“We Don’t Really Look At Stats Here”
November 4th, 2022
Todd Bowles
Joe is often perplexed by how coaches, especially old school coaches like Todd Bowles, view stats and data.
Numbers are part of the NFL on so many levels, and that reality is growing. Bucs senior director of football research Jackie Davidson was on the Salty Dogs podcast this week talking about how she’s getting more involved in compiling and developing data tied to in-game decisions.
Stats, of course, play a huge role in determining paychecks for players and coaches.
For example, if the Bucs could average 4 1/2 yards per carry instead of a league-worst 3.0, then the Bucs could have a play-action game and have a very different-looking offense. Playcaller Byron Leftwich might even find some cheerleaders.
Fun facts: Half of NFL teams average at least 4.6 yards per carry and that includes the Saints, Panthers and Falcons.
After Thursday’s loss to the Ravens, Bowles was asked on the Buccaneers Radio Network postgame show about in-game numbers and replied, “We don’t really look at stats here.”
It reminded Joe of when former Bucs head coach Raheem Morris shot back at a reporter, “Stats are for losers.”
Joe is no stats freak, but stats can tell quite a story and coaches need to look at the overall production and have perspective. It’s nice to say, for example, our run defense was fine except for a few bad fits against X team, but often a problem is bigger than just a few missed assignments and significant change is in order.
After no moves at the trade deadline and deep study during a “mini-bye,” it seems like the Bucs won’t be making significant changes because they feel they’re on the right track and simply must execute.
Joe sure hopes Bowles and friends are correct — because many of the stats say otherwise.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:27 am
Yes we can see that you dont by the way you plan for games.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:29 am
Gosh Todd reminds me of Lovie in the fact they just like to hear themselves talk. They just think their crap don’t stink and are great at what they do. We know nothing. I’m pretty much done with this dude. Just like he sunk the jets he’s doing the same to the Bucs. Horrible coach. Go Bucs!
November 4th, 2022 at 10:32 am
Lovie or Todd who gets the ax first?
November 4th, 2022 at 10:37 am
Why invent the abacus if one isn’t going to use it?
“We don’t look at stats here.” So like, never? You just go by your “gut feel” about how your team is doing? Incomprehensible answer.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:40 am
If Todd could get his team to play as hard as Lovies team we wouldn’t be 3-5.
The Bucs have absolutely adopted Bowles’s personality on the field. No energy.
No enthusiasm. Just the facts ma’am.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:41 am
Continuing to ground and pountdwith a ypa of 3.0 and a short yardage efficiency of 0 is a clear indication of a denial of reality. Should a hc who cant win with TB12 keep his job? I don’t think so. I hate to say this, but this is beginning to reek of a diversity hire.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:42 am
How about your record? Isn’t that a stat? This guy… Still SMH for that ridiculous call vs the Rams last year. Coach in waiting rarely works. Seems to breed complacency.
November 4th, 2022 at 10:45 am
The stubbornness is crazy from this staff. smh
November 4th, 2022 at 10:59 am
Us fans can really help our beloved team right now: Let’s take up a collection to order 20 copies of “Stats for Dummies” and gift the coaches each with a copy.
That’ll fix it.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:00 am
“For example, if the Bucs could average 4 1/2 yards per carry instead of a league-worst 3.0, then the Bucs could have a play-action game”
Sorry to break it to you Joe but there are numerous statistical data points that suggest there is zero correlation between a successful running game and play action.
For example. Despite being the absolute worst rushing team in the league this year by a wide margin, the Bucs are currently have the 4th highest EPA/play on play action passes.
Defenders get fooled by a good fake regardless of whether or not you can actually run the ball well.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:01 am
Leftwich has to go unless the Bucs manage to score over 20 when they have a lead and are not in garbage time to pad stats. Indy fired their OC and he did not even call the plays (I wonder if the Glazers are worried of the PC wrath from WOKE Yahoo journalist’s Shalise Manza Young who just crucifided Reich. I kind of wish Leftwich never calls another play again as well and if Yanza Young writes an article it is hopefully about how Byron deserved to be fired. Are the Glazers too PC?
November 4th, 2022 at 11:03 am
‘It reminded Joe of when former Bucs head coach Raheem Morris shot back at a reporter, “Stats are for losers.”
And that’s exactly what Raheem ended up being … a loser. I can’t believe that ANY HC in today’s NFL would be so arrogant as to say “We don’t really look at stats here.” Bowles is following in Morris’ footsteps.
Sir Winston Churchill once quipped ‘Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’. And that’s all that ‘stats’ are … history. Figure out what works & try some version of it. Figure out what doesn’t work & stop beating your head against the wall. Out of curiosity Joe, has anyone explained that to Byron yet?
November 4th, 2022 at 11:09 am
No shade meant here but did anyone else think TB12 looked terribly gaunt in his presser? I could be wrong but the Bucs camo cap he was wearing looked like 2 sizes too big and his cheeks appeared sunken in…I know he’s been going through all kinds of things both personally and professionally so maybe he’s not getting enough rest or something. He may be the GOAT but he’s still human and I’ve never noticed him look like that before…I’m not a Bucs fan but have big respect and hope he’s ok.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:10 am
Who makes worse comments Bowles, Leftwich, Licht or Devin White?
November 4th, 2022 at 11:13 am
Note…stats with W mean u won while a L stat means u lost,
November 4th, 2022 at 11:14 am
todd is obviously breaking under the pressure
peter principal…
November 4th, 2022 at 11:14 am
Dude … you guys may or may not “look” at things but you don’t SEE anything
November 4th, 2022 at 11:23 am
We don’t look in the mirror here either, apparently.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:26 am
Yes, looks like coach is folllowing the same game plan he did with the jets–it’s called “losing and denial on one”. Anyone else notice how bad TB12 looked in that interview? The Bucs camo hat he wore looked like 2 sizes too big and his cheeks were sunken in…maybe I never noticed it before but he looks really gaunt. I know he’s dealing with all kinds of issues both personally and professionally, but he’s well-known for taking very good care of his body. I sincerely hope he’s ok.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:26 am
Bowles just seems like a guy that is content to crash and burn so long as he can crash and burn on his own terms.
He’s acting like he either knows his job is safe no matter what, or he knows he’s a dead man walking and he’s at peace with that. Everything else in between doesn’t seem to matter.
I will say this about this team though and where blame should and shouldn’t fall, Brady deserves at least 50%+ of the blame for how this season is unfolding. He brought nothing but distraction with him when he came back and no matter what his stats show, he’s missing throws. We could have traded his rights to Miami and been a year into a rebuild and instead we signed more old guys to dumb contracts that were on Brady’s bucket list to play with, and here we sit, laughing stock of the NFL.
This is how the end happens for almost every great QB. They can’t walk away and they fail miserably their last year.
This whole Arians to Bowles thing was messy when it happened and it painted the organization into a corner, and Brady was the catalyst.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:28 am
That’s why he’s 3-5.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:30 am
Bowles would be talking out of the other side of his face if the Bucs had good stats.
If the offense was better than the last two years Bowles would be quoting all kinds of stats. This just says that he is like totally lost.
How do you expect players to do their jobs when the see lost coaches wandering in the wilderness?
November 4th, 2022 at 11:39 am
Bowles is the worst head coach currently in the NFL. Fire the fart sniffer now!
November 4th, 2022 at 11:42 am
The more this ass clown talks the more absolutely lost he sounds. This man is not intellectually smart enough to lead an NFL team. PERIOD.
Hello Glazers, do the right thing and fire this inept fool.
November 4th, 2022 at 11:43 am
I am STILL trying to figure out WHY Arians suddenly stepped down, out of the Blue ?
My Sports Bar Buddies think that Brady refused to return if Arians was still head coach.
If this is true, then Brady did this to us.
But Jason Licht must not escape blame! He did not have to sign off on Arians appointment of Bowles to replace him.
Licht could have done a head coaching search, vs appointing a Head Coach with a terrible record as a head coach, who basically cost us the loss in the Rams game that ended our season, after we fought our way back in that game.
The Sports Bar Guys claim that the team is sick of Brady, who has become a big Prima Donna since he came to Tampa.
According to them, our locker room is divided because of Brady who misses practice at will, attends weddings when the rest of the team is practicing, and then turns around and screams at his O Line!
November 4th, 2022 at 11:49 am
Apparently Todd Bowels (movement) doesn’t look at game film, either.
November 4th, 2022 at 12:06 pm
Looking at stats probably ruins his mood like the rest of us
November 4th, 2022 at 12:08 pm
Pink slip !
November 4th, 2022 at 12:43 pm
Jason Licht should be fired for allowing Brady to leave multiple times during the season. There is no VIP treatment in the NFL.
This is what you sow…now reap it.
Licht is a jackwagon.
November 4th, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Oh my goodness is this real life are you serious Todd wow.
November 4th, 2022 at 12:52 pm
WOW, what happened to ALL Bowels lovers. DR, he is a DEFENSIVE GENIUS!!! Even the Brady haters can’t blame him for this, we all know he looks at stats.
Like White should have been benched for his bored statement, Bowles should be benched for this one.
I am pretty sure BA didn’t look at stats but at least he’s been around the block long enough that his gut calls have some credibility.
#bowlesleftnutjokes
November 4th, 2022 at 12:55 pm
I take it back there is still one moron T-REX that could find away to blame this on TB12. FYI dipshat Bowles had his own little personal vacation day mid week this season.
November 4th, 2022 at 1:11 pm
“We don’t really look at stats here”= I don’t want to talk about how bad we are right now- Can’t really blame him.
November 4th, 2022 at 1:15 pm
Has Todd Bowles always been a stubborn jerk? You’re getting your hat handed to you on a weekly basis and you’re the king of one liners now?
November 4th, 2022 at 1:18 pm
What he meant to say was that “We do not look at anything at all here.”
November 4th, 2022 at 1:33 pm
This is the kind of question that is avoided when you know the stats are poor but you do not know how to get better. 2011 all over again.
November 4th, 2022 at 1:43 pm
“We don’t look at stats and we use no logic” – Bowels & Leftwich
November 4th, 2022 at 1:51 pm
Until the front office owners & coaching staff really changes this team is probably gonna be inconsistent. You’d think they’d wanna win more now after these last couple of years & you’d think they’d get tired of losing after a certain point.
November 4th, 2022 at 2:13 pm
Hey Todd, you might want to look at this stat;
3-5
That proves the point..stats are for losers.
November 4th, 2022 at 2:36 pm
Finally, this explains why he blitzed Stafford!!!
November 4th, 2022 at 3:34 pm
Stats don’t tell you everything, but they certainly can help you figure out trends and patterns. If they don’t look at stats, no wonder they have no idea how bad they are running on 1st down, meanwhile they’re great running on 2nd down.
What a stupid comment. Of course you look at stats as part of any coaching job.
November 4th, 2022 at 4:04 pm
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
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“We don’t really look at stats here.”
Simply amazing. How is this guy a head coach?
November 4th, 2022 at 4:16 pm
Bowles never has been head coach material—his record with Jets was /is a huge red flashing lite that Licht didn’t have the balls to recognize…..
November 4th, 2022 at 4:49 pm
I’m getting more and more angry at Bruce Arians for what he did to this team. Coaching sucks. Ability to motivate players sucks even more!
November 4th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
There’s a difference between analytics and data analysis. Analytics looks toward the future, Data analysis looks at the past. While I believe analytics are ruining the game, data analysis is used by every smart team. I doubt Bowles knows or cares about difference. A key example is the bucs blitz rate. While blitzing has come down precipitously over the last 10 years or so, Bowles continues to use it as a staple, regardless of the QB. There is no better case in point than the divisional loss to the Rams last year. All the data told Bowles not to blitz Stafford. He did it anyway, and it cost the bucs dearly
November 4th, 2022 at 5:23 pm
Never gonna make it with these coaches.
November 4th, 2022 at 6:28 pm
“Clueless Todd” that’s why.
November 4th, 2022 at 6:40 pm
“We don’t really look at stats here.”
—
They don’t really look at anything, it would seem. Why should stats be any different.
November 6th, 2022 at 4:24 am
Joe college statistics class 101. Stats can be manipulated and misleading.
Fact