“You Just Can’t Show Up Like You’re Playing PlayStation”
February 27th, 2025
Talkin’ injuries.
So why was the AdventHamstring Training Center (One Buc Palace) a borderline M*A*S*H unit with all the injuries the Bucs had last year?
Players were dropping like flies in 2024. Antoine Winfield got hurt in Week 1 and was a shell of his All-Pro self. The secondary was riddled with injuries.
A lot of folks immediately blame the Bucs for not doing (whatever) to prevent injuries. Of course, there was some howling for Bucs trainers to get run.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles stuck up for his medical staff this week at the combine in Indianapolis.
“Two years ago, we had the same schedule; we were one of the healthiest teams in the league,” Bowles said. “[In 2024], we had the same schedule and we were one of the most hurt teams in the league.
“It is something you look at and check, but you can’t make sense of it now. Obviously, you want to do things better so they don’t get hurt.
“When we did it right, we were praised for it. Then we do it right again [with the same schedule] and get bashed for it with injuries.”
Bowles does know one solution is not acceptable. The Bucs, to try to avoid injuries, could go full-blown underwear football in all practices.
No chance, Bowles said.
“We do need to practice,” Bowles said, noting football is football and football is physical. “Obviously it’s a football game. You just can’t show up like you’re playing PlayStation.
“We will try to figure out ways to mitigate injuries.”
That’s the weird thing about injuries. They are largely unpredictable. One year, teams think they have it figured out, and the next week the team is a walking wounded organization.
Bucs GM Jason Licht Joins the Ira Kaufman Podcast.
February 27th, 2025 at 11:30 am
It’s all about off-season training and conditioning. RONDE used to preach on this all the time.
February 27th, 2025 at 11:52 am
Bowles is mostly talking about practice schedules. I wonder about specific activities like stretches for calves and feet which seemed high this season. Kanceys annual calf injury? I hope the Bucs brought in outside experts to review their program. A good organization doesn’t assume these injuries are random but try to find causes. That being said, the annual players survey gave the S&C high marks.
February 27th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
I think it’s as much about individual physical characteristics as it is about training. Some players at a certain position go through a long career and are rarely injured, while others at the same position suffer a multitude of injuries. Luck probably also factors in. You get rolled up on by your own teammate or you make a certain cut and, BAM, something gives, even though you’ve run that route hundreds of times.
Fingers crossed 2025 finds the Bucs healthy!
February 27th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Look at TOzm BRADY…and his work ethic, his heath regementation, which he passed on to the Bucs players. Tom Brady out performed everyone in every aspect of the game. Preach that mindset to everyone and watch a much improved team that is Super Bowl ready
February 27th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
That’s the problem with all this analytics crap nowadays. They think they’re playing PlayStation & Madden all the time now to where they think they should go for it all the time.
February 27th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Tom Brady’s ability to stay injury free had more than pliability & a great diet to do with it. He didn’t take a lot of sacks because he got rid of the ball so quickly and had really good vision in the pocket when he didn’t release it right away. He wasn’t going to juke a lot of people but he knew where to step to avoid the pocket collapse. He also didn’t do the crazy runs Baker does (granted he did do two of them from what I remember… but they were very rare) since he just didn’t have that kind of ability. He was a pocket pastor and knew his limitations. But Tom’s riskiest move was the quarterback sneak every now and then. He was smart/savvy on many levels about his health and injuries.
February 27th, 2025 at 12:35 pm
I think in PlayStation, the default setting on defense is to cover opposing receivers. So yeah it’s not like PlayStation.
February 27th, 2025 at 1:36 pm
Having a team Playstation-ready would be an improvement on whatever this guy does.
February 27th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Certainly can’t be blaming trainers. It’s their job to help the guys, rehab them, massage whatever… but it’s not their job to chase around every player and make sure they are preparing properly.
These guys have played football most of their lives, came from high school and college programs that would have preached healthy habits. Some young guys might still need guidance but ultimately it’s up to them if they want to be a pro or not.
Some guys are just more injury prone and a lot of it is just luck. Godwin isn’t injury prone, he got unlucky in a couple tough tackles/hits. Evans hammies are about his body type, his length, running hard maybe pushing too hard sometimes. Dean is just soft and a guy like Dennis is probably one of the more injury prone guys.
I was not a pro in how I treated my body for the most part but I had the same warmup and stretching routine for 15 years before every practice and game. I’m also in a compact body, which helps I think, but I can probably count on my fingers and toes how many hockey games I missed to injury in my career.
February 27th, 2025 at 4:19 pm
Asks – Live of reason and experience. Thanks.
February 27th, 2025 at 4:20 pm
*Sask
February 27th, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Training camp and practices were far too soft for my liking.
It did nothing to prevent injuries, but had the added bonus of also making our tackling abysmal all season.
February 27th, 2025 at 9:58 pm
Do we have to be subjected to this daily till preseason? Just take a vacation Joe. Talking about football now is pointless. There is nothing happening
February 27th, 2025 at 11:47 pm
Maybe a correlation to how many physical teams we play at 1pm at home in brutal August through October? It’s not really a home advantage unless all your players come from the SEC.
February 28th, 2025 at 4:38 am
Bowles as always is right on point.
Agree, B. The schedule line-up does seem slanted at times compared to others. And we need to improve on the night games too. So much to think about.