Mike Tannenbaum On Todd Bowles: “He Is Impossible Not To Like And Respect”
June 20th, 2023
Support from former colleague.
The guys from the Bill Parcells NFL tree stick together. They are tight.
Two former front office men with prominent roles in sports media are from the Parcells tree, ex-Jets and Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who worked for Parcells with both teams, and former Browns general manager Michael Lombardi. He also was a coffee fetcher for Bill Belicheat for years.
Lombardi, on his podcast “GM Shuffle,” often praises Bucs coach Todd Bowles. Now, Tannenbaum has joined in.
Recently for The 33rd Team, former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker ranked NFL coaches. He had Bowles as No. 26 on the list. Tucker, who has of the best pure football series of podcasts, recently had Tannenbaum on “The Ross Tucker Football Podcast” and Tannenbaum discussed Tucker’s coach rankings.
Tucker had Bowles lumped in with Josh McDaniels as coaches who “might be good coaches but they haven’t shown it yet.”
Tannenbaum did not agree and explained.
“I worked with Todd so I’m a million percent biased,” Tannenbaum began. “He is impossible not to like and respect. I think he’s a really good coach.
“You can’t have those defenses play as well as they have for as long as they have without having the ability to relate to others, to motivate.”
Tannenbaum worked with Bowles for one season in 2000, when Bowles was a secondary coach with the Jets. Tannenbaum was their Director of Pro Player development.
Like Lombardi, Tannenbaum suggests Bowles should get a pass for his time as head coach of the Jets, in which he had three losing seasons in four years, including his last three.
“Look, I would give the Jets situation a pass because given how crazy that whole quarterback situation was,” Tannenbaum said. “And they were close one year with him there.”
Tannenbaum did confess this season is vital for Bowles’ job security.
“Look, this will be a very important year, post-Brady,” Tannenbaum said. “That defense has played really well for a long time. He has a championship ring from there.
“I don’t think we can diminish the fact that, look, it was Tom Brady, but that defense just whipped Kansas City. And he deserves credit for that.
“I think he is a really good coach.”
Tannenbaum added if he were betting, he’d wager on Bowles finding a way to get it done and return to the Bucs next year — with a much higher ranking on Tucker’s board next summer.
Joe could call the Bucs the “Crossroads of the NFL.” This team could look very similar in 2024 or vastly different.
If the Bucs have a lousy year, Joe doesn’t know how secure Baker Mayfield or Bowles would be. If the Bucs have a good year, Bowles will return and Mayfield could be your Bucs quarterback for the near future.
June 20th, 2023 at 4:06 am
Is he likeable, yes. Is he a good Head Coach, NO
June 20th, 2023 at 5:07 am
New head coach in 2024
June 20th, 2023 at 6:01 am
My guess is the Bucs have a good year in 2023.
June 20th, 2023 at 6:20 am
So much jibberish. We’re in a 2-3 year rebuild. This is Yr 1. We have no money. We’re loaded up with rookies and the lowest priced QB room in the league. We have a rebuilt O line, our TE room is youngest in NFL and our RB room is thin as hell. Our D line consists of one good player that’s on the field about 50% of the time, a 2nd year player and a rookie. We have no OLB talent to speak of – not disrespecting Shaq here but lots of issues for him this season – our ILB’s consists one of our best players in his twilight and a head case that needs to be traded. We’ve got one of the most promising punters in the league, but the guy that scores points with his leg is a journeyman. Hope we don’t need last second FG’s to win this season. Our only strength positions, and only the starters, are WR and CB.
But yeah, if we have a bad season it has to be Bowles that’s the problem.
June 20th, 2023 at 6:58 am
Nice guys finish last. That saying has endured for a reason. He’s too cautious in his approach to the offense, just like Dungy.
June 20th, 2023 at 7:12 am
Sorry – you cannot give Bowles a mulligan for his Jets tenure.
He’s a good DC. As a head coach, he’s indecisive, overly conservative and hasn’t shown much.
If this year looks like last year, with horrific coaching decisions like the Browns gane and idiotic offensive game plans that require fourth quarter heroics from the QB position that has Trask or Mayfield instead of Brady to bail him out.
He should be on the hot seat. And if this team ends up with a top 10 draft pick, there should be a new head coach running the show.
June 20th, 2023 at 7:22 am
Great defensive coordinator
Bad head coach
June 20th, 2023 at 7:23 am
Great defensive coordinator
Bad head coach
Stick to the defense coach and let’s see what canales can do with the offense
June 20th, 2023 at 7:44 am
He is a nice guy and he has worked here a long time…
Companies that promote this profile to the head gig, their companies suffer
Just like we are and will be until Todd goes to his next DC job
June 20th, 2023 at 7:52 am
Forget Tannenbaum, just listen to what his players say about him. Even after they are no longer Bucs never a bad word. I don’t get how we’re supposed to have the worst roster in the NFL yet if we lose like everyone says we will it’s Todd’s fault? Fans here think he’s a horrible HC, luckily his players know better.
June 20th, 2023 at 8:15 am
It will have to be our defense that carries us this year….and, he is a great person and good DC……HC, I have very little confidence.
June 20th, 2023 at 8:20 am
The players loved Raheem and Lovie, too. They were both horrible. They hated Schiano and I can’t remember their opinion opinion of Koetter. Bottom line – it doesn’t matter.
And bad game decisions are just that-doesn’t matter what the perceived talent level is.
Bowles has a track record of being a poor game manager that goes back to his days with the Jets. You would expect he would adjust and learn after his second run with Arians, but so far hasn’t happened.
If his in game management is as piss poor as it was last year, the record will reflect it. He he should be on someone else’s list as a potential DC as the ex HC of the Bucs.
June 20th, 2023 at 9:50 am
No one questions Bowles D bona-fides.
But he is a terrible head coach.
June 20th, 2023 at 10:12 am
The Bowles cleaner should have been a politician. He is stiff and has all the charisma of a wet cardboard box, like some other politicians I see.
June 20th, 2023 at 11:56 am
Us readers can tell you all and other members of the press like him. I believe he’s likeable, and on a personal level I’m rooting for him. His record stinks, though. And so I’m not very optimistic. Why would he suddenly figure out how to have a winning record?
June 20th, 2023 at 12:09 pm
People are soo stupid about Bowles being fired if we do not have a great season. Byron was awful in so many ways. Bowles defense smashed Chiefs in the Super Bowl few years ago. Bowles and the Bucs still won the division his first year. Let’s do it Canalas!
June 20th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
I wonder what Todd’s mom thinks.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Tannenbaum has some rough takes occasionally, this is just another one. Plenty of solid OC/DC’s out there that just don’t have the intangibles to manage an entire team, Bowles is just another of many. Seems fairly obvious he’s learned little going into his 6th year, nice guy or not, hoping this is his last season of running the Bucs sideline as HC.
June 20th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
As long as the defense is good his job is not in Danger in my opinion.
June 20th, 2023 at 1:31 pm
A pass for 3 loosing seasons ?
June 20th, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Nicholas Carlson … ‘I believe he’s likeable, and on a personal level I’m rooting for him. His record stinks, though. And so I’m not very optimistic.’
Interesting observation, especially the part about ‘his record stinks though’. Got me thinking Nicholas … ‘It depends how you look at it’.
Todd Bowles was Bruce Arians’ DC for 5 years in total. Look at his record in those 5 years:
o 2013 Cardinals: 10-6 record … #7 def ranking (324 points allowed) … 20.3 PPG
o 2014 Cardinals: 11-5 record … #5 def ranking (299 points allowed) … 18.7 PPG
o 2019 Bucs: 7-9 record … #29 def ranking (449 points allowed) … 8.1 PPG
o 2020 Bucs: 11-5 record … #8 def ranking (355 points allowed) … 22.2 PPG
o 2021 Bucs: 13-4 record … #5 def ranking (353 points allowed) … 20.8 PPG
Every year as the DC for Bruce Arians his defenses improved, as did the team W-L record. 2019 is kind of an outlier IMO since our defense ranked #31 the year prior & was going through a major infusion of rookies (in the Secondary especially) & some new FAs. Todd Bowles got us (and BA) through that storm nicely. So nicely that we won the SB the next year.
My conclusion is different than yours because I am quite optimistic about his tenure here. Given a strong OC (and I assume that Bruce really held the offensive reins one way or another), Todd Bowles can hold his own. I’m confident that he recognizes that, and that’s why it took him so long to hire an OC who he felt totally comfortable giving the offensive reins to. Gut feel is that IF Dave Canales turns out to be the real deal (I’m not totally sold yet I admit), Todd Bowles will let the Bucs’ offense purr along, learning as it goes. The first half of this season might be a little rough, but I’m optimistic that, barring excessive injuries, we’ll finish strong.
June 20th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
I’m a huge fan of the DC Bowles. Not so much if HC Bowles n I do hope that changes. What his defense did to KC still is mind blowing. Not many teams are able to shut them completely down and his defense did just that. Gotta give him credit.
June 20th, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Winning is the best deodorant. Win some games.
June 20th, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Read an article yesterday about Cleveland surprising some people this year.
Got me thinking that Deshaun Watson and a good defense might surprise people.
Why can’t the Bucs who probably have a better defense and better skilled people do the same.
I think Bowles knew there was a problem with the Offense and obviously Lefty and he has done the only thing he could do in that situation.
BA needed Brady in his offenses and then yes Bowles shut down KC.
I think this offense will compliment his play style perfectly.
BAs offense was tougher on their own defense because of the unconnected shots they took. Too much time on the field.
I’m excited to see the challenge this year and the players know where they stand.
If this defense does carry the team and the offense finally gels, Bowels isn’t going anywhere.
June 20th, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Bowles is a swell fella…no one denies that. He can put together a great game plan as well ( Super Bowl 55 ). But…he has proven to be a lousy head coach. Just awful…
Royal Tannenbaum is a pear shaped nerd. Speaking of Hard Knocks…there’s a clip of Mikey trying to catch a punt during his time with the Jets. It is Three Stooges/JackArse quality.
June 20th, 2023 at 6:52 pm
How ever we play is a moot point because Jason Licht gave Bowles a 5 year contract!
So, even if we play terrible, Bowles is a very rich Man, courtesy of Jason Licht.