“We’re Never Going To Be Owners Who Draw A Line”
March 19th, 2023
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
The NFL owners meetings are slated for next week in Phoenix, where Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer is expected to discuss the state of the franchise with local media.
Things have changed markedly from 2020, when the Tom Brady era began in Tampa and ownership charged GM Jason Licht with an aggressive approach that would maximize the club’s chances for a Super Bowl title. Licht responded in kind, trading for Rob Gronkowski, adding Leonard Fournette as a free agent just before the season opener and signing Antonio Brown in midseason as he was finishing up an 8-week NFL suspension.
Back in 2007, Glazer sat down with me in Phoenix during a gathering of owners. The Bucs were coming to the end of a cycle and had just endured a 4-12 season with Bruce Gradkowski under center. The defense wasn’t very good and the offense was awful, averaging 13 points per game.
Although Jon Gruden would go 9-7 the following year, good enough for first place in the NFC South, the Bucs needed to get younger and faster.
By the end of the 2008 season, Gruden and GM Bruce Allen would be dismissed and ownership ordered a veteran purge that included franchise icon Derrick Brooks.
As Todd Bowles heads into Year 2, this is also a Buc team in transition. Brady has thrown his final pass, at least as a Buccaneer, and let’s not forget Tampa Bay finished 8-10 with No. 12 taking all of the snaps.
It was perhaps the most devastating season experienced by the Glazers, who purchased the franchise in 1995. In some ways, it was far more disappointing than the 4-12 finish in 2006, when the Bucs lost their first seven road games.
Ira Kaufman reflects on a chat with Joel Glazer, co-chieftain of the Team Glazer ownership group.
There are plenty of parallels between 2007 and 2023, including the uncertain future of the head coaches. During that 2007 interview, I asked Joel Glazer whether Gruden was on the hot seat.
“The NFL is very unforgiving,” he said. “Look at the turnover rate for coaches — it’s unbelievable. Every year, every coach in essence is on the hot seat. But one has to take a step back and be realistic about where the team is. We’re never going to be owners who draw a line and say this is what has to be accomplished.”
The Glazers always remembered they gave up a bounty in prying Gruden out of Oakland. That could serve Bowles and Licht well going forward because there’s no question the Bucs mortgaged a good bit of their future in signing veterans to surround Brady for the past three years.
“Every franchise has a cycle,” Glazer said in 2007. “We had an extremely long cycle, which was a great cycle. We got to the end of that cycle and we gave up a lot to excel. In the NFL, there’s not always a quick fix and you have to be realistic about it. I keep getting back to being realistic about what we had to give up and what we had at our disposal to refuel the fire.
“We had a lot of great players that we kept together for a long period of time during a salary-cap era. It’s all behind us. Now is the time that the team should be improving and we expect the team should be improving. Build the right foundation and be patient. Sometimes you have to ride through the rocky times and not overreact.”
I asked Glazer in 2007 for his message to fans.
“Our standards have never changed … and they never will,” he said. “If you’re involved in the NFL, you have to expect the best. It’s incumbent on us to have our finger on the pulse of the whole team, make sure things are headed in the right direction and not be overly emotional. You have to look at the factors that have led to where we’re at. You have to look at the circumstances. You can’t overly defend people but sometimes people are victims of circumstances.”
Like Buc Nation, the Glazers want to see improvement this fall. They want to see young players develop under Bowles and his coaching staff. Which way if the arrow pointed?
Moving on.
Remember the 2021 offseason, when the Bucs returned all 22 starters from a championship club? Now, like then, change is in the air.
“When you have a lot of players that you keep together for a long time, your bear the fruits,” Glazer said in 2007. “But then toward the end, you bear the burdens. We had a long run. We popped out of a valley for a year in 2005 but we’re really coming to the end of that road.”
The upcoming season also marks the start of a new path for this organization. The Glazers will be patient — unless ownership loses confidence in coaches and management. One cycle ends and another begins. The people who write the checks are watching closely.
The word of the day swirling around One Buc Place is the same as it was 16 years ago, when George W. Bush resided in the White House and Spider-Man 3 was raking in $336 million at the box office..
The word is progress.
Ira Kaufman Talks Baker Mayfield Signing, Free Agency Moves/Non-Moves, How Many Wins Todd Bowles Needs To Keep His Job, Insider O-Line Chatter, And Much More
March 19th, 2023 at 11:04 am
It wasn’t that the Bucs finally got old.
They were under prepared and out coached consistently.
We all saw it.
For as maligned as the online was – 22 sacks allowed led the league. Tom Brady threw more than anyone. Yeah some of that is due to Brady magic (and a few Smith holds), but they did their job in pass protection.
All this off season hope – Canales this Baker that – without Tom Brady BUCS maybe get 3 wins last season.
Its an ill omen for 2023
March 19th, 2023 at 11:30 am
Big difference from 2007. A TV circus clown is now the Head Coach and would have gone 5-11 with the 2002 Buccaneers. Jason sees it.
No way the Glazers retain a coich who has presided over 5 consecutive losing seasons. Not even the Glazerboys will be that comatose about it.
March 19th, 2023 at 11:42 am
Great insight. Thanks Ira.
March 19th, 2023 at 11:44 am
Remember the 2021 offseason, when the Bucs returned all 22 starters from a championship club? Now, like then, change is in the air.
_______
Ummm…..what?
March 19th, 2023 at 11:49 am
Although I have very little confidence in Todd Bowles, I will root for him to succeed as I do all Bucs.
Success to me is a division title…….nothing less. He has been given the team (regardless of the QB situation) The cap has been stretched to the max for him. No excuses.
March 19th, 2023 at 11:49 am
Great story!
The Bucs still have a decent young corps. The amount of roster turnover is not uncommon. The only reason to dampen expectations is the head coaching.
March 19th, 2023 at 11:50 am
“Core”
March 19th, 2023 at 11:53 am
Anyone but Brady in there we’d have had 40-50 sacks
March 19th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
Exceptional article Ira. Particularly love the historical perspectives. Two of the things that I like about the Glazers are that (1) they’re not micro-managers; and (2) they’re willing to stay the course, as long as there’s a reasonable degree of progress in there.
Certain JBFers seem bent on bad-mouthing Todd Bowles in every comment they make, but play up JL & BA every chance they get. IMO BA wouldn’t won diddly in 2020 & 2021 without the defense that Todd Bowles built, developed & directed starting in 2019. My hope is that he can duplicate that success starting this year as we rebuild our defense. What I’m seeing so far gives me cause for optimism.
Todd Bowles the head coach is a different story. He desperately needs for Canales to be successful starting this year. I believe that the two of them share a common vision of what our offense should look like moving forward, and that the Glazers have bought into that vision. The huge task in front of Canales right now is to bring that vision to reality quickly, even while our offense undergoes a major transition. No easy task.
March 19th, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Bloweszo the head coach is a train wreck that was involved in an airplane crash.
Four straight losing seasons as a head coach would be enough to get anyone fired. But we’re lucky he was gifted the job and all these excuses were made for him.
One more to go and then Jason can hire a real head coach.
March 19th, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Great posts by Ira, TBBF, and DefR. After years of “cut-purse” Culverhouse I am VERY happy with the Glazers, as owners go, and those 2007 quotes reinforce that, to me. I am also very excited to see what our QB and the team does this year. No Debbie Downer, here. I just can hardly wait to see how all these changes play out INCLUDING Todd without Leftwitch.
March 19th, 2023 at 2:42 pm
Bowles has no excuses this year!! None at all. If he doesn’t field a competitive team this year. It is all on him!! A winning season and another NFC South banner, in a weak division, is within his grasp. No excuses this year!!! I expect him to find a bunch! That’s how he rolls!!
March 19th, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Infomeplease … ‘Bowles has no excuses this year!! None at all. I expect him to find a bunch! That’s how he rolls!!’
I’ve seen you & a couple others use that same line over & over & over. But I’ve yet to read any SPECIFICS from any of you when it comes you Bowles purportedly using ‘excuses’ like you constantly note. So how about YOU be SPECIFIC. Give me at least 5 or 6 SPECIFIC examples of what you’re accusing him of. You know, EXCUSES.
I take the opposite side. There are a number of decisions that he’s made as DC & HC that I don’t agree with. I could say the same BTW for every DC & HC the Bucs have had. But I can’t for the life of me remember any time when Todd Bowles made EXCUSES for his decisions. He may have explained the rationale for his decision poorly, but I can’t ever remember him throwing anyone under the bus like BA used to constantly do. So please, BE SPECIFIC and enlighten me.
March 19th, 2023 at 3:29 pm
Seen nothing but digress since bowlsey took over. At least now he has excuses when they lose. Hopefully his plan comes into play and they are in the games in the fourth quarter before they lose. Hooray bowles!
March 19th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Beej Says:
March 19th, 2023 at 11:53 am
Anyone but Brady in there we’d have had 40-50 sacks
Bingo, sir! All these nay-sayers don’t realize his balls in the dirt and overthrows were on purpose, and for a purpose – because he was an extremely cerebral QB who knew instantly when a play was breaking down, and knew EXACTLY what to do when it did. Was his play in decline last year? Yes, but it’s not as bad as most have alluded to.
Hopefully this year the glaring problems on the O-line will be addressed and corrected…otherwise, YIKES. Sack city with Mayfield or Trask or me or whomever is the QB, LOL!
March 19th, 2023 at 10:21 pm
“Every franchise has a cycle”. It’s time for them to recognize that a cycle just ended, and that mini-cycle with Brady was one SB season, followed by two worsening declines. It’s done. Bowles and everything left, that won’t be winners two years into the future (with a new coach and system) should be let go.
March 20th, 2023 at 9:04 am
I don’t think they are very good owners.