The Besmirching of Todd Bowles
3 min read
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowels | courtesy of bucpower.com
A lot of Bucs fans want Todd Bowles fired, and maybe it is time for him to go and for the organization to clean house. However, the Buccaneers’ shortcomings are not all on Todd Bowles. This team has been extremely banged up for a significant stretch of the season and still has several players dealing with lingering injuries.
On offense, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Bucky Irving, Cody Mauch, Ben Bredeson, Luke Goedeke, and Tristan Wirfs have all missed time, with some suffering more significant and longer-term injuries than others. Defensively, the Buccaneers have also dealt with injuries to key players, including Calijah Kancey, Jamel Dean, and Zyon McCollum.
When Evans, Godwin, and McMillan all went down, Emeka Egbuka was suddenly thrust into the WR1 role. Opposing defenses were then able to focus solely on shutting him down, which made life very difficult for Baker Mayfield and the offense. Egbuka thrived early in the season because defenses had to game-plan for Evans, Godwin, and McMillan, allowing him to operate with far less attention.
I know many Bucs fans will say that every team deals with injuries, and while that may be true, Todd Bowles can only coach the players he is given. He continues to say, “I’ll make it work,” but there are limitations when so many key contributors are unavailable.
A significant portion of the blame also falls squarely on the shoulders of general manager Jason Licht. He has not put this team in a position to be successful. There have been several major misses in the draft, and he hasn’t really done a very good job at addressing roster needs through free agency or trades these past two seasons. He should have made a deal with the Bengals to acquire Trey Hendrickson to help the defense, but he chose not to.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was a first-round bust. Devin White was a one-year wonder before completely falling off. Calijah Kancey was a reach in the first round and has struggled to stay healthy. Lavonte David is nearing retirement and will need to be replaced. The Zyon McCollum experiment has proven to be a poor decision. This is likely Jamel Dean’s final year with the Bucs, meaning another replacement will be necessary. Jason Licht never properly replaced Carlton Davis III after Tampa traded him. Logan Hall appears to be a second-round bust, and Chris Braswell has been a disappointment. The jury is still out on players like Cody Mauch and Graham Barton, but in reality, neither has been particularly impressive so far. Cade Otton has not produced at the level expected of him. Even going further back, Vernon Hargreaves III was another first-round bust.
With all of that said, the Buccaneers’ most glaring defensive issue is the lack of a pass rush. It is largely non-existent. Vita Vea and Anthony Nelson do what they can, but the defensive line consistently fails to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Even mediocre quarterbacks have looked great against Tampa Bay because they are able to sit comfortably in the pocket and dissect the defense. The secondary is forced to cover for far too long due to the lack of pressure and has been repeatedly exposed. The Bucs desperately need a Myles Garrett–type dominant edge rusher who can disrupt timing, force mistakes, and consistently get to the quarterback. Jason Licht has failed to provide that.
Finally, and many Bucs fans will not like this, Baker Mayfield deserves a significant share of the blame as well. He has played poorly in the second half of the season. He is missing reads, underthrowing and overthrowing open receivers, and failing to utilize Bucky Irving and Rachaad White as check-down options. Mayfield is trying to do too much, forcing the ball into coverage, holding onto it far too long, and taking unnecessary sacks. Too often, he locks onto one read, and if it is not there, he tucks the ball and runs. At times, he is overly aggressive and does not know when to slide, exposing himself to unnecessary hits. The team needs him healthy, but he is taking far too many risks.
The Buccaneers’ failures are not solely the fault of Todd Bowles. It is time to start placing more of the blame where it belongs: on Jason Licht and Baker Mayfield.
