“Streamlined Mindset”
March 2nd, 2024
Todd Bowles
Go inside the mind of Todd Bowles, a head coach who rises at 3 a.m. through much of the year and lands at his office before 4 a.m.
What drives a man to that kind of discipline and tenacity?
Bowles wasn’t asked that direct question during his recent visit to the Ira Kaufman Podcast, but he went there to explain why he’s so confident in his team on gamedays.
“When I get up in the morning at 3 o’clock, I’m not gettin’ up in the morning to go in to see if we can win. Our job as coaches is to find out what we can do to win. And if you have an “if” or “try” or “I think” attitude, you’ll never win in this ballgame,” Bowles said.
“I’ve been like that my whole life. I don’t ever let anyone every tell me what I can or can’t do. I mean, it’s up to you to prove people right or wrong. And I’ve dealt with that mentality so I have a streamlined mindset of knowing I won’t be outworked. I will not be outworked, and I hate to be outcoached. That is one thing I really hate to be is outcoached. And it’s happened. And it will probably continue to happen here and there, but if I’m not outcoached, mostly [90-plus] percent of the time, I feel like I have a chance to win the ballgame.”
Cool insight into Bowles there and it’s also an interesting contrast to one of his mentors, Bucco Bruce Arians.
Arians believed that if a coaching staff couldn’t be prepared to win while working more normal hours, then the extra time wasn’t going to make a difference.
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:26 am
This 3am BS makes me think of Jimmy Carter…….hard working, but incompetent. I’ll bet BA didn’t get up at 3am… unless it was to pee.
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:33 am
Different approaches, for different people.
If it works for him- then its the right method.
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:40 am
He’s just tryna beat the traffic.
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:47 am
Right in capt jim
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:47 am
Or right on
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:49 am
“I hate to be outcoached” Well this is interesting. It conjures up memories of DB’s playing 12 yards off the ball on 3rd and 4. Memories of allowing Lefty to call run after run up the gut when the Steelers DB’s were dudes they picked out of their fan base. Memories of not wanting Tom Brady to throw a pick when the Browns were barely winning. Memories of not calling a timeout because the result of the game was inevitable…in a playoff game no less. SMH.
March 2nd, 2024 at 10:58 am
It’s offseason and still the criticism of him. Rest it. And BTW, all coaches make mistakes and learn from them.
He has led them to the playoffs twice in 2 years. Survived a brutal streak of losses and poor games and then went on a hot streak. Beat the Eagles.
Bowles proved me wrong.
March 2nd, 2024 at 11:09 am
Mort,
Lmao. Gotta get up earlier than that- to beat Malfunction junction!
March 2nd, 2024 at 11:30 am
What if the Bucs worked-out a deal with Winfield (bottom-line being they HAVE TO regardless, cause you’re absolutely NOT just letting him ‘walk’), then place the “non-exclusive” tag on Evans, that way, IF someone offers a HUGE Deal for the Bucs to have to match & the Bucs say “No-Thanks, We’ll Just Take Our ‘TWO’ First-Round PICKS!?” If the internet is correct, it only showed about $21-$22MIL for WR’s in 2024… I thought it would be more than that!? Guess, NO ONE is giving up ‘TWO’ for Evans, tho… What about the Jets, Does Houston still have a bunch of draft capital left where it wouldn’t hurt them nearly as bad, how bout the Bears (guess they’ll possibly draft one at #9), & the Chiefs (at least they KNOW it’ll be extremely LATE first-rounders’ and I believe they do still have an enormous amount of ‘picks’ remaining)!? Is it still even possible… Has the deadline already passed!? And, I don’t know WHY that dude on the radio was saying that the Bucs were NOT going to use their franchise tag at ALL for this season while also NOT extending/‘re-signing’ Winfield… WHAT!? So, WHAT we’re gonna trade HIM now, or just let HIM WALK!? Get outta here with all that.
March 2nd, 2024 at 11:47 am
This seems like a mass exodus this year. Canals made so much more work for us when he poached coaches (who obviously wanted to leave). If players like Evans and Mayfield want to leave us they will go, period. It isn’t necessarily an amount of money (as you can tell from Mike’s agent’s comments). It is also their perceptions of the team, itself. Our office can’t do anything if players or coaches want to go to another team. Throwing money at them is not a solution. Longer contracts may help, though.
March 2nd, 2024 at 12:28 pm
I do believe our first Superbowl head coach used to get up at 2am. Go BUCS!
March 2nd, 2024 at 12:56 pm
I honestly think people hate Bowles because he is black and doesn’t come off as an energetic fun guy as much stuff that happened the first year Brady problems at home entire line beside Wirfs was shakey no time to throw no place to run we still go to playoffs …..this year multiple rookies learning to play in the nfl new quarterback new system/play caller I get the time out thing I know bowels should have called it but damn calm down he is human if this year is crappy at the end of the year then maybe riot lol this is assuming baker/mike and the rest of the FA get signed
March 2nd, 2024 at 1:43 pm
Of course never mention how flat his teams start games, the propensity for making the same mistakes over and over, the inability to play zone effectively, the telegraphed blitz packages, and the stubbornness to not listen to others who have solutions.
Loser.
March 2nd, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Look, Bowles gets a lot of credit for taking a bust QB and what was supposed to be a bad team to the playoffs — but it’s also worth remembering none of that happens if he’s not in the NFC South, and the division isn’t going to be awful forever.
Also I’m with Arians, it’s football, there’s nothing about waking up at 3am that is going to suddenly make you have better insight about the game – like when to use your timeouts.
March 2nd, 2024 at 3:04 pm
Bowels knows what he is doing. Just because he plays zone doesn’t mean his CBs have to back pedal so far. Watch Nate Wiggins tape. He is consistently playing zone but doesn’t back pedal so he is still there on stop routes and comes up to make tackles on other guys man.
And Im sure Licht and the Glazers just read that comment and said to themselves, oh no, we better get these back because NOT isn’t gonna come to the games anymore. Good Riddance.
March 2nd, 2024 at 3:06 pm
Hey, Tampabaybucfan. What are your “thoughts” on a CIC’s Multiple 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 AM Twitter/X/TruthSocial POSTS? How much “Hard Work & Competancey” do they show you? I have witnessed both Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump give live speeches, both were well-versed in the gift of gab. Yet only one had a vivid demonstration of their “Hard Work” ethics.
March 2nd, 2024 at 3:50 pm
“Let’s not confuse activity with results”.
March 2nd, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Next season is a mystery.
March 2nd, 2024 at 4:04 pm
Maybe if Toadd got more sleep, he’d realize that his defense was awful against the pass and he got outcoached by most. Even Carolina’s temp coach out coached the Sloweszo.
March 2nd, 2024 at 5:25 pm
if you rise at 3am…what time do you go to sleep…?
this explains why he sounds like he does at the podium…
he’s missing out on life
March 2nd, 2024 at 6:14 pm
Dave Pear….. You’re a funny dude. You trash for having a top 10 defense, but talk like BM made the offense great when it was middling? Just curious how you look at games, because something doesn’t add up
March 2nd, 2024 at 6:15 pm
trash talk*. It happens lol
March 2nd, 2024 at 6:16 pm
I never go to work early. On my best day I might start at 08:30. I prefer to work later into the evening
March 2nd, 2024 at 6:54 pm
At least he’s aware that he does get out coached. He’s now beyond the denial faze of his career. Now if he can just figure out how to out coach the other guy’s coaches more consistently, maybe he can be a good coach. Perhaps there is hope. I might suggest turning over the clock management skills to someone else and not ever over ruling them! For starters!!!! And perhaps being more aggressive on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. He worries about his players getting tired! That’s for the trainers to deal with. The game is only played for 60 minutes and about half the time the starters are off the field, if the players are properly hydrated, this is only a mental thing!!!
March 2nd, 2024 at 8:39 pm
I hope he goes to bed early if he rises at 3 am lol.
March 3rd, 2024 at 9:04 am
IMO, this getting up at 3am to get to the office at 4am, whether Bowles or Gruden, is flat-out dumb.
Regular hours, getting to OBP at 7:30+- will render as much success as getting little sleep to look like some sort of victim/hero/driven hybrid.
Not al all impressed. I think it’s just dumb.
March 3rd, 2024 at 9:32 am
Yeah, Lt. Dan nailed it. You are like 50/50 or worse at getting out coached so maybe get a lil extra rest coach, maybe it will make you a better motivator or something. Ole sleepy Bowles on the sideline, daydreaming about hitting the sheets at 8 pm.
March 4th, 2024 at 11:45 am
The people that say they don’t understand why he gets up that early have never been a manager/supervisor or anything above an average worker you get up that early to prepare for what’s next but ehh that just my thoughts