Clashing Standards — Tom Brady And Todd Bowles
November 10th, 2022
Joe tossed and turned about this for a couple of days after hearing the thoughts of the Buccaneers’ head coach and his mighty king of quarterbacks.
Todd Bowles is a very calculated speaker, as is Tom Brady. Everything is measured. And both speak weekly in a pre-recorded format that allows their comments to be edited.
Brady records his Let’s Go! podcast on Mondays, often in the morning, and it airs on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio at 6 p.m. Bowles records his Buccaneers Radio Network show typically on Mondays, and it airs on Tuesday evenings.
So it was very intriguing this week to hear Bowles and Brady deliver mixed messages. (No surprise here.)
On Let’s Go!, Brady lamented the Bucs’ lack of effort and called it “embarrassing.”
“There’s definitely some things we do well; there’s a lot of things we don’t do well,” Brady said. “I think too much of good, bad, good, bad, good, bad, leaves you average. And no one’s trying to be average. If you want to be a great team, you gotta be way better than average. So correcting our mistakes, improving our effort — which, that’s probably the most embarrassing part of our team is our effort level on gameday, and that’s something we better fix.”
Bowles, however, opened his show quickly praising the Bucs’ effort through their three-game losing streak that was snapped on Sunday. He was not asked about effort.
“It was huge [to beat the Rams] after losing three weeks in a row, you get very sour and you have a very sour taste in your mouth for a long time, not from lack of effort, but lack of execution, lack of doing things right,” Bowles said.
It wasn’t the first time Bowles has praised his team’s effort during its recent struggles.
So who is correct? Brady says the team’s effort is an embarrassment while Bowles likes the effort. Is either guy being honest? Do Bowles and Brady have different standards of excellence?
What Joe can say with certainty is that Brady and Bowles need a meeting of their media consultants.
As for Brady’s comments, Joe doesn’t believe Brady thinks the whole team is dogging it. It’s likely he’s referring to how he believes the team can play harder and be more locked in mentally in certain situations, such as short yardage.
November 10th, 2022 at 3:18 am
Could they both be right, by their own perspectives? Bowels referring to the Defense, Brady referring to the offense. I hope Leftwich doesn’t speak for the offense.
November 10th, 2022 at 5:00 am
Brady is a perfectionist.
Bowels is a cheerleader.
November 10th, 2022 at 5:05 am
Their records speak for themselves. Who u gonna trust is the question?
November 10th, 2022 at 5:11 am
follow the guy with 7 rings
November 10th, 2022 at 5:12 am
Honestly the team is missing JPP and Suh, not in terms of their play but their locker room presence, they would be always vocal, and would not be silent if they see someone in the locker room slacking, just my opinion
November 10th, 2022 at 5:32 am
Thunder Dome
My guess is Tom can’t get out of Tampa fast enough when the season is over and we will be stuck with this “coaching “ staff.
November 10th, 2022 at 5:52 am
EXACTLY! My bet goes with the Lord of the Rings.
November 10th, 2022 at 6:12 am
My thought is when he is gone …..for us to get in position to DRAFT SS396 !
November 10th, 2022 at 6:14 am
My guess is that this was building up. Brady also went out of his way to wax poetic about his days in NE with Belichick. He raved about how he watched them each week and how Bill had his team prepared to win and focused on the fundamentals. Make no mistake, this wasn’t an accident. He also spoke about which players he knew to be trusted just by looking at their eyes in the huddle. When Brady speaks, he also speaks in identifying it as a “we” and “us” issue. He never throws his teammates under the bus like Aaron Rodgers. I was shocked when I heard Brady speak such harshly about the team’s effort.
This team can become very fractured if the offense continues to be awful and the losing continues. You’re seeing it play out in Denver, GB, and LA. The leaders on the team better get this team back roped in, and it starts with the offense. Fournette is starting to whine about his role. That needs to be nipped in the bud. BA benched him when he pouted. Bowles doesn’t have to speak out about it publicly, but he needs to put Lenny in his place.
November 10th, 2022 at 6:24 am
Todd would be better served as an accountant rather than a head coach. Even Dungy wasn’t this laid back.
November 10th, 2022 at 6:25 am
I agree with Delusional Intelligence in terms of each maybe having a different perspective on ‘effort’ (defense & offense mindsets). But it may go even deeper than that.
I’ve got a feeling that Todd Bowles feels that a 16-13 win over last year’s Super Bowl champion, the same team who’d whooped HIM the last 3 times we met, is a great win. Not pretty, but to Bowles the outcome is most important.
Also have a hunch that Tom Brady doesn’t share that perspective. To Brady it seems to be more about the process as opposed to the final score even. Struggling as an offense for 59 minutes and producing only 3 FGs must’ve driven him nuts, especially after we’ve struggled so much in previous games. Got a hunch that to HIM, effort = scoring TDs, not empty-handed drives and not FGs.
The common denominator for both of them used to be Bruce Arians. Now it’s Byron Leftwich. Woe is us.
November 10th, 2022 at 7:10 am
Failure is not an option for Brady.
From their stoic demeanor you can tell Bowles and Leftwich are used to it.
November 10th, 2022 at 7:27 am
Who do you think is at fault for the Bucs record so for this year a national sports radio team on the air yesterday it was 75% Bowles and 25% Brady. I think it’s 85% Bowles and 15% Brady.
November 10th, 2022 at 7:39 am
If you are the Glazers, ask Brady what it will take for him to come back next season, and when he says, “Sean Payton,” go get him.
November 10th, 2022 at 7:44 am
Bowels (movement) was a failure in his previous HC venture, he’s a failure here….not head coach material and it shows…..
Brady: WINNER (big time)
Bowels: LOSER (documented)
November 10th, 2022 at 7:49 am
Should I trust 8 rings or a 2 time failure as a HC?????? LOL
November 10th, 2022 at 7:58 am
Brady must have had an idea what the Bowles/Leftwich combo would be like, I think this puts to bed the “Brady ordered BA to be fired” bs
November 10th, 2022 at 8:03 am
I agree that this team is missing it’s leaders. JPP was a leader, and so was Ryan Jensen. It has become evident to me that Todd Bowles was a better defensive coordinator than a head coach.
But we won last week, so all is good in my world.
I am excited for the return of Hicks!
This has been allowing Vita Vea and some of our other players to face single vs double teams.
LOL, you saw what happened to Stafford when Vea was single blocked.
It is said that the Seattle QB is terrible when he is pressured, so I am hoping we pressure the heck out of him on Sunday Morning.
It will be great to see the German Fans cheer for us, and make no mistake, this is nearly a home game for us, even though it is in Munich Germany.
The reason is Tom Brady, who is famous around the world. Plus, he was married to a German Girl. That is correct, Giselle is from Brazil, but she is of 100% Pure German bloodlines.
Plus, when people from Germany go on Vacation to the USA, they come to Florida, not Washington State.
So do not be surprised to hear the German Fans cheering for us!
November 10th, 2022 at 8:09 am
Whos been a part of more champ.teams ya ill go with brady tiolet bowles is in over his head
November 10th, 2022 at 8:10 am
When Brady talks about effort, I think he includes mental effort as a big part of the equation. Dumb penalties, missed assignments and blocks, not lining up properly all lead to bogged down drives. You can have all the physical effort in the world, but you will still lose if you don’t play smart.
November 10th, 2022 at 8:24 am
Mr butthole toilet bowl…Seems like a good guy…Good guys are not good leaders.
November 10th, 2022 at 8:32 am
Bowles is a F$ck@n loser. it was a loser with the Jets. He was a loser last year when he called the blitz on Stafford thinking Stafford wouldn’t pick it up and Cooper Kupp ran down the field. and he’s a loser again this year plain and simple. he is not a leader of men and will never be a leader of men.
November 10th, 2022 at 8:43 am
Bowles said it’s “not from lack of effort, but lack of execution, lack of doing things right.” How is a lack of execution and doing things right not a lack of effort?
November 10th, 2022 at 9:04 am
You go from a Superbowl caliber team that does things cirsply to sloppy play on the field and shooting yourselves in the foot. Def not everyone is locked in
November 10th, 2022 at 9:09 am
Attitude is everything – the Bucs need that 2020 attitude
November 10th, 2022 at 9:32 am
Who has 7 rings and has seen it all, what works, what doesn’t? That would be Tom Brady. Bowels is showing why he got fired from the Jets, why no one else but his best friend would hire him, why he will be fired from the Bucs, and never be a head coach again.
Anyone hear his locker room victory speech after Brady’s miracle #55? (Should be #56, thanks, Todd.)
Bowels sounded like he was in a coma. Which puts the team in a coma. That’s how they play.
November 10th, 2022 at 9:41 am
Great coaches focus on the smallest of details. Brady has stated many times that you have to put the effort in practice into fixing technique and execution. What are you doing Mr. Bowles to ensure that technique and execution improve? Based on the results, you don’t know what to do or you are not doing enough. Either way, we lose!!! You need to be replaced but unfortunately, I believe the ownership is part of the woke population and doesn’t have the courage to do what needs to be done!!!
November 10th, 2022 at 10:19 am
Brady is a perfectionist but a realist. He expects championship level play on each snap but also knows that if he has to throw a ball away to avoid a sack or int, it’s a bad play but you live on to make the next play work and when that next play comes, all 11 guys need to be ready to make it work.
“Effort” = “Fire” to Brady. Be mentally dialed in to do your job and “want it” more than the guys across the line from you. Even with lousy, predictable play-calling, too many of the Bucs woes on offense are mental lapses. Drops, penalties, missed blocking assignments, bad route running, on and on and on. He wants to strive for perfection on every play. They can’t be perfect on every play but that needs to be the goal and not the destination.
They know their ultimate destination is another championship but right now, not only do they not have a map or GPS telling them how to get there, they don’t even have a compass to point them in the right direction to start the journey.
November 10th, 2022 at 10:38 am
Well, we have a Losing Record currently, so I would say that we need to raise our standards up to Brady’s (the GOAT) instead of Bowles’ standards (a HC with a career losing record).
Let’s let the Brady Effect Take Hold Again, Bucs!
BE GREAT.
November 10th, 2022 at 10:48 am
We need the captains of this team to step up and shine out…
Yes lvd Brady Evans godwin vea fournette the players who have been here and know what it takes.
We have a fragile team who can’t take the physicality of football.
The oline injured
Wr room injured
Te injured
Secondary injured
Dline injured
I’m not calling people soft bit I’m not calling anyone tough either.
Brady is the only one showing up to play every game and he’s going through a fn divorce losing his family.
To come back n play with some glass figurines.
I respect how he has kept his turnovers down and make us somewhat competitive with a team that is pretty much musical chairs.
I love Mike evans but will he ever make a catch with out coming up grimacing and acting hurt.
I’ve honestly got tired of seeing him down and being concerned if he’s injured.
None of the receiver can create separation or show quick twitch ability.
Scotty has it but let be real he’s not a starter quality player.
Everyone dropping easy passes and making stupid penalties.
Oline looks lost on every run play.
I would honestly force the oline to work together alllllllll day long.
I watch the center n Smith over n over n over get lost on who they are to block.
It’s not rocket science you should know your target player before snap.
I’m seeing a poorly coached team and I said it multiple times.
We should of went and found the oline players who can allow us to run the ball.
You got a near 50yr qb stepping back like 90% the time to save games.
It’s a predictable play call and scheme.
We’re lucky to be in the worst division in football but to be real even if we make the playoffs we ain’t doing much unless we get blessed with certain match ups.
This team misses mostly gronk on offense and obviously suh on defense.
The block and 3rd down reception from gronk.
The run stop from suh and leadership.
I said not getting Brady a top tier te was bout the dumbest thing you can do because he needs a smart big te who can keep the chains moving.
Otton has shown back up quality but no he not what I’m describing.
I’m repeat what I been saying.
Put Devin white at defensive end move Neal to MLB with david..
Have david blitzing 60% of the time hunting the rb on his way to the qb.
Neal takes the tight end..
With Winfield at the slot blitzing and helping in the intermediate coverage…
On offense have Mike evans line up a te…get him matched up on lbs..
Put julio in Mike’s spot n Godwin in slot n gage in the 2.
You have to create the match up.
I personally feel like white the rb need more touches but we have to harp on him to protect the ball at all cost.
Brady needs to stand pack in the pocket n let certain plays develop more..those quick check downs to players who just fall down after catching it or run routes short of the first is not getting it done.
We’re playing like we’re in the red zone the whole time.
Open up the offense and run a lot more no huddle to complicate the job of defenses to get their play call in and roster adjustments.
Tire them out and then run the ball up the middle I guess Byron since you don’t know how to off tackle sweeps or anything but up the gut behind a inept rookie center.
This trail by fire has left us burnt.
I’m aware I’m one person ranting and some of you may disagree with me but I’m telling you it plain and obvious the woes of this team and its brutal to watch.
I honestly feel bad for Brady and buc fans.
November 10th, 2022 at 10:50 am
Defense Rules: I agree that Brady is more focused on the process and less concerned with the results. On any given Sunday, a win can be the result of a lucky bounce, a bad call, or a turnover. From Brady’s perspective, if you have have your process in place, meaning you execute with precision, then the result of the game will take care of itself, which in Brady’s mind is a win. When I was a firearms instructor back in the day, I used to tell my students, don’t overly focus on the target, align the rear sights with the front sight post, breath, and squeeze. Following the fundamentals will most often give you the results you need. There seems to be a big difference in perspectives between Brady and Bowles.
November 10th, 2022 at 10:56 am
Natiional pundits ? Please that’s laughable they know as much about the Bucs as the next clueless troll . On a list of 15 problems Brady is 15. He is the best player on the ofence , he doesn’t put the ball at risk, he puts them in good situation with accurate throws, he can’t control the historically bad running game , the office of line and how badly the receivers have played on top of Byron the Brainless .? Does he miss throws absolutely, every quarterback in football does. Blaming him is laughable he still tops of the league in many of the most important categories. TD to interception ratio, turn over worthy playsv, big time throws, downfield throws.
November 10th, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Professionally Tom is a winner and Bowles is a loser…
Shouldn’t be much of a clash if the TEAM wants to win!
November 10th, 2022 at 2:52 pm
Brady clarified his comment about the lack of “effort” when he stated that dropped passes don’t bother him as much as receivers not running the called route correctly. During the last two seasons we’ve watched Brady get most upset with the lack of energy and precision by receivers in route running. During Tom’s last season in N.E. he was often visibly exasperated with his young receivers making basic mistakes like failing to “run thru the pass” at top speed, or failing to use their body to box out defenders. We saw a similar learning curve with Tom and Mike Evans during the first half of 2020. To Evan’s credit, we saw him respond well to Tom’s constructive criticism and become Tom’s most trusted receiver.
Against the Rams on Sunday, however, how many times did we see Buc receivers fail to run PAST the sticks before making a cut on 3rd down? Call it lack of effort or lack of execution, it was %&*$ embarrassing to watch. A critical third down play, your team is behind, and the sticks are RIGHT IN FRONT of you, yet you stop 1 or 2 yards short and cut looking for the ball. The pass was made but the GOAT is already walking off the field. I remember Romo noting it and wondering what the Buc receiver was thinking. It was almost as embarrassing as RoJo’s tendency to run out of bounds, short of the sticks, or even past the sticks, just to avoid contact.
Another example was Buc defenders jumping offside on critical third and long plays. It’s a home game. All you have to do is to NOT jump offsides since the Rams were backed up. These time of mental mistakes would drive Belichick mad and the entire team would pay the bext day of practice. But with the Bucs, there’s no accountability. Todd Bowles needs to SIT PLAYERS when he sees this happen. All Tom can do is tell Byron that he’s not throwing to a receiver and let the two Bs figure out what to do. Then again, Brady could just call out the problem during an interview. Times too short not to be giving the game everything you’ve got.
November 10th, 2022 at 4:08 pm
Atticus makes some great points. I especially like that you’re calling out the receivers running their route short of the sticks. People blame Brady for the throwing the ball short of the sticks. The problem is the receivers are getting the correct depth on their route. The YAC is still horrible.
November 10th, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Is it any wonder that Bowles is just not a good head coach? If you are one of the ones, who “got paid” and are dogging it and the head coach says your effort is good then are you going to go out and give extra effort? The Glazers better fix this now before it seeps into every crack and crevice of One Buc. If not we will be looking at another 10 years of the yucks.
November 10th, 2022 at 6:49 pm
Hmm, I think I’ll trust the opinion of the guy who’s considered the greatest QB of all time, not a coach who got his job by being liked by Bruce Arians and loses 3 games for every 2 he wins.
November 12th, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Im of the opinion that anything out of Bowles is trivial BS/Coachspeak. Brady on the other hand usually has some sort of reason behind what he says publicly about the team.