The one thing Bowles doesn't get enough blame for....

Trask Force · 2026-07-26T16:33:56Z

Bowles gets a lot of blame for the fortunes of the Bucs and rightfully so. He's the head coach. And his deficiencies have been well documented and discussed.... except for one thing IMO. Amazingly he has largely escaped criticism for one of the most important and worst decisions he has made - the hiring of Josh Grizzard. Bowles, because of his contract extension, had the pull to make the final call on the hiring of Grizzard. Sure, Mayfield wanted continuity and undoubtedly voucned for him. Licht certainly participated fully and signed off on it. But Bowles, as the head coach, had the final decision. The Robinson hire was probably Licht's call because Bowles is hanging on by a thread at this point, but that wasn't true. Back then Bowles was riding high and his job was secure and he had the power to make that choice. Bowles stated "It was my call" to hire Grizzard. And there is universal agreement that Griz was not up to the task. And it may have been main reason the Bucs went into the tank. We don't know. It's a mystery why when players were getting healthier the offense seemed to get worse. Griz was summarily fired after the season. It stands to reason that Griz was either responsible or made the scapegoat for the Bucs demise. Bowles stated that the Bucs did not have the luxury of time to spend two or three years while Griz developed play calling skills. That's true. Why did Bowles hire him then? Has Bowles ever publicly taken responsibility for hiring Grizzard? No. He leaves it to the fans to put A and B together. A - he wasn't ready. B- Bowles made the call to hire him. Equals C - Bowles screwed the pooch! Have the fans and media ever his feet to the fire for this? I don't think so. What are we to do to hold him accountable? Not much. Just make sure that this is one big double bogey on the Bowles scorecard whenever you discuss his job performance. See below for how the other interviewees did last year. It seems to me that the other candidates were not chopped liver.... How did the other candidates do? Grant Udinski: Hired as the Offensive Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Liam Coen. He achieved massive success, helping lead a powerhouse 13-4 team and orchestrating an offense that broke several franchise records (474 points, 55 touchdowns). His work helped quarterback Trevor Lawrence become an MVP finalist. Dave Ragone: Remained the Los Angeles Rams Quarterbacks Coach. He enjoyed elite success as quarterback Matthew Stafford won the NFL MVP award while leading the league's No. 1 total and scoring offense. Ragone was rewarded with a promotion to Associate Offensive Coordinator/Co-OC for 2026. Nate Scheelhaase: Served as the Los Angeles Rams Pass Game Coordinator. Working alongside Ragone, he helped guide the Rams' explosive passing offense all the way to the NFC Championship Game. He was heavily interviewed for head coaching vacancies after the season before being promoted to Rams Offensive Coordinator for 2026. Moderately Successful (Solid campaigns, steady roles) Marcus Brady: Stayed on as the Los Angeles Chargers Passing Game Coordinator. He helped navigate the offense under Jim Harbaugh to an 11-6 record and a Wild Card playoff berth. Following the season, he was hired by the Baltimore Ravens to be their new passing game coordinator. Nick Caley: Hired as the Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator. It was a mixed but solid transitional year; the Texans offense set multiple franchise records, scored 404 points, and made the Divisional Round of the playoffs. However, the unit suffered from mid-season inconsistency and a rough, turnover-heavy final playoff exit. Disappointing (Fired after one season) Josh Grizzard: Promoted internally to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator. His lone season running the offense was a major disappointment. Fired after one season.

Page 2 / 2 Prev

The Red Board

Last Post by BadabingBucs 2 minutes ago

16 Posts

7 Users

2 Reactions

105 Views

RSS

BadabingBucs

(@badabingbucs)

Posts: 4410

Captain

can't imagine they'd allow Bowles, the DC, to choose offensive guy without collaboration so a fumble by Licht as well; just like they are allowing Bowles to go into the 2026 season without a DC.

Posted : Jul. 27, 2026 8:37 am

Page 2 / 2 Prev

Forum Jump:

Previous Topic

8 Forums
37.8 K Topics
226.4 K Posts
3 Online
25.9 K Members

Forum Icons: Forum contains no unread posts Forum contains unread posts

Topic Icons: Not Replied Replied Active Hot Sticky Unapproved Solved Private Closed

The one thing Bowles doesn't get enough blame for....

Follow Pewter Report