Todd Bowles: “Panic” Has Left The Bucs Defense
January 8th, 2025
Yeah, the Bucs have used a lot of young players on their defense this season, but they’ve also got a bunch of veterans, including Super Bowl veterans, on that side of the ball.
So it was sort of strange to hear Todd Bowles say his defense had a panic disorder for much of the season, one they’ve cured.
Speaking yesterday on the Buccaneers Radio Network, the head coach/defensive coordinator spoke of how the defense is now adept at staying calm after rough starts to games.
“The guys are locked in. They don’t panic like they did during the first half of the season,” Bowles said.
“They understand adjustments need to be made. ‘Let’s go out and execute and we’ll be fine [in] the game plan.'”
The “panic” description surprised Joe. It’s very odd for a defense in Year 6 with the same boss (Bowles) and longtime leaders.
Joe is so glad that’s behind the Bucs, but Bowles really needs to figure out the “why” behind that panic after years of defensive success.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
For once I’d love for Todd Bowles to start the game not playing a soft zone defense. Whenever he switches to a more aggressive coverage they seem to do well.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:32 pm
WiscoJoe, couldn’t agree more. Hit them hard right from the beginning. Get the opponent off the field so the Bucs offense can get into a rhythm and put up some points. It seems like when the Bucs start moving the ball everything clicks in and once they get momentum, they can steamroll opponents. But the defense has got to get 3 and outs early in the game, and they do that by playing aggressive.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:34 pm
“The “panic” description surprised Joe. It’s very odd for a defense in Year 6 with the same boss (Bowles) and longtime leaders.”
——
Keeping track of the number of excuses he’s conjured up one needs a doctorate in Triple Integral in Calculus. He is that good.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:41 pm
Bowles plays a prevent defense in the first half, hoping Coen’s offense will get a fast start and a big lead.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Some early turnovers would be nice too. DB’s need to start playing for the ball instead of the man. You’d think they were allergic to leather.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Complex scheme and faith in the person next to you. It’s as simple as that.
If I was Vita or Calijah I would be questioning and/or nervous about the merits and personal ability of dropping in coverage as well.
Pair that with what McCourty and Simms were ragging on Bowles about after the Dallas game and it can’t really be that hard for the Bowles supporters to understand why he makes a lot of us very uneasy.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:46 pm
To yall who says bowles plays prevent defense in the first half, must have not watched the cowboys game… when cee dee lamb was catching bombs over zyon and company… or how about the 2nd panthers game when adam theiland caught 2 bombs. That was all man to man tight coverage where the dbs got burnt… thank god that we play soft zone otherwise we would be in trouble
January 8th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
I understand the panic when LVD looks behind him and barely knows who is in the secondary or are they going to be in position
January 8th, 2025 at 12:50 pm
Injuries, new players, these are NOT all the same players playing in the system for the last 6 years. Plus our top defender, Antoine Winfield, got hurt.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:53 pm
I’m starting to wonder if Bowles is a little bit “crazy like a fox” with the way the defense starts. Start soft…get the QB comfortable…too comfortable…and then BAM speed things up on them
January 8th, 2025 at 12:59 pm
Couldn’t agree more WiscoJoe. To your comment I would just add two things.
1. Why does Bowles almost always wait till half time to make defensive adjustments? Why not after 1 or 2 (max) opponent series when your soft zone or pregame defensive strategy is clearly not working. By halftime you’re down 10 to 17 points and coming back has historically proven too little too late.
2. I’ll be accused of being a Bowles hater for this but honestly ask yourselves.
Do we really believe that Bowles can take this team to the Super Bowl and win?!!
January 8th, 2025 at 1:02 pm
I am pretty sure all of this goes back to the fact that this defense is the next man up. Has the defense started the same 11 guys two games in a row all season, or has the starting 11 coming out of the preseason played more than one game together. As much I have given Bowles a hard time, I actually think he did an admiral job this season with that. If only he believed in a pass rush I think they would have been much better.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:02 pm
I’d panic too if I got abused by Kirk Cousins twice.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:09 pm
Vinny
“Do we really believe that Bowles can take this team to the Super Bowl and win?!!”
As someone who has stood up for Bowels/Bowles/Dangerfield I think your question is fine.
My answer, others of course can pile on with their takes, is that we don’t really know. And I concede that if Todd/Dangerfield/Bowels continues to win titles but no SB he’ll get run just like Tony Dungy.
Sometimes things like this work out for both sides just like then. Bucs got their SB, Dungy got his QB and consequently his SB.
Bottom line for me is the verdict is still out on Bowles. But he’s done nothing yet to diminish his reputation and IMHO has actually shown growth this season in learning to play to win and not simply play not to lose.
Taking the ball on won coin tosses, trying a freaking 4th and long when many would have punted with a playoff spot on the line! Todd now is bringing tons of experience from his days with the sh!ttty Jets to his time here with BA, Brady and Licht. I think his improvement is more than statistical.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:15 pm
My Bucs defensive panic disorder is still on level 11.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
rrsrq Says:
January 8th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
I understand the panic when LVD looks behind him and barely knows who is in the secondary or are they going to be in position
Exactly, secondary has been banged up all year but the only one who gets to use that excuse is the lions for some reason.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:37 pm
Good that “panic” has left the Bucs defense. But some of us fans are still feeling panic when watching the Bucs defense, at least in the first half. 😉
January 8th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
One of the reasons Todd has used a “soft zone” to start games could be because our safeties were sitting on their couches a couple of months ago. Our corners haven’t played well enough for him to be confident receiver’s won’t run past them AND our safeties won’t be enough help.
I imagine the message has been – don’t get beat over the top!!!
We’ve played well on D some games, we’ve looked rough in others.
We’re probably going to give up some yards underneath. Thats modern football. You can’t stop everything and our secondary is our weakest group BUT if we can play good red-zone D we can keep points down and give our offense a chance.
Pass rush has a better chance of impacting the game by playing better than our secondary does. Sad but true. Kancey, Vita, Yaya, and crew have a much better chance of cranking it up and playing A LOT better than Josh Hayes has of covering any NFL receiver for more than about 3 seconds or any of our current safeties have of being a factor in the pass game.
January 8th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Bowles led defense has won a super bowl and shut out Patrick Mahomes. I doubt anyone else will ever do that. So he is capable, and I expect us to spend money and draft picks on pass rush this summer.
January 8th, 2025 at 2:17 pm
If I were Bowles, I’d play predominately a mix of quarters & man.
Spy Daniels.
Passing downs, would rush 3 and drop JTS & Tony into coverage to take away underneath/ middle
January 8th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
How was your team panicking during the first half of the season and you started out 4-2? This is the guy you want to keep as head coach, he really should stoop doing interviews it’s embarrassing. Playing weak teams has been a cure for his defense this year unless you look at stats.
January 8th, 2025 at 2:42 pm
Bowles has PROVEN he can dial up a genius game-plan. See: Superbowl vs. Chiefs.
The difference then and now, IMO, is he does NOT have the right talent for his scheme.
See: Vea dropping into coverage. Sure it may confuse QB’s, but that is NOT the best use of Vea.
I think as DC he needs to adjust his scheme to the talent he has. If only our D would be more consistent, we could do damage this playoffs – our offense can put up points on any defense.
Just my opinion.
January 8th, 2025 at 2:43 pm
Off-topic, but speaking of defense, where has Defense Rules been?
January 8th, 2025 at 3:16 pm
Off-topic, but speaking of defense, where has Defense Rules been?
——
That dude was a beast when it comes to applying stats and using them to support his well thought out points. MIss his stuff. Don’t know him, can’t speak for him. But I sensed he was growing tired of the Bowles discussion. Don’t know. But he always had good takes.
January 8th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
“The guys are locked in. They don’t panic like they did during the first half of the season,” Bowles said.
It kinda seems the defense panics during the first half of every game. Maybe before Bowles retires he can have pass defense that’s not ranked as one of the worst. I know we have one we using the injury/talent excuse every year but not sure why when every draft Licht is getting praised, pass defense has always sucked since he got here so not sure where all these excuses are coming from
January 8th, 2025 at 3:25 pm
Remember that Medicated guy? He disappeared, as well. Hope DR is still alive.
I think for some reason Bowles has more faith in Baker than we realize. I doubt he would ever go for 4th and 8 unless Baker (OR MAYBE Liam) had a BUNCH of faith in Baker. Bowles got his long field goal guy and I just bet that with no strong “outside” influence he goes for a 42 yard FG. I was mightily pleased with that play.
January 8th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
It’s interesting to me that Bowles mentions adjustments and how they need to be made when literally a few days before he basically said adjustments aren’t really made and that the team needs to see what they already know will happen and play differently. Not sure how to decipher his coachspeak
January 8th, 2025 at 5:28 pm
Super Bowl starting secondary
Whitehead back up Chris cooper
Winfield backup backup Mike Edwards
Davis and Dean corners with smb at slot
The backups were Russ Cockrell and Dee Delaney
I’d say the secondary is upgraded. Under the circumstances in this crappy scheme these backups have overachieved
January 8th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
I’m amused. The same guys who want Dangerfield to open with tight man coverage will be the first here to go nuts as the bombs start flying over…??
??? as in who the hell is playing back there anyway?
January 8th, 2025 at 6:43 pm
Actually the Joe’s did an article after the first game with Carolina of our game with Carolina comparing man coverage vs zone and guess which coverage was eaten my friend. No one plays man the entire game but apparently no one is telling Bowles when man works better
January 8th, 2025 at 6:50 pm
Bucs win Sunday night, it will be mighty entertaining to hear the naysayers badmouthing him.
January 8th, 2025 at 6:51 pm
badmouthing Bowles.*
January 8th, 2025 at 8:47 pm
@Pewter Power – Chris Cooper couldn’t have been Whitehead’s backup, as he was signed by the Bucs after Super Bowl LV and made the final roster for the 2021 season primarily for his value to special teams but was not activated during 2021 and was waived and placed in the practice squad for the balance of the season while not registering any significant statistics nor snap counts before ultimately getting let go before the end of the next pre-season. If anyone that was going to spell Jordan Whitehead, it would have been Andrew Adams or even Ryan Smith. The following year was musical chairs for the corners where Ross Cockrell, Pierre Desir, Dee Delany and Richard Sherman had significant time in place of SMB, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean but the Bucs still ended up at 13-4.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:48 pm
I’d be good with Bowles if we could keep Coen and buy edge x2 and beef up the secondary in the draft.
January 9th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
MTN
Who is Tony?