Super Bowl Win A Distant Memory For Todd Bowles
November 4th, 2024
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
February 2021 may as well have been 1991, Todd Bowles’ lone season as an NFL player not playing for Washington (he started for San Francisco).
It was a long time ago.
So when Bowles was asked last week about maybe his finest hour as a coach, nearly shutting out the mighty Chiefs as the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Bowles feigned memory loss.
“Honestly, that was so long ago,” Bowles said. “When you retire, you don’t forget [the Super Bowl], but when you’re trying to win a game, you forget it. I’ve forgotten that part.”
Yes, the Bucs are trying to win a game to stop the bleeding. The Bucs have lost three of their last four games. The quest for a four-peat NFC South title appears gone. And the Bucs need wins to keep up with teams in the NFC North in order to get a wild card berth.
The thing that drives Joe nuts is the lessons from beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl seem fully lost.
The Bucs won largely due to a relentless edge rush from Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. Those two guys mauled Pat Mahomes that night.
One would think Bowles would have remembered that. If he doesn’t remember, then someone should show him a cutup of that game with Shaq and JPP going nuts.
Looks may be deceiving, but does this team and this coaching staff appear to value an edge rush? In his spoken words, Bowles doesn’t seem worried.
What has the team done to bring a proven veteran in from the outside? Sir SmokeALot Randy Gregory doesn’t count. Sure ,they’ve drafted guys and then decided to bank on hope that Kacy Rodgers and Bowles can develop them.
Please, see for yourself: Go look at the years Bowles was with the Cardinals, Arizona, the Jets and the Bucs. Name a quality Pro Bowl edge rusher Bowles and/or Rodgers drafted and developed.
Joe cannot think of a good defense that doesn’t have an edge rush. Want proof? Go watch the tape of the Bucs beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
A defense that Bowles himself molded. A defense that actually had an edge rush.
Joe wishes Bowles remembered that glorious, humid February night in Tampa.
November 4th, 2024 at 3:53 am
Same, Joe, same. Took the words out of my fingers. I sure wish he remembered the pass rush too.
November 4th, 2024 at 4:42 am
It’s funny how fans remember different things about different games Joe. To you, Shaq & JPP seem to get the credit; no one else even got a mention. And yet in that game, Shaq got 1 sack but JPP got 0 sacks. Suh got 1.5 sacks & Cam Gill got the other half a sack.
I know that ‘pressures’ don’t count in your world, but it was those ‘pressures’ that kept Mahomes running for his life (he got sacked 3 times in his 75 offensive snaps). So who kept the ‘pressure’ on? Was it Shaq & JPP? To a degree, yes. But the ‘interior’ pass rush accomplished just as much.
o Shaq: 6 pressures (including 1 sack)
o Suh: 4 pressures (including 1.5 sack)
o JPP: 2 pressures (0 sacks)
o Vea: 2 pressures (0 sacks)
o Nelson: 2 pressures (0 sacks)
o McLendon: 2 pressures (0 sacks)
o Gholston: 2 pressures (0 sacks)
o Gill: 1 pressure (including 0.5 sacks)
So in his 75 offensive snaps (that included only 17 rushes), Mahomes got sacked 3 times but was ‘pressured’ an additional 20 times (knockdowns, hurries). On the day he threw 49 times with 26 complete (53%); his career average is 66.7%. Hmmm, maybe ‘pressures’ do have an impact afterall.
November 4th, 2024 at 5:00 am
cam gill poached by cantalopes 🙁
November 4th, 2024 at 5:04 am
I know we desperately need an edge rusher, but at what point are we allowed to ask when YaYa is going to show up this year?
November 4th, 2024 at 5:45 am
This is a sign of poor coaching. Bowles have been wishing on a wing n a prayer that JTS will be the next JPP, well, “IT AINT HAPPENING”. The guy is a bust, get over it Bowles n stop with the ifs,ands, n buts about this guy. Good coaches n GM would’ve made an all pro trade with this guy a few years ago for a top notch defensive end. Quit thinking u can turn this guy into a JPP, he is who we thought he was after year one in the league, a zebra don’t change its stripes. JTS is not nfl material, the league is too big for him mentally n physically. Why can’t the coaches see that. The same was thought about OJ Howard for years but they thought he would be the next Gronk. He too didn’t have what it takes mentally n physically. Players with physical attributes without the mental aspect to compliment those other attributes don’t mean a hill of beans. They are just players who can run fast or jump high. I still disagree with us getting rid of Carlton Davis. We should’ve gotten rid of soft, passive, fragile, timid, lackadaisical, Jamel Dean. Can one imagine what Sean Payton would’ve done with this team had he taken over after BA left.
Players who lacks
November 4th, 2024 at 5:46 am
Distant indeed. And lest we forget the road to the ring included facing weakened opponents with injury plagued o-lines in the Pack & Chiefs.
A stud edge rusher would certainly help, but it’s not the panacea. Bowles himself needs to rethink his design. He needs to start thinking outside of the box. His D consistently buckles when you need it most. Change it up Todd, or you’re toast.
November 4th, 2024 at 6:10 am
if you add a beastly pass rusher then yaya becomes a legit 2nd guy off the edge…
but currently with the lame pass rush we offer up to the league, yaya is like a 2-3…he’s like a 2.5 lol…
it’s almost like we don’t have a #1 and #2 guy right now…then there’s yaya, nelly, etc…….it’s a real issue
November 4th, 2024 at 6:12 am
coach is a very seasoned defensive mind…not a creative defensive mind…there is a huge difference
November 4th, 2024 at 6:16 am
JPP JTS
Suh Kancey
Vea Vea
Gholston Gholston
Shaq Diaby
Everybody that agrees we have the talent playing for us now raise that we had in the Super Bowl raise their hands.
November 4th, 2024 at 6:50 am
This is really a matchup between Reid and Bowles……no different than Payton vs Bowles. You can roll out a rookie QB and those offensive minds will out scheme Bowles. Reid and Payton put together game plans that their players can execute, Bowles is just throwing mud against the wall hoping something sticks via blitzing.
I don’t think this game will be close….we’re less talented on offense and the defense looks terrible.
November 4th, 2024 at 6:55 am
Gunna take more than just one pass rusher. JOE I agree we need a proven guy but I don’t think just one proven edge rusher is going to save this defense. It will help for sure but we really need 2 then a middle LB and another CB.
November 4th, 2024 at 7:03 am
Honestly I think my biggest concern about the organization is that apparently the plan this summer was we are going to roll with a 2nd year LB who barely played and has a shoulder we know could go out any moment (they said they knew it was an issue).
If anything goes wrong with the plan, we really don’t have any answers.
I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy guy, but some of these moves or lack of moves by Jason almost fall into the “giving Todd enough rope” category
November 4th, 2024 at 7:22 am
You want a GOOD pass rusher like Aidan Hutchinson, you won’t find him in the second round (likely, anyway) That dude was a #2 overall
November 4th, 2024 at 7:25 am
An edge rush would be nice to have so would a secondary that could cover. To be a good defense pass rush needs to work together with good coverage, the Bucs have neither. We have some new young coaches on offense that show promise, we don’t have that on defense. We have the same old coaches, including the head man who won’t change a thing. The Buc defense under Bowles has been figured out. Expect Kelce, and the Chiefs to have a big day with Bowles having no answers tonight. Hopefully the Glazers will have the right answer at seasons end.
November 4th, 2024 at 8:53 am
The NFL will always be a: “What have you done for me lately league?”
November 4th, 2024 at 8:56 am
When Bill Parcells & Bill Belicheck used the 3-4 defense in the late 80’s & early 90’s to win 2 Super Bowls with the Giants, their “big blue wrecking crew” as it was known used big strong linebackers and defensive linemen to stifle teams and their offensive attack. Size & talent really did matter; having players like Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor really does make a difference. Bucs don’t have that.
Bucs have ‘modified’ the 3-4 defense so much that it’s now often hard to recognize. The 3-4 has always had its ‘limitations’. For instance, when the offense uses 2 receivers on both sides, that necessitates the OLBs get involved in coverage. When this happens, the 3-4 defense will only have a 5 man box. That’s problematic, because the offense has 5 blockers, plus the back who’s running the ball. Someone on the defense has to beat their man, or the offense has the advantage. Also, the more spread out the 3-4 defense becomes, the easier it is to run the ball against it. A light 5 man box can become problematic, and leaves the 3-4 defense vulnerable. Bucs have ‘been there, done that’.
November 4th, 2024 at 8:59 am
For those of you thinking that just because licht will go out next year and get a pass rusher just because he has separate cap space think again. He’s still going to bargain shop and hope he finds a guy like Shaq. Dude really thinks these bull rushers he drafting on the edge are going to develop
November 4th, 2024 at 8:59 am
Weren’t the Chiefs dealing with injuries along the offensive line during that game? Seems like a long time ago.
November 4th, 2024 at 9:58 am
It’s called ego. Some coaches believe their scheme is more important than the players or certain positions.
November 4th, 2024 at 10:31 am
Again, this fiasco is on BOTH Bowles AND Licht. Licht drafts and recruits and has failed miserably at both on finding edge rush help outside of JPP and Shaq which is eons ago (remember Joe, this is a what have you done for me lately league). On Bowles for his inability to coach and mentor these edge rusher.
Why does Licht get a hall pass after year 2 of Brady? With Bowles being the new HC, has Licht not been on the same page as Bowles on player personnel based on Bowles coaching style? Would be nice to have an objective evaluation based on recency and national grades like PFF (not pen and pal skewed PoVs).
November 4th, 2024 at 10:49 am
If the Glazers are smart, They are already searching for a new HC with the provision of keeping Cohen as the OC. I just don’t have faith we get to a Superbowl with Bowles. 9-8 is his best with our team. He may even get that this year. But not good enough.
November 4th, 2024 at 11:23 am
Defense Rules spelled it out. It isn’t just edge rush (the position once called defensive end until some agent made it a specialty). Suh was a force NEXT to young force Vita Vea. JPP and Shaq couldn’t be doubled. It takes an entire d-line.
AND you had Brady on the other side. The Chiefs knew they had to score to keep up.
Teams win Super Bowls, not single positions. It is ancient history because this team is fading.
November 4th, 2024 at 11:41 am
This statement by Todd really rose my hackles, too. Could he really not care to review that game? Sure it had different players but so what? We held KC to zero touchdowns! Surely there was something to learn from at least looking at that game! arrgh!
November 4th, 2024 at 1:22 pm
Licht too! Without Brady I doubt Licht is even here.
They both are living off of 5 years ago.
Time for change.
November 4th, 2024 at 3:57 pm
That Super Bowl team had Future Hall of Famers on defense, like JPP, Suh, Vea, David and maybe Winfield one day. Ot had a pass rush that came from the defensive line. That’s what we are lacking consistently right now. I don’t see that coming back this season either.