Byron Leftwich And Todd Bowles Clash Fails Smell Test For Network Analyst
February 26th, 2023
Questions.
So last week, Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” and mentioned one reason why the Bucs struggled last year was because failed offensive coach Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles had clashing football philosophies. The two were football’s version of oil and water.
Leftwich, schooled in Arians’ no-risk-it; no-biscuit offense, wanted to keep throwing downfield. Bombs away. Hey, it worked since Leftwich showed up in Tampa. Why not keep it up?
Bowles wasn’t all that keen on it. That’s just not in defensive coaches’ DNA. That’s not how they are wired. New school, aggressive offenses often rub them the wrong way.
Besides, Bowles didn’t want Arians’ offense, claiming it wore out the whole team and zapped them of stamina late in the season. Joe always thought that was, well, an odd hypothesis, and the more time that passes from the Arians regime, the more Joe grows skeptical of Bowles’ premise.
(Did the Bucs look exhausted to you when they played the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago? No one played in more games that season than the Bucs and they sure as heck used Arians’ offense.)
So Leftwich’s idea of winning didn’t mesh with Bowles.’ It seems the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio, isn’t fully buying Arians’ explanation.
Florio, correctly, asked on a recent PFT episode why didn’t Arians realize this when he retired? Fair point. Florio was also curious that if Leftwich, Arians’ proxy, didn’t work well with Bowles, then how did Arians work so well with Bowles through the years?
Another fair question.
Joe thinks the answer is simple: Bowles became head coach. Before, Arians ran the show and dished out orders. After Arians retired, it was Bowles guiding the pirate ship.
That put Leftwich out of his element. A fish out of water. Bowles wanted to run the ball more. Leftwich didn’t know how to build a running attack (if he did, he sure as hell fooled Joe).
A combination of offensive line injuries and Leftwich unable to craft and execute a run game was the perfect match for an offensive meltdown.
This firepit was stoked when Arians decided to retire in late March. Unless Bowles was going to hire college coaches or drag retired dudes out of their Arizona and Florida condos, Bowles was stuck with some assistants clearly ill-suited for what he wanted.
The result is what Bucs fans saw last year.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:20 am
I hope Caneras didn’t PO Bowles when he said he had already given the Bucs an identity. Bowles was still looking for ours at the end of the season. It surely surprised me and I had a big smile.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:28 am
Why Arians and the Bucs gave him the ship? I don’t trust Bowles anymore, his defense is inconsistent as hell and his inability of offensive side will fire back again next year.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:36 am
Here is a poem that Arians should have read to Bowles;
No Risk It
No Biscuit
If It Ain’t Broke
Don’t Fix It
But Bowles couldn’t help himself.
Leftwich wanted to continue to run the offense that he had successfully been running for the past 2 years but Bowles wanted to play Prevent Offense and Leftwich had trouble with the adjustment.
Bowles single handedly ruined Brady’s last year here and the longer the Glazers keep him on as head coach the worse things will get.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:49 am
BrainBucs——-AMEN & AMEN
February 26th, 2023 at 1:49 am
BrianBUCS sorry
February 26th, 2023 at 2:01 am
Not only that, but Bowles had a team that was clearly designed for Arians offense. Considering the fact they won a ring and lost 10 games in two years? Gee, I guess it worked. To come in and say no, screw this, I want to do this thing my way in a manner that’s polar opposite of what the team does well?
Hammering square pegs into round holes is a fools endeavor.
February 26th, 2023 at 2:08 am
What’s Bowles’ lame excuse going to be next year?
February 26th, 2023 at 3:51 am
Exactly” square pegs, round holes our offense is built to push the ball down the field and score at will. It will take Blows to many years he doesn’t have to rebuild it into a ground and pound Offense and our defense isn’t even close to being good enough to compensate
February 26th, 2023 at 4:40 am
Bowles = ego, inflated
February 26th, 2023 at 4:40 am
And this is exactly why Bowles should never ever have been appointed Bucs Head Coach… huge huge mistake
February 26th, 2023 at 4:42 am
…and also why Brady retired: he probably realized that Bowles would continue enforcing his philosophy on this team and where that would lead
February 26th, 2023 at 5:12 am
DR, and there you have it!!! That also explains why Blows and Brady didn’t get along. Once a Loser always a Loser! A SB and a possible 3rd if not for Blows. He should have been fired. I blame upper management.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:15 am
Joe … ‘Bowles wanted to run the ball more. Leftwich didn’t know how to build a running attack (if he did, he sure as hell fooled Joe). A combination of offensive line injuries and Leftwich unable to craft and execute a run game was the perfect match for an offensive meltdown.’
Everything in that analysis is spot on Joe, but it leaves out 1 important FACT: Bucs basically ran the ball the SAME OR LESS in 2022 as they did in 2020 or 2021 under Arians.
o 2022: 386 rushes (22.7 runs/game)
o 2021: 385 rushes (22.6 runs/game)
o 2020: 369 rushes (23.1 runs/game)
IOW what Bowles may have WANTED didn’t mean diddly, since Leftwich never REALLY committed to running the ball MORE. He attempted time after time to run the SAME OFFENSE that he ran in 2020 & 2021 (under BA’s watchful eye) but couldn’t make it work, more because of significantly different talent levels (Gronk, Brown, Marpet, Jensen all gone & replaced by lesser talented players) than anything else. And 45-year-old Tom Brady had a hard time adjusting to those changes.
The ‘proof of the pudding’ lies in the huge differences in our 3rd down & Red Zone success rates over those 3 years. Look at the differences in our 3rd down success rates:
o 2022: 37.1% (92 of 246 attempts0 … Rank: #21
o 2021: 47.1% (105 of 223 attempts) … Rank: #2
o 2020: 43.5% (83 of 191 attempts) … Rank: #11
Now look at our Red Zone success rates:
o 2022: 52.0% (26 of 50 attempts) … Rank: #22
o 2021: 66.2% (45 of 68 attempts) … Rank: #2
o 2020: 68.9% (42 of 61 attempts) … Rank: #7
The deep ball wasn’t the killer IMO. Bucs’ offense couldn’t sustain drives in 2022 AND we couldn’t punch it in nearly as successfully as we did in 2021 & 2020. Brady missed Gronk & AB as his weapons, and Jensen & Marpet as his protectors.
It’s ‘convenient’ to blame Bowles, and Leftwich too, but the major reason for difference in productivity lies in the difference in talent levels that we actually put on the field. Not to mention that last year’s schedule was significantly tougher than what we faced in 2020 & in 2021.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:15 am
If Blows was going to change the strategy, why didn’t they just let Brady go? I know because BA wanted to lock him in before he handed the keys to the city to Blows.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:23 am
Many are forgetting this… the OL was devastated with injuries, Fournett seemed to not be healthy, Godwin was not really himself and Evans had a down year.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:28 am
NEfan … ‘and there you have it!!! That also explains why Blows and Brady didn’t get along.’
That’s a faulty conclusion (doesn’t explain anything of the sort), but you already know that. Last year’s results were about talent levels much more than anything else. The talent that the Bucs put on the field last year game-in & game-out wasn’t even close to the talent that we fielded in 2021 or 2020.
And BA’s no fool; he knew it. His passing the team to Bowles on the very last day of MARCH, while we were already into free agency & scraping the bottom of the barrel for $$$, should tell everyone something. Bowles thus inherited what was destined to be a mess from a personnel standpoint (and got worse after that). Inheriting Leftwich as his OC … his competitor on BA’s staff for the head coaching position … pretty much sealed his fate in 2022 (too late to get anyone else). It really didn’t matter what Bowles WANTED to do offensively.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:31 am
RuKa_44 … ‘and also why Brady retired’.
Brady retired because he’s 45-years-old and worn out. Without the best OLine in the NFL to protect him, it wasn’t hard for him to see the writing on the wall. And BTW, Brady would’ve LOVED a strong running game last year.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:43 am
The Bowles Curse
February 26th, 2023 at 5:58 am
DR, Brady would have rather had 5000 yds, 46 TDs & 13 wins and another SB run not 8-9 and a 1& done playoff birth. That’s what losers do.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:09 am
DR, FYI Brady didn’t have the best oline against Rams 2021, if not for Blows constant blitzing Stafford they move to the SB.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:43 am
Stop blaming Bowles. We had a crappy offensive line that couldn’t give Brady enough time to find open receivers. Leftwich needed a run game and couldn’t or wouldn’t game plan one.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:50 am
Joe, you’re not calling leftwich’s offense new school, and aggressive are you? If anything the offense run under Arains, and Lefty is quite old school.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:58 am
NEfan … I love ‘fans’ like you with your myopic analyses. Why bother looking at the entire game when you can ‘prove’ your contention based on a single play?
Bucs offense had the ball FIFTEEN TIMES in that game, and looked pathetic on 2/3rds of them (they scored 3 TDs & 2 FGs on the other 5, all but 1 FG in the 2nd half). Bucs defense created FOUR takeaways which dramatically benefitted the offense. TWO of those takeaways resulted in very short fields (both 30 yards) that the Bucs’ offense actually managed to score 2 of their 3 TDs off those takeaways. The other 2 takeaways were wasted.
Bucs offense managed to gain LESS THAN 10 YARDS on SEVEN of those 15 drives; almost half of them (and they ended up giving the Rams excellent field position on numerous drives). On those 7 drives our offense ran a TOTAL of 18 plays gaining a TOTAL of 8 net yards & consuming a TOTAL of 6:07 on the clock.
In short NE ‘fan’ the Bucs offense didn’t even come close to holding up their end of the deal that day. But ya, press on pretending that it was ONE play that was all that counted.
February 26th, 2023 at 7:08 am
Fire Bowels.
February 26th, 2023 at 7:21 am
Arians is overrated, he has never outcoached anyone in the NFL. He road the coattails of Brady and maxed out credit card of talented free agents which the team implodes after two years.
It is the same blueprint from his Arizona days with Carson Palmer. Arians implodes the team after a quick two year window.
February 26th, 2023 at 7:32 am
It really doesn’t matter if Bowles & Leftwich clashed…..Bowles is responsible…..and Lefwich is gone.
I have zero confidence in Todd Bowles because of the numerous bonehead in game decisions last year…..
The fake punt vs Cinn.
Not trying to score vs Cleveland
The 55 yard FG try for Succcop
Countless punts on 4th & short in opponent territory
February 26th, 2023 at 7:59 am
Florios just a another Brady nizutt gurgler like that clown that’s always here but isn’t a Bucs fan
February 26th, 2023 at 8:14 am
This is wrong on so many points. Leftwich and Brady did the offensive game planning. Brady called the shots and if he opposed the overall game plan it would have changed. The offensive line was porous and Brady was terrified and playing too scared to go deep early and often. That left us with a dink and dunk offense. Bowles may be a bad HC but he wouldn’t not have sat them down in training camp and said hey, for the past two years we have one of the best scoring offenses in the league but now that I’m in charge we going to scrap that. Get real!
February 26th, 2023 at 8:14 am
Preach it !! Defense rules,
NEfan is only a Brady fan but continues to come in here to be negative…We get it you don’t like Bowels, Get over it he is here for this coming season..I wish all you negative people would give the new coaching staff a chance.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Said last season the BA left Bowles a SB team. So…
February 26th, 2023 at 8:31 am
In 2022 our Bucs still threw the ball more than everyone, save for a team or two, right? So they were still “riskin” it, they just weren’t getting the bisket. It seems like a lazy analysis but, there just simply wasn’t enough successful consistency in any team team group throughout the entire year to match the expectations. Heck, even the greatest QB ever showed his mortality. Factor in coaching mistakes & inabilities & it was the perfect storm for suck! The football year NEVER felt right!
No, I’m not sure if Bowles can fix it, either. We can only hope.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:36 am
So you’re saying Bowles was at fault as well? Maybe they fired the wrong guy? Should have fired both I guess. Who knew?
February 26th, 2023 at 8:40 am
No worry guys, Bowles will either let his pride, ego, n stubbornness go to adjust to the demands of the new OC n FANS or be fired before mid season if he pull that 2022 season crap again. Based on his head coaching history, Im not a big fan of Bowles. He proved that he’s stuck in his ways n not willing to adapt to changes. He inherited a Super Bowl champ/ready team n regressed to the 5th power. He made it to the hot seat pronto. Now, take note on how Sean Payton come out the box aggressively to score n take risk with a disfunctional Broncos team that he inherited.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:44 am
DR, the D let up 31 points in the Rams game!!! The O scored 28!!! With a horrid oline and skeleton crew for a receiving core.You are the myopic one, it doesn’t matter how you do it or when. The Bill’s game that season you whined that the D was gassed when the score was 28-3 at half time go back and look at those series. Both those cases it was Bowles D. You and many others hang onto the 2020 SB as if it was a great accomplishment to beat up on a injured QB, horrid oline and distraut head coach distracted by his alcoholic crimminal son. Again for someone that seems to have some football knowledge or at least can read a stat sheet I question and debate why you defend him? #99, Robert, it has nothing to do with Brady, I am responding to the article which proves Bowles blew the season and history has repeated itself.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:50 am
I would add, BL ALSO couldn’t figure out schemes to get his receivers open, if the stories about Brady leading the league in tight window throws are accurate
February 26th, 2023 at 8:55 am
DR, FYI I agree BL was over his head in 2022 but as far as the Rams game in 2021 both BL & AB did their jobs that game, it was 28-28 with 26 seconds left. Blows called a all out blitz that confused the D and as I recall Vea wasn’t over the center or guard he was rushing from outside the tackle which was obtuse in itself.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Not AB, BA sorry. Though AB was missed.
February 26th, 2023 at 9:01 am
NEfan, you’re a Pats fan. Why are you wasting our time with your whining. I was a Brady fan when Loyd Carr screwed him at Michigan so I don’t need lessons in what he can do. But what he couldn’t do the last two years was get it done, especially last season. Good that he retired. And yeah Bowles made some mistakes – Cleveland game the most obvious – but Tom was horrible last season. The defense did its job, TB and Lefty did I not. Move on.
February 26th, 2023 at 10:07 am
Interesting points being discussed here. But the key to this past season’s demise was the poor play of Tom Brady. Yes, Leftwich figured, this is Brady the GOAT. He will get it done. But Brady had a really bad year. Whether it was because of his divorce or father time, Brady sucked..period. If Brady had a great year, then Leftwich would still be here. And Brady saw the handwriting on the wall and retired taking his casualty Leftwich with him. Every year, An NFL team has a sacrificial lamb if they had a losing season. Ours was Leftwich.
February 26th, 2023 at 10:10 am
How do you throw the ball “deep” when you have the worst left tackle in the NFL?
Throwing the ball downfield requires the offensive line to hold up the pass rush for an extra second or two. Tom Brady would have been slaughtered if we threw the long ball more often than we did last season.
Byron was just a bad offensive coordinator and now BA has egg all over his face for forcing Todd Bowles to hire him. So now these BS excuses from BA in order to deflect reality.
Honestly – I just wish BA would go away now… Thanks for everything but please just go away.
February 26th, 2023 at 10:13 am
Truth is they both suck.
February 26th, 2023 at 10:17 am
It’s all really confusing. Sounds like Arians made the wrong guy head coach. I’m not saying Leftwich would have been better but chances are the offense would have been better and the defense the same. We will never know that answer. Maybe as usual, history was telling the truth that Bowles isn’t meant to be a head coach. He sure didn’t use the pieces he had to their best possible use. And now we have another year of potential garbage. Maybe that’s a good thing as Joe has said before about getting a top pick in 2025, but it sure won’t be fun to watch. Will Bowles even make a full season? Most likely he will get all the rope. Jason Licht isn’t stupid and has to be kicking himself for the mess he allowed to be created.
February 26th, 2023 at 10:49 am
I know many think Bowles gets canned next year. I think your wrong. They are going to give him 2 years minimum starting with this season. Because of what Joe wrote above is likely why. We are stuck being awful til at least the 2025 season. I hate it but it’s the truth. I see us 5-12 this year and then 2-15 the following and he finally gets canned. Our schedule is soft this year so we will sneak out a few wins. Next year not so much which leads to him being canned! I just can’t believe they signed him to a 5 year deal knowing his history as a head coach. He couldn’t win with Brady so he certainly ain’t winning with Trask or whatever FA or rookie we sign.
February 26th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Bowels always turn everything to s–t. It’s their nature.
February 26th, 2023 at 11:32 am
AGAIN…NE fan the Bucs did not have a horrid OL when it comes to pass pro. Yes Brady has a famous quick release…he also had cement shoes, and he turtled at the first sign of a rush…he was SPENT!! That’ not the OL’s fault.
Now nobody can deny the Bucs running game sucked last year. How much of that is on the OL is up for debate. I do not blame it on the RB’s since Lenny is a true stud and White flashed for a rookie.
Soooo it’s either the OL or BL and a crappy game plan when it comes to running.
I also agree with TBBF that Bowles made horrible, defensive minded (read cowardly) choices in game management that did nothing to help the running game.
2023 should answer some of those questions since the 2 RB’s and most of the OL will return, hopefully healthy this year, along with an OC who DOES like to run the ball.
February 26th, 2023 at 11:33 am
I think the cause of the downward spiral starts with GIZ not providing Brady her shrine before every game.
It was cemented in stone when Brady called his own number and went out for a pass early in the season.
From that point on, it was clear, Brady lacked the will power that her shrine provided.
February 26th, 2023 at 11:41 am
FrontFour…it would be nice if he’d just go away right?
February 26th, 2023 at 12:27 pm
Some of the “fans” here have convinced themselves of the Bowles is trash narrative and are going to run with that no matter what at least they are going to run with that until next season. We are just going to have to deal with negativity for the next 8 months maybe more. Thank you to the fans who have thoughtful arguments and are just not running with ridiculous narratives that make no sense and are just half baked opinions.
February 26th, 2023 at 12:58 pm
Great coaches taylor the game plan to fit their players. This offense was built around the no risk-it, no biscuit philosophy. An offense that was top 5 for the last two year’s previous to Bowles didn’t need fixing. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Why is it that just about everyone can realize that Bowles is not cut out to be a head coach. Had we been in the NFC East we wouldn’t have made the playoffs and Bowles would be gone. But, we won the the division against a bunch of bad football teams and he gets rewarded. We all will suffer because he was retained.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
Bowles might have a perfect season. 0-17
February 26th, 2023 at 1:39 pm
I really think bowles told leftwich to run more. Not run to weak side (left) every first down. Which put him in bad 2 down situation most of the time because the defense sat on it. Leftwich did it deliberately for spite and got fired for it. Simple as that.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
I knew Byron was a joke of an OC in the first place but Arians and Brady were the ones keeping it in line.
February 26th, 2023 at 1:42 pm
The Bucs were almost certain this egotistical Arians begged off the couch to coach OC would take the Jags gig…but no he was thinking the SB made him the coach to demand your own GM .. when you have a top tier QB draft pick in Trevor Lawrence … thing off that I AM MARSHALL cocky audacity to do that. Smh
February 26th, 2023 at 1:43 pm
think of*
February 26th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Is it the Bowles curse or is Bowles cursed in some way? Or is that simply saying the same thing? The sky is falling and we are doomed to fail again this year because we have Bowles as our head coach.
I am making no predictions but I am going to watch Canales take our offense in a different direction. Watching what he might do may be the only thing we can enjoy.
“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. ” 🎼🎵
February 26th, 2023 at 2:04 pm
What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.
Some men, you just can’t reach.
So you get what we had here last year — which is the way he wants it.
Well, he gets it.
And I don’t like it anymore than you men.
February 26th, 2023 at 2:53 pm
This is all a bunch of baloney! They fired leftwich to be the scapegoat so that bowles dont get fired. These are all contrived excuses. Somebody had to take the axe they decided, and it was leftwich. If bowles had to pick his staff I guarantee he would have kept the same staff. All this give bowles his guys stuff is baloney. He had near a golden egg and failed miserably last season. Now things are going to get messier and the excuse making for bowles will have more reasons..1st year trask, 1st year canales, lost a lot of guys on defense, etc. We either should have fired both or kept both together to all get fired this year at some point. If the bucs go 7-10 they will make all kind of excuses to retain bowles.
February 26th, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Say what you want but Blows had 5 losing seasons out of 6 and NEVER won a playoff game as a HC and NOT with the same staff. He can lose one as a DC no problem. He will be 1-6 after 2023, it will be interesting to read all your excuses and who will be the scapegoat(s) next season.
February 26th, 2023 at 3:20 pm
Big Mac
It’s all just BA covering his a$$. He knows they aren’t HC material, but to admit it would tarnish his legacy, and give his coaching tree a fungus.
February 26th, 2023 at 3:50 pm
Prediction: new guy, is no better than Byron Leftwich.
Bucs fans will be calling for his job, by week 5.
February 26th, 2023 at 4:21 pm
Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken. Further proof of this
February 26th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
As long as Bowles is the HC, expect more low-energy covering of hindquarters.
He wants Dungy Ball without the Dungy.
Leftwich is a scapegoat, even if he was a poor coach.
This is BA’s fault, selling the Glazers & Licht on his boys. BA wanted a “coaching tree” but all he got was rotten roots. That plan has failed and will continue to fail.
By game 6, Canales will wish he never took the job, and the finger-pointing will begin.
February 26th, 2023 at 4:29 pm
ROFLMAO @ larrd…
February 26th, 2023 at 4:33 pm
IMO, it’s Bowles’ philosophy that f s everything up period! Sure things are better with better talent! I believe everything that BA said!!
February 26th, 2023 at 4:44 pm
If your going to play the blame game you gotta blame the whole team. It’s a team sport. Defense def played better than the offense but even they were inconsistent and Dallas had their way with em. ST didn’t play well besides the punter offense wash straight trash and defense didn’t show up at times. Everyone is to blame.
February 26th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
True 1#@ but isn’t it the HC’s problem when NOTHING works???
February 26th, 2023 at 5:40 pm
This narrative would make sense if it can be proven true. There was indeed a disconnect involving Bowles, Brady. We know Brady, based on his history. We know Bowles is and will always be a dinosaur, and boneheaded one on offense. Exactly what is/was Leftwich’s offensive strategy? I don’t think he can now be recast as some New Age guy, or that strict an Arians disciple. Byron is not a great OC in any case.
We still don’t know (and will never know) specifically who was most responsible for the game planning and play calling.
The bigger question is, knowing that any tensions existed, which resulted in bad football and LOSSES, why was nothing done? Both the play calling and the roster were a mess, and nothing was done. For an entire season, a mess except the few times Brady went off script and probably pissed everyone off. (No, Brady haters, he had not regressed so badly that he was the singlehanded reason for the losing season.)
February 26th, 2023 at 5:46 pm
Every time I see a picture of the Bloweszo Clown I want to hork.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:09 pm
At least we got a championship and we all knew this was coming. It’s the price you pay. I just hope it doesn’t take another 18 years to fix it. If we can at least beat the slimy Saints I’ll be somewhat happy. Clam Jordan is such a pos. And Lattimore is pink azz bish
February 26th, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Maybe if the o-line wasn’t decimated the air attack would’ve been better. Problem is they had zero running gaming. Too many 3 and outs or two first down drives exhausts the defense over time. This was happening game after game after game.
February 26th, 2023 at 6:34 pm
Ironic because Blows didn’t want to throw more because Bucs scored to quickly and burnt out the players. So just go 3 & out and burn them out even quicker. At least the O was fresh. Stupid is what Stupid does!!!
February 26th, 2023 at 7:53 pm
Bowles didn’t want the Bucs going 3 and out from 3 consecutive passes, or taking homerun shots down the field on 1st and 3rd, with defense getting forced back onto the field. How often did that happen? Too often. Lots of people to blame: players, coaches, schemes, Brady, refs, injuries.
Welcome to the NFL. When you win, all these question marks go away.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:04 pm
Why does everybody insist on the Bucs’ struggles being caused by Bowles wanting to change things? The Bucs were bad at passing and they were bad at running. The offense was just bad.
The reality is that the Arians offense is ineffective in the modern NFL without absolutely elite QB, WRs, and OL. If Arians was head coach this year the record would’ve been basically the same. In fact, Arians seems to blame everyone BUT Leftwich. Bowles may have been the only one to point out the struggles of the scheme.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:04 pm
A lot of fans don’t want to admit this, but Arian’s no risk it no biscuit was going broke. Without Gonk and AB, the offense was broken. Arian’s offense needs 4 targets to work. The Arians offense was never going to work this year and Bowles knew it.
February 26th, 2023 at 8:27 pm
Well… If that’s the case, then they got rid of the wrong coach.
This is why you truly need someone who just delegates and handles everything besides being a coordinator. Bowles handling the defense & BL handling the offense with BA over top worked beautifully. Go back to Wandstadt and Turner under Jimmy Johnson.
Heck, even Gruden and Monica Kiffin was like a head coach on either side of the ball staying out of each others way.
Sounds like maybe Bowles would not stay out of the way.
That’s a shame because he’s a heck of a DC. Tells me the O is going to suck again because he got a nee OC who likes to run run run… Not a winning formula in today’s NFL.
February 26th, 2023 at 9:06 pm
The Arians offense didn’t work without 4 elite targets, if that is true how did Bucs go 13-4 in 2021? Gronk out 5 games and Godwin and AB gone. Bowles ground and pound O doesn’t work in today’s NFL. Why were the Bucs the leaders in the hurry up offense yet Bowles refused to run it? Bowles is your problem, BL is just inept.
February 27th, 2023 at 8:23 am
I’ve been saying this exact thing since Leftwich was fired.
February 27th, 2023 at 11:34 pm
I never liked the Bolwes signing. After I seen how he did with the Jets I never wanted him as a head coach AND after we all saw his first season with the goat, things are just going to sadly downhill from there.