“You Just Put Your Best Play On”
November 5th, 2024
The debate has been ferocious today across national media regarding Todd Bowles’ decision to pass on going for a 2-point conversion last night and possibly taking a one-point lead on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs with 27 seconds to play.
Joe’s hearing Bowles getting blasted by roughly a 3-to-1 margin.
Perhaps the most harsh was NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager, a closet Bucs fan who is very tight with Bucs front office members. Schrager was linking the Bowles decision to a series of criticized choices by the head coach late in games.
“I don’t want to call the decision to go for 1 a loser mentality or a soft mentality, but like, if you say, ‘Go for 2’ and you get on those buses and you didn’t complete the 2-point conversion, you could hold your head up high,” Schrager ranted.
Schrager went on to say “there’s all these Todd Bowles late-game questions … But again, it’s not my job in the balance.”
On the other side of the argument are some ex-players. Retired Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday ranted on BSPN about how “you just put your best play on,” referring to the Bucs’ late touchdown throw to Ryan Miller at the 1 yard line. His logic was that there may not be a strong option on the playsheet remaining and converting a 2-point play isn’t easy.
Joe had to laugh. If Miller was the Bucs’ best option at the goal line, then what the hell is going on? It was smart playcall and well executed; Joe’s point is that Liam Coen has plenty of talent and options in that playbook.
BSPN noted on his Stay In Bed show that the Bucs had a 41.5 percent shot of winning going for the 2-point conversion with 27 seconds remaining in regulation play versus a 42.8 percent chance by attempting the extra point.
So it was a tossup, allegedly.
Longtime BSPN analyst Dan Graziano scoffed at the numbers and wondered if that factored in the Chiefs’ having Patrick Mahomes and his stunning overtime record, the Bucs playing on the road, the weather and Kansas City’s 13-game winning streak.
Joe remains firm thinking Bowles made a mistake.
Why? Bowles had a chance to let his highest-paid players, Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, and superstar left tackle Tristan Wirfs, have a direct hand in winning the game. Instead, he opted to bank on his sinking defense and guys unqualified to be on the field in big moments.
Simple as that, as Lovie Smith would say.
November 5th, 2024 at 4:59 pm
lol what is Saturday smoking. Baker runs a draw and I have little doubt he gets in. He might kill himself in the process but no one was stopping Baker from getting 2 after leading that drive.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:03 pm
If you’re OK with meekly kicking the extra point and playing for OT, you’re a loser who has no feel for the game. No one with an IQ over 50 that has watched this defense this year thought they were going to stop Mahomes in OT. Just gutless, cowarderly, trash.
If you disagree with my take, you’re a bad person.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:09 pm
I thought Bowles should have gone for the two-point conversion, but even if they had made it, they’d just have a one-point lead. If I am remembering this correctly, K.C. had three timeouts and about 25 seconds or so on the clock. All they would have needed was a field goal. Does anyone think that would not have happened?
November 5th, 2024 at 5:10 pm
Joe, you just remain firm in your thinking that he made a mistake. Because he did!! Don’t let those boners at BSPN cloud your thinking! If you do, maybe at the end of the year you will lose your job too and this site will have a new name like “Frankbucsfan.”……get the idea? GO FOR 2!
November 5th, 2024 at 5:11 pm
I agree with moldy locks….
November 5th, 2024 at 5:15 pm
Moldy locks? That is just slanderous. My hair is luxurious and flowing.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:16 pm
The biggest problem with not going for two to win is on Todd’s thinking and decision making. A gassed defense playing poorly for five games versus an aggressive attempt to win. Win or lose from here on out there is no choice but to replace Todd ‘Swiss Cheese defense’ Bowles.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:19 pm
What do you think Dan Campbell would have done??? Lol
Bowles thinking was I can’t destroy my defenses mentally by not trusting them to stop KC. Now he has just done that by letting them prove once again that they are terrible and can’t stop jacksquat
November 5th, 2024 at 5:20 pm
😊🤣
November 5th, 2024 at 5:22 pm
Fire Widdle Todd Bowles. Time for a nappy. The reason we do so poorly late in games is it past his bedtime. He is barely awake during the game. The fact that the Glazers still think he is our best chance to win evidenced by him still being employed. Or they are cheap and want to keep all the green in their greedy little hands.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:23 pm
Betting on your weakest unit is SOFT
Todd Blows is SOFT, his clock mis management on prime time hopefully sinks his HC career
November 5th, 2024 at 5:23 pm
licht and Bowels must go.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:27 pm
Bowles continued misguided stubbornness ( go bananas with your offensive stars when the game is out of hand vs Baltimore vs last night’s give-up slide ) should be a fireable offense. Like Peter Gibbons in Office Space…he does just enough to not get fired. He should need a Niner win to keep his job…losing 4 outta 5 is inexcusable.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Here is the MAIN ISSUE.
The Bucs COULDN’T STOP THE CHIEFS in regulation.
What the HELL would Bowles think He could stop them when it mattered the
Most.
Bowles has BLOWN multiple games as HC this exact way before.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Bucs Defense crumbled in the 4th quarter, matching its collapse this season. There was no expectation of the Defense stopping KC in overtime. Should have put the game in the hands of Mayfield and the Offense, and gone for 2 for the W.
November 5th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
Hindsight is always 20/20 ! Nobody wants to bring up the fact Winfield had two chances back to back to officially win the game ! Todd Bowles did what he needed to do the players didn’t perform
November 5th, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Small chance our D could have been counted on to actually STOP the Chief’s O going into overtime. It’s almost like Bowles thought to himself, “Well, shucks, we shut down PH and KC in the Super Bowl, we can do it again.”
Lame. I’d be happy as a fan to see us be aggressive and if the 2pt try failed, hey at least THEY TRIED and lost. Be aggressive!!!!
November 5th, 2024 at 6:31 pm
That was a no brainer and Toad Bowels remains a complete idiot and probably one of the most incompetent “in game” coaches in the history of the NFL. Moron!
November 5th, 2024 at 8:06 pm
A big reason why the Bucs defense is struggling, is coaching and personal usage.
November 5th, 2024 at 8:24 pm
What’s worse – having no brains or no balls? It was a 50/50 call under ideal circumstances. Bowles knew that but somehow didn’t get that KC had just abused his defense for 2 long grueling drives, wet field, in the rain, against Mahomes and Reid, on the road and already on a 3 game losing streak. All of that just never crossed his mind. Instead, he thought it would be better to take the ball out of the hands of his offense that just bailded his sorry butt out by driving the entire field to give them a chance to win. The coward in him just had to play it “safe”. Going for 2 was the only logical choice. He couldn’t let Coen be the hero. He had to prove his defense could get it done. He couldn’t show the offense the confidence that they could win the game. It’s total stubbornness and cowardice. You have to be fired for this. There will be no playoffs now. Bowles incompetence is responsible for at least 3 of the 5 losses.
Glazers need to start the coach hunt now. Hopefully there is a way to retain Coen. It’s hard to tell if making him head coach is the right move or if you could get him to stay as interim coach. Regardless. Bowles has to go.