Da’Quan Bowers Rewarded
August 7th, 2014
Lovie Smith politely chided the Tampa Bay pen and mic club early this week for being overly critical of defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers.
The former Tampa Bay second-round pick, now entering his fourth season, and third coaching staff and second administration, has rarely if ever lived up to his ceiling.
The past two seasons have been rough for Bowers. Not long after then-Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik let sack leader Michael Bennett walk away for no good reason, the starting left defensive job was gifted to Bowers. He rewarded the team by getting into a gun hassle in New York.
Bowers, though, either came into camp out of shape or was demonized by the voice of Greg Schiano, depending who you talk to, and only started two games. This season, in a move Joe can’t ever recall happening, Bowers’ position coach Joe Cullen called him out for being out of shape … in June!
Well, it appears something has hit home with Bowers whether the past voice of Schiano’s is no long tormenting him or someone with the Bucs impressed upon him how he is at the T-intersection of his career, or perhaps a position move to tackle has done the trick. It appears Bowers is practicing better.
In fact, Bowers received a reward, notes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, for his training camp work
DL Da’Quan Bowers practiced [Wednesday], a day after the Bucs held him out. He said he was given a day off because he had been performing well.
Lovie doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy to just play games with a player. And giving Bowers — or any player — a reward when he didn’t deserve it would be tantamount to head games. That just doesn’t seem to be Lovie’s style.
If, in fact, Bowers can be a productive tackle, then that is nothing but good new for the Bucs. Look, Joe hated to write bad things about the guy because Bowers is really a nice guy. His three years in the NFL, however, have bordered on shameful he has been such a non-factor.
If Lovie found the right button to turn Bowers’ career around, that’s a win-win and no one wins more in that scenario than Bowers himself.
August 7th, 2014 at 3:12 pm
Wow! I never saw that coming. Isn’t he too small to play tackle?
August 7th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
“Joe hated to write bad things about the guy because Bowers is really a nice guy”
Yet Joe takes unnecessary jabs about Bower’s gun incident that by all accounts was an honest mistake that he himself reported.
August 7th, 2014 at 3:34 pm
…and us …the fans win too, if Bowers can turn it around.
August 7th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
“A day off for performing well”. I wish my boss would do that for me. That doesn’t ring true to me. Something seems fishy.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:06 pm
@Trey
It’s not exactly like a person being reasonable would have even gotten into that situation.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
He’s supposed to perform…..a day off? If you got days off for performing well then McCoy could skip all of training camp……nice logic…
August 7th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Joe, I would really like to know why you and everyone else act like Bowers has failed so far in his short nfl career. Look at the coaches he had. What exactly was he along with the rest of the d-line doing in schianos scheme? Oh yeah that’s right, something stupid every game and not rushing the passer traditionally like every lineman on that roster pretty much had done through college maybe even high school. Clayborne manned up on Sproles? Pure 4-3 defensive ends standing up in a 3-4? Like one of them is going to turn into Demarcus Ware. Ha. People always talk how schiano couldn’t cut it because he treated his players like kids. But no one talks about his stupid, dumb, ignorant schemes which were the dumbest thing to happen to the bucs in a long time (maybe even the nfl). Remember Revis at the prowl bowl saying some bucs leaders came in during the season to try and talk schiano into changing the schemes. If that doesn’t speak volume then I don’t know what does. Raheem’s last year with Tampa?? I don’t have to go into detail on that subject. Let the man play like he did in college for a season and see what happens. For the first time in five years we actually have a experienced coach who actually knows what hes doing.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:27 pm
@Joe
Is there a practice on Monday or Tuesday next week? I’ll be doing work out there and company is paying for the trip so I was hoping we got some TC practices going on..
Or if anyone else knows.. I’m entirely way too lazy to look it up 🙂
On Bowers… I’m glad he is getting some praise… I don’t care how bad he has been he can make up for it all if he shows why at one point he was being considered a LOCK for the #1 overall pick in the 2011 draft… I’m sorry but potential doesn’t go away… Also there isn’t a SINGLE player on the BUCS that I’m NOT rooting for! I might not believe in certain players but if they were a BUCS jersey I’m gonna root for them!
Go BUCS!
August 7th, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Wish this headline said “Released” instead of “Rewarded”…
August 7th, 2014 at 4:30 pm
Wait scratch that I wouldn’t root for that douche Jerramy Stevens.. Or any player that has committed heinous crimes (I’m looking at you Greg Hardy and Aaron Hernandez)
August 7th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Phillip:
4:30 both days.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Malloy predicts that the Bucs defense will terrorize
the Atlanta Vultures, Scam (Stuperman) Newton
and the ‘Aints this year.
Malloy also predicts that it will be sweet to watch
these “great NFC South QB” run for their lives.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:51 pm
Was it bad that when I saw the title of the thread I though it said Da’Quan Bowers R…eleased before I took a better look at it? Is that what people call a premonition?
Joe, if the Bucs end up cutting Bowers and he tells you they gave him the rest of the year off for performing well in camp will you post that for us too? 😉
August 7th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
So nobody else earned a day off? Only Bowers? Motivational tactic for one guy. Well, since kicking his rear didn’t work last year, let’s see if kissing his rear works this year.
August 7th, 2014 at 5:24 pm
Sounds weird to me. Day off?
August 7th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Would you say Bowers is having a better camp than McDonald?
Not a chance. –Joe
August 7th, 2014 at 5:40 pm
playing well compared to who? and when? most TC reports i have read here and elsewhere only acknowledge Bowers’ existence when noting the guys who didn’t practice. i can’t recall reading about any splash plays or 1-on-1 wins by bowers in camp
August 7th, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Lets hope this is true, because I don’t thinki can endure another season of Da’sideline Bowers.
August 7th, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Bizarre that Bowers would get a rest then and not McDonald or McCoy.
I have another question. Tommy Streeter’s measurable are insane. He’s 6’5 and runs a 4.37 40? That is just a freakish athlete like Calvin Johnson. I keep hearing he is catching the ball well too now. Any chance he might crack the starting lineup in the slot with solid preseason game play?
August 7th, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Let Lovie use his efforts to turn Bowers around. He has great talent and his problem is mental. Lovie does not have to give McCoy the day off to motivate him mentally. What he does know is that you have to adapt your approach to the specific needs of each player. Lovie has been very successful in the NFL and knows what he is doing.
August 7th, 2014 at 6:48 pm
Come on Joe it’s JBF’s birthday not April Fool’s Day 🙂
August 7th, 2014 at 7:07 pm
4th season Joe…get it right
August 7th, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Lovie has been around long enough to see when a guy needs a day off.
Not a huge deal.
August 7th, 2014 at 7:24 pm
Besides the mental issue, he has a degenerative knee condition.
August 7th, 2014 at 8:45 pm
Any possibilities of him being a Tommie Smith-like DT in the rotation?
August 7th, 2014 at 9:28 pm
It’s odd, that while mentioning Bowers ” not living up to” his draft status, no mention is made of the fact that he Bowers played very well, before sustaining the worst injury to rehab.
Bowers had a knee injury when we drafted him. He recovered quickly- and played well, until he had a bad Achilles tear.
That is the slowest injury to recover. Typically takes two years.
Even a complete idiot could do the math, and figure out that Bowers is healthy for the first time. He is in only his second training camp. The staff has said he is in excellent shape, healthy, and doing well.
Because he is healthy, for the first time.
Some posters here are the so hateful and clueless- I have no idea how you claim to be a fan- you hate the players.
Lovie was correct in calling out the Media. They can be really hateful to the players.
Which is odd, because the media exsist only to write about the players!
Bowers will be great this season. And the media will pick some other injured player to hate on
August 7th, 2014 at 10:12 pm
Isn’t GMC performing well, shouldn’t he be rewarded with a day off?…Weird
August 7th, 2014 at 10:39 pm
He’s done. Short timer is he says Yoda.
August 8th, 2014 at 12:07 am
Smells like, perhaps.
August 8th, 2014 at 12:13 am
Bowers had better get atleast 1 sack against a jaguars team.. especially playing with our dline if doesnt hes a bust.. its the jags there the wrose team in the nfl….
August 8th, 2014 at 3:20 am
It would be great to see Bowers finally live up to expectations. I haven’t seen what Lovie apparently sees in Bowers but Lovie knows what he’s looking for in a player. Maybe they’re trying him at DT due to the overall lack of depth at the position. It’s also possible that Lovie and the coaches don’t see him as a capable DE and they’re trying something new.