Chest Bump Vs. Chill
August 21st, 2024
Todd Bowles
Could there be any more seemingly opposite head coaches than Buccaneers’ chieftain Todd Bowles and Miami Dolphins leader Mike McDaniel?
McDaniel is an Ivy League educated offensive genius young enough to Bowles’ son. Bowles, of course, grinded eight years a smart, tough defensive back and turned into one of the game’s top defensive gurus as a head coach.
McDaniel has a big personality and flexes it for media. Bowles has a big personality that he keeps hidden to the public much like Joe hides the bathroom scale after Thanksgiving.
The two teams met today at One Buc Palace for a joint practice, as in the clubs worked on three fields — sometimes together and sometimes against each other in drills and scrimmaging.
What really struck Joe was the energy level of the Dolphins. It’s on a higher plane than the Bucs’.
Cheerleading for teammates doesn’t win games and neither do celebrations, but if they did, the Dolphins would have beaten the Bucs by four touchdowns today.
It all crescendoed when the teams faced each other in goal line situations to end practice, as Joe detailed in practice notes. What Joe didn’t mention was McDaniel chest-bumping players after Calais Campbell batted down a Baker Mayfield pass — and it all seemed very natural.
Former Dolphins great Kim Bokamper, the Pro Bowl linebacker of the 1970s, was at practice today and is a longtime Dolphins media guy in Miami. He told CBS-TV in Miami that he felt great about the Dolphins sustaining the kind of energy level they showed at practice today for the entirety of training camp.
Again, August juice equal meaningful wins, but the Dolphins’ style sure was a contrast to various Bucs saying they thought the team came out a little flat against Miami today.
Joe knows the Bucs expect to flip a switch on opening day and immediately jack up their output to midseason form. And perhaps that starts in Friday’s game against the Dolphins, when Tampa Bay plans to play its starters for the first time this preseason.
After today’s practicce, Joe sure hopes the Bucs hit that gear in a hurry against the Dolphins. That would help Joe sleep before opening day.
August 21st, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Having a personality is way overrated.
When you’re in the entertainment business, what you want to do is be completely boring to the point that people forget that you exist.
August 21st, 2024 at 6:26 pm
So we were flat against the Dolphins and the Jaguars out energized us as well. WTF is that all about? I’m sick of hearing that word now.
No excuse for that. You practice lazy you probly play games lazy. Fix it Mr Bowles.
August 21st, 2024 at 6:36 pm
@BucU is right. For two weeks the Bucs have been flat. They need to fix this ASAP. Where are the leaders of this team?
August 21st, 2024 at 7:04 pm
Quiet.
Confidence.
Assassins don’t chest bump.
August 21st, 2024 at 7:07 pm
Energy is infectious. Bucs have lacked it the last 2 years in the image of their head coach. Only seem to respond when their back is against the wall and have to go hurry up. Sometimes it’s too late at that point. Maybe Todd recognizes this and that is the reason he is slowly coming out of his shell.
August 21st, 2024 at 7:32 pm
I wish the Bucs would have signed Calais Campbell. And Ogbah.
August 21st, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bellicheat, had VERY big personalities
August 21st, 2024 at 7:50 pm
Beeej Says:
August 21st, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bellicheat, had VERY big personalities
———–
Every NFL Films production had the obligatory shot shooting up of Landry in his hat and the opening in the Cowboys stadium. Entertaining, personally, just means you’re remembered for something – there’s something unique about you.
Meanwhile I bet you 96.4% of NFL fans outside of this region couldn’t tell you who the Bucs head coach is, probably think it’s Arians or Gruden.
August 21st, 2024 at 7:52 pm
Chuck Noll. Only cracked a smile at the end of four Super Bowl wins
August 21st, 2024 at 8:42 pm
Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, George Carl, Jerry Sloan. Ok, different sport, but still.
August 21st, 2024 at 9:06 pm
Different strokes. McDaniel’s a kid practically and from the positivity and praise school.
I hope the lack of celebratory behavior in a practice reflects an attitude of “this is work and it don’t mean nothing til you do it in the games… consistently” instead of a lack of passion on the part of players.
August 21st, 2024 at 9:22 pm
Maybe just maybe they’re playing no show our inside cards in little scrimmage let’s c Friday or maybe it’s just their way of take care of business save the goods for the game haven’t we read all week their practices have been on fire
August 21st, 2024 at 9:25 pm
I think baton McMillan tucker & the rest of crew had plenty of motivation which is future pay days
August 21st, 2024 at 9:42 pm
Considering we won a Super Bowl with the head coach riding a golf cart all summer there’s different ways to skin a cat
August 21st, 2024 at 9:42 pm
He doesn’t want to risk injury to the players. Rosd has belly now don’t you know, that could bowl some of them over. Haha
August 21st, 2024 at 9:44 pm
I hope the Bucs lose the “championships are won in December” mindset/mantra and replace it with a “championships are won today” mindset. Maybe that will help them create a sense of urgency and enthusiasm?
August 21st, 2024 at 9:58 pm
A Toad Bowels Bucs team came out flat? Really. Shocking. The hell you say.
The Big Surprise is coming. WFT expects the comatose Bucs that Bowels is known for. Haha. It’s gonna be different. So well hidden.
August 21st, 2024 at 10:25 pm
I can’t believe we have to endure another Bowles listless underachieving team. How he wasn’t fired after the Houston game is beyond me.
August 22nd, 2024 at 12:31 am
McDaniel intrigues me. Bowles has grown on me. I just pray that Bowles’s defense can win 4-5 games and Coen can win the rest. Go Bucs!
August 22nd, 2024 at 4:46 am
We will be okay. Their coaches personalities may be different, but the players of both respect and love them. Go Bucs!
August 22nd, 2024 at 8:20 am
Bowles is an enigma. You have to give him credit for winning with a camp strapped roster, but man is it ugly. They’ll keep him if he can get us through the next year of cap hell or ditch him if he falters. New coach will inherit a young upcoming team. Tough call for management.
August 22nd, 2024 at 9:03 am
Teams usually mirror the personalities of their coaches. Even though we have a lot of young players, the Bucs are a veteran led team and don’t need that 24 hour rah rah. Like Suh said when Devin White tried to hype him up “I ain’t with all that rah rah sh**! 🤣🤣🤣
August 22nd, 2024 at 10:06 am
I agree with the guy that said Bowles grew on him. I was adamant about getting rid of him and voted so every time Joe put up one of those polls, but he survived, whether I like it or not, and now I think he has gotten better. I don’t know if he’s gotten better enough to win playoff games, but I wouldn’t vote to get rid of him now. Agree or disagree out there?
August 22nd, 2024 at 11:16 am
Rob, I want to agree, but so far in scrimmages and preseason games, the same defects particularly in zone bust pass defense, are showing up. I hope it’s the big smoke screen, but as long as the DBs don’t all know their assignments, the Bucs are super vulnerable and that’s why we see 3rd and 4trillion converted way too often.
The masturmind’s genius does not translate well to those with ordinary football player intellect, it seems.
But let’s hope it’s The Big Surprise coming like a train with WFT in its sites.
August 22nd, 2024 at 1:01 pm
2 joint practices against 2 different teams:
Bucs players and coaches said they came out flat both times.
Sure smells like a preview of what to expect this season in real games.
Cool.