When Coaches Use Lack Of Takeaways As A Crutch
April 2nd, 2025
Bucs coach Todd Bowles speaks.
This is a big reason why Joe cringes so much when hearing defensive coaches whine about how they lost a game because they didn’t get takeaways.
For the have-to-have-takeaways-to-win crowd, keep in mind the Bucs won an NFC title game on the road facing a Hall of Fame quarterback despite their own Hall of Fame quarterback throwing three picks.
How did that happen? The Bucs defense played strong, fundamentally good defensive football, that’s how.
Oh, and the Bucs scored points, too.
(Yes, Joe knows perhaps the second-greatest play in Bucs history would likely have never happened unless Sean Murphy-Bunting got a pick at midfield late in the first half.)
Yesterday at the owners meetings at the swanky Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Bucs coach Todd Bowles reflected on the loss to Washington in the playoffs.
All too predictably, Bowles blamed a lack of turnovers.
(That loud groan you hear is from Joe.)
“The turnovers [weren’t] there,” Bowles said during the NFC coaches breakfast. “Defensively, they didn’t kill us, but they kept getting in third-and-3 and third-and-4 and we were missing plays.
“Either we missed the tackle the last time on the bootleg, or we had a two yards wider zone drop than we normally have.”
Bowles then went on to repeat how they needed turnovers to win, yet Bowles himself mentioned missed plays by his defense and missed tackles.
Joe cannot sit with a straight face and suggest a team lost because it couldn’t get turnovers when it was the very same defense that couldn’t force Washington to make one stinking punt.
If someone claims a team lost because it couldn’t force a turnover when it couldn’t even force one punt, then the priorities are all screwed up. That’s lousy Lovie Smith ball.
One could argue a punt is a turnover, too. You’re forcing a team to give up the ball, right?
Joe believes in fundamental football, not banking on accidents. And turnovers are often accidents. As Bill Walsh used to say, play good fundamental football and everything falls into place.
That usually sees a defense force a punt or two in a game, maybe more. Imagine that?
April 2nd, 2025 at 11:44 am
Tom Brady threw 3 INT’s and the Bucs still won? How did that happen? I thought Mayfield’s INT’s were killing the Bucs? Just proves my point that there is a lot more to a football game than turnovers. No coach, fan, or QB likes INT’s but there is always more to the story. It is past time for the typical coach potato fan to understand this.
April 2nd, 2025 at 11:48 am
There is a HELLUVA lot more to the game than turnovers.
April 2nd, 2025 at 11:57 am
What’s kind of impressive about our offense scoring as many points as they did last season and the Bucs having 10 wins after…
(1) Not getting many turnovers
(2) Committing more turnovers than we should
(3) Having a secondary/pass rush that allowed our opposition more time of possession
(4) Going through three different punters
Think how good are offensive stats would have been if we were better in the last four items listed (with only #2 as something the offense can control)?
April 2nd, 2025 at 12:06 pm
Hard to find those turnovers when you have wr wide open with no bucs defenders in sight 🤷
April 2nd, 2025 at 12:14 pm
Sean got that pick because The Packers were behind and desperate to come back. That scenario has rarely happened in the last 2 years
April 2nd, 2025 at 12:23 pm
“There is a HELLUVA lot more to the game than turnovers.”
And yet once the Bucs ditched the turnover machine named Winston, we won a title.
The defense for Tampa under Bowles as a DC that year caused turnovers ib key situations that the offense turned into points.
So yes, turnovers do in fact matter on both sides of the ball.
When your opponent is drowning, you stick a hose in their mouth, not throw them a lifejacket.
April 2nd, 2025 at 12:53 pm
I feel like the most turnovers happen when you are getting pressure on a QB and hitting him frequently. You can’t manufacture the other person making a bad decision or not holding onto the ball tightly. But you increase your chances if you are hitting them as fast as possible after the ball is snapped. Or coming from the blind side and strip sacking it
April 2nd, 2025 at 1:08 pm
Sure doesn’t hurt.
April 2nd, 2025 at 1:16 pm
To create turnovers you have to play aggressive Defense.
We didnt have consistant pressure with our pas rush and the coverage was always soft.
That is not a recipe for turnovers.
If our coverage plays 7 yds off we cant contest the catch, we cant interecept it even if the throw is not good.
If we play passive and soft then we cant get the ball.
Go Bucs
April 2nd, 2025 at 1:35 pm
Hes saying WE needed turnovers, because our crap D wasnt going to stop them otherwise.
April 2nd, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Darn right a punt is a turnover! You obviously don’t get the field position you would from a fumble recovery, but I’m guessing it’s somewhat closer when you compare to interceptions.
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:14 pm
Can’t change todd now. He thinks by making the other team take 8-14 plays to score they’ll turn it over before then..so just let them complete it and hope for a fumble coach!! Brilliant! 80’s football at it’s best
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Got curious about how well Super Bowl champions did in terms of Turnover Differential (takeaways – giveaways). Here’s what you find:
o 2024: Eagles – takeaways: 26 – giveaways: 15 – PLUS 11
o 2023: Chiefs – takeaways: 17 – giveaways: 28 – MINUS 11
o 2022: Chiefs – takeaways: 20 – giveaways: 23 – MINUS 3
o 2021: Rams – takeaways: 25 – giveaways: 23 – PLUS 2
o 2020: Bucs – takeaways: 25 – giveaways: 17 – PLUS 8
o 2019: Chiefs – takeaways: 23 – giveaways: 15 – PLUS 8
o 2018: Pats – takeaways: 28 – giveaways: 18 – PLUS 10
o 2017: Eagles – takeaways: 31 – giveaways: 20 – PLUS 11
o 2016: Pats – takeaways: 23 – giveaways: 11 – PLUS 12
o 2015: Broncos – takeaways: 27 – giveaways: 31 – MINUS 4
o 2014: Pats – takeaways: 25 – giveaways: 13 – PLUS 12
o 2013: Seahawks – takeaways: 11 – giveaways: 10 – PLUS 1
o 2012: Ravens – takeaways: 25 – giveaways: 16 – PLUS 9
o 2011: Giants – takeaways: 31 – giveaways: 24 – PLUS 7
o 2010: Packers – takeaways: 32 – giveaways: 22 – PLUS 10
So over those 15 years there have been only 3 teams who’ve won the Super Bowl without having a POSITIVE Turnover Differential that year … 2023 Chiefs, 2022 Chiefs, 2015 Broncos. And those teams were led by 2 of the greatest QBs in history: Patrick Mahomes & Peyton Manning.
IOW the Super Bowl winning team almost always sports a POSITIVE Turnover Differential. Winners take the ball away more than they give it away. MAYBE that’s all Todd Bowles is really saying and folks are making a mountain out of a molehill?
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:45 pm
2020 Bucs were +8 in Turnovers with the defense covering 12 INT’s and 5 FUM’s by the offense.
2024 Bucs were -5 in Turnovers with the defense unable to cover the league’s most 16 INT’s and an additional 7 FUM’s
Go ahead and tell me that he’s using Lack of turnovers as a Crutch a I’ll tell you you’re FOS.
next thing Joe will be saying that having the most picks in the league is OK if you throw a lot of TD’s. if so? Again FOS.
At double digits Canales would have been looking to bench Lil B.
Coen will get a nice dose when his Hippie throws 25 picks but get 10 more TD’s.
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:47 pm
Xristos – exactly. Todd doesn’t get to have it both ways. He can’t deploy a timid, keep-everything-in-front-of-you soft coverage with DBs 12 yards off the ball and then complain these same CBs don’t generate enough TOs.
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:55 pm
I wonder if he’s afraid of our corners getting scorched deep. The amount of soft coverage and a lack of consistent PR is the best equation for prolonged drives.
When Brady, Romo and Olsen are practically calling the result of the play in the booth before the snap – maybe turnovers aren’t the only reason
April 2nd, 2025 at 2:58 pm
well, if the defense isnt forcing TOs, then the offense surely cant commit TOs lol…
baker threw 3INTs vs NO…bucs defense forced 3 TOs in that same game…
the big difference is that the BUCS scored 7points off each NO TO….saints werent able to cash in….
when you cant force TOs, you cant make TOs…
GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 2nd, 2025 at 3:12 pm
The “crutch” is blaming the Washington loss on not forcing the Commanders to punt.
At the same time , the en”crutch”ment crowd ignores the biggest play of that game which was the Bucs turnover deep in their own red zone which gifted the Commanders an easy TD.
And they also ignore the fact that the offense only scored 20 points – which they also blame on the Defense using the “no punts” crutch.
April 2nd, 2025 at 5:22 pm
yeah Washington scored 23 pts. in both bucs and eagles game but eagle scored what 40? compared to 20 from the bucs? Here’s yer sign…
April 2nd, 2025 at 5:59 pm
Right on. Whichever Joe this is, preach on, brother. Maybe, and this is crazy talk again, if the DBs were not coached to drop deeper than every receiver to avoid the big play, they might have a chance to be close enough to a receiver to get their hands on a football. Of course catching it is a whole ‘nother issue.
April 2nd, 2025 at 6:09 pm
Thx for the stats DR 👍🏼
Coach is just stating the obvious. Ive been keeping up with the press conferences – coach is saying all the right things, and taking the right steps to become better as a coach, and make the team better, as far as I’m concerned.
Not sure what some of you people want Todd to say.
April 2nd, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Turnover differential is one of the biggest indicators of good teams and bad teams in the NFL every season. It’s pretty undeniable.
Bowles whining about not getting turnovers while playing consistently soft in the secondary is ridiculous.
April 2nd, 2025 at 6:37 pm
ballwasher61, as always a pi55poor evaluation on your part. The Eagles set a NFC championship game record with 55 points. Washington turned the ball over 4 times and Philadelphia scored 4 touchdowns off of those turnovers. Every single turnover was flipped to a touchdown. The rookie QB, Daniels threw for more yards than Jalen Hurts. Daniels only threw one pick and it was after the game had been decided. 3 fumbles by Washington was the difference. We not only couldn’t cause any turnovers but we couldn’t get a punt! ballwasher61- you can’t fix stupid…
April 3rd, 2025 at 12:08 am
No one really cares what Todd says. It’s what he hasn’t done yet, that we hope he finally does, that matters. His defense has been the Achilles heel of this team for two seasons.
April 3rd, 2025 at 2:07 am
Sacks and interceptions are mutually inclusive with defensive pressure on the qb. It’s that simple. You can add fumbles made by a qb when sacked as well if you’d like. It’s all part of having a high pressure defense. Why is Todd’s coachspeak so polarizing? It all fits together. How dare Bowles bring up something other than OLBs rushing and sacking the opponent’s quarterback. Geezum, there’s eleven teammates on the field for every snap. If the quarterback is in the backfield to throw the ball, you want your front (sure sounds like the number is) four to place consistent pressure and the other seven covering potential receivers and yes, look to catch the ball, creating (wait for it)….. a turnover. For goodness sake, the man has shown time and time again that he knows how to coach defense. Just give him the players and get ready to applaud.
April 3rd, 2025 at 6:13 am
I don’t recall ever hearing Bowles or anyone else say they lost a game because they didn’t get a turnover. Oddly I have heard them say they won because they got one though. LOL
That is a lame excuse Joe. You win games by playing better football and coaching better sure helps.
Go Bucs!
April 3rd, 2025 at 8:33 am
Brady didn’t just throw 3 INTs, he threw them all in the second half… yet somehow the dude gets 1000% of the credit for that season and Super Bowl win. Brady was good that season, top five good. But in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl… he wasn’t great but the rest of the team was.
April 3rd, 2025 at 12:42 pm
I care what Bowles says. I look for actions that correspond. He certainly followed through on getting a game management specialist. I look forward to seeing whether the defense improves dramatically this year. I wonder if we will learn what the “breakthrough” revelation was that Todd said he had.