“We Don’t Have 90 Guys To Play”
September 30th, 2024
Giving players snaps off.
A very interesting point was brought up to Bucs coach Todd Bowles today in his day-after presser.
Bowles was asked, with the Bucs up comfortably in the fourth quarter and knowing the Bucs had another game four days later, why didn’t he rotate guys more late in the game or just pull guys to end their day and save them wear and tear so they have extra gas in the tank for the Dixie Chicks on Thursday night.
Bowles, basically said, a team can’t afford to do so. Bowles made a reference to college football rosters that allow coaches an opportunity to rest players more.
“We don’t have 90 guys [like college rosters] to play and a 17-point lead in the NFL can go quickly,” Bowles said. “So you are really not up by that much.
“You still have to take care of the ball and you have to finish the game.”
Despite being clearly outplayed in the first half, early in the third quarter the Eagles made the score a 10-point Bucs cushion. So Bowles deemed making sure the Bucs ended the day with a win a much higher priority than giving some starters snaps off to prepare for Thursday night.
Besides, Atlanta was fighting tooth and nail right down to the final play to polish off the slimy Saints. So in that respect, the Dixie Chicks likely burned more energy than the Bucs.
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September 30th, 2024 at 2:12 pm
Dave Pear and Rod are going to love that quote from Bowles.
September 30th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
@ATL
@AINTS
Ravens
ATL
Chief/Refs
49ers
Need 3 wins in this stretch MINIMUM to position themselves for the final 7 games which are not as daunting
September 30th, 2024 at 2:29 pm
3-3 or maybe even 4-2 over that stretch would be fantastic. I fear that is not going to happen though.
September 30th, 2024 at 2:30 pm
After the Atlanta Falcons blew that 28-3 lead to New England in the Super Bowl, it seems sensible for teams to play until the final whistle
Instead of trying to sit on a lead, or rest players
September 30th, 2024 at 2:32 pm
Agreed First Name Greatest. Haha love that you put the refs in there beside the Chiefs.
I’d like to see 6-0 haha, 4-2 would be incredible if the losses were to Ravens and Chiefs.
3-3 is certainly doable and if it happens hopefully it’s a ATL split, win at NO and a win vs SF. Keep the NFC wins coming.
September 30th, 2024 at 2:37 pm
Over the next 6 games:
3-3 is the minimum acceptable floor
4-2 would be fantastic
5-1 should be the lofty expectations goal
6-0 is the mindset for greatness
September 30th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Honestly this is a reason that I don’t understand why NFLPA doesn’t ask for a larger roster in exchange for the owners wanting not only more games but also the international ones. The entire roster should be expanded along with the game day roster.
September 30th, 2024 at 2:49 pm
Bowles has done an excellent job coaching this season with some definite adversity to overcome.
September 30th, 2024 at 2:57 pm
Joe, on an unrelated note I learned that Lavonte David has passed both Ronde Barber and Brian Urlacher in career solo tackles on Sunday.
September 30th, 2024 at 3:08 pm
Have to agree with expanding rosters , teams need more backups
September 30th, 2024 at 3:12 pm
D-Rome Says:
Joe, on an unrelated note I learned that Lavonte David has passed both Ronde Barber and Brian Urlacher in career solo tackles on Sunday.
^^^^^^^^^
I LIKE IT. Here’s two for you:
Mike Evans passed Antonio Gates in Rec Yards last game. He’ll pass Michael Irvin and possibly Hines Ward next game.
PLUS, Mike is only 3 TD away from the VERY ELITE 100 Rec TD club.
September 30th, 2024 at 3:25 pm
Chiefs and Niners have become very average teams, eminently beatable for us
September 30th, 2024 at 3:35 pm
Next time the NFL & the Players Union discuss the next contract the players need to insist on a 60 man roster and all 60 are eligible on game day
September 30th, 2024 at 3:59 pm
If we get Kancey, Winfield and Goedeke back we will run through them all!!
September 30th, 2024 at 4:15 pm
I actually love Todd’s answer there. heck the Packers were down 28-0 to the Vikings and almost came back and won it. The Bucs were up by 21 points against the Bills in 2021, they came back to tie it and send it into overtime.
Todd stayed aggressive and if anything got more aggressive without going cover zero crazy. I stand and applaud, after a regression to the dark ages against the Broncos, this was a huge step in Todd’s evolution.
Keep it up.
September 30th, 2024 at 4:55 pm
I agree Beej and about expanding rosters.
Ravens look to be the most dangerous team we will face coming up and I am basing that off team speed. Lamar, Henry, Hill, Flowers, Agholor plus their TEs. That’s nightmare fuel for KJ Britt and some of our DBs, who if they have the speed don’t have the tackling … talking about you Jamel Dean.
September 30th, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Need Winfield and Kancy back.asap! Next 6 games are brutal.
September 30th, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Man we can’t catch a break with injuries another man down get well SVD he was really coming on too. People need to stop lookin down the road at games and take it a game at time cause you don’t know who we be avaliable to play from week to week.
September 30th, 2024 at 5:12 pm
Agree about expanding the rosters. Hopefully, we’ll heal up before this next run of tough games. Any update on Winfield, Kancey, and Goedeke?
September 30th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
Bowles shoots…Bowles Scores
September 30th, 2024 at 7:35 pm
The NFL only talks about player safety. How about letting all 53 dress for the game instead of just 46? How about expanding the rosters to 60 players instead of 53? Tell you why, it would cost more money. God forbid the owners profit margain should suffer if you had to pay more players. I don’t get the only 46 can dress rule. It should be a safety issue.
September 30th, 2024 at 7:36 pm
Expanding rosters yes; sitting players no! Florida State sat all their players for the playoffs because they felt cheated. In real life that doesn’t exist and it shouldn’t it football either.
September 30th, 2024 at 7:38 pm
They should allow more flexibility in utilizing the practice squad and add about 5 more players to it since they increased the number of games and barely have an offseason to practice
September 30th, 2024 at 8:09 pm
A Bucs Fan Says:
September 30th, 2024 at 2:12 pm
Dave Pear and Rod are going to love that quote from Bowles.
——–
Why? I hate when you start pulling guys early and let off the gas.
September 30th, 2024 at 9:55 pm
Looking at our injury report for thurs game. It looks bad. ATl will be ready. Hope we can pull it off.
September 30th, 2024 at 10:28 pm
Rod
I think that’s their point. You hate pulling guys and so you must have been happy with Bowles strategy yesterday.
It answered some questions for me. I’m for wrapping up the game before pulling too many guys and I concede “wrapping up” can be a subjective thing. I agree with the offensive strategy that I know you too support but I must admit I wasn’t that excited to see Vita on the field with less than 5 to go. Fun to watch him get a chance to rush from the edge and just slap his man out of his way but perhaps his knee is not as bad as I feared.
September 30th, 2024 at 10:55 pm
90 man roster is college, not preseason. College rosters have 99.
September 30th, 2024 at 10:55 pm
90 man roster is preseason, not college.
October 1st, 2024 at 2:27 am
I did find myself wondering if he would pull a few starters late. Mayfield, Evans, Godwin, Vea, Wirfs, LVD maybe. Fleagles were obviously still trying to get back into it though. Another late Bucs TD would have seen it me thinks.
Go Bucs!