles like he did to either BA, or BL. It was one of them. I think a stipulation of Brady’s unretirement was full autonomy for his offense.
The changes bowles makes should focus on two things, attention to detail, and improved game plans. As @RedSparrow mentioned, the bucs were horrible at game specific planning. What beats a team one week, may require a totally different plan the next. I think we all can agree that the bucs were too much of a “we do what we do, stop it” kinda team last year, on both sides of the ball.
April 17th, 2022 at 2:07 pm
They did what they do against the Rams, and aside from four inexplicable fumbles, got run over. Please Todd, play more coverage against them this year. I know you have it in you..
April 17th, 2022 at 3:15 pm
IF we were truly able to run the ball well, then it would make it harder for teams like the Rams and Saints to beat us. Both of these teams can get pressure with their front 4, leaving a whole bunch of pass defenders to confuse Brady.
If we had a real running game, it will force these teams to stack the box, and open up the passing game for Brady.
But because we are known by our opponents as a pass first team, with little to no running threat, or a back that can take it to the house on every snap, you seldom teams having to stack the box against us. IMHO, if we see a good back in this draft with REAL Speed, we may want to grab him.
LOL, we need our Alvin Kamara !!
April 17th, 2022 at 3:23 pm
move the sticks
April 17th, 2022 at 3:56 pm
I see some of you have been paying attention. I can’t count the times i screamed at the boob tube, “what the hell are you doing” when it was 3rd and one and tom would throw it to Ft. Lauderdale. PUNT!!
April 17th, 2022 at 4:09 pm
I heard he is only calling defense plays…I hope.
April 17th, 2022 at 4:19 pm
What’s the Bucs record when Lenny gets more than 12 carries?
Just make sure he gets 12 each week. No need to try to become run-first… just need to be run-capable.
April 17th, 2022 at 6:37 pm
Agreed! Bowles needs to stay in his lane and out of the offense. If anything, more control should be given to Brady. He could hold the title Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback and run it the way he sees fit. Leftwich can be offensive consultant 😂
April 17th, 2022 at 6:37 pm
Just make sure he gets ^more than^ 12 each week. No need to try to become run-first… just need to be run-capable.
Fixed it for ya!
!00% agreement here.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:33 pm
BL is is a points guy. TB is not.
April 17th, 2022 at 9:53 pm
A coach needs two things for his defense. He needs his defense to get off the field when they create a third and long. And, he needs the offense to possess the ball for at least half of each quarter so that the defense does not get too winded.
Running the ball successfully means resting the defense; every coach wants that. Successful drives of nickel and dime pass plays can kind do the same thing. But, three play scoring drives can be a kick in the gut to a defense that just got off the field after defending against a ten play scoring drive.
You do not have to run the ball, but you do have to run the clock!
April 17th, 2022 at 9:59 pm
Taken the BA cigar up your butt. 75 percent of the offense? Doubt it.
April 17th, 2022 at 10:39 pm
I do believe the offense will take on a new look under Bowles in the next few years, but not so obviously this year. BA was said to be about “No risk it it, no biscuit!”. Bowles wil be about “Keep ’em guessing!” That is how I would characterize his defense. I think he will generalize this to represent his overall offensive strategy as well. This will show up more after the GOAT and Leftwich are gone.
April 18th, 2022 at 9:43 am
Joe, are you worried about the opinion of a former QB, who didn’t know enough that he was in the end zone and ran out the back for a safety? This same QB who doesn’t care, how foolish he looks with his nice suit on with his “sneakers”. Are you worried this guy’s words will be taken seriously? How again is Brady in Miami or San Fransico this season, when he has come back to Tampa Bay for the 22 season?
April 18th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
Mr. Bowles ain’t no fool. Orvlosky? Yeah he’s a fool for sure. Pay these chumps no mind. We have a top offense and that is not going to change until Mr. Brady exits stage right.