Bucs Owners Put In Tier 2 Classification
March 25th, 2025
Two members of Team Glazer.
Joe’s learned over the years that it’s tough to poll fans on how they feel about Buccaneers ownership.
It’s not a simple process because fans often evaluate owners on various factors that have nothing to do with football on the field.
Passionate opinions about about ownership decisions on ticket prices, warm beer costs or community involvement, for example, actually affect how a lot of fans feel about players and their collective performance. And vice versa.
So asking fans to grade ownership is a lot more complex than Joe’s weekly Todd Bowles confidence polls or those grading Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
Longtime NFL writer Mike Jones of the TheAthletic.com took a stab at evaluating owners of every NFL team and how much they “want to win.” He crafted five tiers.
What appears to be the top tier (Ravens, Bills, Lions, Chiefs, Eagles) was labeled, “Contention mode.” The second tier is where Team Glazer landed, “Willing to do what it takes to win.”
Jones wrote: Tampa Bay remains the picture of stability in the NFC South thanks largely to the vision of general manager Jason Licht and support he receives from the Glazer family. This offseason’s efforts to retain core players such as wide receiver Chris Godwin, linebacker Lavonte David, and guard Ben Bredeson, while adding Haason Reddick to pass rush with Anthony Nelson, seemingly have the Bucs positioned for another playoff run.
Licht always talks about everything starting with blank-check-level commitment from Team Glazer.
That very much came into the spotlight when Licht said repeatedly how Team Glazer was paying whatever it took to do background work on Jameis Winston quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL Draft. Then it was chatter about cryo-chambers, adding the Glazer shed, allowing Bucco Bruce Arians to have the largest coaching staff known to the free world, and huge massive signing bonuses during the Tom Brady era to free salary cap room.
Jones often referenced the recent NFL players union survey of ownership — from votes cast by players on each roster.
Team Glazer ranked 27th in the league with a “D+ “grade from Bucs players, but Jones did not mention that in his analysis. If that in-house grade had been better, Joe suspects Team Glazer would have landed in the elite class of this ownership breakdown.
Joe would give Bucs ownership an excellent grade for the current state of the team and its role in all phases. Team Glazer has improved over the years and seems to be maximizing its 30 years of NFL wisdom.
(Management note: It’s March, so it’s too early for Joe to moan about training camp practices closed to the general public).
March 25th, 2025 at 5:25 pm
They cannot have a grade higher than tier two.
Solely based on the fact they choose to stand pat with Bowles as the HC.
He’s just a place holder not someone steering the franchise in a championship direction.
Some could argue we win in spite of Todd Bowles best efforts to sabotage the defense at every turn.
Once we have a HC that will do anything it takes to win, instead of choosing to lose his way and be content, then and only then will we reach our potential.
March 25th, 2025 at 5:29 pm
Let’s talk about Tampa Bay. And let’s talk about how this franchise went from the absolute bottom of the barrel to the top of the mountain!
We’re talking about TWO ERAS. TWO HISTORIES. TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLDS.
THE HORRIBLE, MISERABLE, SOUL-CRUSHING CULVERHOUSE YEARS
20 years of HUGH CULVERHOUSE running the show like a clown steering a sinking pirate ship! One winning season in 14 years after 1979. That’s ONE in FOURTEEN. That’s the kind of record that makes even the worst teams look like dynasties!
This was an era of cheap contracts, bad drafts, and a team stuck in quicksand! They had talent—oh, they had talent! Lee Roy Selmon! Doug Williams! James Wilder! But what happened? Williams left because Culverhouse wouldn’t pay him! Coaching changes — Richard Williamson – really? Players had NO chance because the organization was setting them up to fail!
From 1976 to 1995, the Buccaneers were the LAUGHINGSTOCK of the NFL. Creamsicle jerseys, double-digit losses every year, and a stadium half-full of depressed fans wondering why they still cared.
But then… the winds changed. The seas calmed. A NEW ERA BEGAN!
THE GREAT, THE MIGHTY, THE GLORIOUS GLAZER YEARS!
In 1995, Malcolm Glazer and his family took the wheel and said, “NO MORE!” No more cheapness. No more losing culture. No more being the punchline of the NFL.
And what happened next? LEGENDS WERE BORN.
They built a defense that STRUCK FEAR into the league. Warren Sapp? MONSTER. Derrick Brooks? UNSTOPPABLE. John Lynch? A HUMAN WRECKING BALL. Ronde Barber? A NIGHTMARE FOR QUARTERBACKS. All built by Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin.
But they knew they were not there — so what did they do They went out and made sure they got Jon Gruden. And in 2003, the Bucs did what Culverhouse could NEVER even dream of… THEY WON A SUPER BOWL! That defense DESTROYED the Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay became CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!
But they weren’t done. No sir, not even close. Fast forward to 2019 – They get Arians -a great offensive mind – with his trusted defensive mind of Bowles.
But just like when they went from Dungy to Gruden, they knew they were not done and in 2020 the Glazers went from Winston to Brady. THE GOAT HIMSELF, TOM BRADY! And what did he do? Oh, nothing much—just led the Bucs to ANOTHER SUPER BOWL TITLE!
Two rings. FOUR straight division titles. A team that EXPECTS to win.
That’s the Glazer difference. That’s the mark of a winning franchise. From two decades of irrelevance to who we are now!
I thank god for the Glazers all the time.
March 25th, 2025 at 5:32 pm
20 years of Hugh Culverhouse running the show like a clown steering a sinking pirate ship! One winning season in 14 years after 1979. That’s one in fourteen. That’s the kind of record that makes even the worst teams look like dynasties!
This was an era of cheap contracts, bad drafts, and a team stuck in quicksand! They had talent—oh, they had talent! Lee Roy Selmon! Doug Williams! James Wilder! But what happened? Williams left because Culverhouse wouldn’t pay him! Coaching changes—Richard Williamson—really? Players had no chance because the organization was setting them up to fail!
March 25th, 2025 at 5:34 pm
Oh well — I tried to put in comments 4 or 5 times —
March 25th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
BucDawg you probably suck at your job also. Just no blog for people to let you know.
March 25th, 2025 at 5:46 pm
@Woodman
I must have struck the right nerve in you.
Typically people who disagree with you react the harshest when you are directly over the target dropping truth bombs on them.
Keep fighting for your limitations and that’s all you’ll ever have.
Stay classy sir.
March 25th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
BucDawg is SPOT ON!!! The Glazers had no problem firing Tony Dungy for a lot less than what happened over and over under Bowles. I’d drop them a grade for that…there is not a irm commitment to win a super bowl. Otherwise they would have brought in a top tier coach to replace this mediocre at best we’ve had for way too long. A winning organization has to have the resolve to be the best in all aspects…and it’s particularly true in the NFL…mediocre doesn’t make it
March 25th, 2025 at 6:07 pm
Before burying Bowles, let’s see what he can do with a more complete set of tools on D this year. Every year we lose half our secondary to injuries. We’ve been playing with one competent ILB for the most part, and we have been working on developing young guys on the edge. The team managed to get younger while still winning the division each year. Should we expect more? Yes, especially starting this year. He won’t survive past this year if there’s not another step forward. But give the whining a break. Jee Zuss Aich Kreist.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Apparently something I say about the Glazers does not work
March 25th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
In 1995, Malcolm Glazer and his family took the wheel and said, “No more!” No more cheapness. No more losing culture. No more being the punchline of the NFL.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
They built a defense that struck fear into the league. Warren Sapp? Monster. Derrick Brooks? Unstoppable. John Lynch? A human wrecking ball. Ronde Barber? A nightmare for quarterbacks. All built by Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:12 pm
I agree 100% with Mike Jones. The Glazer’s ARE willing to do what it takes to win.
While Bowles may not be the best coach in the NFL. He can still take this team to the promised land IMO. He’s already assisted in doing this previously when he crafted a defensive game plan that held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to zero TDs in the SuperBowl. His players believe they can get back with Bowles as HC. If they didn’t believe that than Bowles would have already been shown the door.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:13 pm
They went out and made sure they got Jon Gruden. And in 2003,they won a Super Bowl! That defense destroyed the Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay became champions of the world!
But they weren’t done. No sir, not even close. Fast forward to 2019—they get Arians, a great offensive mind, with his trusted defensive mind of Bowles.
But just like when they went from Dungy to Gruden, they knew they were not done, and in 2020 the Glazers went from Winston to Brady. The GOAT himself, Tom Brady! And what did he do? Oh, nothing much—just led the Bucs to another Super Bowl title!
Two rings. Four straight division titles. A team that expects to win.
That’s the Glazer difference.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:14 pm
In 2002, they went and got Gruden even though Dungy was not bad.
That was the recipe for the 2003 Super Bowl! That defense destroyed the Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay became champions of the world!
March 25th, 2025 at 6:16 pm
The Glazers did what was needed in 2002, getting rid of Dungy and getting Gruden. A 2003 Super Bowl.
The Glazers did what was needed in 2019 and 2020, getting Arians and then getting rid of Winston and getting Brady. A 2020 Super Bowl.
Two rings. Four straight division titles. A team that expects to win.
That’s the Glazer difference.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Ownership grades have to be the given out based on long term observation. Giving the Lions’ ownership a top spot because they finally hired a good coach and good management along with good luck in their picks? That gives you a great grade? The Eagles got it right this year. Good for them but does anyone remember the team that fell apart a season ago?
Bucs ownership has grown and matured over the years. They are not a charity and this franchise is a business. A SB win and four division titles in the last five years only warrants tier two. Three consecutive years of improved performance. That should be enough to put them in the top but no, this list is just a different spin on who the sexy picks are going into the next season.
Bring on the draft. The offseason fluff articles are boring as heck AND its not Joe’s fault.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Yea honestly reading on NFL.com what the glazers are doing for women in the sports arena gave them extra points in my book.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:34 pm
This team has been hamstrung by the Brady Cap since he left, they went all in and won and no one blames them. Now they get crap for a guy that has taken them to the playoffs since he took over? And the guy that took over keeps them in the playoffs with a short roster on defense, the GM rebuilding the team and managing the salary cap on the fly but that is in part to the core group of guys that makes this team go because they believe in the orginization AND the HC and still Bowles gets the hate? and he hires good coaches and makes the moves needed not sitting on his arse to wait but is proactive. I get the last 2 mid season lapses, that’s why I have 3 remotes, 2 to throw and 1 to change chanel’s and I remember being pissed at Dungy, but he did win a SB in Indy. If this guy falls flat on his face this year look at letting him go but to his credit he broke out of Arians shadow and is, as he said after his 1st year, doing things HIS way. Fire him for that when he fails but so far he has kept things going in the right direction amidst all the selfish players and brought back character guys to compete for what I think can and will be multiple championships.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:36 pm
The Glazers have got 2 Super Bowls!!! They care very much about the team & do a lot to help the community. I have lived in Tampa Bay since 1978 & remember how bad Hugh Cluverhouse was as a owner…
March 25th, 2025 at 6:39 pm
The best decision they ever made was to fire Catatonic Lovie and keep Jason.
He’s got us set up. Exciting to see who his next head coach choice will be, whenever Todd is no longer that guy.
March 25th, 2025 at 6:49 pm
Lots of fans from other teams would love 1 Super Bowl
March 25th, 2025 at 7:09 pm
“Ownership grades have to be the given out based on long term observation. Giving the Lions’ ownership a top spot because they finally hired a good coach and good management along with good luck in their picks? That gives you a great grade?”
I agree with the sentiment, but couldn’t the same be said about the Bucs? We can’t forget 2008-2018 with the Glazers at the helm.
March 25th, 2025 at 7:22 pm
The Lions being in that top tier tells me all I need to know ridiculous
March 25th, 2025 at 7:38 pm
Anyone whining about the Glasers probably weren’t watching the Bucs during the Culverhouse years.
Aside from that,Todd Bowles has been better than average as a head coach! Anyone remember,Perkins,Bennett,Williamson ,Wyche and Koetter??I do!!
March 25th, 2025 at 7:44 pm
So geno how do you really feel?
March 25th, 2025 at 7:45 pm
Thank you, geno711! (5:29 pm) Thanks for the summation leading to the current state of the franchise.
Go Bucs!!
March 25th, 2025 at 8:44 pm
I hear you SU4C but the Fords have owned the Lions for how long? And I’m not even necessarily arguing that they shouldn’t be top tier in owners… just that I believe the Glazers belong there as well. The list was way too similar to all the talking heads list of championship contenders.
As to the lost decade, hindsight is 20/20 and we all suffered greatly but I never once believed that the ownership group wasn’t trying to win.
March 25th, 2025 at 9:03 pm
The offense shocked me last year considering the head coach. So, this year, being that defense is his specialty — please let’s see some kind of improvement with the pass defense that moves the needle. Please – players, coaches, scheme, matters not to me.
Results.
March 25th, 2025 at 9:46 pm
Glazers have always been in Contention mode. Tier 1
Sure beets the Culverhouse days
March 25th, 2025 at 9:48 pm
Solid C score for me. Case in point, they Needed to land one more legit edge rusher in free agency. They did not.
March 25th, 2025 at 10:04 pm
@Jeff, you don’t have much going on upstairs eh?
1. The GM decides who they pursue in free agency.
2. So, spending big $$$ on another free agent edge rusher sounds like a good idea to you?
Some people are just dumb.
March 25th, 2025 at 10:16 pm
Geno, you left out the lost decade we went through prior to Brady coming here where the buds couldn’t win spit! Glazers weren’t so good then that’s for sure!
March 25th, 2025 at 10:40 pm
Y’all are wrong on the lost decade. Ownership did what they felt was right to foster winning, such as dump Lovie for Koetter and signing a bunch of high dollar free agents (misses). It didn’t work out, but they’re not the football folks.
March 25th, 2025 at 10:45 pm
AND their commitment to Licht has paid off and then some!
March 25th, 2025 at 11:27 pm
Geno’s full essay, and then it again broken out in chunks and interspersed between other posts is the strangest comments-section read I’ve ever had on JBF.
March 25th, 2025 at 11:44 pm
Geno, I read it twice. I think we’ve got a heckuva ownership group too!
March 26th, 2025 at 12:20 am
Is that tier or tear?
Geez yet another esteemed sportwriter with a new and improved angle/click bait scheme. Wow! That proves it! People will buy anything! Just put “New and Improved” with some numbers beside it!
The Glazers have issues but they are lots better than most of the alternatives out there these days.
Go Bucs!
March 26th, 2025 at 1:15 am
The Glazers are not elite but good, they have kept Jason Licht and that has paid off. They are not all in though. If they wanted to go to all lengths to win then Liam Coen would be the head coach. Simple as that. I am not complaining, I think keeping Bowles one more year and Gris as OC may work.
March 26th, 2025 at 9:05 am
it will be nice when the slathering of butter stops.
March 26th, 2025 at 10:36 am
BucDawg Says
“They cannot have a grade higher than tier two.
Solely based on the fact they choose to stand pat with Bowles as the HC.
He’s just a place holder not someone steering the franchise in a championship direction.
Some could argue we win in spite of Todd Bowles best efforts to sabotage the defense at every turn.”
No offense intended, but that is a very short-sighted view.
Consider this:
🏈 Bowles insisted on bringing in Baker Mayfield, who has turned into a franchise QB.
🏈 The offense had to be built around Mayfield in order for him to become a franchise QB. That meant a new OL.
🏈 In order to build that defense around Mayfield quickly, the defense had to be neglected for a couple years.
🏈 Now that we have a top offense, Todd Bowels can focus on the defense.
🏈 Many pieces are already in place…2-3 good players on defense and we’re Superbowl Bound…thanks to Todd Bowles and Jason Licht.
While all coaches are place holders for the next head coach, Bowles has not done as badly as you seem to think.
March 26th, 2025 at 10:38 am
Wow…did not think those bullets would work, to be honest….
March 26th, 2025 at 2:38 pm
What the Glazers did for the players and their families and even pets during the last hurricane endeared me to them forever. It was not something to make them money, they just shelled out a bunch. It showed me who they are and how much they care.
March 26th, 2025 at 4:16 pm
I give them an a minus duets money. They hurt us with tge stadium scam in the 1990s and the list years where tge bucs were underfunded due to manchester united. All else a plus.
The players dplus is due to cap issues we incurred to win a super bowl.