“Scrap” Time
November 22nd, 2023
Stretch run of 2023 season.
This may be the most overused phrase in football but dang is it accurate.
Sunday is a must-win for the Bucs.
Dropping to 4-7 with a loss to Indianapolis, the Bucs would be losers of six of their last seven games. That’s a freefall.
At 4-7, Joe doesn’t know how the Bucs rally to finish the season on a 5-1 run to secure a winning season.
If the Bucs win on Sunday, they could go 4-2 from there and likely win the awful NFC South with a 9-8 record, or maybe grab a Wild Card by winning a tiebreaker with the Vikings. Perhaps with a win on Sunday, the Bucs could go 3-3 and back door into a division title win with an 8-9 mark.
Some would call this part of the season crunch time. Bucs coach Todd Bowles seems to refer to it as “scrap” time– because the Bucs must play scrappy (not crappy) football the next seven games.
“I think our older guys are confident anyway, but we have a lot of young guys on this team, so they weren’t even here last year,” Bowles said of how the team must play like they did most of the final nine weeks of the season when they went on a 4-5 run to end the season (the final week the Bucs already had clinched the division so Bowles rested many of the starters.
“It’s a whole different year, [and] a whole different group of guys. We [have] to scrap, we [have] to fight for everything we get, we understand that, and we’re prepared for it.”
That fighting begins Sunday. The Bucs must beat the 5-5 Colts led by backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
If the Bucs don’t scrap and win Sunday, the final six weeks might be about much more than just striving for the crown of a crap division.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:02 am
Hasn’t he been fired yet?
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:09 am
Joe,
This isn’t a must win…..why you ask???
Because given the Bucs dreadful performance record this whole season……TWO weeks ago was a must in order to stay competitive for even a glimmer of hope or chance at making the playoffs as a Wildcard team.
There is ZERO chance now they’ll make the playoffs.
So what the hell are they playing for now???? PRIDE???? This ain’t no damn junior varsity in High School with unpaid players. These paid players know their bodies are their paychecks and that’s why they’re not giving 100% effort til next season……they’re not gonna risk their careers or incomes over a POINTLESS season now.
This season is lost now.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:10 am
These wins and losses are just part of a rotation.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:12 am
Big game for Gardner Minshew and the Colts too. This could be a game similar to the Escape from Indianapolis game of 1997.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:13 am
smh … That’s what he’s striving for?
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:31 am
He really knows how to fire up his team.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:48 am
It’s so sad to see how far and fast we have fallen in just two seasons under Todd
We are counting on being able to beat up on all the cream puffs in order to back door our way into the playoffs
Please show Todd the front door and explain that winners use the FRONT DOOR!
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:50 am
Scrap, or crap, we shall soon see.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:50 am
The only unexpected loss was really to the Texans. Nobody gave them much chance of beating the Eagles, Lions, Bills or 49ers preseason. And you always figured they wouldn’t run the division. Put another way, the 1 game lead the Aints have on Bucs at this point is they played Caro-whiner and the Bucs haven’t yet
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:52 am
Todd is a scrap.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:57 am
Poor Todd ,,,,,,,,, He Liked but He’s not a Leader and Stuck on Dumb Jock Ways !!
Arians says McCoy is out Suh is in ,, Get Godwin inside where he belongs , got some attitude flowing !! That’s open forward vision Todd !!
Todd you had the wrong starting l guard, wrong starting def end ,you didn’t address problem White and Godwin is less effective ………. That’s just good ole Mike Smith Dumb Jock Disease !! Good Guys , Great football knowledge, Best utilized as Assistant Coaches
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:59 am
Our defense has to play better than to just allow the other team to play catch
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:15 am
“Scrap Time”
Scrap the coaching staff
Scrap JTS, D White, J Dean
Scrap Hainsey, Feiler
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:18 am
Bowels said a while back, that coaches had to coach better. Okay coach, when are you going to start? I don’t see any hope as long as you are here. And quit blaming everything on the players for a change. There are a few that need to be replaced that everybody can see, and you are not playing your best players now, such as Yaya over that imposter. Why is that? And what took you so long to change the offense player?
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:40 am
I have to be honest when they finally fire Todd Bowles it will be a close second to when we won the two Super Bowls.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:42 am
Bowles never disappoints with the same old game plan and his stupid excuses for losing. 7 mores games and he is finished.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:50 am
JOE: How do you stand the loser “fans” on this site? It’s not that they’ve given up on this team, it’s more like they’re rooting against the Bucs! And it started during training camp. You guys really suck. MUCH more than Eagles fans, and much more than the Aints. You all make me sick. Grow a set.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:58 am
WyomingJoe, no one is rooting against them. They are sick of the BS. After how bad they’ve played, talking about the next few games as if they will eliminate the bad play and mistakes is just ignorant.
So stop BSing us. We know this plane is crashing into the sea.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:59 am
At the end of the day the team doesn’t have enough talent sure coaching hasn’t been great but Bowles inherited a team that had a good run under Arians and many blue chip players. This team has 2 1/2 blue chip guys Wirfs, Winfield and 1/2 is a declining Evans. Arians team had many blue chip guys Wirfs Winfield Prime evans David JPP prime shaq Godwin (2nd team AP) Brown Gronk Brady. Lombardi couldn’t save the 2023 Bucs.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:00 am
Scrap bin of toasty well-seasoned coaches
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:01 am
JOE: “The Bucs must beat the 5-5 Colts led by backup quarterback Gardner Minshew WHO HAS A HIGHER CAREER PASSER RATING THAN OUR SAVIOR MINI BAKI.”
There, fixed it for you.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:06 am
Chris Simms was right when he called Bowles a “Meathead”. The guy is is a meathead! It would be nice if the press would actually ask him a tough question for once. I just want to see if the guy is capable of answering a question that requires some thought.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:12 am
Typical Bucs fan mindset either win the Superbowl or tank and suck for another decade.
Reminder- only 1 team can win the Superbowl every year, the Bucs obviously won’t it this year but tanking in incredibly overrated and fails more often than not.
The Bucs need to still try and make the playoffs in a winnable division and that’ll help attract some key free agents in the off-season.
I’d rather maintain a somewhat competitive product instead of look like the Carolina Panthers who can’t even score a touchdown.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:13 am
If I hear Bowles utter the phrase “We understand…” one more time I’m gonna be quite frustrated.
Ugggh. And it’s not only the words, it’s the stammering, reprobate demeanor with which they are delivered.
There needs to be a “We Understand” meme created. You know, something cringe-worthy? A meme that invokes that nails-on-chalkboard screechy sound sending shivers up the spine?
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:16 am
Any talk of Bucs putting in a claim for Shaq Leonard?
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:18 am
Only bowles could have a losing record with the GOAT and drive him to retirement. Past time for bowles to RETIRE!
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:21 am
“We gon scrap” – Todd Bowels
This guy can’t be fired soon enough.
Without racial politics, he’d never have gotten the HC job.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:22 am
It’s frustrating to go from “I think we should win” to “I hope we can win” to “I wish we could win” over the coarse of the season.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:25 am
Let tank and get that Oregon QB with the 3rd or 5th pick
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:25 am
Bucs had a good week of practice. Bet the house on the Bucs.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:27 am
Is Bowles coaching well? No of course he’s not, but this ain’t the dark days of Schiano or Lovie Smith. The team is middling and thanks to a soft division could still get a home playoff game. This fanbase is sometimes as big a joke as the team’s DB’s.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:32 am
I keep hearing the Bucs are still in it as far as the playoffs and winning the division and on paper it doesn’t look good with their up coming schedule but, I just can’t get excited because every time I get optimistic about the team they go out and stink up the league. So I’ll take a wait and see. I put this on Bowles not making changes as needed then, it may not be Bowles. Maybe current players don’t fit his offense, maybe he’s getting instructions from the front office or something else but the defense is his and has been for about 5 years so what’s what here
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:48 am
Scrap time paints a bad picture.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:55 am
This is what we’re clinging too… trying to emulate a 4-5 run LMAO
(and yes I know it could have been 5-4 if we hadn’t clinched before the last ATL game that season. Either way, you’re striving just to be ~.500. That’s just pathetic.)
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:56 am
Todd Bowles can’t fix offenses, but he sure can ruin them! We went from being a Top 5 scoring offense to a worst 5 scoring offense in just ONE year of Todd Bowles being a head coach. And we are still a bottom 5 scoring offense in his second year as head coach, sickening! Good head coaches can fix their offense AND their defense. And so far Todd Bowles has only shown capable of fixing defenses so he is not fit to be a head coach and should go back to being a defensive coordinator. Todd Bowles wants to run the ball but doesn’t know how to fix our run blocking and design running plays and schemes around what our running backs do best (running outside the tackles/tight ends and catching the football in open space like from screen passes). Todd Bowles is totally clueless when it comes to developing offenses and so is Dave Canales.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:58 am
But if Bowles, is looking to get some wins during ‘scrap time’, perhaps he should look to his defense and wonder why is highest paid starts aren’t doing anything?
Posting this again: Let’s talk about our defensive stars… and how much money we are wasting for very little production:
Devin White – highest paid defensive player – 3 tackles against SF and an overall underwhelming season (1 week he’s great, the next week he’s invisible).
Shaq Barrett – 2nd highest paid defensive player – has only 5 sacks in his last 16 games played. Disappears for entire halves of games routinely. Makes splash plays here and there but is MIA in between. No consistent pressure.
Carlton Davis – 3rd highest paid defensive player – 0 interceptions and only 4 passes defended ALL SEASON. Meanwhile, he’s been burnt for at least 10 touchdowns this season. And now injured… again.
Jamel Dean – 5th highest paid defensive player – 0 interceptions and only 3 passes defended all season. Brittle as glass, injured again.
JTS – 6th highest paid defensive players- literally does nothing. He makes Devin White actually look productive.
I understand Shaq is coming back from injury and getting older, but there are ZERO EXCUSES for these other guys.
Can’t win when you have that much money tied up in a bunch of underperforming losers.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:58 am
*why his highest paid stars ^
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:01 pm
I’d like to see Bowles have Diaby and Vea lined up next to each other on the edge and wreak some havoc against opposing o-lines.
That’s just so much strength and brute force. A two-man wrecking crew.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:09 pm
Well said Unbelievable. “JTS makes Devin White actually look productive”. lol. You win joesbucsfan today.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:19 pm
Todd should shove his head inside the cavity of a big old turkey and just walk around. Maybe his players would take him more seriously.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:22 pm
^^^ Dave,
Shouldn’t he cut out eye holes?
Oh wait, no eye holes would fit better.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:32 pm
They spent all that $$$$ on Dean & Carlton when they should’ve saved it & spent it on Antoine Wirfs Evans & Lavonte next year. They never should’ve let Whitehead go either but of course what do the fans know. The Glazers need to go out next year & spend some of the “$$$$ they’re lacking” on some FAs & they need to resign Antoine Wirfs Evans & Lavonte. But they seem to like to get rid of players that actually help the team.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:33 pm
Bowles should be coaching a division 4 school. Oh that’s right there is no division 4 school. He’d probably lose there, too!
November 22nd, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Bowles has heart and integrity. Indifferent record. Will he get fired? Probably. He’s still pretty easy to root for. I’d rather root for 10 guys like him than one Belicheat.
November 22nd, 2023 at 2:15 pm
I am sick tired and disgusted with Bowzo Babble…enough
November 22nd, 2023 at 2:16 pm
A loss could bring out the head bags? Maybe a couple more before head bag time?
November 22nd, 2023 at 6:03 pm
I like Bowles, really do, decent guy and a good coach, but NOT a head coach sorry to say. When you have all your highest paid players sucking that falls squarely on coaching and attitude. Coach’s can change #1 but not #2. Some teams lose key players and still are routinely in the playoffs for years, Reid and the Chiefs come to mind, but his STAFF puts players in position to succeed. You’re gonna lose good players because of this new BS NFL which but Reid has done this with 2 different teams for a long time now. All us fans want is consistency and heart. I don’t wanna hear coulda shoulda woulda, BS walks. We SHOULD expect to beat weaker teams and we need a physical mentality, that starts at the top. Arians showed that, didn’t like all he did but he was no nonsense and straight up, if yer candy ass don’t like it get off the team, other teams see that and know the candy asses. I’d get fired if I did my job like these guys.
November 23rd, 2023 at 6:47 am
Bowles has been in full CYA mode since Brady hung em up. Now he has played the young team card. Next week it will be the injury card.
Just saying the man is just full of excuses. Some of which make absolutely no fipping sense….. He is in a rotation so he wont get tired…with less than a dozen snaps….
Go Bucs!