Todd Bowles: Who Says The Bucs Can’t Be Great?
March 27th, 2023
Todd Bowles explains.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles, along with many other NFL coaches, suits and owners, already are prowling the sands of the Arizona desert at the NFL Owners Meetings, which kicked off yesterday.
There, Bowles found time to chat with NFL.com. He said the difference in not having Tom Brady means the Bucs (or any team that doesn’t have Brady) is not automatically expected to be great.
Bowles added, that doesn’t mean the Bucs cannot win.
“When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don’t replace him,” Bowles said. “You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn’t mean you can’t be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.
“We have a lot of good players on our team on both sides of the ball. We have some pieces to fill, but we have a lot of good football players on our team. And we just have to understand that and not go with the so-called outside narrative and do what we have to do to win ball games.”
Bowles (and others with the Bucs) have been saying when they’ve spoken publicly this offseason: There is no dominant team in the NFC South. So, why not the Bucs?
Joe trusts Bowles to have a decent defense. Might not be suffocating, but it easily could be top-10 again. The Bucs had the No. 9 defense last season.
And remember, even with Tom Brady, the offense was rotten last year. So improving isn’t a big climb.
March 27th, 2023 at 4:07 am
Trade for Jeffrey Simmons!
March 27th, 2023 at 4:35 am
Don’t care what the defense, or offense is ranked. Only stat that counts is wins, and losses. Last year we only won 8 times, that has to change.
March 27th, 2023 at 4:52 am
Joe … ‘Bucs had the No. 9 defense last season’.
That we did, using Yards Allowed as the criteria for rankings. Last I recall however Joe, it was Points Allowed that was used in measuring wins & losses. Bucs ranked #13 using that criteria.
Had our offense ranked in the Top-5 or so last year, Bucs MIGHT have done some damage in the playoffs with a 13th-ranked defense. Ranking 13th was still a MAJOR accomplishment with all the injuries we sustained on defense, but it’s still a middle-of-the-road ranking. We’ve got to ‘restock it’ such that it gets back into at least the Top-10 (like we were in 2020), preferably the Top-5 (like we were in 2021).
March 27th, 2023 at 5:00 am
LUVMYBUCS … ‘Trade for Jeffrey Simmons!’
I’d love that, but who would we trade to grab him from the Titans? And how would we afford him after?
Simmons made the Pro Bowl the last 2 years, the Titans just exercised his 5th-year option, and he wants to stay a Titan (and the Titans want him to). He’d be expensive, and we already have Vea & Gaines. Still, it’d be awesome to have a DLine like that.
March 27th, 2023 at 5:20 am
Defense Rules Says:
March 27th, 2023 at 4:52 am
We’ve got to ‘restock it’ such that it gets back into at least the Top-10 (like we were in 2020), preferably the Top-5 (like we were in 2021).
^^^^^^^^
Agreed. The Bucs need to draft defense, other than an OT. If the Bucs can find a few impact defensive players in the draft they’ll be able to have a new identity (strong defense, running the ball).
March 27th, 2023 at 5:29 am
Bowles’s Quote verbatim “You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn’t mean you can’t be great.”
JBF headline “Todd Bowles: Who Says The Bucs Can’t Be Great?“
That ? mark is doing a lot of work. SMH
March 27th, 2023 at 5:34 am
Peter King said the Bucs could not be great
March 27th, 2023 at 5:35 am
You lose “aura”???
Geez I used to really like Todd but as more inane things continue to come out of his mouth… I really think he is not HC material.
March 27th, 2023 at 6:46 am
Go away
March 27th, 2023 at 7:07 am
Didn’t Charlie Murphy once see the orange aura around Rick James.
I’m Rick James, b***h. Haha that was a funny skit.
Aura. Vibe. Mojo. A team that will have its way with you.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:14 am
Here we go. The Bowles Curse.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:16 am
Still trying to grasp the word easily. Nothing is easy in the nfl especially when we are talking about the Bucs.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:22 am
Defense needs a pass rush. Teams that win the super bowl can get to the qb without a blitz
March 27th, 2023 at 7:29 am
Todd Bowles made the Bucs mediocre with Tom Brady…..that speaks volumes
March 27th, 2023 at 7:31 am
Bowles should have been fired during the bye week, of course they knew that they needed him for the sacrificial lamb this year
March 27th, 2023 at 7:35 am
We do need to draft defense……DT, S
But we could also use some offensive help……OT, TE….perhaps RB, WR, QB
It will be an interesting draft….
We have 9 picks….I’d like for Licht to trade down in the 1st…..picking up another 2nd/3rd…..then trade up to get into the 4th…..
Love to see the following draft picks (not in order) OT, DT, S, TE, RB, WR
March 27th, 2023 at 8:31 am
Todd Bowles is unquestionably the worst head coach currently in the NFL. This team will never be great with him in charge.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Bowlzo is the coach this year like it or not.
I just hope we’re competitive in spite of him and win the South.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:06 am
NYbucsfan totally agree!
March 27th, 2023 at 9:10 am
The Bucs had great talent in 2019, the year before Brady chose the Bucs as his new team. Brady chose the Bucs bc of all the talent we had. In 2019 the Bucs went 7-9 with “all that talent”, and we had more talent then, then we do now.
And that is what I see for 2023, 7 to 8 wins, maybe a wildcard game if we do really well. We have too many holes to fill even if Licht kicks butt in the draft. What does that get you? A sh!t draft pick in 2024, like where we are now at 19. No chance at drafting a franchise QB.
Part of me would rather roll with Trask and Trask either kicks butt or we get a good draft pick. I admit to being very curious what Mayfield can do with some weapons and if our new OC can create a good offense by magic. Lets be real, 7 to 8 wins is probably our win total. What does that get us?
March 27th, 2023 at 9:12 am
Has Todd Bowles ever heard the concept of ” positive mental attitude”??? He surely doesn’t practice it!! How can he possibly be a Winning head coach?? He expects mediocrity! And he gets it!
March 27th, 2023 at 9:22 am
ChatGPT could do a better job
March 27th, 2023 at 9:47 am
I agree with coach. I still can’t figure out how we were sooo bad on offense last year with the players we had.
We have good players on this team. It’s not a bereft 5-12 franchise. Get it together coach!
March 27th, 2023 at 9:55 am
I completely agree with Bowles. These are the best words he has spoken since taking over as head coach. He has not made any excuses. His players love playing for him. Is hatred for him is irrational and unjustified. Around the league he is considered one of the three top defensive minds in the game. He has done everything he could so far in the off season to correct the defensive offensive flaws of the team. I haven’t heard anyone suggest precisely who should be appointed the new coach. Let’s see what he does this year when he isn’t starting with two newly retired Pro Bowl players and a season ending injury to the Pro Bowl center. I for one am rooting for him too succeed.
March 27th, 2023 at 10:24 am
“We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.”
You would think Bowles has time to check the temperature of the Bucs fan base after Brady retired, which I’m sure he doesn’t, but is still able to give you the misconception of enough people that follow this team to the point it’s a parroted sentiment.
“Bowles had Brady last year and only won 8 games” Bowles led a team that won 8 games in spite of fielding a Brady & Leftwich led offense that averaged 18 ppg.
March 27th, 2023 at 10:48 am
The Bucs can be great but not with the current HC. Should’ve gotten rid of Bowles when they got rid of Lefty.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:18 am
NOBODY IS ANSWERING JOE’S QUESTION …
“So why not the Bucs?” Joe asks.
I shake the Magic 8 Ball and ask, “Can the Bucs win the division?”
Answer: “Don’t count on it.”
If the 8 Ball were to elaborate, it would say. Only 3 teams in history have won their division with a losing record. That won’t happen again. So …
Can the Bucs get to 9-10-11 wins:
1. Without an OL, Kicker, and -2x DBs?
2. Without TB12?
3. With a journeyman QB and rookie OC?
4. With a head coach that could only manage 8 wins with a stacked team?
“Don’t count on it.”
March 27th, 2023 at 11:20 am
If you are the head coach of an NFL team, and the top line summary statement for your performance is, “Four consecutive losing seasons in a row (soon to be five)” – well then there’s not much else that needs to be written.
Fit him for the clown suit.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:34 am
Great point with that last sentence there Joe. Bucs Offense was helter skelter even with Brady last year. So yes, they can be better. Mayfield is the key. Get him a couple of stout O linemen and lets have a better running game. Baker has proven he can hit targets. He won’t have to throw as much as Brady IF..we can build that O line. Bowles is right. We can be great without Brady. But will we?
March 27th, 2023 at 11:42 am
Almost all agree with Todd’s assessment , The Bucs CAN be great…just as soon as he leaves.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:46 am
Expect the O-line to emulate the energy and effort of the Blowezo. That is, no push, no lanes, the running game might make 2022 look good. The 2022 team was a reflection of the head coach but had Brady dragging him kicking and screaming to four come from behid wins.
Think 15 points per game on average.
But, at least the defense will be giving up an average of 25 points per game.
March 27th, 2023 at 2:35 pm
Take the best player available if a premier pass rusher falls to us then take them at 19. If a Premiere left tackle falls to us take them at 19 follow the board
March 27th, 2023 at 2:50 pm
Anyone with an iota of honesty and common sense