“We Don’t Need To Take Our Foot Off The Gas”
January 2nd, 2023
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Well that didn’t take long.
Seemingly seconds after Bucs coach Todd Bowles said the starters will start in a pretty much meaningless game in Atlanta on Sunday, Bucs fans were fretting with a vision of Tom Brady being carted off the field of the Dixie Chicks’ crib next weekend.
Joe doesn’t know if there is a right and wrong answer here. Old school coaches are appalled at sitting players. And Bowles comes from Bill Parcells’ coaching tree so consider how Bowles was trained and wired.
Just last week 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan basically said it was a sacrilege to the game to purposely sit guys. And remember, San Francisco is now on its No. 3 quarterback. So if there was anyone that needed to sit, you would think it would be Brock Purdy.
But then Bowles added this about his starters this coming weekend:
“We can get better at a lot of things we need to work on,” Bowles said. “We don’t need to take our foot off the gas.”
That grabbed Joe’s attention. Despite what all the stat geeks claim (basically because they cannot slap a GD number on emotion and the human element of the game), Uncle Mo is very real.
Perhaps one of the worst games the Bucs played this year was after the bye when they lost to the sad Browns. The Bucs offense (it appears) is finally clicking like Joe expected. Bowles, possibly smartly, doesn’t want to eff that up.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:16 pm
One half of clicking doesn’t make them the greatest show on grass. They need all the practice they can get. Especially the coordinators
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:18 pm
Seeing how my daughters, wife and I are attending the game in Atlanta, I was wondering who would be playing! Sounds like it will be business as usual … although I suspect if Tampa SOMEHOW gets up big, they will pull starters! 3rd row behind their bench… LETS GO!!!
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:19 pm
But now that the offense played pretty decent with what appeared to be a total change up from previous weeks playcalling….do you really want to give your playoff opponent more game film to study?
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:20 pm
anyone know when they will announce the time of game???
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Sounds like the schedule for Week 18 will be released after tonight’s game.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:22 pm
I love that mentality! Pedal to the metal and keep striving to hit your peak in the playoffs!
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:25 pm
This looks smart until
A.) Brady, Evans, Godwin, Wirfs and/or Hainsey all go down with injuries, and/or
B.) The offense goes back to its Leftwurst ways, and/or
C.) Vea and Hicks both go down injured and the Bucs can’t stop the run anymore.
Otherwise it is pure genius, Todd.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Y’all don’t understand, Brady has never had a losing record. There’s no way in hell he wasn’t playing with the starters. Additionally, this team hasn’t shown enough to rest anyone
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:31 pm
Some of you have very short memories. We made the same decisions in 2020 and won the Super Bowl. BA said he wasn’t resting anyone it’s about winning. Big Mike got hurt in that game gave is all a scare. But he miraculously played the next week. Coach is making the right decision. Even though I’ll be pissed if we get injuries.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Out defense is good enough to be working on those things in practice.
Why do we need to play starters in a game where all Atlanta wants to do is hurt us?
Talking about confidence, what happens when we play our starters and lose to a non playoff team? Does that build morale?
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:35 pm
I agree with Bowles on this with a few exceptions of guys that could use it. *IF,* and that’s a mighty big if, the team did turn a corner just now it would be stupid to pause that potential streak right when it starts.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:42 pm
Maybe play most of the starters for just one half. Of course there is a chance of injury anytime. Just a trade-off of estimated risk probabilities.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:47 pm
Score 3 TDs on first three possessions.. then sit ‘em.
Problem solved.
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:50 pm
KEEP ON THE GAS!!! KEEP THE OFFENSIVE TEMPO GOING
LFGO
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:55 pm
Take our foot off the gas
They have not even been able to find the gas pedal for most of the season
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Mike Evans has made a career out of making BAD QBs look ALL PRO. Not a knock-on Brady though, just FACTS about Mike Evans! Just Trow the Man The Damm Ball, HE IS ALWAYS OPEN!!!
HOF first Ballot if he carry’s the Bucs to another Super Bowl win this year!!!
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:01 pm
Toad – since your foot never was on the gas before yesterday, perhaps you should rephrase.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:02 pm
That’s what I’ve been saying. This is a sh!t team and they need every bit of work they can get… and beating up on the crappy Falcons would be a nice way to take the stink off this pathetic season, and create momentum for the WC round. Let’s be real — a team that has performed as poorly as this one is probably struggling with confidence. The ATL game is another opportunity to get them believing in themselves. That is worth more than an extra week of rest.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:07 pm
Bowles is 100% correct. Maybe I am wired differently than some of the people on this site but once a guy is healthy enough to suit up and play, who worries about them getting hurt. None of these guys are 100% healthy. Wirfs and Smith had a great game. So you want to sit them? Brady looked good the entire game, even early (to me). So let’s sit him? Godwin hurt his knee last year, he could do it again, so let’s sit him. For a team that has struggled all year long to finally show some life, you want them to rest?? This isn’t a 162 game season. That Baseball mentality has no place in football. This is one week to prepare for a 3 hour window of playing, with due to the nature of the sport, no guarantee you will get to play again the next week. You know what you hear a lot when teams start to get hot and win a big game, you hear the players and coaches saying I wish we had another game tomorrow. This is our “I wish we had another game tomorrow” game. So you want to put the breaks on and make them wait two weeks??
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:09 pm
With. 53 man roster (46 active on gameday)..if you rest half O and half D…you’re basically playing with 35 guys minus special teams (LS, K, P) so you’re down to 32 + whoever you may activate who isn’t hurt, let’s say + 4 additional bodies. That’s 36 players. Not even 1st and 2nd string on O and D. That could be dangerous for those playing which could damage our key backups and playoff depth. I say play all who’s healthy for 1H at least.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:16 pm
The sad thing is, it’s Bowels. If he decides to play the starters, the Falcons will kill us, destroying any confidence, and several key starters will get injured.
But if he decides to sit starters, the Falcons will kill us, destroying any confidence, and some players will get injured anyway.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:20 pm
Goat farmer; that’s a good one
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:21 pm
Todd Bowels is making the right decision because Tom Brady needs to work with his tight ends more so our TE’s can get better at reading defensive coverages and adjusting their routes to be where Tom Brady expects them to be–like how Rob Grownkoski and Travis Kelce does
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:22 pm
I’m torn here. This is a unique situation. In the end, it’s a meaningless game against a team that’s already made tee times in Hawaii. If a key player gets hurt, Bowles will be scrutinized in perpetuity. What’s left to work on ? After 16 games you are what you are. Sure they could fine tool some things. But IMO the risk outweighs the reward.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:24 pm
Byron has been passing gas……..but has the runs.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:25 pm
I should clarify….
Byron tries to pass gas but has the runs instead.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:28 pm
Bucs offense is finally clicking? What? That was 3 drives in 1 quarter. It’s a bad as it has been all season. The bucs lost because the panthers fumbled the ball stupidly. The bucs didn’t beat the panthers. Time to work out the backups and heal the starters. Then again, what do I know. Watching the games I only call out 90% of the bucs plays.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:47 pm
TBBF wins the thread. You owe me a beer,
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Joe, you have cited Chris Simms before here as a legit authority on Brady. You should watch this clip from Pro Football Talk.
Go to YouTube and go to the NFL on NBC channel. The video is titled ‘Never count out Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’.
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:55 pm
Evans getting wide open against possibly the worst CB of NFL with no safety help was the reason Bucs offense looked competent yesterday. That and Brady reverting back to his old self because something was clicking on offense. I’m glad to hear that we will play the starters for the next game.
January 2nd, 2023 at 4:19 pm
Bowles actually sounded like a fella who is “in it to win it”. Joe’s idol/Fan Boy Florio posted an article that included this quote as well as a few others. Atta boy, Bowles…there may be hope for him yet. Fanboy Florio can’t be happy how his Vikings played at Lambeau…pretenders.
January 2nd, 2023 at 4:24 pm
Kudos to Bowles for recognizing the fact that with this 1 win, while barely playing 3 decent quarters, doesn’t make us overnight contenders. We still need to improve and play all FOUR quarters. That being said it was the first relatively positive performance since the Cowboys game. And for that I have a glimmer of hope.
January 2nd, 2023 at 4:34 pm
Joe you are a LOSER! You play scared you get hurt!!! Stop whining about every dag on decision this coaching staff makes!!!!!!!!!!
January 2nd, 2023 at 6:37 pm
I certainly don’t like this guy, but he is completely right 👍 about that game!!
January 2nd, 2023 at 8:22 pm
NFL games are car accidents. 17 game season now, so give as many as you can a rest. No Brady or either tackle. No Evans and Godwin. CBs are banged up so get them as healthy as possible. Nobody is going to look at the playoff game and say if we only played more guys in game 17. They are going to look at injuries caused or not healed in game 17.
January 2nd, 2023 at 10:02 pm
I would rather not take a chance on injuring any of our key players. Play’em, a quarter and take them out. We can’t afford anyone of our studs to get injured in a meaningless game. I just wonder if this is more about Todd Bowels not wanting to end the year with lousing record. It would not look good on his resume and would tarnish his pride.
January 2nd, 2023 at 11:58 pm
Maybe we will finally be able to see what Jaelon Darden can do as a WR.
Oh, wait……………………
January 3rd, 2023 at 12:12 am
These are football players and they want to play. Bowles even said something like if you are scared about injuries you would not be playing football. They ain’t scared.
January 3rd, 2023 at 12:48 am
Good. They have no business sitting anyone unless they are hurt. Foot off the gas… What gas? They were losing 21 to 10 with 10 minutes left in the game.
Let’s not blow it out of proportion and claim they had some magical night on offense. They couldn’t run the ball and in the first half they couldn’t block for the pass either. Stalled in the red zone, missed field goals, field goals blocked, etc. etc. etc. They had one big play and then came alive in the fourth.
They need all hands on deck to continue to work things out and to keep the momentum
January 3rd, 2023 at 2:26 am
To be honest, this team, under Bowels as head coach, sucks, sucked, has sucked, will suck, and will have sucked, until Bowels is flushed.
January 3rd, 2023 at 12:43 pm
I hope all of our guys stay healthy but this may be one of the best decisions Bowles has made this season. Since that Seattle game I have often wondered where would this team be if they would have had a game following the one in Germany instead of a bye. Our team needs to follow the Carolina game up with a good game against Atlanta. This would prove that what happened in the Carolina wasn’t a fluke and this team is truly becoming the team we thought they would be. This would be a huge boost going into the playoffs for this team.