Todd Bowles On A Hot Streak
January 18th, 2024
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Joe has had time since the Bucs’ win over the Eagles on Monday night to digest things, and elements about the game are starting to clear up now like the postgame fog that shrouded The Licht House and vanished.
Todd Bowles may have had his best coaching gameplan since his Bucs defense held the mighty Chiefs and Pat Mahomes to nine points and no touchdowns in the Super Bowl after the 2020 season.
First, Bowles believed the Bucs needed to muscle-up on the defensive front so he had five and sometimes six linemen in the game. Philly couldn’t get the run game on track.
Second, Bowles usded cornerback Zyon McCollum as a joker of sorts. Sometimes playing him at corner, sometimes playing him at safety and sometimes playing him as a nickel corner. The Eagles never could get a handle on McCollum.
Third, Bowles did what he is known for: blitzing. Knowing how Philadelphia struggled with the blitz in the closing weeks of the season, Bowles blitzed like a madman.
Because of the three aforementioned points, the Eagles never got their offense on track.
Gilberto Manzano of SI.com thought Bowles’ defensive gameplan was one of Bowles’ best works in a long time.
Bowles and his frequent blitz calls smothered quarterback Jalen Hurts, while Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson failed to adjust during the Buccaneers’ lopsided 32–9 victory to advance to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Sirianni called for the Tush Push on a two-point conversion attempt that was stopped short in the second quarter. …
But the spotlight should be on Bowles for delivering one of the best coaching performances from NFL wild-card weekend. It might have reminded the Buccaneers that they have one of the best defensive minds in the league as their head coach. Before Monday night’s dominance, there were rumors about Bowles possibly being on the hot seat because of his struggles with game management and lack of aggressiveness on fourth downs this season. Bowles helped his cause Monday night—he’s also the same defensive play-caller who stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
The physicality of the Eagles didn’t seem to bother the Bucs much. Detroit is just as physical and maybe quicker, certainly more talented than the Eagles on offense.
Joe really doesn’t know what to expect from Sunday’s game. Just like with the Eagles, who the Bucs lost to in Week 3, the Bucs lost to Detroit in Week 6. All last weeks, the Bucs reminded the local pen and mic club that they have changed since Week 3.
Couldn’t the same be said for Week 6, as well?
If the Bucs defense plays like it did Monday, no, Joe would not be shocked if the Bucs pulled off a second-straight playoff upset, if you consider beating the reeling Eagles an upset.
January 18th, 2024 at 4:25 am
IF the Bucs’ game plan on both sides of the ball is as awesome as it was Monday night AND they eliminate those silly drops, they may just win a nail biter. The Lions are far more balanced than the Eagles but Goff is the most awkward QB that I’ve seen in a while when pressured. Great chance for a pick six if they get good pressure on him.
I’ll be rewatching the Eagles game at least three more times this week.
CAN NOT WAIT!
January 18th, 2024 at 5:03 am
Manzano … ‘It might have reminded the Buccaneers that they have one of the best defensive minds in the league as their head coach.’
Oh woe is us. Everyone knows that only great offensive minds can win NFL games. And it’s essential that they have rah-rah, demonstrative personalities that play well to the masses on TV. (Tell me again please Joe how to turn this sarcasm font off).
January 18th, 2024 at 5:19 am
Joe … ‘The physicality of the Eagles didn’t seem to bother the Bucs too much. Detroit is just as physical and maybe quicker, certainly more talented than the Eagles on offense.’
Bucs totally surprised the Eagles with something they’d probably never seen before, and they obviously didn’t adjust very well. It certainly was a huge gamble on Bowles’ part … PFR lists us with a massive 32 blitzes by 9 different players in 53 offensive plays for Philadelphia. That, on top of the strange formations, must’ve blown their OC’s mind.
Of course, the Lions have now seen that act and will be prepared for it. Coming up with a new game plan as radical as that one was will be a monstrous challenge. Can’t wait to see what new defensive wrinkles Todd Bowles creates to confuse the Lions. Goff isn’t the running threat that Hurts is, but he’s a better passer IMO.
January 18th, 2024 at 5:33 am
Definitely a major and absolutely eye popping factor in Monday’s game was the Eagle’s looking allergic to tackles in the backfield. To me, that cannot he stressed enough. It has to have been the most embarassing performance by a 2ndry I have witnessed in the playoffs.
I re watched the week 6 game. We stacked up well against those Lions. The game I saw Sunday against the Rams the Lions played with intensity and they looked crisp. I f’ed up so badly assuming the Eagles would come out strong Mon that I am not going to say a bad thing about this matchup. I am done being negative. Baker looked healthy Mon night. He passed accurately, he scrambled he took hits and got up. If the Bucs match the Lions intensity and they are ready to go 100% then they have a chance.
Kudos to the coaches for Mondays game. The team was ready, the game planning worked. We have a couple guys whose lack of concentration surprised me. I hope they get it together Sun night and the guys that were on and dialed in Mon can repeat their performance. It was a glorious thing to watch.
And again, it can’t be mentioned enough. These guys had an early bye week and yet they look energetic and focused. That’s a good reflection on the whole organization from players to coaches to staff.
January 18th, 2024 at 5:50 am
gotta get to jared goof early and rattle the daylights out of him…
jared gaffe seems to be a much better in pocket passer than jalen finger hurts…
but i’m not sure which one is better at playing pocket pool 🙂
January 18th, 2024 at 5:56 am
Eagles were expecting a Mayfield hampered by injuries. Bowles bluffed them on that.
I believe Bowles removed himself from the hot seat.
He certainly earned some trust from me. He was genius for this hame.
I’m of the opinion that if you cannot win in the playoffs, you waste your time going. I honestly did not think we could win, between Bowles and the Mayfield injuries.
#Superbowl or Bust!
January 18th, 2024 at 7:22 am
Spot on Joe
January 18th, 2024 at 8:01 am
D.R.
“Everyone knows that only great offensive minds can win NFL games.”
LMAO Touche that’s some excellent snark from a “defensive” guy and admittedly appropriate and deserved.
I love offense but I agree totally with your point. And I think where we truly agree is that while you can appreciate defense you also appreciate offense…While I love Baker’s explosion I also loved the arrival of the younger players and their contributions to the D.
Where we really agree is complentary football.
There are two players IMHO who get their props but are still perhaps overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Our KICKERS are as good a pair as in the league IMO. I think having a punter who approaches Ray Guy levels at times and a kicker as dependable as McLauglin is a HUGE advantage.
In honesty just like other fans who have taken the punter and kicker for granted I haven’t even paid attention to Detroit’s kicking game.
I’m hoping for a great game…and in most great games the kickers take on oversized importance. I like the Buc’s chances if it comes down to kicking although I again I’m not really familiar with the Lions kickers.
January 18th, 2024 at 8:58 am
Gotta pressure Goff in the middle. I watched Lions game yesterday and he’s gonna sit right there in that pocket from guard to guard. Move him off that spot and we got a chance.
January 18th, 2024 at 8:58 am
sometimes its good sometimes its sheeeeeit.
January 18th, 2024 at 9:13 am
Bowles is studying the Lions Offense like a chess match. No telling what he’s coming up with in his lair before sunrise. Props to stpete for pointing out our Special Teams. Camarda is a neutron bomb, and McLaughlin? Isn’t he a rookie? Plus don’t forget their defenders/gunners. Motown is just like we were when the Bucs won their way to winning our first SB. They’ve never won one, and now, they’re in striking distance. This game better be a great one cos it’s sure shaping up that way. Go Bucs!!
January 18th, 2024 at 9:16 am
Tough game up in Detroit come Sunday. The Lions are a very good team on a mission. We will have to play our very best game yet.
January 18th, 2024 at 9:33 am
StPete … I like the Bucs’ chances too, providing of course that the ‘good’ Bucs show up. They look like world-beaters in some games, but like egg-beaters in some others. Obviously they’ll show up motivated, but I think the difference in performance is twofold.
First, early BIG PLAYS. Those tend to energize the team making them and demoralize the team on the receiving end. As a young team, the Bucs really seem to feed off of BIG PLAYS.
Second, get ahead early and stay ahead. In all 8 games that we lost this year, the Bucs were either behind at halftime (7 games) or tied (1 game) at halftime. We haven’t shown ourselves to be a good ‘come from behind’ team … YET.
January 18th, 2024 at 10:32 am
Oh please stop. Todd Bowles is incapable of coming up with a coherent game plan. Just look at his career. Also, he is a defensive coach. Additionally, the blitzing scheme was introduced by Nick Bosa and the 49ers at mid-season when SF figured out how to make Jalen Hurts uncomfortable. This game was mostly on Baker and the offense, with no help from Bowles. The score would have been an even bigger blowout if Evans, Otton and the other receivers hadn’t dropped all those balls in the first half. Give Baker a generous contract extension. Give Antoine Winfield a huge contract, he is the keystone to the defense and a consistent playmaker. Fire Bowels and hire someone who can take the Bucs to the next level. Go Bucs.
January 18th, 2024 at 8:32 pm
If Bucs play like they did against the packers, jags and eagles Bucs could deff beat lions. Lions arnt no joke but neither are the Bucs WHEN firing on all cylinders. We gotta play perfect to beat the lions.
January 18th, 2024 at 8:53 pm
Joe, my son wrote me a note one time when he was about five years old and he useded that word too 🤣