Is Todd Bowles the guy who can lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl and win it?
after sunday Lost 23-20 at home to Washington in the wild card round of the playoffs. That’s the question Bucks owners, the Glazer family, and general manager Jason Richt should be asking themselves heading into the 2025 offseason.
If the answer is a resounding “yes,” Bowles will remain with the Bucks in his fourth year leading the franchise to another NFC South championship. I hope Liam Cohen is still around as offensive coordinator. Cohen is scheduled to interview for the vacant head coaching position in Jacksonville this week.
Bucks HC Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
But if the answer is no, or even if you’re not sure, it’s time to move on.
That means firing Bowles even though he is next eligible. 27-24 (.529) record in Tampa Bay; And he is the only coach in team history to win three consecutive NFC South titles in his first three years as head coach. Sunday’s loss to the Commanders gave every reason to question whether Bowles is the right man for the job.
The Bucks only had 44 plays on offense compared to the managers’ 69 plays. Bowles’ defense couldn’t get off the field, giving Washington a possession advantage for almost 11 minutes. This is almost an entire quarter.
That’s crazy considering the managers only ran for 82 yards on 33 carries (2.5 average). It was a strong game at the Washington Grounds, so we couldn’t control the ball properly. But rather, the fact that Bowles’ unit was unable to make the plays it needed to get off the field on third or fourth down was the most damning aspect of the playoff loss.
“Defensively, that was the battle,” Bowles said. “[Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels] He was playing some games with his feet. We will be in that position. He beat us, they did a good job on third down, kept us on third and short, and he called the plays. ”
Washington never punted, going 8-of-15 (53.3%) on third downs and 3-of-5 (60%) on fourth downs.
Commander WR Terry McLaurin and Bucks CB Josh Hayes – Photo courtesy of USA Today
There was also questionable clock management/timeout usage, which resurfaced at the end of the first half and again at the end of the game. Bowles has struggled in this area throughout his three years as Tampa Bay’s head coach.
And the Bucks’ defense was once again unable to generate a takeaway. That’s something that has plagued Bowles’ unit all season.
“We have to make plays and we have to go get the ball,” Bowles said. “Obviously, different guys start there every week. It’s a zillion things. The bottom line is we’ve got to get turnovers.”
It didn’t help that the Bucs lost starting cornerback Jamel Dean in the second half to a recurrence of a knee injury. This brought second-year cornerback Josh Hayes back into the lineup, allowing a 5-yard touchdown to fourth-and-goal Terry McLaurin to give Washington a 20-17 lead. Hayes then had Dyami Brown catch a key 21-yard pass across the middle on a key third-and-6 from the Washington 34 with 3:20 left. An incompletion there would have led to a punt.
After Tampa Bay tied the game 20-20 with 4:41 left in regulation, Bowles’ defense was unable to generate forced stops, punts or turnovers. Daniels and his coaches marched 51 yards in 10 plays and kicked the winning field goal as time expired.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bucks DT Kariya Kansi – Photo courtesy of USA Today
We’ve seen Bowles’ defense cause losses many times during the 2024 season. In the game against Atlanta, they failed to get the required stoppage and lost 36-30 in overtime, and in the game against Kansas City, they lost 30-24 in overtime. He also couldn’t prevent San Francisco from marching down the field to kick the game-winning field goal in a 23-20 loss before the bye week.
In the Tampa Bay 19 game, defensive tackle Kariya Kanci had a chance to tackle Daniels on third-and-two, but narrowly missed, allowing the rookie QB to pick up a first down, forcing time down and allowing a 37-yard field goal. . Time has passed. If Cuncey had made that play, the managers would have had to kick a field goal with 50 seconds left, leaving Tampa Bay with time for a final drive for the game-clinching field goal. It would have been.
But once again, Bowles’ defense couldn’t make the final big play when it needed to.
“Sometimes it’s just a play. Sometimes we get into position,” Bowles said. “Kaliya will take them [third-] Down play. we lost it. It’s just making theater. We have to create a play. ”
Cohen didn’t have a great game, and the Bucs’ offense didn’t play well, resulting in several fumbles on that side of the ball, including a fumble on an end-around handoff between Baker Mayfield and receiver Jalen McMillan. There were mistakes in timing and execution. deep within their own territory. But while Tampa Bay’s offense has donned the superhero mantle all season, 2024 saw a notable regression on the Bowles side of the ball.
Bucs OC Liam Cohen, QB Baker Mayfield, HC Todd Bowles – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Cohen’s offense has scored at least 20 points in all but one game, a 26-7 loss to Denver in Week 3. But in a playoff weekend, the Ravens’ defense held the Chargers to 12 points with an interception. The Steelers held the Broncos to just two touchdowns, the Bills defense dominated by holding the Broncos to just one touchdown, and the Eagles held the Packers to just 10 points for the pick. Jordan Love scored three times, but Bowles’ Bucs defense couldn’t follow up, keeping the coaches under 14 points.
The Glazers and Richt have to ask themselves if Bowles is the right person to fix a pass defense that ranks 31st in the league. Can Tampa Bay have more than just seven interceptions in 2025?
Will Bowles do what’s necessary and fire several defensive assistants, including outside linebackers coach George Edwards, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross and safeties coach Nick Rapone? There have been notable regressions in these areas of the defense this year.
If the answer to those questions is no, then it may be time to move on from the 61-year-old defensive-minded head coach and join the league-wide trend of hiring an offensive-minded head coach. Of the six teams that fired head coaches this year, five were defensive-minded.
The Bucks need to make sure Cohen doesn’t leave for another head coaching job, even if it means replacing Bowles with Cohen. The 39-year-old offensive coordinator turned Tampa Bay’s worst-ranked run game into a top-10 offense, with the Bucs ranking fourth in scoring this season with 29.5 points per game.
Cohen could be the next Sean McVay, Matt LeFleur or Kyle Shanhan, and Tampa Bay can’t afford to let him go.
Bowles is currently 1-3 in the playoffs, but his poor defensive performance this season has made him look like the next Lovie Smith at times.
Bucks have priority to fire Todd Bowles
Former Bucks head coach Jon Gruden and co-chairman Joel Glazer – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
It will be interesting to see what happens with Todd Bowles’ future in Tampa Bay. Bowles’ fate may be known soon – or it may take some time for the Glazer family and Jason Licht to ponder.
Jon Gruden was fired 19 days after the 2008 season ended on January 16th. Bruce Arians became a free agent on March 30th and retired two weeks later, handing the team over to Bowles in 2022.
In my 30 years covering the Bucks, I watched the Glazers fire Tony Dungy, the architect of the franchise’s rebuild after three consecutive playoff appearances from 1999 to 2001. Dungy had a better record than Bowles with a 54-42 record and a winning percentage of .563, but was still released. Like Bowles, Dungey was highly respected as a leader of men.
We also saw the Glazers fire Gruden, who replaced Dungy and won the first Super Bowl in team history. The Glazers received two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million in cash in exchange for Gruden, who won three NFC South titles during his time as head coach from 2002 to 2008. Traded Dollars to Oakland.
However, Gruden started 9-3, but a four-game losing streak ended in a 9-7 record, and he was fired after missing the playoffs in 2008. Gruden had just passed Dungy for the most wins in franchise history. He finished the year with a record of 57 wins and 55 losses (.509).
And before the start of the 2008 season, Gruden was given a lucrative contract extension through 2011. The Glazers moved on from Gruden despite having to pay millions of dollars for each of the next three years of his guaranteed contract.
What I’m saying is, if you think it’s safe just because the Bowles won their district three years in a row, the Glazers had two of the most successful coaches in Tampa Bay history before Bruce Arians. In other words, remember that you’re firing a coach who turned a franchise around. And he paid a king’s ransom to bring the Bucks to their first Super Bowl.
Did Todd Bowles’ Bucks actually improve in 2024?
Bucks GM Jason Licht, co-owners Darcy Glazer Kassewitz and Joel Glazer, head coach Todd Bowles, and senior football consultant Bruce Arians – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The Glazers said they expect the Bucs to improve this season. Did something like that happen?
Yes, the Bucs won one more game to reach 10 wins in the regular season, but they would lose again in the home wild card game, just like they did in 2022, Todd Bowles’ first season as head coach. Ta. Last year, Tampa Bay won only nine games in the regular season, but won the home wild-card game and advanced to the NFC divisional round before losing to Detroit.
How will the Glazers and Jason Licht fare against Bowles and the Bucks in the 2024 season?
Has there actually been progress or not?
Bowles was a truly great man and had many great accomplishments in Tampa Bay, including his brilliant game plan as Arians’ defensive coordinator and helping the team win Super Bowl LV by defeating Kansas City 32-9. Ta. . Bringing the team together despite a tumultuous 8-9 season in 2022, Bowles led the team back from 4-6 deficits in each of the previous two years and won the NFC South championship with strong finishes.
But looking ahead to the 2025 season, Glazers and Richt shouldn’t fixate on Bowles’ goal. I did it For past teams. Rather, they must try to predict what Bowles will do. I will For future franchises.
And for now, the weather forecast looks cloudy.
