2-Point Conversion: The Real Problem With The Bucs Is …

It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ postgame two-point conversion column. This column features two big statements, two probing questions, and two bold predictions.

The Bucks lost to the Colts 27-20 in Indianapolis, dropping to 4-7. For the second consecutive game, Tampa Bay’s defense allowed 27 points, this time to Indianapolis backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Despite the loss, the Bucks are one game away from first place in the NFC South.

The Bucks return to their home base in Tampa Bay this Sunday to take on the Carolina Panthers, who just fired head coach Frank Reich, at 1-10.

Two important statements

Statement 1: The real problem with the Bucks is… a lack of accountability.

Todd Bowles’ 2023 Bucks team is losing loss after loss week after week. After starting 3-1 before the bye, the losses started and snowballed — even though Coach Bowles said Monday it didn’t snowball.

Well, coach.Losing 6 of the last 7 games doesn’t matter. snowman.

It’s an avalanche.

And the mistakes continue week after week.

Why are the same mistakes repeated? No results. And since there are no consequences, there is no responsibility either.

Accountability is not something to be praised. [or defending] Criticize publicly and privately. It’s just that Bowles is good to his players.

There’s no need for Bowles to come out and publicly bash the Buccaneers or call them out for their mistakes in a press conference. But when a curious reporter asks which player made a mistake or who was at fault on a particular play, Bowles needs to answer the question honestly.

Bruce Arians never shied away from that, and holding his players accountable was one of his greatest strengths. The Alliance was loved by the players, but also feared by them. It’s a healthy dynamic in soccer, and it helps prevent complacency.

And these backs are too complacent under Bowles because Bowles doesn’t take responsibility for their mistakes. This year, not a single Buccaneer was fired for poor performance and cited as an example.

Heck, after all the public pressure from the Pewter Report and others, Bowles continues to give up touchdowns and big plays until he ends up benching Ryan Neal or at least significantly reducing his snap count. It took several weeks.

And despite two years of inconsistent and sometimes downright bad play, inside linebacker Devin White has never been benched for a bowl game. Sure, White has been called out by Bowles in team meetings, but everyone in the facility knows White is Bowles’ guy.

White knows there will be no consequences if he continues to miss tackles, take a hit in coverage and play uninspired football. And that has a negative impact on the locker room.

Bucs ILB Devin White and head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Bowles extended the team captain voting process to a number of regular season players to allow White enough time to make a few plays and lead a pregame speech to garner enough captain votes. I even delayed it by a week. He said the same thing at a September 6 press conference.

“You guys weren’t here in the spring, so you want to see how everyone comes together and then you want to wait a while before you make a decision because the other guys are still here. “We’re just starting to get to know each other and we want to make a rational decision, so we’re going to wait a little while,” Bowles said.

Every Bucks player participated in OTAs during the spring except for one, Devin White.

So when Bowles says the Bucks keep making mistakes, it’s no wonder why it keeps happening.

“That should not be [mistakes]” Bowles said. “That’s what we’ve been doing day in and day out. We’ve done them right hundreds of times. At some point, it just doesn’t get done.”

Statement 2: The Bucks team captain is also not responsible.

It is not uncommon for a team’s best player to be chosen as team captain. It’s happening at nearly every level of football, from Pop Warner to high school to college to the NFL.

But the best player on a team doesn’t always make the best leader. Being a great leader involves not only leading by example with great play, but also demanding great play from others. It shows a willingness to place responsibility on others.

Not only is head coach Todd Bowles not holding his players accountable, but the team’s captain isn’t doing a good enough job in that area either. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is a team captain, said the same thing after Sunday’s 27-20 loss to Indianapolis.

“Unless everyone gets angry and fixes it, nothing is going to change,” Mayfield said. “I know where I’m going this weekend. I want to get back to work and bring as many people as I can.”

Mayfield spent the offseason integrating into the team and getting to know his teammates. Mayfield, who arrived in Tampa Bay on a modest one-year demonstration contract worth just $4 million, had the kind of talent that would immediately get him into the locker room and demand perfection, much like six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. There was no dignity. , conducted in 2020.

Bucks legendary DT Warren Sapp and OLB Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Since Mayfield is a rookie and has no guarantee of a long-term contract, it would be nice if he treated his teammates with kid gloves and positive encouragement instead of calling them out for bad play to their faces. It can be understood.

But the problem is, the Bucks don’t have that kind of leader in their locker room. He’s the kind of leader players don’t want to cross, or perhaps fear.

Warren Sapp was such a leader during Tampa Bay’s rise in the 1990s, winning its first Super Bowl in 2002. He ruled the locker room with an iron fist and demanded responsibility in the huddle and on the sideline.

Legendary Bucs middle linebacker and five-time Pro Bowler Hardy Nickerson was there even before Sapp arrived and while Sapp was growing into a leadership role.

Jason Pierre-Paul was the type of leader who was tough, loud and tough on Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl team. Pierre-Paul didn’t have to wear a “C” on his chest, and he didn’t have to lead vocally. The same can be said for Ndamukong Suh, who led by fewer decibels than JPP, but was just as intense.

Bucks WR Mike Evans – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Lavonte David is a witty, always on the lookout type of guy who doesn’t like to shake things up. He is a good person and he likes to lead with humor. Antwan Winfield Jr. is a nice guy and he’s always smiling. Devin White is a nice guy, but his play has been sluggish and unreliable the last two years.

Tristan Wirfs is a nice guy who goes, “Oh, shit,” but he had to be persuaded to become a leader. Mike Evans is a good guy who chooses to lead by example, even with the occasional yelling. Chris Godwin looks exactly like Evans, except for the occasional growl.

There is no sting between these players, and sometimes teams need players with sting in their leadership to demand responsibility.

At the time, Sapp was in a locker room full of positive leaders like John Lynch, Derrick Brooks, Mike Alstott, Brad Johnson and Paul Gruber. And that was the case with Pierre-Paul and Suh in 2020 with David, White, Evans, Brady and players like linebacker Kevin Minter and punter Bradley Pinion.

Not only does general manager Jason Licht need to find a better player this offseason, he needs to find the next Sapp, Suh, or JPP. Tampa Bay already has a lot of good people.

2 Detailed questions

Question 1: Will the Bucks fire Todd Bowles if they lose to the Panthers?

good question. The Glazers were content to watch Raheem Morris’ Bucks lose 10 straight games at the end of his tenure in 2011 in exchange for a better draft pick. The Glazers also didn’t fire Greg Schiano until the end of the 2013 season, despite starting 0-8 and finishing 4-12, for the same reason.

But if Todd Bowles and the Bucs somehow lose 1-10 to the Panthers and their new interim head coach on Sunday, Katy will slam the door. The Glazers may break with tradition and actually shoot during the season to appease the angry Pewter mob.

Question 2: How did ILB Servosia Denis play in his first start?

Bucks ILB Servosia Dennis – Photo Credit: USA Today

I thought rookie inside linebacker Sarvosia Dennis played decently in his first career start in Indianapolis. He finished with six tackles and one pass breakup, and veteran inside linebacker Devin White had seven stops.

Perhaps Dennis’ biggest play of the game was a touchdown-saving tackle on a 4-and-1 play-action pass to Colts tight end Maury Cox that caught the Bucs’ defense by surprise. Cox was wide open, but Dennis, who was on the other side of the field and not assigned to a tight end, tracked Cox 30 yards later, paying enough attention to recognize the play-action pass.

Dennis said of his performance in his first start, “He has a lot of volume and he moves on the spot.” “So I just go out there and work on it step by step, play by play, day by day. There’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot you have to experience just to actually play soccer. Yes, it’s still the same football.”

Taking pro football focus’s grades for granted, Dennis was the Bucks’ fifth-best defender Sunday with a 67.8 overall grade, including a team-high 78.1 coverage grade. In comparison, White posted an overall grade of 60.3.

2 Bold predictions

Prediction 1: Bucks will beat Panthers

Phew! A loss to the lowly 1-10 Panthers would be a disaster for head coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs, right? And that would be an embarrassing punch in the gut for the Tampa Bay fan base, especially those who cheer on their team at Raymond James Stadium.

But the guess here is that the Bucks pulled it off because of sheer talent alone. Tampa Bay has underperformed this year despite having the most talented players in the NFC South, while Carolina has the worst level of talent in the entire NFL.

Prediction 2: Tampa Bay will finish below .500 again.

Bucks HC Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucks ran out of time to get the win. At 4-7, Tampa Bay needs to win three straight, something they haven’t done all year, in order to get back to .500 this season. The problem is, there are only six games left in the season, and the Bucks must win five of them to finish 9-8.

They were able to win the NFC South last year with a record of 8 wins and 9 losses, but it seems that a record of 9 wins and 8 losses is needed this year. Tampa Bay must remain at 4-0 in the division, and next week’s game in Atlanta smells like a loss.

Get ready for a head coaching change and a top-10 draft pick for the Pewter People.

A big offseason is about to begin in Tampa Bay. Be sure to tune in to Pewter’s report on the Bucks, the leader of his offseason coverage.