“We’re Trying To Win”
March 27th, 2024
Doesn’t care about perception.
By the slim chance this may have skimmed past your noggin the past month, folks in the higher reaches of One Buc Palace are a little miffed that those who cover the NFL for a career are once again dismissing the Bucs.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem to give a s(p)it.
Bowles, so he said yesterday in Orlando at the NFL Owners Meetings, told Joe’s good friend Rock Riley he’s trying to put together a team that can make another long playoff run.
What others think of his team doesn’t mean squat, Bowles said.
“You talkin’ about respect,” Bowles said. “Aretha Franklin is about the only one that gets that.
“We’re not trying to win the offseason,” Bowles said. “We’re trying to win the season. It feels like a lot of the players will get ready to come back and defend our title; that’s all we really worry about at this time of year.”
So while others, including a few higher up the food chain than Bowles at One Buc Palace, are irked by the apparent last of respect, Bowles seems to be of the mind that respect is earned. And that’s only about winning.
Todd Bowles on not winning the offseason, win the season. @realrockriley #bucs #Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/PLZ6sQ3G9C
— Tampa Free Press (@tampafreepress) March 26, 2024
March 27th, 2024 at 4:24 am
Well said Coach Bowles!
March 27th, 2024 at 6:02 am
Yes we know it’s not your call coach. He’s talking like he took lichts job. Just study that in game time management for dummy book so it doesn’t cost the team again.
March 27th, 2024 at 6:22 am
We have an absolutely brutal schedule this year. We gotta get that interior Oline and edge rusher addressed in this draft.
March 27th, 2024 at 7:02 am
Yes Coach your right….. Now if we can just get someone to manage the clock and timeout ?!
March 27th, 2024 at 7:28 am
As long as I’ve been a fan of this team, NO ONE! Media or otherwise has respected the Bucs, time to change that!! GO BUCS!!
March 27th, 2024 at 7:30 am
I rarely disagree with what Coach Bowles SAYS, but I almost always disagree with the way he says it. I’ll never understand how his minimizing demeanor and poor clock management can fire up a football team before a big game, like Gruden or Arians did. That being said, I’ll support him as long as ownership thinks it’s best for the team.
March 27th, 2024 at 7:36 am
I’m surprised every player doesn’t stay in Tampa during the off-season like Zyon and Luke did last off-season.
Tyler Johnson and Leonard Fournette shortened their careers because they gained weight instead of speed, stamina, strength and smarts during the off-season.
Brady is the GOAT because he never got out of shape. He’s a 365 day profesional.
We need Izien, Hayes, Merriweather, Mauch, Tucker, Kancey, Diaby, JTS and Goedeke to have another huge off-season.
Bowles has it right.
Free agents do not win the off-season.
Off-season workouts do!
March 27th, 2024 at 8:25 am
Bowles is a man you just want root for…. then, he lets time run off in a contested playoff game or a rookie qb makes a fool of his defense. Rollercoaster. Love. Hate. Love
March 27th, 2024 at 8:40 am
Todd is a great guy. Too bad he can’t coach his players to know their assignments. Too bad he waits too long to hold them accountable for the same mistakes over and over. Too bad his teams come out in a coma at the beginning of football games.
Too bad he’s a losing head coich.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:10 am
We had a 9-8 record, In the weakest division in football.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:01 am
The Bucs have already won the offseasonS.
This Year
The Bucs 3 gaps in the roster – Center, MLB, DE.
They have 7 draft picks and $10M in cap space.
Next Year
The Bucs may have 2-3 gaps – MLB, WR.
They have 7 draft picks and $80M in cap space.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:20 am
13-4 to 8-9 with Brady (goats only losing season) it takes a special head coach to do that.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:31 am
We are doing well in the off-season, bringing back our key FA’s. The national media wants big-name FA acquisitions and we didn’t do that – yet. The off-season isn’t over. Roster cuts are coming up, so we could get an experienced IOL or Edge. Maybe trade Dean for an Edge.
I really hope that Baker can work with his WR’s this off-season, especially ME and Palmer on the deep balls.
March 27th, 2024 at 1:22 pm
More dung from the talking heads. Cousins and Carr melt under pressure, Mayfield doesn’t. (Check the playoff records). The Bucs retained their core. (Team culture counts, a reason they didn’t wilt in the losing streak like the Iggles). Players tend to make their biggest jump in year 2. (And there were a ton of young players last year). This team is poised for a deep playoff run if they don’t have a $hit ton of injuries.
March 27th, 2024 at 2:18 pm
Dave Pear … ‘Too bad he’s a losing head coich.’
Instead of putting down Todd Bowles as a head coich (?), how about turning on your spell checker.
Sly Pirate … Don’t disagree with your analysis of ‘holes’, but we won’t have anyplace close to $80 mil available for 2025. That number from Spotrac ($80.8 mil) is EXTREMELY MISLEADING because (1) it’s predicated on only 32 players being ‘signed’ for 2025; (2) plus 7 of those 32 (Godwin, JTS, Shaq, Jensen, Nelson, Gaines, Wirfs) are either UFAs next year or no longer with the team (but we’re still paying for them); (3) Spotrac’s list doesn’t include ANY DEAD CAP for 2025 (that’s still an unknown); and (4) it ASSUMES a salary CAP of $273.3 mil (may or may not be true).
By the time we get up to 51 players under contract (for the Top-51 that the salary CAP space is computed on), I doubt we’ll be any better off than we are right now. Of course that’s the beauty of being such a young team. Being ‘young’ will HOPEFULLY buy us time to dig ourselves out of the hole we put ourselves in in 2021/2022 within a couple more years.
March 27th, 2024 at 3:59 pm
Most coaches in the NFL have to tune out external expectations. Todd gave the right answer. Realistically, all the media chatter is about keeping fans talking about football during the offseason, but most of it (predictions, odds, fantasy football, and constant speculation) is pure crap… at least as it pertains to actual football. If coaches or players get caught up in it, they’re not focused.
March 27th, 2024 at 4:50 pm
I am impressed by the number of players who are firmly in coaches camp. He has to be doing a lot right to earn that kind of praise. I really think that if Berns Steakhouse will just tell Todd that they will no longer be redeeming the time outs he hoards for gift certificates, life will be fine in Bucland!
March 27th, 2024 at 8:22 pm
I wish Bowles will succeed because I really dig this dude. When I joined your ship along with Baker, I read nothing but hate about this dude, and I thought, “Oh no, Baker just joined another terrible organization.” I hope Bowles, Baker, Trask and the rest of the team exceed all expectations. 🤞