“We’re In It Together”
November 8th, 2023
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Prior to the galling loss at Houston, the Bucs had one of the best defenses in the league as far as keeping opponents off the scoreboard.
Then last Sunday happened — POW!
So today Bucs coach Todd Bowles was asked if the loss to the Texans (Joe damned near typed “Oilers” there) was a just a blip for the defense, an outlier.
Bowles deemed the loss, where Houston rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud roasted the Bucs for an NFL rookie record of 470 yards, as just a rotten day at the office.
“As coaches and players you have bad days in this league,” Bowles said. “You are not going to go unscathed when you coach in this league long enough. [Sunday], everything just fell apart.
“You have to regroup. We have guys we trust. They trust in the coaching staff. We’re in it together.”
Right now the Bucs and Bowles’ defense are on an 0-4 streak against rookie quarterbacks. Last year the Bucs faced three in Kenny Pickett, Brock Purdy and Desmond Ridder and lost each game.
Sunday it was Stroud and next up is rookie Titans quarterback Will Levis. Asked if fan favorite Ryan Neal or Dee Delaney would start at safety, Bowles wouldn’t reveal his plan but said everyone needs to be ready to play.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:36 pm
Except Kyle Trask, who they put the screws to.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:48 pm
We face another rookie QB with the Titans come Sunday. Make sure you drink before kickoff to…deaden the pain.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:56 pm
From the beginning it looked to me like the “Men in Black” showed up and NEURALIZED the whole Buc D when they werer in the tunnel before the game. Need to make ure it doesn’t happen again.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Only Mike S can make an article about defense about Kyle Trask
November 8th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Didn’t Houstons coach play for Bowles? Sounds like to me the player/coach might have known what the Bucs were going to do in certain situations…still no excuse for total collapse
November 8th, 2023 at 2:01 pm
Well, started last year 2-0, went 6-9 after in the Reg season
This year started 2-0, and we are 1-5 since
I don’t think the players are in it with him, I think they see the writing on the wall
November 8th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
Pathetic rhetoric.
November 8th, 2023 at 2:21 pm
SIGN JPP. SUH… we need some Motivation and some butts kicked around!!!
November 8th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
It ia shame that the handful of good players have to go down with the sinking ship. Sorry, but the coach will not change much this week or the season. Licht hired him & should be shown the door. A clean sweep is required to upright the ship. It will be 2 to 3 years before the Bucs will be competitive in a the South.
November 8th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Third year that Bowles has misfired. He should not be rewarded with an extension. The Bucs were trending upward until Bruce decided to bail and hand the reins over to a friend. I still have some hope, however, that my Bucs will work out their problems and finish in the playoffs. Keeping it real in Ireland.
November 8th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Bad answer by Bowles
It has not been a single bad day at the office. It was just an extended example of MULTIPLE times this season when the pass defense has been sliced and diced. What happened that gives a false impression of the defense is – they have stiffened in the red zone ( and got lucky with some picks/turnovers) so it kept the scoring down.
the defense is like the Oline. You can look pretty good when you are fundamentally unsound but manage at the last minute to avert disaster but sooner or later you will stop averting disaster.
With the Oline its Baker at the last minute pulling a houdini to avoid the sack. For the defense its trying to stop the pass offense from scoring in the red zone when they allowed them in there easily to begin with.
November 8th, 2023 at 2:41 pm
Vrabel is also a defensive minded coach. Watch the adjustments he makes Sunday, he is a real DC that turned HC. Canales will be over matched.
November 8th, 2023 at 3:01 pm
It’s inexcusable that Low Energy No Fight No Passion Todd made rookie CJ Stroud look like the next coming of Warren Moon and last year made Pickett look like Bradshaw, Purdy look like Montana, and Ridder look like Vick.
Mr Low Energy should have been fired after last season’s collapse against these rookies and then the complete unprepared embarrassment against Dallas at home in the playoffs. How quickly we forget how unprepared and listliss the entire team was in each of these losses with Sleepy Todd at the wheel.
I’ve had it. For a supposed defensive guru, Sleepy Todd has been OWNED by rookie QB’s who made our defense look like St Mary College of the Blind week in and week out. It’s inexcusable and the best he can muster is ” we had a bad day??”
The Low Energy Todd era is over. He’s overmatched and outcoached on a weekly basis and I can’t take another excruciating week of watching him stand like an emotionless statue on the sideline with the same lost AF deer in the headlights look while making ZERO post halftime adjustments while teams march up and down the field against us and he bumbles clock management for the upteenth time.
November 8th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
I really kind of feel sorry for Bowles.
He is in Waaay over his head and has absolutely no idea what to do.
Bowles is just an incompetent head coach.
I can’t wait for the Bucs to have a head coach that knows what it takes to win in today’s NFL and knows how to run a team and win games.
November 8th, 2023 at 3:12 pm
Bring on Jim harbaugh. He will fix this team
November 8th, 2023 at 3:15 pm
Well, Trask got shunted to the wayside cos Mr. goatalmighty allowed himself to play here. Since his whateverness departed, the whole world has imploded on the Tampa Bay Bucs. What a load of merde. Once Bucs beat the refs plus the opposite team, mebbe a lot of these so-called fan jokes will vanish on here.
November 8th, 2023 at 3:34 pm
BrianBucs Says:
I really kind of feel sorry for Bowles.
He is in Waaay over his head and has absolutely no idea what to do.
Bowles is just an incompetent head coach.
^^^^^^
How did he not know this after his first HC stint? How did he not know that he knew nothing about offense and he should probably learn that side of football before taking another HC job? How did he not utilize BA and TB12 to advance his skillset?
November 8th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Take a freaking hike NEfan. You’ve already shown your a liar by telling us you’re leaving this site forever. Well, take your Jergens and begone fool.
November 8th, 2023 at 3:56 pm
Sly, right now Bowles looks like he doesn’t know much about defense either!
November 8th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
“As coaches and players you have bad days in this league”
It’s been a bad 6 weeks! Each week worse than the last. Same tendencies in every game. Same roasted players trotting out there every game. smh
November 8th, 2023 at 4:51 pm
“We are all in this together” Not for long coach. You and Byron will have plenty of time to catch up this offseason. I will say it again. Bowles should resign. He consistently puts this defense at a disadvantage. He plays his expensive press man corners in zone coverage 8yds off the ball. Consistently has White in coverage where he’s a liability. Defense gets torched consistently by rookie and backup Qb’s. Defensive line cannot stop the run. It’s pathetic. Our defense looks like the offense last year. Talent all over being wasted by not scheming to the players strengths. I’m sick of it. Bowles needs to go. I’m over it. Might as well tank for better draft picks at this point. Because this team sure doesn’t belong in the playoffs.
November 8th, 2023 at 4:58 pm
Fire Bowles find an interim head coach. We may already have one on staff. And quit hiring these coordinator/head coach guys.
November 8th, 2023 at 5:08 pm
Ah, actually we’re not in this together Coach Constipated.
You’re on your own.
Players are playing to cover their ass.
I suggest you start coaching to do the same.
The team is leaderless
It’s quickly falling apart
November 8th, 2023 at 5:19 pm
Does Bowles think he has been unscathed up to this point as a head coach?
LOFL.
His career losing record, and current 4-game losing streak in a pitifully weak division, might say otherwise…
November 8th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Please stop suggesting the hiring of Harbaugh! I rather have a coach that loses because he doesn’t understand how to win than a cheating SOB. New England has had that for years. Don’t bring the “win no matter the cost” attitude here.
November 8th, 2023 at 5:48 pm
I can understand why you almost typed “Oilers”, Joe. That is our upcoming opponent.
November 8th, 2023 at 7:28 pm
Whatever happened to Bowles saying he liked to use guys strengths and put them in a position to be successful. Instead he played zone with two cover corners. And we all know the results. Let’s face it Bowles is not a head coach, not sure he is a good defensive coordinator. The game may have passed him by.
November 8th, 2023 at 7:32 pm
Next HC needs to be a young offensive mind. Bucs were much more entertaining when they were scoring. There’s also plenty of young defensive gurus for DC. This team needs a personality transplant and also needs to get rid of the loafers.
November 8th, 2023 at 7:42 pm
realistic-optimistic … ‘It’s been a bad 6 weeks! Each week worse than the last. Same tendencies in every game. Same roasted players trotting out there every game. smh’
Nailed it. Opponents caught on long before this, We were bailed out in the 3 wins thanks to getting 8 takeaways against only 1 giveaway, but that’s not a reliable defensive scheme as we’ve seen in our 5 losses (7 takeaways against 6 giveaways).
Of course, offensive & defensive performances on 3rd/4th down haven’t been anything to brag about. Offensively Bucs converted 24-of-49 (49.0%) of our 3rd & 4th down opportunities in our 3 wins, but only 24-of-68 (35.3%) of our 3rd/4th downs in our 5 losses. Very sizable difference IMO. Defensively we held our opponents to only converting 18-of-43 (41.9%) on 3rd/4th downs in our 3 wins, but that ballooned to 39-of-71 (54.9%) on 3rd/4th downs in our 5 losses.
If what you’re doing isn’t working, might be worthwhile trying something else.
November 8th, 2023 at 7:47 pm
Lakeland Steve … ‘Let’s face it Bowles is not a head coach, not sure he is a good defensive coordinator.
You’re not alone in your doubts Steve. It’s obvious Bucs don’t have the horses, on offense OR defense, to make a run at the brass ring, but danged I thought we’d be playing much better than what I’m seeing. I was expecting a lot more out of Todd Bowles as a DC than what we’ve been getting in these last 5 games.
November 8th, 2023 at 8:09 pm
Everything fell apart? Ummmm just your defense Todd .
November 8th, 2023 at 8:58 pm
More mouth farts from Todd Bowles. I can’t even listen to him anymore. We need actions, not words.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:12 pm
What changed since the last winning season and last year was not a winning season. Todd Bowles as HC. When Arians handed over the team to Bowles things went south. Lets be honest, teams were not knocking down doors to hire Bowles as a HC after the super bowl win. There is a reason for this. Bowles needs to go back to being a DC, because he just doesn’t have it. I still think the Glazers and Licht knew what they were getting with Bowles and are willing to sacrifice a couple of seasons to get to a clean slate again.
November 8th, 2023 at 9:40 pm
When are folks going to realize when your D can’t get off the field on 3 rd down they are NOT good ……. A Defense can falsely look ok when the opposing O knows they don’t have to score allot to when ……. Bottom line is the Bucs D can’t stop anyone when the opposing O is really really trying to gain yards and Score ……….. the opponents capabilities dictate so much of what is actually going on in a game ………… 👂 the Bucs can’t stop anyone on third down , it means more than one may think !!
November 9th, 2023 at 1:19 am
That is just sad coach Bowles. That my fellow Bucs fans is a coach trying hard to keep his players from quitting on him. Wow!
Not a good Look at all.
Go Bucs!