CBS: Todd Bowles’ Hot Seat
June 21st, 2024
How shaky?
There are two members of the Bucs for whom it’s going to take at least another year of winning before folks get off their backs.
The first is, of course, Baker Mayfield. Now entering his second Bucs season, Mayfield seems to get shat on all over the place by #NFLMedia. As Joe pointed out yesterday, Mayfield has a better postseason record than the following four quarterbacks (but you’d never know it the way Mayfield is crapped on): Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones.
All four make significantly more cash than Mayfield as well.
The other member of the Bucs that folks have a low opinion of is head coach Todd Bowles.
Despite winning back-to-back division titles and scaring the Lions on the road in the NFC divisional round, Cody Benjamin of CBS, no fan of Mayfield but who believes Cousins is manna from heaven for the Dixie Chicks, lists Bowles as one of eight coaches on “shaky ground” entering the 2024 season.
7. Todd Bowles (Buccaneers)
Year: 3rd | Record: 17-17 | Playoffs: 1-2Bowles can coach a defense as well as anyone, and his group of 2023 underdogs — featuring the scrappy Baker Mayfield under center — nearly advanced to the NFC title game. But his clubs have also gone .500 over two seasons in arguably the weakest division in football, and his situational decision-making has drawn critique. With offensive coordinator Dave Canales gone, it’s fair to wonder if he can elevate a “run-it-back” roster.
Joe just doesn’t believe Bowles is on the hot seat now. It was he who pushed Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to sign Mayfield last year. That doesn’t seem like such a dumb move.
And it was Bowles who pushed for Licht to draft a center. Licht drafted center (?) Graham Barton, which was met with wild applause from many fans.
Barring the Bucs imploding, maybe losing 12 games, “this Joe” just doesn’t see Bowles getting canned. Maybe not even then. (The other Joe thinks Bowles gets launched with 11 or 12 losses)
Of course, the wild card to all of this drama is if cradle-robbing Bill Belicheat wants to come back to coaching.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:07 am
I don’t think Bowles seat is as hot as many believe. The Bucs would have to totally implode for him to be fired.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:11 am
I think Liam Coen is the biggest “threat” to Bowles. Whether he’s bad or successful it’s a lose-lose for defensive head coach.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:21 am
That Daniel Jones contract was SHOCKING to me! As soon as I saw it I thought the Giants have completely LOST-IT, and can no longer be considered a top notch FO franchise/organization. So Stupid. WHO were they bidding against… Themselves!? NOBODY was giving Daniel Freaking JONES anywhere near that. Boy tho, does he and Kirk Cousins sure not have some great agents. It was like the Browns FULLY guaranteed contract to Deshaun Watson… BUT, they are the Browns. The Giants are now the BROWNS. At least the Browns still have a pretty loaded roster when healthy! The Giants ALLOWED Saquon Barkley to WALK, not even getting anything in return.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:23 am
I think Liam replacing Canales was a good thing for Bowles. I don’t know how much Bowles was involved with offensive play calling, as in pushing Canales to run the ball up the middle every 1st down. If that was 100% Canales’ decision, the play calling will be better with Liam.
Better play calling = more points=more wins.
More wins = Bowles is safe.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:23 am
With this roster, Todd needs at least 10 wins or he will be opening a sports psychology academy in nine months.
He deserves the hot seat. Slow to no start on offense or defense, game management, and coming out inexplicably flat for big games, not to mention his Fourier Transforms defense that too often leaves dudes running wide ass open.
The encouraging news is, he seems to be evolving for the better. And, his players love him. The roster seems to be full of extra smart players, so hope is on a roll.
LFG
#AsToddEvolves
June 21st, 2024 at 10:27 am
This is stupid. We were very close to the NFC Championship. He’s not on the hot seat.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:31 am
well, since todd is no longer the defensive guru…quite the opposite and the offense is hot/cold and never starts hot he should be on the hot seat. let’s be real…this team barely made the playoffs with a cake schedule and not once did they look dominant. they had to fight not to lose games. his seat should be boiling
June 21st, 2024 at 10:36 am
I agree with that, “A Bucs Fan!” I was just thinking the exact same thing. The only problem being, as a UK Fan, donor and season ticket holder since birth, I think back to his time there… He still has a loooong way to go. And, if they suck it up real bad next season, prob A LOT of it will fall on him, too! I could see it if we were to finish 8-9 or something like that, AND the offense is explosive, hittin’ on all cylinders, and etc. But, we just meltdown at the end of ballgames, losing a bunch of close ones, due to Bowles continued shaky time/game management decisions, Etc. THEN, I could see it.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:38 am
If or when attendance drops – then Bowles
will be gone.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:38 am
If Todd hired a full time DC it would be better. Absent that, fixing one of the league’s worst pass defenses is an urgent priority. Yes, the points allowed stat is stout, but history shows a strong correlation between yards and points given up. This bend over and sometimes break pass defense is on thin ice,
30ppg on offense would help a lot.
#AsToddEvolves
June 21st, 2024 at 10:44 am
If the Bucs sucked so bad while winning the division, what does that say about the other three teams? 🙄
June 21st, 2024 at 10:51 am
Every NFL HC is on the hot seat every year IMO. If any team totally ‘implodes’ then the HC deserves to be on the hot seat. That said however, Todd’s not even close, and certainly not #7 as CBS’ Cody Benjamin speculates. He had 7 coaches in their 3rd thru 5th years ranked in the 1-7 spots (plus Sean McDermott of the Bills with 8 years as HC in the 8th spot).
The first 4 are losing coaches unaccustomed to sniffing the playoffs. The last 4 are winning (or break-even) coaches who can’t quite get their team to break though in the playoffs.
o #1 – Jets’ Robert Saleh (18-33) … playoffs N/A
o #2 – Giants’ Brian Daboll (15-18-1) … playoffs 1-1
o #3 – Saints’ Dennis Allen (16-18) … playoffs N/A
o #4 – Bears’ Matt Eeberflus (10-24) … playoffs N/A
o #5 – Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy (42-25) … playoffs 1-3
o #6 – Eagles- Nick Sirianni (34-17) … playoffs 2-3
o #7 – Bucs’ Todd Bowles (17-17) … playoffs 1-2
o #8 – Bills’ Sean McDermott (73-41) … playoffs 5-6
The first 4 probably deserve to be on the hot seat. The last 4 are good coaches whose teams aren’t talented enough to win it all … yet. Several of those are getting a little long in the tooth (Jets? Saints? Bears? Giants? Cowboys?)
June 21st, 2024 at 11:03 am
After a couple more Superbowl wins/seasons. Bowles will retire and hand the reins to Coen. Mark it. #teampositive Go BUCS!
June 21st, 2024 at 11:11 am
If he loses double digits without a series of major injuries, he would likely be fired. Correct?
June 21st, 2024 at 11:19 am
I hope Bowles has a great year, but I still have little confidence in him. Every time I start to get a little confidence in him, he does something really, really dumb like not taking a timeout in the NFC Championship game because he “didn’t want to prolong the inevitable”.
June 21st, 2024 at 11:37 am
The players love Bowles. End of story. Needs to beat 49ers, Lions or KC. Also Ravens. 0-4 would put him on the hot seat.
June 21st, 2024 at 11:43 am
“Joe just doesn’t believe Bowles is on the hot seat now.”
I beg to differ.
A hot seat is when they might have only one season left, right?
If Baker fails, Both he and Bowles should be give the boot.
June 21st, 2024 at 12:09 pm
While Bowles is not on the hot seat, another .500 season could put him there. To be fair Benjamin’s assessment of Bowles is spot on.
June 21st, 2024 at 12:47 pm
Not saying Bowles is on the ‘Hot Seat’ but on average 7 coaches get tossed every season.
2021 Bucs were 8-8 going into week 18 and had already won the Division. Rested starters or would have finished 9-8. Got rolled by Dallas in the WC game.
2022 Bucs were 8-8 going into week 18. Played bad against Panthers but won. Any other playoff team other than the Eagles and Bowles would be 0-2 in the playoffs.
Season two with the Bucs looked better on paper but was a regression. Two seasons in a row and things could start warming up.
June 21st, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Bowles is still my biggest worry heading into the season. I like him for the most part, know the players love him and that absolutely counts for something but most of us believe this should be a 9 win team at minimum. If his game planning and game management is as poor as it was for numerous games last year he should absolutely be on the hot seat. If you cost the team wins you should be in trouble.
I hope he has learned from mistakes and Coen can lift the offense, which will lift Bowles. Certainly not rooting against him, but not super confident either.
June 21st, 2024 at 12:59 pm
Bowles is going no where for at least two more years. They have a younger up and coming defense that could dominate. Defense wins championships.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:10 pm
IF…we have a pass rush this season? We take off.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:10 pm
Cody Benjamin’s list didn’t include any 1st (or 2nd) year coaches who are on the hot seat. Started thinking that maybe that just doesn’t happen, but that’s not the case. A total of 17 HCs have been fired in their 1st year with a team since 2001 (slightly less than 1 a year).
The most recent? Frank Reich of the Panthers in 2023. Before that, Nathaniel Hackett of the Broncos and Lovie Smith of the Texans got fired in 2022. Year before that, Urban Myer of the Jaguars and David Culley of the Texans got fired in 2021. So that’s 5 HCs being fired in their 1st year in just the 2021-2023 timeframe.
Less patience on the part of some owners? Or maybe some just know less about how to pick quality NFL head coaches? Interesting that the Panthers’ David Tepper did a complete 180 when he went from hiring very experienced Frank Reich to very inexperienced Dave Canales (in terms of HC experience).
June 21st, 2024 at 1:26 pm
Remember when Koetter took over, to keep the offensive continuity? That, and Lovie was a terrible coach (Koetter wasn’t much better). Would they do the same with Coen, if the offense looks great and the defense doesn’t step it up a notch or two?
June 21st, 2024 at 1:30 pm
No. “Hot seat” is when a coach is in danger of losing his job. Thin ice.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:38 pm
Now the Coach Can start Really Coaching. He has Everything Together, Coaches, Players and His Experience. Let’s Stand Back and Watch Coach Todd “Get the Ship Sailing”.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:39 pm
IDK. If the Glazers fire Todd, they would also have to find and pay a new DC. I doubt that would happen anytime soon unless he does something stupid again in the playoffs. He always talks about fighting until the end and then gave up in the Lions game. If we come that close again and muff it it may be possible to wave him goodbye.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:39 pm
Who else are they gonna name when there are 10 coaches who are pretty ELITE.
10 coaches who are BEAND NEW ETC.
Of course Bowles is on the Hot Seat. Any coach is really. If he goes 4-13 then yeah. It’s not like they are gonna toss gim if he wins the Division again though.
Now if they go 10-7 and we had to outscore people because Bowles defense was horrible, then maybe Coen gets the gig, but I still feel Bowles gets credit for the hire.
I don’t think Bowels is going anywhere because the Bucs aren’t gonna lose as many as people think. Keeping Coen is the Key.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:46 pm
@Joe In Michigan
I don’t see our D with the talent we have in our starters and role players just falling off a cliff while our offense excels in the same season. If our offense improves, it’ll positively effect our defense especially if we’re scoring consistently and able to put teams in a hole on the scoreboard.
I’d expect us to be better with the T.O.P distribution on both sides.
More pass rush reps.
More chances at INTs.
More depth players getting in-game reps.
More wins.
June 21st, 2024 at 1:59 pm
WillieG
I still don’t understand that.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:11 pm
He might not be on the hot seat, but that overall assessment was spot on IMO
June 21st, 2024 at 2:13 pm
The encouraging thing for me is it did seem like he finally starting showing some balls last season at a certain point.
But he still doesn’t know what timeouts are for and thinks saving them up all season long will win him a prize at the end of the year.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:20 pm
Bowels and Mayfield are both , still, sub 500 winners in their careers , another sub 500 season for either and they probably both are gone.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:22 pm
“Would they do the same with Coen, if the offense looks great and the defense doesn’t step it up a notch or two?”
Man, we’ve been waiting 2 seasons for the offense to compliment the defense better. Offense doesn’t even have to do much, just be efficient with their posession and put the ball in the endzone instead of through the uprights.
I don’t see this offense just clicking and our D falling off a cliff. In fact I’m of the mind that if the offense is clicking out the gate our defense will look that much better. They def won’t be gassed in the middle of the 3rd quarter cause they played 55%-60% of a given game.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:50 pm
Dude: I’m a defensive first guy, I think Bowles CAN be a top notch DC, at times. Hoping the edge rush is much improved this year.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:52 pm
JD Still Says:
June 21st, 2024 at 2:20 pm
Bowels and Mayfield are both , still, sub 500 winners in their careers , another sub 500 season for either and they probably both are gone.
^^^^^^^^
They weren’t sub-.500 last year.
June 21st, 2024 at 2:55 pm
I would put him firmly on stable ground territory. Unless we go 0-17 and a losing record again the following season, he is well entrenched as HC.
June 21st, 2024 at 3:02 pm
@Joe in the dirty mitten
I get it, same here I’ll just be happy if we can send 4 and leave as many guys in the backend in coverage as possible without any drop off from sending an extra man or two. That’ll be major progress to me for this defense.
June 21st, 2024 at 3:10 pm
Bowles might be a decent DC, but he can’t draft defensive guys for shot. If the D-line under-performs again this season, he might be toast.
Then there is how he set his sights on Mayfield and wouldn’t back down. Mayfield has to be a real baller this season to keep Bowles off the ice. I am not sure he can.
Thirdly is hoe bad our run game has been. It wasn’t just last season, and R. White didn’t help things last season, why expect him to this season?
June 21st, 2024 at 4:05 pm
Bucs players like playing for Bowles because he treats them like men. In the NFL the rah rah stuff is nonsense. You win games by having the right people in the right places. Bucs clearly need more defensive help particularly on the D line.
June 21st, 2024 at 4:14 pm
Wins and losses. Bowles is .500 in Tampa. 17-17.
While .500 isn’t good enough…I can see it going either way this season. What Bowles really needs to secure his job is a big win season…like 11-6. But I can see him keeping his job at 10-7 in a pinch. That would have him improving by 1 win one each of his years.
If we go 9-7 or worse again, I don’t see him keeping his job.
Also, he made Baker his guy from the start. His mind was made up and it was never in doubt.
So if Baker does very poorly, and Trask comes in and lights it up…I could see Bowles getting fired and Coen getting his job.
If Baker is hit with a season ending injury, and Trask lights it up, I think it’s 50-50 Bowles keeps his job.
If Baker is bad or injured and Trask fails to impress, I think the whole staff gets replaced.
June 21st, 2024 at 4:18 pm
Craig Says:
June 21st, 2024 at 3:10 pm
“Bowles might be a decent DC, but he can’t draft defensive guys for shot. If the D-line under-performs again this season, he might be toast.”
I think he has less say in the draft at this point.
June 21st, 2024 at 5:15 pm
Benjamin hit the nail on the head. 500 team in the weakest division = mediocre (at best) Head coach. He is hanging by a thread.
June 21st, 2024 at 8:23 pm
Like I said before
Who cares about Bowles and what he thinks
There will still be Bucs footballl when hes gone.
Also Logan Hall and JTS were hand picked by Bowles
June 21st, 2024 at 8:31 pm
I followed that link to the cradle robbing BB. Good for him lmao!!! God bless him. Im sure most 70 plus year olds would jump at the opportunity to be sneaking out of a 24 yr old beautiful woman’s home under the obvious circumstances lmao!! I agree Bowles is not on the hot seat. But if by some crazy turn of events this coming season ends up a catastrophe, and BB is the the Bucs coach is 2025 season Im ok with that. But again I highly doubt that will happen. I believe the Bucs are not only going to win alot of games this coming season. Additionally, I believe the Bucs are quiet Super Bowl contenders. Hopefully that comes to pass, LetsGo Bucs!!
June 21st, 2024 at 8:52 pm
Bowles and Baker both redeemed themselves last year.
Team chemistry matters. So much new talent
Coen brings an interesting dynamic. I see a really interesting coming Buckaroos!
June 21st, 2024 at 9:42 pm
Bill Belicheat! Really ? He’s an HOF DC but a sucko HC who never won without Brady.
So unless Belicheat can take ten years off of Brady’s age and get him to return playing he’s a TOTAL WASTE!!!
In 5 years with the Browns he went 36-44!!! He had ONE winning season followed immediately by another Belicheat performance of 5-11 the following year!
He went 5-11 with the Pats until he LUCKED into the GOAT, a 6th round draft picks is not shrewd it’s absolute LUCK.
After Brady left Belichik went 7-9 with a team that won 12 games the year before! IE there was more talent on that team than just Brady and they should have won more than seven games even without the GOAT…not the 12 of the season before but NOT SEVEN!!!
He then posted ONE winning season over the next three years.
Recapping…in terms of winning seasons and BB’s record!
1 winning season 4 LOSING seasons with the Browns.
1 winning season 4 LOSING seasons with the Bradyless Pats.
Can anybody pick up a pattern here? He’s afreaking LOSER!!! Brady made BB not the other way around!
June 21st, 2024 at 10:30 pm
The fact Bowles handed Brady his first losing season in 23 years and his poor defensive calls against the Rams in 2021 and we could have gone 11-6 or 8-9 last year bear proof he should be on the hot seat this year as well. I like a good run game but at what cost? He pig headed and makes no adjustments on defense. He needs to get to the Championship game to get off of it
June 22nd, 2024 at 4:30 am
stpetebucfan Says: “Bill Belicheat! Really ? He’s an HOF DC but a sucko HC who never won without Brady.”
Absolutely agree with your entire comment! No way to Bill. Plus, in my eyes, he gives me that creepy Kraft feeling now.
Bowles isn’t going anywhere for at least two or more years. He will win a SB with the Bucs first. Sometimes I think the NFL media has their own agenda. Right now I am hearing a rumor that the Bucs could trade for Alvin Kamara…, via NFL media. Thinking, they must be getting tired of hyping up Kirk Cousins.
June 22nd, 2024 at 5:28 am
heyjude
That’s a truly disturbing rumor. Kamara is on his last legs and at this point I love the Bucs locker room and don’t wish to see the chemistry upset by an old guy with “personality issues” in the past.
The only move I do not understand from Bowles/Licht this off season is Randy Gregory!!! And that move may be self correcting. He’s probably out of the league while he’s suing it!
June 22nd, 2024 at 6:02 am
stpetebucfan
I fully agree with you about Kamara and Gregory’s self correcting itself too.
June 22nd, 2024 at 1:14 pm
Just as Jason Licht has evolved and matured so has Todd Bowls. Licht has done so as a GM for a longer period of time. I hope for good things for Bowles this year as our HC as well as DC. as he goes so will our team.
Go Bucs!
June 22nd, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Love Bucswin’s comments.
Go Bucs!!
June 22nd, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Trading for Kamala?????!!!!!
TOTFLMAO!!!!!
Jason will do that right after he trades for Joey Bosa and Hassan Reddick.
June 22nd, 2024 at 6:33 pm
Jason is not trading for Kamara. That is ignorant silliness.
June 23rd, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Bowles inherited a flawed team with major issues happening or about to happen on both lines. Salary cap in shambles. Two very bad gambles in Hall and JTS also hurt immensely. He at least kept the team together despite the dire predictions. He’ll get a chance to move forward with new additions unless they completely fall apart this year. Next year he could be on the seat for make or break.