In 2022, 2023 and 2024, Bowles held the locker room together. He held the team together through a tough transition (2022) and through two mid-season lulls to finish strongly.
In 2025 though he's lost the locker room and mostly its his defensive side of the ball. There are multiple defenders playing must win games with limited effort and zero discipline. Bowles acknowledged this post game even though its very likely to be the reason he is fired:
“The coaches have done everything they can do,” Bowles said. “This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You got to execute. They got to hold each other accountable. “As a coach you can sit there till you blue in the face. Until they start holding each other accountable and doing the little things right, and that’s not everybody, we’re talking about a small, select few. “But the small, select few is what’s getting us beat. Until that happens, it’s not going to get right.”
The "small select few" definitely includes McCollum who had an insane offsides to turn a FG into a TD. . . and then left injured.
Reddick, who actually made a strip at a key moment, mostly spends his time feigning tackle attempts.
Most disappointingly, AWJ.
Watch the late sequence at 3rd and 26 and specifically the 4th down throw. I think its simple Tampa-2 and if so, his responsibility in a KEY MOMENT. The reason he got the big contract. Hard to understand what he's doing .. . but if a"defensive leader" isn't getting it done in a key moment, BUT AN EASY MOMENT . . . its no wonder the D cant get off the field. Bowles is right that it comes down to EXECUTION that is not happening. Add in a few injuries and a very old LVD and this team is going absolutely no where because they cant defend.
You could see life in the offense - Mike Evans performance was ELECTRIC and worthy of his HOF status - but the defense is totally mailing it in and incapable of stopping anything.
There is a picture circulating of one of the fumbles. 4 or 5 Bucs around the ball. No Falcons. But the Bucs defenders don't secure the ball and a Falcon player comes in late and takes it. That play is like a flashing beacon . . . total lack of heart.
(Maybe when Licht started talking about drafting guy who loved football, Captain types . . maybe its because this has been a known problem. Jamel Dean is a leader on the team (ugh) and his is also maybe the worst example of playing ONLY when his $ is on the line, so its not like this issue is new to the Bucs. . . . defense)
Cant imagine this team winning IN Carolina
I just read that Mayfield agreed with Bowles
"“He just hit the nail on the head, questioning does it mean anything to the guys,” Mayfield said of Bowles. “Does this hurt enough for you to actually make changes, to come in, do the work that you need to do, to do the things that we need to do as a team to get better, fix these things, and win ball games.
“He repeated it.”
“It really is as simple as that,” Mayfield said. “We have talent. Talent doesn’t get you sh!t, though. Doing the work and executing on game days does.
“We didn’t do that [Thursday]. Like I said, I did not do that.”
LVD
Lavonte David acknowledged the fan outcry. He referenced the high hopes for the 50th anniversary and how “they got a right to be pissed.”
FWIW, it stands out when you can see the sidelines and the bench and the players as they are waiting for TV commercials. The Bucs defense KNOWS there is a motivation/discipline problem. Hell, the Bucs offense knows there is a motivation/discipline problem ON THE DEFENSE
I've never seen Mike act like that on the sidelines. Bowles is done here.
Bowles has definitely lost his defense. Just saw this in the PR article and its not the normal public face of Bowles:
"“It’s inexcusable,” Bowles said. “You don’t make excuses. You got to f—–g care enough where the s–t hurts. You got to f—–g care enough where the s–t hurts. It’s got to f—–g mean something to you. It’s more than a job, it’s your f—–g livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that s–t.
It was f—–g inexcusable. There’s no f—–g answer for it. No excuse for it. That’s what you tell ’em in the locker room. Look in the f—–g mirror.”
I've never seen Mike act like that on the sidelines.
Sad to see his last few years and another possible title run be ruined by an inept and clueless head coach (and his staff).
I've never seen Mike act like that on the sidelines.
Sad to see his last few years and another possible title run be ruined by an inept and clueless head coach (and his staff).
Even his most ardent of leghumpers have seen the light.
I've never seen Mike act like that on the sidelines. Bowles is done here.
Thats just not true. Evans used to crash out left and right.
I had forgotten about Shermans comment. That's a couple weeks ago
"“Good morning Bucs fans. I already know yall gonna be upset with me and that’s fine but remember im a fan just like yall at this point. Im frustrated too. But I’ll say this we can’t just say Todd Bowles Todd Bowles. I know for a fact personally…….. Not just from film, TB press conference last night was brewing. At some point we have to say ok when do we look at the players. People ain’t doing what they are supposed to during the week and it’s showing in the game. That’s all imma say. Take what you want from that.”
Often, McCoy says publicly that Lavonte David is one of his very closest friends. So it’s no stretch to believe McCoy is getting his intel directly from David.
This is very troubling, and not surprising to Joe. It’s been written here that something has been rotting in the Bucs’ locker room. Joe has smelled it for weeks.
Remember, another former Bucs player with tight current connections in the locker room, Richard Sherman, also said publicly weeks ago that the Bucs are not a top team because, “I know some things.”
People ain’t doing what they are supposed to during the week and it’s showing in the game
as suggested thats got to be LVD talking
