Todd Bowles Sticks Up For K.J. Britt
October 26th, 2024
Has the back of beleaguered linebacker.
Usually, Joe doesn’t agree with fans’ choice of the most hated Bucs player each year. Joe doesn’t know why that is but it seems the player Bucs fans hate doesn’t hit the same way for Joe.
Gerald McCoy, Donovan Smith, Luke Goedeke, Robert Hainsey are just a few Bucs who fans decided to throw rocks at to blame for bad games or bad seasons.
Each year it seems there is a new Bucs player to hate on.
This year? Well, Joe is pretty sure the player Bucs fans want run out of town — and the player Joe thinks is playing the worst football — is one and the same. That would be K.J. Britt.
Britt, who has an awesome attitude and work ethic, isn’t getting the job done at inside linebacker. He wasn’t bad when in a rotation. But once the Bucs played Atlanta a few weeks ago, the Dixie Chicks fully exposed how bad Britt is in pass coverage.
And it’s not like he’s blowing up opposing running backs, either. Once SirVocea Dennis got hurt and Britt became a full-time linebacker, teams have been roasting him.
Well, Todd Bowles has had enough of the Britt slander from people, apparently. Yesterday, when asked if he was going to find someone to rotate with Britt to shore up a massive hole in the defense, Bowles had Britt’s back.
“It wasn’t all his fault,” Bowles said of the poor defense Monday night. “I mean, there were a lot of guys that should have been in there doing certain things in that aspect, but we have different packages that we try to use [for] certain games.
“Guys either got nicked up or injured or it just wasn’t the right time to use them but we’re prepared to do a lot of things but it definitely wasn’t all him.”
The Crows, like the Dixie Chicks before them, fully targeted and badly exposed the Bucs’ underbelly in the middle of the field.
That’s where Britt plays.
While Britt may not have received help from safeties on Monday night, it’s obvious he’s not a starting inside linebacker in the NFL. He shouldn’t be on the field in obvious passing downs. He’s just not quick enough.
Sharp offensive coordinators like Todd Monken recognize this and do their best to match up speedy receivers and backs on Britt. And boom goes the dynamite.
Bowles is right to a degree. Britt was getting little help. But that does not or should not cover up the fact that Britt is struggling mightily.
October 26th, 2024 at 12:04 am
Gee, where have we heard this before …
October 26th, 2024 at 12:17 am
Anyone still on the fence about whether this clown should be a defenseless coordinator, let alone head couch, look no further. Bowels is a fire coach squatting.
October 26th, 2024 at 12:32 am
Others screwing up doesn’t excuse him being a season ending sort of extreme liability at a position you can find guys off the street or on the roster to play better than him.
But we don’t make those sort of changes unless it’s a punter. Only injuries force his hand to play better players.
October 26th, 2024 at 12:42 am
Accountability is nonexistent with bowles. If you want to deflect the (rightly deserved) criticism from Britt, you should say something like “we’ve got to coach it better and put him in the best positions to succeed.” Instead, bowles blames it on other, unnamed (to prevent them from facing any accountability either) players on the defense. This is the EXACT same thing he did with Neal last year. Same thing he does when explaining why they play so much zone, “we have *some guys* we just don’t trust in man.” Always a freaking shell game with who’s to blame and how it’s gonna get fixed. Besides his overall poor performance as a coach, I’m just REALLY sick of hearing him talk this banal anodyne coach speak. #FIREbowles
October 26th, 2024 at 12:43 am
Well said Anon! Hit the nail on the head there.
October 26th, 2024 at 12:52 am
We’ll never do much of anything until we get a RELIABLE HEAD COACH A RELIABLE/CONSISTENT GM & OWNERS THAT ACTUALLY CARE. The Glazers mainly care about Manchester United instead.
October 26th, 2024 at 1:06 am
At the end of the day it’s about results for Bowles….he can deflect and redirect blame but his defense with the starter he promoted isn’t getting the job done. Frankly it sounds like Bowles is telling us the entire defense is a problem. That’s not a great look for a defensive HC in his 3rd yr as the shot caller but again, Bowles was never the top choice, he was the default to Arians quitting last minute.
October 26th, 2024 at 1:18 am
Jason Licht was fine with the starting linebackers for 2024. Is there a reason why his brilliance hasn’t yet availed himself to the common knowledge that LVD is old and cannot clean up for a backup player that has no business starting by design in the league?
Please explain how the GM isn’t at fault. Starting linebackers…
October 26th, 2024 at 1:50 am
If you hate the team so much, Tony, why post here? This site is for fans. Go watch pickleball.
October 26th, 2024 at 1:59 am
A flatfooted MLB is part of his plan.
October 26th, 2024 at 2:14 am
“It wasn’t all his fault” isn’t exactly sticking up for Britt. It’s worse what it says about JJ Russell because as bad as Britt plays he still can barely get on the field.
October 26th, 2024 at 2:26 am
Need Kupp, Jason….theyre just making it harder cause he had a great game….thats why i said jump to the front of the line with a 2nd.
This is now! Probably our last chance for 3 years to get close.
October 26th, 2024 at 2:44 am
This might have already been talked about and I missed it, but did anybody notice it was Britt that caused the concussion for Tykee Smith? Winfield was head on with the tackle and Tykee was on his side nowhere near helmet contact and here comes Britt from the side and just wrecked Tykee Smith from behind. This guy is a true sore thumb on this team and doesn’t have the smarts to even know HOW to tackle. You don’t blow up your own guy to help make a tackle, injuring him in the process. The guy was already going down.
October 26th, 2024 at 2:49 am
with britt being the lowest rated LB in the nfl, you gotta rotate him in and out just to keep opponents on their toes…so they can’t just settle in on abusing him…he’s a gluten for punishment out there…
if coach doesn’t make the move, it might just cost him his job…
unless he’s proud of being the 31st best defense in the nfl…
maybe he forgot there are only 32 teams or something…
at least rotate to deviate
October 26th, 2024 at 2:58 am
Also maybe I missed an article but Roquan Smith was only fined $16,000 for an illegal hip drop tackle that ended Godwin’s season. Ridiculous. You can see him get up and walk away while Godwin is in serious pain. That guy is a thug and he knew EXACTLY what he was doing on that tackle.
This is why as good as Baltimore is, I still don’t think they win it all. Whether you believe in Karma or reaping what you sow, this team will get theirs.
October 26th, 2024 at 3:18 am
^^^
saw that too…quite the deal to knock an app pro type player out for the season and change a team’s trajectory for an entire season
——————-
also on another note, coach might just be trying to tweak things now, and if he can’t solve issues in the next few weeks, some big changes could take place during the bye week – with the extra time to switch things up before coming back to play
October 26th, 2024 at 3:19 am
an all pro type player ***
October 26th, 2024 at 6:13 am
It’s blind stubbornness. The lack of accountability is the source of the total breakdown in discipline. None of the players are excelling. They’re all playing out of position covering for the incompetent. Hero ball instead of team ball. There is no excuse for the wide open middle of the field. If ot is not Britt’s fault then it is your fault Todd. What is the plan to fix it? We’re waiting.
October 26th, 2024 at 6:14 am
Respect to TB for always standing up for his players. He realizes Britt shouldn’t be out there all the time.
October 26th, 2024 at 6:52 am
They need a rule change ASAP. That dirty play by dirty Roquan Smith resulted in a measly 16000 dollar fine. Pffffft. How about if a player causes severe injury using dirty tackles resulting in severe injury and/or injured reserve, the said player is fined and suspended a like amount of time. $16,000.00 is a buck and a half to NFL players.
October 26th, 2024 at 6:55 am
Well if it’s not all his fault then maybe simplify the packages and play a package that will not hang him out to dry ,,, we always talk about how newer OCs are more creative ,, maybe Todd needs to be more creative ,,, In his mind we can still win Sunday
October 26th, 2024 at 6:56 am
@CrickettBaker
I don’t hate the team at all. I have season tickets. You can have the pickleball.
October 26th, 2024 at 6:58 am
Bowels said the same thing about Ryan Neal last year….. Koetter defended Mike Smith before the brains at One Buc Place forced Koetter to launch the loafer. It sounds like he will stubbornly run Britt out there and the Bucs will be 4-6 into the bye and then they will probably win a few games against tanking programs like Carolina, the Giants and the Saints to win 7 or 8 games total. How much you bet Bowels will go to the injury card for sympathy when it was his own ineptitude and arrogance which has made this defense a laughing stock? The guy has zero accountability except for the punter….. I want the Bucs to win but in reality it might be better if they crater so that the Glazers will have no choice but to fire Turtle Todd. JMHO….
October 26th, 2024 at 7:00 am
@CrickettBaker
I sit right behind the opposing team facing Dale Mabry, Steinbrenner Field & the airport.
October 26th, 2024 at 7:09 am
If the Bucs stick with Britt starting, then they are not serious about winning.
October 26th, 2024 at 7:22 am
This is a talented roster. There are holes. That’s true on every team.
Can’t throw in the towel on the season because two elite players, probably the two best, get hurt. Just need guys who have the opportunity to themselves become elite to rise to the occasion.
Bowles will fix the Defense.
October 26th, 2024 at 7:27 am
There’s the tell. “it wasn’t ALL his fault” Ok, so that says some of it, and I would add much of it, WAS his fault. He’s just not that good. His biggest liability is the absence of quickness. LB will be a top priority in next year’s draft.
October 26th, 2024 at 7:33 am
Chuckie!
October 26th, 2024 at 7:49 am
With Greg Gaines & Tykee Smith both out for Sunday’s game, our defense is in an even more precarious position against the Falcons. As crazy as it sounds, Bucs might be better off transitioning to a 4-3 defense for this game.
On his best day, Vea only gives us about 60% of the def snaps. Without a true 2nd NT, we’ll end up using another DT like just activated Earnest Brown (300 lbs) or CJ Brewer (293 lbs) as our other NT. Rounding out our awesome DLine will be Kancey (280 lbs), Hall (283 lbs) & Gholston (281 lbs). Atlanta has a very good starting OLine, and it’s asking a lot of our a 3-man front like ours (as light as it is) to control the gaps, much less get any interior pressure on Cousins.
MAYBE a 4-man front would help (we play a lot of that anyways it seems). And MAYBE using a 3rd LB (Russell or Grier) would also help defend the run and also better defend the middle of the field against the short passing game (depending upon how well they play of course). If nothing else, it’d give Atlanta a different look (for awhile) to contend with.
October 26th, 2024 at 8:07 am
@ D.R…. I always look for your posts. Appreciate your well defined and articulated thoughts, thanks.
October 26th, 2024 at 8:19 am
@D.R.
Agree as well, always look for your posts. You put a great deal of work providing useful info rather than just teeing off on players or coaches..
I agree that a different look may throw Atlanta off.
October 26th, 2024 at 8:30 am
its like were playing wiht ten guys,
same w the offense they have one more guy against us now that they dont have to worry about ME
October 26th, 2024 at 9:10 am
Billy Bucco
You’re right bro.
The ravens are a nasty, dirty team. They have no honor.
They will never win it all.
October 26th, 2024 at 9:16 am
At least try the backup
October 26th, 2024 at 9:23 am
He’s too slow to make changes. It will sink the season
October 26th, 2024 at 9:35 am
The problem is licht not addressing the position in the draft Mr I need a non blocking tight end who useless to the offense. Knowing lvd is 31 did they think he has speed as well because he’s using his experience now he’s not a speed guy anymore he’s intelligent.
This coaching staff is horrible at evaluating if not they would have drafted a linebacker and based on the saints game center position wasn’t the first need
October 26th, 2024 at 9:53 am
BucaneroJim & Cottleville Buc … When Todd Bowles brought in George Edwards prior to last season, I was convinced that TB was looking to modify his defensive scheme. Edwards has an outstanding resume IMO as both a Linebackers coach and as a Defensive Coordinator (had great success as Vikings DC under Mike Zimmer … 5 straight years in the Top-10 defenses). But his background is exclusively in the 4-3 defense, and I thought maybe Bowles wanted to transition to more of that. Hasn’t worked out that way, yet.
But over the past few years our 2 ILBs have been a strength of this defense (regardless of what some thing of Devin White). This year? Not-so-much; ILB is probably our biggest weakness. Was thinking that MAYBE going to 3 LBs instead of 2 might strengthen both our run defense and our short middle pass defense. And using 4 DLinemen might help with gap control (we’re allowing far too many explosive run plays, and I think that’s indicative of both poor tackling and losing gap control).
It’s anyone’s guess right now though what’ll actually improve this defense. Looks to me like the personnel don’t match up well at all with what Bowles has historically tried to do. And adjusting to that doesn’t just call for tweaking blitzing schemes and the like. It’s a much more fundamental problem & fixing it will require more than just ‘tweaks’.
October 26th, 2024 at 10:03 am
PSL Bob … ‘There’s the tell. “it wasn’t ALL his fault”. Ok, so that says some of it, and I would add much of it, WAS his fault.’
Was thinking the same thing when I first read it Bob, but then had to ask ‘What was Bowles supposed to say? That Britt is the best MLB in the NFL? Or that he’s playing like dogmeat and we’re totally screwed?’
It’s called ‘Being put in a no-win situation’. It really didn’t matter what answer Bowles gave, it wasn’t gonna be what the media wanted to hear regardless of what he said. Britt is the scapegoat-du-jour and defending him to fans & media only digs the hole deeper.
October 26th, 2024 at 10:14 am
I want him fired today now… KJ Britt IS THE PROBLEM…
October 26th, 2024 at 10:15 am
It is true that Britt wasn’t getting much needed help in the Middle of the field. Whose fault is that!? Player, coach, or GM? Devin White was picked #1 in 2019 for a reason….he’s gone, and little to nothing has been done to mind that gap. Other than a 5th rd pick last year, who apparently had a known shoulder issue (Dennis).
Meanwhile, Todd is so enamored with secondary players that he seems to ignore the guys, or need for guys, in front of them. We continue to pay/overpay for DBs (CD3, Dean, Winfield) and make stsrs on the team play for their dinner (LVD, Evans, Godwin). Look, I know Winfield stole a couple of games for us on a few, freak….err, hustle, plays, but I’d rather have some high priced meat in front of him at all LB positions to avoid relying on those freak plays. Let’s face it, these 5th/6th rd LBs that Todd seems to lack any aptitude to develop are not getting it done.
October 26th, 2024 at 10:26 am
the problem is the defensive play calling. Should be interesting next year when liam coan becomes head coach. Who will he hire as defensive coordinator?
October 26th, 2024 at 10:32 am
This is the problem in a nut shell. Bowles has no problem cutting a punter who was playing no where as bad as Britt. But keeps running out the worst rated linebacker in the whole league. Stop sticking your head in the sand and wake up and put in somebody else. We need to trade for a veteran inside linebacker to stabilize the middle of the field. It’s not rocket science, a blind man could see it.
October 26th, 2024 at 11:10 am
He’s not wrong, but those other players at least contribute. It’s almost as if Britt is working for the enemy and intentionally trying to sabotage the team… that’s how bad his play has been. The thought that Bowles is never going to be more than a .500 coach keeps creeping into my mind. This decision to make sure Britts feelings and ego are tucked in at night is becoming more suspect every week.
October 26th, 2024 at 11:55 am
Any way you slice it, Todd is a fired coach squatting. He’s proven he can lose over his career . He’s proven he can lose with Tom Brady, the only coach in history going back to pee wee football to ever do that. He’s renowned for defense, but a cursory look at performance tells anybody that he’s been one of the worst defensive coaches in the league over the last couple years. Long winded candy cane fans look to his points allowed stats. Guess what? His offenses were so bad other teams didn’t need to score many points to beat the Bloweszo. He’s close to worst in yards allowed. The trend is way in the wrong direction.
Now that he miraculously realized it’s 2024 and offense rules, he got us a coordinator. But now his defense is exposed, predictable even in its stupid unpredictability. Drop your pass rushers and rush your DBs, meanwhile put a corpse out there at MLB every down.
Jason knows. Raheehaw lost his last 10 and got fired. Blowes has the chance to eclipse that and lose his last 11.
It can and will happen if someone doesn’t force him to change his stupid genius defense. Chronic busts and missed tackles are coaching flaws. This is fact.
Done.
October 26th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
I think the move is to use three safeties. Whitehead and Winfield can thump runners
October 26th, 2024 at 5:26 pm
If he bails on Britt, it means he was completely wrong to run off White – and that’s all Bowles cares about here, not having to admit he’s an idiot and made a terrible decision. So instead of fixing the issue, he just doubles down again and again.
October 26th, 2024 at 5:35 pm
completely true rod…
yet DW is out there blowing in the wind…
and galloping around on horsies because he’s a self anointed unicorn
#DWtheUnicorn
October 26th, 2024 at 8:46 pm
Defense Rules: interesting fact. In the loss to Cleveland when the Bucs were up 17-10 Vea was not on the field, he was on the pine when the Browns converted on 4th down and got the tying TD that led to Turtle Todd to muzzle TB12 and let the Browns win in OT. People call Vea an elite player, but it is idiotic to say that when the guy can only play about 40 snaps top. I agree with the other poster about your logical reasoning. Myself, I wear my heart on my sleeve so while I might seem to be overly critical of Bowels it is for a reason. He is acting like Byron Leftwich in that he is arrogantly allowing the team to lose because he will not admit he is wrong. Bench Britt and perhaps I will change my view of the guy but we know that will not happen……. Bowels is not accountable, makes excuses about lack of execution when his schemes are why the Bucs’ D has been boat-raced..
October 26th, 2024 at 11:43 pm
The fact he LET Todd Monken walk and hired Dave Cornballes instead says a whole lot about him as well especially how well he did with us a couple years ago and then with the Ravens offense now. I think Mayfield would’ve had an even better season last year if he had been out OC and this year would be even better. Too bad we stuck with the commode