Miserable NFC South Helps, Hurts Todd Bowles
October 28th, 2022
Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer studies the field.
With a road win in Atlanta on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers would own first place in the NFC South with a 3-5 record and a tiebreaker edge on the Falcons and Bucs.
It’s a freaky thought. The Panthers, a team tanking and one that fired its head coach and traded two excellent players this month, could be halfway through the season undefeated in the division and holding first place.
Regardless, the point here is that the miserable NFC South has made life very interesting for Bucs head coach Todd Bowles.
The Bucs, at 3-5 after last night’s loss, are in the playoff hunt. But they might be teetering on elimination in a normal season. That should help Bowles keep players more invested in the work necessary to achieve a speedy repair of his team. It’s much easier to motivate when players see a path to the playoffs. So it gives Bowles a better shot at rescuing the majestic pirate ship that he’s transformed into a worn out canoe.
However, Joe believes the miserable NFC South is also potentially bad for Bowles’ future.
With Carolina hunting for a big-name head coach and the Saints (2-5) possibly in the market for one in January, and a real turnaround underway in Atlanta, Joe could see Team Glazer believing all the change in the division makes January a good time to fire Bowles if he doesn’t get the Bucs to a division title this season.
Essentially, if Team Glazer loses faith in Bowles’ ability and sees two other teams in the division rebuilding, they might think it’s in their best interest to make their inevitable change at the top sooner rather than later.
Joe believes clear-headed fans see that Bowles has no excuses for having a losing season. Everyone from Team Glazer to Jason Licht and 99 percent of fans pegged the team for at least 10 wins with a healthy Tom Brady.
Only getting to seven or eight, in a miserable division with bad coaches and quarterbacks, would represent historic underachievement.
October 28th, 2022 at 12:58 am
As long as Bowles is head coach and Leftwich is OC, I don’t see us winning another game. He’s lost the players. They have zero respect for him clearly and if BA was still HC we’d be 6-2 or 7-1. Bowles is in over his head and just simply incompetent as a head coach. Some guys aren’t good head coaches, clearly he isnt cut out for it. Hes a great DC but thats all he will ever be. He’s had his opportunities and he’s squandered them. It’s time to cut bait. Enough is enough. Drastic changes need to be made because this pirate ship has become the titanic in 3 weeks time. This team is a joke. I knew the first half was fools gold. It’s a microcosm of the season. Deceive us at first then the true colors show as things unravel. Sad
October 28th, 2022 at 1:01 am
How could than glazer NOT have already lost faith in bowel movements ability.
October 28th, 2022 at 1:02 am
Bowels loves losing.
October 28th, 2022 at 1:04 am
Let’s…. Bowels n not even a good DC. Way below average.
October 28th, 2022 at 1:10 am
99% pegged the Bucs for 10 plus wins
Not me.
I said the line would struggle, and cripple the offense.
Our “Great defense” only had one real pass rushing threat.
And we may have lost him.
I predicted a 8-9, or 9-8 season.
I may have been to generous!
October 28th, 2022 at 1:11 am
I predict Monday the NFC South will look like this:
Falcons 4-4
Bucs 3-5
Panthers 2-6
Saints 2-6
Bucs need to make drastic changes to coaching TODAY and make the most of the next 10 days to pep for the Rams…
The Falcons schedule does not look all that daunting so they could run away with the lead these next few games..
IF the Falcon beat Panthers Sunday, the Chargers (who are struggling), and then the Panthers again – Falcons could plausibly be 6-4…
IF the Bucs lose to Rams and then to the Seahawks, the Bucs would be 3-7 by mid-November the way its going…
I’d say by their schedule that the Panthers and Saints lose more than they win!
October 28th, 2022 at 1:23 am
Bucs, Saints and Panthers could all be in the running for the top draft pick this year. The difference is that the Panthers will have to tank to lose but the Bucs and the Saints (as long as Jameis or Napoleon Dynamite is their starting QB) will lose most every week without tanking given their coaching ineptitude.
Please Glazers, fire Byron yesterday, reassign the special teams coach and subtly put out feelers on replacing Todd Bowels.
October 28th, 2022 at 1:31 am
Let White run more.
October 28th, 2022 at 1:56 am
Wouldn’t be surprised if Brady wanted a trade and we had a fire sale
October 28th, 2022 at 2:35 am
Letsbuccingo is right: “As long as Bowles is head coach and Leftwich is OC, I don’t see us winning another game. He’s lost the players.” When your team is reduced to being clueless, gutless and heartless, how and when do you pull the plug and blow it up?
You keep it on life support if there are still playoff delusions.
Is OneBuc that much in denial that they would “stay the course”, the same way they’ve stayed the course with the youngsters (who were awful tonight)?
Even if Bowles and/or Byron get fired as they should, would they resort to some tepid compromise involving keeping it in-house? I think the problem is that this entire BA coaching tree is poor. The team needs a full reboot and change in culture, so strong that it gets the lazy veterans with bad attitudes to wake the hell up, or get fired.
The one guy I know who will refuse to quit, ever, is Mr. TB12. I believe in almost no one else. Maybe Logan Ryan. Maybe Jensen. (And where the hell is he? Still “too much swelling to diagnose?”)
October 28th, 2022 at 6:50 am
No playoffs and no family for Tom Brady.
October 28th, 2022 at 6:53 am
Even if we win the division with a losing record so what. We’ll get stomped first playoff game. Hey I know a SB winning coach who lives just down the block. Bring back Chucky! At least we’d get some emotion from the HC.
October 28th, 2022 at 7:26 am
Last chance
Fire the OC
Now! Fire the OC
Get a coach with some backbone to stand up and get in his players faces, motivate them or sit their butts on the bench
Well, AB did have some good coaching traits, he wasn’t timid and could stand toe to toe with the GOAT and tell him what’s for
Anyone as old as me here who remembers Shula in his prime?
He would have put the GOAT on the bench as close to the Highway as possible for missing training camp and then attending that ridiculous wedding Or bring his reality tv martial problems to camp Shula would have not let him in the building!!
Shula would motivate the guys because they would not play again if they came in with a suck attitude or personal problems Or they were out of shape, etc, etc.
Find a Shula
I agree, play the bench, might find a fire in some young guys who still remember why they love the game of football
Bench the running back
He is mostly ineffective unless catching a short pass from the GOAT
October 28th, 2022 at 8:20 am
Trade the Winston of the defense, who’s probably worth nothing at this point. Jason Licht if your draft picks are more important than making a playoff run this year then you should be worried too
October 28th, 2022 at 9:11 am
BSPN “analytics” claim the Bucs STILL have a 53% chance to win the division. I’m guessing 8-9 will win it. And they’d STILL have to fire the coaching staff.
October 28th, 2022 at 10:13 am
7 or 8 wins??? Who the hell are we gonna beat??