A Different Breed
December 12th, 2024
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
If sports reveals character, the Buccaneers stand proud and tall.
Tampa Bay is in the process of digging out of a December hole for the second consecutive season, a testament to the grit and mental toughness of a young roster that keeps fighting.
A 4-7 getaway appeared to doom the 2023 Bucs before they closed with a 5-1 stretch that lifted Tampa Bay to its fourth straight playoff berth. That team lost 6-of-7 at one point and the walls were closing in on Todd Bowles until a late-season turnaround that had to impress the Glazers.
This season’s comeback story from a 4-6 start is equally compelling. Four consecutive losses, many in excruciating fashion, left Tampa Bay far behind Atlanta atop the NFC South.
The bye week proved to be a tonic and the Bucs have ripped off three wins in a row heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers.
Tristan Wirfs loves his head coach’s style.
“First place feels good,” says Tristan Wirfs, “but it’s one thing getting there and another thing staying there. We know what it takes. We’ve been there before. The same thing happened to us last year.”
Then Wirfs revealed the depths of Tampa Bay’s despair last year as the season was slipping away.
“I remember losing four in a row — it was a dark time for sure,” he said. “It was frustrating and challenging, but nobody wavered. We’ve been in some ruts with Coach Bowles, but he has brought us out of them. He’s very stoic, and I love it. I can get him to crack a smile every once in a while. I can get him going.”
The Bucs are now heavy favorites to win the division, but the margin for error is slim.
The Chargers are a solid team led by a stellar defense and Atlanta is a 3 1/2 point favorite to beat the Raiders on Monday night, so the Falcons could climb back on top of the division by virtue of their tie-breaker advantage.
Unity reigns.
Some NFL teams tend to fold when things go wrong. Instead, the Bucs grow tighter and fight through the adversity.
“I like the fact we stay together as a unit,” says Jamel Dean. “I’m very proud of our young guys stepping up.”
Overcoming tough times requires veteran leadership — and the Bucs have the right components in place. Wirfs, Lavonte David, Vita Vea and Mike Evans know what it’s like to go through this gauntlet and come out the other side.
Even the most passionate of Bowles’ skeptics have to acknowledge that his steady hand promotes a sense of calm through the storm.
In the process, the Bucs have established an identity as a physical team. In the past nine games, Tampa Bay has averaged 157 yards on the ground. Not too shabby for a run game that ranked last in 2022 and 2023.
“We just got 150 (152) on the ground again,” Wirfs said. “That’s all we’ve got to do, keep the running game going and we’ll be O.K.”
The Bucs stand in stark contrast to some franchises who can’t find the path out of a death spiral.
Jacksonville opened the year 0-4 and never recovered.
The Raiders started 2-2 and have now lost nine in a row.
Todd Bowles captains a unique pirate ship, says Ira Kaufman.
The Giants stood 2-3 before a current 8-game losing streak that has them vying for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Chicago’s season appeared promising at 4-2. Now the Bears have dropped seven straight and a coaching change appears likely.
The Bucs are a different breed.
Instead of drifting apart, Tampa Bay players and coaches block the outside noise and grow tighter during tough times. That’s an admirable quality ownership can’t hep but notice.
Out of the darkness described by Wirfs, the Bucs find a way to play meaningful games in December. As any Tampa Bay fan will tell you, that hasn’t always been the case.
Character counts — and there’s no shortage of it at One Buc Place.
December 12th, 2024 at 3:27 pm
I dont know if this stuff is scripted or what…. most predicted the bucs have the 4 game skid… then were mad at bowles when it happened.
Bucs were predicted to come out of the 4 game skid strong because of the remaining opponents…. then we are impressed when they did.
Can’t make this stuff up. The media makes me chuckle at this stuff.
December 12th, 2024 at 3:29 pm
Great article Ira, agree 100%. If we beat the Chargers watch out baby!!! Could be a Spectacular turn around… keep up the good work, Go Bucs!!!!
December 12th, 2024 at 3:44 pm
Well said Sage
December 12th, 2024 at 3:48 pm
Naysayers be be dammed
December 12th, 2024 at 4:18 pm
If we play the Panthers next time, like we did the last time, we’re going to lose.
December 12th, 2024 at 4:42 pm
If this turnaround is successful culminating in another division crown or playoff berth, given the disastrous injuries this season, it would be fantastic. In the long-term, however, this can’t continue to be the Bucs path to the playoffs. Coach Bowles has to find a way to get more consistent play from his team in future years if they want to become real contenders for a super bowl and have the team be on the level of the top tier teams in the league. The 3-4 game losing streaks and stretches of losing 6 out of 7 or 5 out of 6 have to stop.
December 12th, 2024 at 4:48 pm
As our QB says, “on to the next play”. A team is always judged not by how they start. It’s always about how they finish. Character is like cream rising to the top. It takes time but it always happens.
December 12th, 2024 at 5:22 pm
Todd has a shtload of pressure on him. Like to see him succeed again. I think he should be recognized as a pretty damn good coach. Just needs a few better decisions but he seems to get stronger as the season goes. Hope hope hope we can keep Coen. Pay him Glazers.
December 12th, 2024 at 5:47 pm
1sparkybuc…….. dude, for real? The Panthers just took K C and the eagles to the limit! They are not a easy out, no shame in the Bucs having a tough time with them. FFS people some fan bases would LOVE to be as gritty and resilient as our Bucs, support our VERY young team…. you never know, they might be a special group.
December 12th, 2024 at 6:22 pm
All well said, Sage. But Chicago made the coaching change once already in late November.
December 12th, 2024 at 7:15 pm
I had a hard time not using a vomit emoji there Ira. I’m just thinking this article should have come after a chargers win not before but then again if they lose you’d never get to post it. This season is different from last year in that at least we beat teams with a winning record. A win here is the only thing that will silence me because we are better than the chargers except at head coach
December 12th, 2024 at 8:16 pm
@FlyFightWin21…100%. Good teams don’t go through these types of stretches, EVERY year. yes, the schedule was tough but at some point, as a fan, you’d like to look at the schedule at the beginning of the season have some level of confidence we’re going to at least compete. How nice is it being a Chief’s fan, looking at their monster AFC schedule and they say we got every one of these games. Why? because they know they’re going to be in every game until the last second ticks off. I think teams like the Bills, Lions, Steelers feel the same way.
Tampa is bipolar. We go on a win streak they blow up the following week against a team they’re supposed to beat, at the very least make it close, instead we’re blown out…our excuse? we chalk it up to another “it went to their head” moment, or we have a bad quarter against a good team, and we never recover.
Let me just say I really don’t want to start over at defense. It’s agonizing to watch Bowles conduct his defense at times, but if you know what he’s trying to do with this under talented, oft injured group, he’s simply playing for that one moment to turn a game. That’s pressuring the QB, causing a fraction of disruption, hoping they make a mistake. The downside? Guys like Cousins made us pay for that one moment that never came. Bowles getting fired causes a huge shake-up, i.e. anointing Coen to HC is not the answer to take this team to another championship, I don’t think he’s remotely ready, It’s INSANE for all the chatter that this is really his first full season calling plays at the NFL level. We’re so desensitized to think that any successful young coordinator can run an NFL franchise, we seen this movie before, all over the league and couple of those young guys will be looking for work next season. Last week the Raiders adjusted after our first 2 scores, they knew exactly what we were going to do and they immediately stifled out our short game… perhaps it was Baker, the Oline, but Coen did not adjust enough through 2 quarters. We’re lucky for that Smith int. I want to see how Coen game plans against this Chargers Defense…this late in the season, everything online, lets see what he draws up.
December 12th, 2024 at 8:18 pm
How do Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin do it year after year. That’s the real other breed.
December 12th, 2024 at 9:40 pm
Bowles is a damn good coach.
December 13th, 2024 at 12:10 am
4 losses in a row to start a season was always a death sentence to start a 16 game season…
and dropping 4 in a row at most points of a season is a real problem too…unless you’re like 9-1 before the collapse…
“4 score and 7 years ago mofo”
December 13th, 2024 at 1:13 am
Martin Barre responded thoughtfully -the real cause of the losing is due to coach being
Thick
As a
Brick
December 13th, 2024 at 4:23 am
Well said, Ira. Character counts. Just like family, “Tighter during tough times.” That’s the vibe from the Bucs locker room all the time. Next game when we get the lead, we keep it throughout and win. Never giving up.