Opening Day Success For Todd Bowles
August 23rd, 2023
A four-season losing streak and a sour career record are on Todd Bowles’ head coaching resume, but the man knows how to prepare a team for opening day.
Bowles is 3-2 on opening days (Jets and Bucs), including last year’s 19-3 beatdown of the Cowboys with Leonard Fournette hammering out 127 yards on just 21 carries.
And all the games were competitive. The worst loss was the 2017 Jets falling 21-12 at Buffalo, where poor Bowles had Josh McCown starting at quarterback. The Jets’ final three drives netted four yards combined. Four!
The point is Bowles knows how to get teams ready for opening day. That’s one thing he’s proven in his career.
So Joe feels great about the Bucs’ prospects in Minnesota in 18 short days knowing Brian Flores defenses typically start seasons slowly. Flores is the Vikings’ new defensive coordinator.
The bad news is Baker Mayfield has a miserable record in opening day games. He’s 0-4 as a Week 1 starter with a total of 3 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions.
August 23rd, 2023 at 9:57 am
Bucs will get blown out.
August 23rd, 2023 at 9:57 am
If you watched this team at all last season, his opening day record seems to be just a matter of luck and nothing more because Bowles very rarely has his team well prepared or motivated or disciplined or… I can just keep going on and on but I wont.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:07 am
If Mayfield has a really disastrous first half, I would look for Trask to play the second half, and become the starter.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:19 am
Sinclair… you’re dreaming. Stop acting like Trask is a 21-year-old phenom.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:20 am
I’m sorry … Sinclear
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:24 am
best case scenario.
Bucs go 1-6. fire Bowles and promote Canales to HC and make Trask the QB1. Then get a chance to see if either of them are the answer. If they are we have our future if not blow everything up and start over.
Bowles and Mayfield have shown for years they are what they are. Losing records lots of turnovers and lots of mistakes.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:40 am
I hope players don’t read these threads and see how little the fanbase believes in them. It’s an absolute shame.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:42 am
9-8 on the season and we beat the ain’ts once, panthers and falcons twice each.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:52 am
Good article until the last paragraph. Yikes.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:56 am
Jack, I’m more worried about the Falcons than the Staints. I think we can go 5-1 in our division too, but I’m thinking we beat the Staints twice.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:01 am
And yeah, Joe; I think we will be at the Vikelings in opening day too.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:02 am
Beat
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:34 am
The Saints look a LOT better than last year. I am truly worried about them.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:34 am
White up the middle for -2.
White off tackle for 1.
Mayfield incomplete short left to Edmunds.
Punt.
August 23rd, 2023 at 12:01 pm
If we had run the starters against Atlanta the discussion about Bowles would be very different now
August 23rd, 2023 at 1:08 pm
Mayfield is going to be Mayfield, bowels is going to be bowels booth will get fired !! There’s always next year.
August 23rd, 2023 at 2:57 pm
Mayfield isn’t going to throw 3 picks with this offense.
Way less time in the pocket equals less turnovers.
He won’t have to play hero ball with this defense.
Canales isn’t going to let that happen.
Saw lots of accuracy issues today with overthrown balls, but that is better than picks. He still needs to gel with Mike and Chris and will now have ample time to do so.
I still think this team is going to surprise A LOT of you fans who do nothing but read cluelessly dialed in media.
August 23rd, 2023 at 6:41 pm
Okay I’ve been pretty vocal about my belief that Bowels is a waaayyy below average head coach. Nothing changed there, and the fact that he is an elite DC is not in question. He just can’t seem to lead the “complete” team. But I decided to put aside my bias and looked more closely at his Jets career. He took a Jets team with a STRONG defense at the time Revis Island, Crommartie, Sheldon Richardson etc and he took that team (that had enough of Rex Ryan incidentally) and with that talent, they went 9-7. There was also one other key thing, they dumped the rookie Geno Smith after 1 year and Bowles brought in the polished Fitzmagic and with some weapons on offense they took advantage of a 4-12 schedule and leaped to 9-7 under year one. That was a Rex Ryan team though. A GOOD core of players. He was awarded that SAME scenario and then some last year and it was a *hit show. I’m blaming it on the Brady circus. Last year was a mulligan and This year is his make or break. Scratch last year and he has the exact same scenario. A new to the organization Journeyman QB (Mayfield) and a lot of aging veterans. If we do not win this weak division, it will be UNDISPUTABLE that the gentleman Bowles hit his ceiling as a D coordinator. But an elite one and I appreciate his integral contribution to us winning the SB. No Bowels, No Lombardi. But I’m still nervous based on his track record and the team weaknesses last year that do not fall under the Brady circus excuse.
August 23rd, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Oh one other important point, Bowles has always coached teams that ran an old school Manning, Brady “Erhardt-Perkins” run oriented offense. Yes Peyton Manning ran run oriented offenses! Look it up. But with the game evolving I don’t know if the Bowels style of “defense” is going to be successful in the future. His style of smash mouth defense is not meant to be on the field that long and with the offensive game evolving, esp mobile QBs etc Bowles style of defense might become antiquated and outdated just like Erhardt-Perkins offense has become. Let’s see how Bowles adjusts to Eagles, Bills, 49ers, Jaguars and other new creative offenses this year.
August 25th, 2023 at 8:26 am
By game 4 expectations will return to earth. The season likely to be a slow slog to a dreary end. Or not. Maybe. Very hard to be confident with this team and coach.