Pro Bowl Safety, Ex-QB Blast Bucs’ Defensive Plan
December 23rd, 2024
A couple of heavy hitters in NFL media had quite an exchange as they ganged up on Buccaneers defensive guru head coach Todd Bowles.
Thirteen years as a New England safety, with Pro Bowls and Super Bowl rings to his name, makes Devin McCourty qualified to assess defense, and he doesn’t like or fully understand what Bowles has been doing with his.
That was his firm message on NBC’s Unbuttoned podcast with former Bucs QB Chris Simms.
McCourty said Bowles is not all about adjustments and crafting defenses to an opponent like Bill Belicheat was. And McCourty isn’t a fan.
Simms got after Bowles in a hurry blasting the Tampa Bay defense with foul language. Joe will pick it up after that.
Chris Simms: … The defense and Cooper Rush and this Cowboys offense isn’t supposed to get 311 yards on you if you’re a playoff football team and you expect to win playoff football games. … How many five-man fronts? They were playing defense like they were playing Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman back in the day. Like Larry Allen might pull and they’re going to smash it. No! [The Cowboys’] run game has been good as of late, but I’d be more worried about fu**’n Cooper Rush and Cee Dee Lamb. … All they do is design offense around Cee Dee Lamb.
Devin McCourty: Heavy Cee Dee Lamb.
Simms: They let him be man-to-man all game long and all they do is design offense for Cee Dee Lamb and of course he torched [the Bucs]. And that was a big part of it. I do no trust the Bucs defense.
McCourty: I am extremely biased to the type of system I played in New England, a defense that is multiple and that will adjust to the team they’re playing against. When you play defense, to me, it’s about the opponent. Who are you playing? Like I don’t want to come in and say, ‘Man, we’re the best team against the run and we’re playing the [worst running team] and we’re going to stop the run.’ … If we’re the best team against the run, we should stop the run; let’s stop what they do well. And in the football world, we know Tampa Bay and Todd Bowles and his defense, we used to call it, ‘They’re a do-what-they-do team.’ Like what they do week in and week out, they’re going to match up a little bit to what you do. But for the most part, ‘Our defense is good. We have the players that fit it. We’re going to do what we do.’
McCourty went on to lecture about how Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum is not as good as departed Carlton Davis and Bowles hasn’t adjusted accordingly. He said it’s clear teams target McCollum significantly more than Jamel Dean.
“To me they haven’t really adjusted to, ‘Hey, we have a pretty good front-7. We gotta make these guys do some hard stuff. Play with a light box,” McCourty ranted.
In short, McCourty thinks Bowles puts his secondary “in too many vulnerable positions.”
Simms seemed in disbelief how Bowles asks edge rusher YaYa Diaby to cover slants and drop out of a five-man rush.
Simms also dropped another F-bomb about how Bowles loads up a run-defense box to much when he doesn’t need to.
“You don’t need to go all-in on the run [defense,]” Simms said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Todd Bowles adjust other than the damn Super Bowl against Mahomes.”
Now Joe could poke a couple of holes in what Simms and McCourty are saying, but the broader point is the growing lack of respect for the Bucs defense and how that message is being trumpeted to the masses.
Not a good look for the head coach.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:03 pm
This is how I’ve felt about his system the whole time! It’s all about his system. He needs pro bowlers and all pros on every level inorder for it to work.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:08 pm
They’re right in that Bowles does not adjust his defensive scheme to the opponent. He just does what he does. It’s like trying to shove a square into a round hole. If the Bucs miss out on the playoffs, it will be because of Bowles’ stubbornness to adapt. It’s a good thing he isn’t a Ukrainian general.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:11 pm
Sure, Bowles’ defenses may have some foibles, but it’s worth putting up with them in order to get his sterling clock management!!
I’m almost certain that the Bucs lose to the Panthers, the Bucs miss the playoffs, and Bowles gets launched. Possibly (hopefully?) for Coen.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:12 pm
Unfortunately, for 2024 “it is what it is”. The offense has clearly benefited from a fresh coaching staff, focused on improvement. The defense is stagnant, the overall game management is awful. There’s a lot of youth (promising for the future), but also inexperience and uneven (and often awful) performances.
Even if the Bucs win out and get some help to win the Division, after three years it is hard to imagine that things will improve much next year with Bowles as coach.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:13 pm
Its obvious our defensive coaching has sucked for years, we have no dogs on D other than lvd vita n winfield, everyone else are JAGs, yaya n kancey have potential but just as easily become jts/logan level players, its all coaching, we have the athletes to compete
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:16 pm
The Emperor has No Clothes!
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:19 pm
HC Liam Coen
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:25 pm
Jason’s unwillingness to sign an edge rusher coupled with his inability to draft one, has created massive problems for years. You end up having vita vea dropping into pass coverage and lvd blitzing all the time. Just dumb.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:26 pm
The Bucs don’t control their own destiny and Todd Bowles also doesn’t control his.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Bowles is and will always be a mediocre head coach. Period. If we want to win the big one again, he has got to go.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Bubby… Jason did try/ sign a edge rusher
The guy never showed up and has not been scene since .
Cap hangover from the last SB and The GOAT
Not making excuses for the mindset of the team this year that sheet the bed 3 times this year.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:35 pm
They must have missed the multiple times Vea dropped back in coverage. Who’s he supposed to be covering??? I would put money on the Bucs losing 1 more game before the end of the year. Both teams would love to knock us out of the playoffs.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:41 pm
We FINALLY get a true franchise QB and an OC that pairs well with him. We finally develop a run game with a budding star RB. We for years and years had no OL and now we have a very good one. We now have an established GM that has proven himself. The salary cap will be in good shape. We have a good kicker. These are some of the positives.
Now the negatives; CG14 may never be the same and it should not have happened. That’s enough. The list is too long.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:43 pm
@Joe
Please stop referring to Bowles as a head coach.
He’s nothing of the sort.
Just a guy that was handed his spot through back door tactics.
No one was clamoring for his services as a HC in the NFL.
The guy looked happy as a clam on the sidelines once the game was over.
Same way we all will be once he’s gone.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:49 pm
Joe’s I’ve asked you repeatedly to drop the “guru” moniker from Todd Bowles list of nick names. He’s just another guy coaching a below average defense…again.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:50 pm
These two are just noticing this? Joe Buc fans have been saying it for years. If we stick to our fundamentals all will be fine. Out coached again in primetime. Hope the Glazers are as sick of it as the fans.
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:51 pm
Bowels is bad at game management.
Bowels is bad at preparing his team to play big games.
Bowels is bad at coaching a defense to do anything but stop the run.
I wish we could put Bowels across the table from the two Bob’s from Office Space and ask him “What would you say you do here?”
December 23rd, 2024 at 5:54 pm
Bowles is so enamored with his own brilliance as a Defensive Coach that he tries idiotic stunts, like dropping Vea into coverage, to see if they work. Sometimes they actually do work (rarely) reinforcing the idea in his mind that he is a Defensive Guru. I don’t get it, the players clearly don’t get it & hopefully the Glazers don’t get it! It’s asinine & frustrating to watch. Receivers are always wide a$$ open. Yes, we can stop the run! Can we or have the other 31 teams figured out the best way to beat us is to throw to one of the many wide a$$ open receivers on the field? Is it just a coincidence that rookies, second stringers & third stringers in some cases have career days against us? It’s pathetic and not a new development!
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:01 pm
Well said Shane247.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:03 pm
mccourty nailed it . the cowboys were a better prepared team. evident by the fact the cowboys were held to 3 points in the second half . i remember brady being frustrated while arians was head coach how little the coaches game planned compared to what brady was used to in new england. super bowl coaches are the ones that heavily game plan the grudens, , the rams coach, andy reid, shannahan made it to super bowl quite a bit. its what makes coen good.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:04 pm
This is so spot on and it’s why they perform fairly good in some games…… It’s not the defense is performing good it’s the matchup that landed in their lap. And I totally agree with Sims KC may be the only time it appeared TB changed up their scheme and really took away the middle ( kelce) and that really threw Mahomes off . The Dropping our d lineman is close to a zero factor for the offense , there is no surprise to it and that was 100 percent proven last night ……….. You also can’t have a head coach that can’t manage the clock and Bowles can’t manage the clock ………… When ex NFL players show the frustration that they have with Bowles and the numbers put up by Rush clearly and so very clearly show a level incompetence by Bowles . This isn’t like it’s a one off or just a hiccup game ,,, this has happened 6 times this year at least !!
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:05 pm
how many times has bowles said we have to worry about ourselves. cop out for not game planning
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:06 pm
Chokaneiro strike again. Fire Todd bowls
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:06 pm
I’m done with Todd. He’d have to win three Super Bowl in a row for me to believe he is anything more than a win one lose one coach. 8-8, 9-8, 8-9 Seasons. No adjustments, full of excuses, he’s really not worthy of one of thirty two jobs.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:16 pm
At least now (since they were playing the Cowboys in Primetime), the rest of the media and world got to bare witness to exactly what we all as “Bucs-Fans” have been seeing on a weekly level. None of it was shocking to US. And, even a THIRD GRADER would’ve known that CeeDee was ALL the Cowboys had… Hell, we ALL watch their literal, EVERY game every WEEK. You stop HIM and you STOP THEM. Period. 💯
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:32 pm
Been saying for 3 years straight Bowles needs to go.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:34 pm
I’ll say it again. It was a coaching failure on both offense and defense that are firmly on Coach Bowles. Baker lit them up and put them on their heals at the end of the first half. It was exciting to see considering that we were going to get the ball back starting the 3rd. That should’ve set the prescription for the rest of the game. Going into the locker room Bowles said that they needed to “re-establish the running game coming out in the 3rd! What???
I’m not putting this on Coen. This is a H.C. failure. He needed to instruct Coen to cut Baker loose in the 3rd, speed up the tempo, and keep the Cowpokes on their heals and he didn’t. That’s why you have a QB like Mayfield! Make him do what he does best!
Drops, fumbles, interceptions, bad calls are always going to happen; this is the NFL!
Defense was a disaster like it frequently is during the first half. If we lined up all of the highlight reels from last year to this year we’d all see the results of Bowles “soft coverage” zone (keep them in front of you — all the way to the other goal post!)
Bowles starts half of his games by giving the opposing offense a handicap. There is no good reason we gave up 23 points to Dallas in the first half — other than Bowles conservative defensive game plan.
I’m weary of seeing our players playing from behind because their coach has no balls! I’m tired of hearing Bowles say his guys “didn’t execute”.
Glazers: With all due respect, please make a change at the top so that our talented team can acheive their destiny.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:37 pm
Wouldn’t surprise me if Bucs lost the upcoming 2 games as well. Bowles is not the answer going forward and the Glazers have to know that. Licht has to invest 8n edge rushers,LBs and DBs
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:40 pm
I 100% agree with what Simms and Mccourty is saying. Bowles is very stubborn when it comes to his defense. Cee Dee Lamb is one of the best wrs in football and he gave his cbs no help.
December 23rd, 2024 at 6:46 pm
Just very disappointing watching Bowles, & all of the career type’ days by opposing team’s offensive players. I mean, does he EVER shutdown/stop an opposing teams ‘star’ player (outside of maybe a running back here or there), EVER!? Though, I was ‘the one’ who warned everyone last week about those last “4-Wins” of ours, & to remember ‘WHO’ they were against. AND, for prob the first time ever, I picked them to LOSE on “Joe’s Sunday Pregame Poll” LoL. It is total insanity. THIS Defense has just been HORRIBLE. The previous 4-weeks were all smoke & mirrors. I don’t know why anyone would’ve ever thought that the Bucs were winning-out’ – I Didn’t. And, that 80% Playoff Chance (leading up to Sunday’s game) actually blew my mind. Especially, now that ATL has decided to go with Penix. Cousins had been AWFUL. No way Penix could be any worse… Hell, At least he is mobile and can freakin’ MOVE. It’s all sad. We’re just spinning our wheels here, & wasting time, with Bowles. I hate it, but it’s just the truth.
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:16 pm
I knew we were in big trouble when the cowboys started a backup qb in front of a national audience in prime time.
It’s a good thing nobody has let the nfl know this.
If they did, we’d be 0-15.
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:22 pm
Well, if the Glaziers are not reading this column they are missing out for sure. Every other post on this thread says they agree with Simms, etc. when they say the prep and coverage plans are very poor (AKA Sh!tty).
These fans claim they have been saying this all year are correct because I started saying it about the 5th game when all the newbies are printing SB tickets. I said an accurate passer will gut our defense. We just do not cover tightly and guys are open all over the field. Teams can take away Mike with double coverage, why can’t we do the same with Lamb? Last two games are 50-50 against two lousy teams.
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:23 pm
The more i think about how Todd pissed away theis season the madder i get. Listen to me teeak Glazer move him or im moving on.
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:26 pm
It sounds like the Bowles defense is run the same way as a Byron Leftwich offense. Leftwich once said, “We do what we do”
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:36 pm
It’s clear Bowles does very little to adapt his scheme based on opponents, which not only comes across as stubborn, but also lazy. It also begs 2 questions:
1. Bowles brags about being in the office at 4:30 every morning. If he’s not creating matchup-specific schemes, what is he doing all day?
2. If the scheme stays the same, why are all his players still so completely lost game after game? This D coaching staff is atrocious.
December 23rd, 2024 at 7:45 pm
They know crappy coaching when they see it….
Bowels is one of the crappiest!!!!
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:26 pm
It’s just super frustrating. I’m tired of the same stuff with him. He’s too stubborn. Bowles just needs to go.
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:29 pm
More reasons here to jettison Todd Bowles and sign Liam Coen as the head coach. The defense is Bowles claim to fame and it is losing us games every week. 24 points should be adequate any NFL game to win. We need better defense, Bucs need to move on from Bowles.
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:31 pm
Here’s my Bowles prediction:
1) Bucs win out & finish 10-7, he’s back even if they don’t make the playoffs… everybody needs to remember, we had an obscene amount of injuries on this team this year. Every week, we were losing 2 to 3 players for several weeks in a row.
2) Bucs win 1 of 2 & finish 9-8… I still think Todd Bowles comes back due to the injuries we had this year. It would be smart of team Glazer or Licht to force Bowles Into making some coaching staff changes and hiring a formal defensive coordinator to call plays next year as a requirement.
3) Bucs lose out & finish 8-9…. If it’s a letdown on defense with still good offensive performance, then they will let Todd Bowles go, and promote Liam Coen. If it’s a crap show all the way around, then they may entirely clean house of all coaches.
These are my thoughts…
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:35 pm
I am not confident that Bucs will win against the Panthers. Mark my words if we lose and it is the fault of a poor defense then Bowles will be launched. Unless of course the Glazers are not paying any attention.
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:39 pm
This article has converted me. Who is the next option for DC? How soon can they assume the role?
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:39 pm
Totally DISAGREE with Chris Simms here….
1) Zyon is definitely BETTER than Carlton Davis so let’s correct that. Bowles needs to take the shackles on Zyon as this guy can be a good press man corner.
2) Bowles plan on CD Lamb was fine. The problem is we have no pass rush so you were forcing guys to cover for much longer periods of time. I saw multiple plays where they played man under on CD with the safety over the top.
Unfortunately, there was one stupid pass that Rush through deep that should’ve been picked off by our safety, but it was simply a lack of recognition. It dropped right in between both guys, which was ridiculous.
3) our overall lack of a pass rush, killed us. That needs to be priority number one next year along with making sure we do not lose Chris Godwin to free agency…
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:46 pm
2 more weeks.
December 23rd, 2024 at 8:54 pm
Nah, you see Simms and McCourty just aren’t on the same level of thinking as Todd Bowles.
What they don’t understand is- the primary concern of a Todd Bowles defense is stopping the run no matter. No matter who you’re playing. We could line up against a team that doesn’t even have a running back on their roster, and we will still be focused on stopping the run first and foremost. It’s 5D chess, folks, just like Bowles constantly mismanaging the clock, never having the team prepared for critical game time moments, and always having them unprepared and coming out flat in big games.
it’s all 5D chess for the one game per year where they do the opposite. Our opponents will never see it coming! 5D chess yo!
So long as the Glazers are content with a .500 team, we will keep seeing Bowles in charge. It is what it is.
December 23rd, 2024 at 9:01 pm
I’ve said before that is Bowles want the DC, Bowles would have fired him by now. The defense is holding this team back and those observations are spot on. Bowles has never game planned for an opponent. It’s why we get touched by backup and rookie quarterbacks all the time.
December 23rd, 2024 at 9:27 pm
Finally some real good advice about bowles defence !! Tell it to the glazerboys . The game has passed today bowles defence .it is plain to see . He needs to go !! We as fans have had enough .
December 23rd, 2024 at 9:53 pm
This is a set up,,, Bowles worms his way into the playoffs and finally unleashes the D,,, there will be sacks and adjustments made and the Defense in the playoffs will be Glorious!!!! And no one will be expecting it,, normally you play Vanilla in the preseason but Bowles isn’t showing anything till the playoffs!!!!!! The guy knows he’s the smartest man in the room!!!!
On a different note, Coen for HC and Salah for DC ,,
December 23rd, 2024 at 10:01 pm
The fans are all very clearly tired of Bowles. To have one of the top statistical offenses (finally!) and waste it because you can’t stop Old Kirk Cousins, Cooper Rush, Bo Nix… it is inexcusable.
This team has no LBs. David is playing well for his age, sure. Respect the effort. But he can’t cover a TE or a RB at this point. The next DC will have some pieces on D, but Devin’s meltdown still shows up. There is not enough LB speed to do what Bowles is calling.
December 23rd, 2024 at 10:39 pm
This re assures me that Todd is done. If my memory serves correctly, he hasn’t really been lit up and criticized much in the national media. Probably because now he can’t hide behind a poor offense, or an offense that doesn’t have a run game.
Glazers see it and should know what I know, they have a solid 33 million QB, a young top 5 OL, a great offensive playcaller and a ton of high draft picks (more to come) on the defensive side of the ball, with a .500 HC losing them games with stubborn defensive game plans and in game mismanagement.
December 23rd, 2024 at 10:53 pm
It was an absolutely brutal defensive game plan. All Bowles does weekly is fling sh!t against the wall and see if something sticks.
Once in a blue moon the defense plays great, but that isn’t because he schemes correctly for that week. It just means he got lucky. You can’t be a defensive head coach and consistently have a terrible defense.
I refuse to believe that every one of these defensive linemen that Licht has drafted is a bum. It’s just that for some reason, this clown Bowles thinks it’s wise to continuously drop them into zone coverage on passing downs and then cry later when our edge rush isn’t getting it done.
All they had to do against Dallas was rush four and bracket Lamb and keep everything in front of them. We could have run the ball at will against that defense and just burned clock.
December 23rd, 2024 at 10:56 pm
Preaching to the choir.
If you want a .500 team, Bowles is your man.
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:13 pm
If the Bucs win the last 2 games, That will make us 10-7 for the year. no Way the Glazers FIRE Todd Bowles His Defense sucks to Holy Hell and Beyond. We are wasting the talents of a good Offense because of a no Defense..
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:15 pm
2 more weeks and Bowles will be fired!!!
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:30 pm
Packers just beat the Saints like a rented mule. 34-0.
We’ll have a tough time holding the Saints below 30 after the guru gives up 34 to Canales. At least we’ll have seen the end of dropping Vita Vea, Greg Gaines and Kancey into deep middle coverage after the guru begins teaching at Hillsborough. Community College .
We will miss his expertise at teaching poor fundamentals and terrible clock management, though.
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:34 pm
While Bowles deserves all the fire coming at him y’all need to do the same with the players as well it isn’t just coaching. Baker taking sacks fumbles and not throwing the ball away white fumbling Shepard dropping wide open passes Payne fumbling defense missing tackles. Y’all this was a team effort type of loss yes it starts with the coaches but coaches don’t play
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:36 pm
Guess I’m the oddball here.
My gut tells me that Bucs gonna win the next 2 games….
It’s now do or die for the team…
Need Commanders to beat Falcons this coming weekend!!
December 23rd, 2024 at 11:45 pm
Seems like both the OC and DC from Bruce Arians are “we gonna go what we do” coaches. Maybe after this year, Bowles can play golf in the fall with Byron Leftwich.
December 24th, 2024 at 1:46 am
Right, don’t say how they are wrong (poke holes), let’s just go with what they’re saying. Why say they are wrong when what they’re saying fits the narrative? Yes, that’s exactly what this says. Journalism.
December 24th, 2024 at 1:47 am
The Bucs problems come from a lack of pressure from the front four. Bowles is relying on exotic blitz packages dropping lineman into coverage on the regular. Dropping Vita ? Now the only redeeming quality to that is that opponents are probably surprised by that because who would be THAT STUPID. Vita is 350 lbs. He’s been doing that with his ends for a couple of years now and since its been figured out by their opponents he is dropping out tackles now too.
Whatever. If I see another lineman staggering down the field trying to cover a WR1 I am going to flip out. Personally, I am just tired of it. I think it’s on film now and that’s no longer going to work.
December 24th, 2024 at 3:46 am
The last 5 years there was always either Brady to cover for the “not so special” Defense or a bunch of excuses, such as Jameis interceptions, lack of run game or pedestrian offenses (with Leftwich and Canales). This year those excuses are gone. There is nowhere to hide for Todd’s “not so special” Defense, and (finally) people are waking up to what many others (Hello Sean Peyton) have already seen.
December 24th, 2024 at 3:53 am
Ah this happens every week, for 17 weeks for 15-ish teams. Have to criticize something. Last week, Bowles was a hero with the defense. This week not. Had Liam reached his average points per a game, Bucs would have won as well, but that doesn’t get mentioned.
December 24th, 2024 at 6:50 am
We haven’t had a defense since JPP wrecked his shoulder. That awesome pass rush covered up a lot. Owing to how our ILB’s are deployed, we should just abandon the position and sign more safeties.
(As stated earlier, I also don’t think Zyon is a drop-off from CD3, their stats on the season are nearly identical, and CD3 and his $17 million/year is hurt, yet AGAIN)
December 24th, 2024 at 8:40 am
@Beeej
Sorry but look it up. The year Shaq had 19 and jpp 8.5 the Bucs were still like 25th in passing defense. In a passing league this dude was worried about stopping the run against Dallas with those edge defenders and Vea up the middle. He would have to retire if he is fired because who would hire him with that dumb philosophy