Todd Bowles, Rob Gronkowski Differ On Importance Of Playoff Experience
January 19th, 2024
Making plays > experience.
How much does playoff experience help?
The Lions have little playoff experience outside of quarterback Jared Goff a couple of others. The Bucs? Most starters have a ton of playoff experience, including a Super Bowl ring in their jewelry box.
This week, former Bucs tight end foot-rubbing Rob Gronkowski hopped on Kay Adams’ show, “Up and Adams,” seen weekday mornings on FanDuelTV, and had a rant of how playoff experience is a con.
“I definitely think experience is overrated,” Gronk said, citing how if playoff experience meant that much, the Bucs would have never lost to the Rams in the playoffs in 2021.
“I think experience is BS,” Gronk told Adams.”
Bucs coach Todd Bowles only slightly agrees with Gronk. Bowles today said playoff experience helps a player know how to prepare for a playoff game. But once the toe hits leather, Bowles said, playoff experience doesn’t mean a hill of beans.
“It helps you as far as calmness and understanding going into certain stadiums,” Bowles said. “But as far as playing, you’ve got to play the game just like it was your first time.”
For the guys that don’t have playoff experience — hey, the Bucs should know, every player has at least experienced one playoff game — just do what the veterans tell you to do.
The playoffs are more intense, stronger, quicker than a regular season game.
Adjust and play accordingly.
Stroud… Love…
THE JIG IS UP ON PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE.@RobGronkowski @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/u5R39AGgFg
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 17, 2024
January 19th, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Baker had a season worst QBR of 17.2 against the Lions earlier in the season. The odds are against him pulling off this win.
January 19th, 2024 at 3:32 pm
Gotta to with Gronk, he has far more playoff experience than Bowles. Was that a shot at Bowles for blowing the 2021 Rams game?
January 19th, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Bottom line BOTH QB’s have playoff experience and both have experienced success.
Players like Trey Palmer…yeah I worry about the rook considering some of his challenges adjusting to the big lights. But Palmer is not the straw that stirs the drink.
At the most critical position this will not have an effect. Two playoff tested and successful QB’s.
BTW How many NFL playoff games has Trask ever started or even played in? But hey he did look good playing against college kids so who knows?
January 19th, 2024 at 3:39 pm
TraskTTF, The odds of KT2 pulling off a win are at least 100× worst than BM6!! Since he will only be able to get his hands on a clipboard not a football! Just sayin’
January 19th, 2024 at 3:43 pm
Gotta give it to them their hate won’t let em give it up
January 19th, 2024 at 3:51 pm
You just need a few experienced players generally – but if you needed a full team of experienced guys, the Bucs wouldn’t have won the SB in 2020. But a veteran QB who had been there, and then sprinkle in a few other guys, and you’re set.
So it’s mostly overrated, so long as you met the minimum threshold.
January 19th, 2024 at 3:53 pm
We’ll see. The Lions have more to lose, so nerves won’t just disappear. I actually think the Bucs pull this off, if they don’t revert back to wasting the first two downs every possession.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:05 pm
On a different note, as we’ve seen this year, Leftwich was truly one of the dumbest, most useless idiots in all of football.
Think of how much better those 20-21 Bucs could have been if Arians had kept the play calling duties and been the de facto OC. Those teams literally would have gone down as the NFL’s all time best passing offense.
I hated Leftwich at the time, and in retrospect, he deserved much more hate.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:10 pm
Trask To The Future — Baker is extremely inconsistent, and in this case, it works to his advantage since you really can’t take much from that first game. In that game he kept missing wide open receivers down the field – if he doesn’t, the Bucs win the game going away. That’s why there is hope – if good Baker shows up, and makes those throws, the Bucs have a very good shot of winning.
Also good Baker tends to show up vs the worst passing defenses, and the Lions are 27th in pass defense. I don’t know what the trends are, if the Lions played better in the first half than the second half, but again, in the first game, the Bucs had guys wide open down the field all afternoon – if the Baker we saw on Monday shows up, then all is good. Of course if you get the Baker from 2 weeks ago that couldn’t throw accurately more than 5 yards down the field, then the results won’t be good.
In any case, the Bucs are playing with house money, so just enjoy the ride.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:33 pm
Rod, how did your prediction turn out, you know the one you were talking about ALL year long?
January 19th, 2024 at 4:37 pm
infomeplease – this has nothing to do with Trask. Baker pooped the bed against the Lions the first time we played and he has had many games where he couldn’t even throw for 100 yards in the first half. It’s a realistic concern.
Rod Munch – I’m definitely enjoying the ride. I hope Baker goes nuts and somehow wins us the Super Bowl. HOWEVER…
When we signed Mayfield and named him the starter, there was a huge FEAR I had that I posted about…
If Mayfield played mediocre this season, decent but not great, we will have put ourselves in a terrible position — most likely signing him to a big contract and be stuck with his inconsistent play for multiple years. All at the same time not seeing what we have in Trask who is still on a cheap rookie deal, let alone cost us a 2nd rounder.
I think it was dumb of the organizaion to not give Trask some starts, even after Baker had several horrible games in a row.
Trask may certainly turn out to be an NFL bust, but to not find out and leverage his cheap contact is DUMB. Especially when he at times outplayed Baker in training camp.
NFL success is about CAP MANAGEMENT. Overpaying a QB is a sure fire way to doom the team from success.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:46 pm
Is it significant that Chris Godwin didn’t practice due to personal reasons today?
January 19th, 2024 at 4:57 pm
You guys make me so frustrated, trying to read comments, and article has nothing to do with Trask… but somehow it becomes playground crap… grow up
January 19th, 2024 at 4:57 pm
Trask To The Future Says:
January 19th, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Baker had a season worst QBR of 17.2 against the Lions earlier in the season. The odds are against him pulling off this win.
^^^^^^^
You obviously like Trask more than you do the Bucs. You probably should start your own Trask Worship website, or something.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Don’t think so.
January 19th, 2024 at 4:59 pm
The answer to all these questions will come Sunday afternoon. This pre game hype is over the top…as usual. There is an analysis for ever scenario in the universe. I guess that is what the fun is.
January 19th, 2024 at 5:02 pm
Example…what if Bakefield is hurt and Trask steps in to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl win?
January 19th, 2024 at 5:03 pm
The Lions have playoff experience……..last week….they won and eased whatever pressure they were under.
January 19th, 2024 at 5:05 pm
Trask To The Future Says:
January 19th, 2024 at 4:37 pm
Trask may certainly turn out to be an NFL bust, but to not find out and leverage his cheap contact is DUMB. Especially when he at times outplayed Baker in training camp.
^^^^^^^^^
NOBODY but the Trask Worshippers are still talking about training camp or preseason. Bucs fans are happy that they’re in the PLAYOFFS. Would the Bucs have made the PLAYOFFS if Almighty Trask would’ve started for them all year? Probably 5 wins, tops.
In summary, stop dwelling on the PRESEASON and concentrate on the POSTSEASON, Trask freaks.
January 19th, 2024 at 5:13 pm
Rod Munch & Trask To The Future
^ These two are MORONS
January 19th, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Thanks, Joe!
January 19th, 2024 at 6:15 pm
Sounds like they’re mostly in agreement to me:
One you hit the field, all that matters is the next 60 minutes of play
January 19th, 2024 at 6:34 pm
@Uppity NE Fan, you do know nobody wants you posting comments here right? You are like a cancerous parasite that needs to be permanently removed from the Buccaneers fan community. Enjoy slopping up all that clam chowder while you cry and whine and take out all your anger on the buccaneers organization because Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are no longer with the patriots bandwagon boy
January 19th, 2024 at 6:34 pm
Send Trask to the UFL. This is the revenge tour. Lions 1 was a long time ago. Baker is healthy and coming off a big win. I like our chances.
January 19th, 2024 at 6:44 pm
“Playoff experience helps you as far as calmness and understanding going into certain stadiums,” Bowles said. “But as far as playing, you’ve got to play the game just like it was your first time.””
Bowles agreed with Gronk btw if anyone didn’t read the full article. And the rams have just as much playoff experience as the buccaneers. Remember the Super Bowl winning “greatest show on earth “? And all the playoff experience the rams have from making it to the Super Bowl and losing to the patriots in 2002 and 2019? Plus the rams have as many Super Bowl wins as the buccaneers. So yeah, Gronk statement about the Bucs having significantly more playoff experience than the Rams is full of 💩
January 19th, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Enough about Trask. Jesus. This is Bakers team. Go cry on another website you hopeless bags of $icks.
January 19th, 2024 at 7:40 pm
Trask TTF, you talk about what BM6 did in games so long ago. This is” a what have you done for me lately league!” Most recently BM6 kicked some major ash!!!! What has your KT2 done lately??? Wipe his…
January 19th, 2024 at 8:12 pm
Trask To The Future Says:
January 19th, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Baker had a season worst QBR of 17.2 against the Lions earlier in the season. The odds are against him pulling off this win.
——————————
Brady had a 4.3 against the Slimy Saints in our Super Bowl season
January 19th, 2024 at 8:32 pm
Falcons are going big with their coaching search.
January 19th, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Baker trash fans:
Again, layoff Baker’s back ups. Trask hasn’t even played a meaningful game in NFL yet thanks to Bucs organization. However Baker has played injured fearing a Trask’s emergent taking over the Palace One Kingdom. Wait he didn’t appear having any injury last week as it was advertised by the toilet bowl.
Stop excuses for your trash boy again prior to this game in case the same turd Baker shows when these two teams played earlier this season.
The duration/years of experience obviously is worthless in NFL. Why ? I tell you.
1. What your Journeyman has done in NFL with his six years experience ? Zero so far.
2. What the inexperienced CJ Stroud has done in his first year playing for a rookie defensive coach and street players ? Two games from SB.
3. What the inexperienced Jordan Love has done lately ? Two games from SB.
Good Baker= Probable win
Bad to avergage Baker=Blow out game by Lions.
January 19th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Bonzai … Falcons have a solid team but desperately need a quality QB to lead them. Mayfield & Cousins are the most likely for the Falcons to sign IMO. Got a hunch it’ll come down to $$$ (Falcons are only marginally better off than we are salary CAP-wise).
January 19th, 2024 at 9:06 pm
I have to agree that Baker Mayfield is our best chance to win at present. But…if Baker goes down, it is Bowles fault that Trask is not prepared.
So far as whether we would be in the playoffs if we’d ridden with Trask this year?
Probably. First, the division is still very weak. Second, Trask would have improved with experience.
So regardless of what the Trask-haters may claim, they cannot realistically claim he is a bust…because no one knows the truth. Saying that if he was good then Bowles would have started him…everyone knows Bowles had is mind made up from the start.
And so far as we know, Mayfield may have had a promise behind closed doors.
But I do not see the point in arguing either way at this point. It is too late for Trask this year, and Baker Mayfield has proven himself capable for the moment. He earned the right to start, at this point. And he earned starting in the playoffs.
And he has earned a contract.
The only question is the size of the contract offer. Cap will still be an issue, and between him and the other free agents, we simply cannot afford his likely price unless we get rid of some big cap hits…which would limit the performance of Baker.
Catch-22.
January 19th, 2024 at 9:16 pm
Defense Rules…I agree, but they are certainly going after some big names. Bill Bellicheck, Jim Harbaugh for example.
The fact that Jim Harbaugh is even interviewing says he’s ready for a move back to the NFL…and it will likely be an NFC team. He would probably be patient enough to develop a QB too.
Bill won’t be.
Gotta say, Bowles may have earned another year now too…but if we could get Jim Harbaugh? Would anyone complain?
January 19th, 2024 at 9:23 pm
Baker trash fans;
Posting ” Trask to UFL”.
Trask has a zero stats/record to revert back to UFL opposite of your trash boy who has a higher degree of probability to find his ass into UFL than Trask.
I suggest you direct your boy experience to other veteran qb’s than his back up,Trask. You might discover something there if you feel lucky.
As a Bucs fan, I tired my best not to post any negative comments on you & your trash prior to Lions game but:
As Godfather said, “Just When I Thought I Was Out you trash Baker fans pulled me back in.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:49 pm
David: You need help. Psychological help.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:56 pm
I think where the experience will show will be the defense honestly… If we get a couple of big plays or limit their production to quiet the stadium we will be fine.
January 19th, 2024 at 10:59 pm
I want to see our teams captains lead by example against this Detroit team. If they do, I feel good about the Bucs chances prevailing. If not, it could be a long afternoon. LFG
January 19th, 2024 at 11:25 pm
You Trask Nancies just won’t quit. You don’t even really believe in Trask. You are just scared. Go wash your voids between your legs.
You are little. Small. Weak. Clumsy.
Learn how to have hope. Pride. Optimism.
It will serve you well.
Eat some protein. Not a salad.
January 19th, 2024 at 11:28 pm
David, is your void bothering you? Are you hurting? Are you scared? Baker owns your brain. Must be awful.
January 20th, 2024 at 1:10 am
Rod Munch
Totally agree about BL. I hate the BA gave that up and then left. Seriously could have gone back 2 back.
January 20th, 2024 at 1:13 am
Everyone still talking about Trask…..
SERIOUSLY?!?!?! he obviously will never amount to a damn thing in the NFL. He has had a few different OCs and HC’s and not a single one has given him gametime experience, he’s barely been activated.
That should tell you something.
Heck anyone who has watched him in preseason can see- if his first receiver is open or he has a clean pocket for more than three seconds, he’s fine…
Any type of pressure or he has to go past his second read, it’s over. He sucked any panicked. every. single. time.
The fact that you bring him up still is pathetic.
January 20th, 2024 at 1:21 am
BAKER HATERS
if you can’t see his progress over this year, that’s just pure football ignorance.
The guy has had something like 8 HCs and 7 OCs in 6 years. MOST EVER. That is insanely difficult to find any kind of success like that.
I was all for drafting a QB, but watching him the last several weeks, I am all for keeping him and Canales together for a couple years to see how it can keep progressing.
Stability is priceless.
January 20th, 2024 at 6:11 am
Dave, there is no stability in the NFL. Canales will be a head coach after next year, and what if Baker gets hurt? So Trask has only one year left, and you sure we shouldn’t draft a QB? Green Bay drafted Love, and had Rodgers. Green Bay had Farve, and Drafted Rodgers. Seems to have worked out for them.
January 20th, 2024 at 6:39 am
What is the deal with trash? Did he win anything in college?
January 20th, 2024 at 7:17 am
Gronk was great in the interview compared to when I have seen him as a studio guy on halftime shows. He is cringeworthy on those, sometimes.
January 20th, 2024 at 10:42 am
Playoff experience would help if the rooks are nervous, but Bucs won their 2nd SB 4 years ago. Plenty of vets calming them down. I agree with RG and TB. I’m still nervous about Canales, plus all the ex- Payton Aints on the Lions. Anywho, go Bucs!
January 20th, 2024 at 11:24 am
Bucs lost to the Rams in the 2021 playoffs because of how banged up the offense was at the time. That, and Bowles called the wrong play on defense late in the 4th quarter. If they had been as healthy as the Rams, Bucs repeat SB champs.