Is Buccaneers' HC Todd Bowles in Jeopardy of Being Fired?
This was just a horrible loss for this team. If you win, you have a shot at the division still, if you lose, it may get ugly. This Bucs team lost in the worst way imaginable, which means it could get ugly.
I know that Bowles has been handicapped by not being able to hire his own guys, especially last season when he was hired late in the off-season as Bruce Arians decided to step down. But, is this losing streak enough to get the Glazer's attention?
Texans rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, threw for 475 yards, a rookie record, as well as 5 touchdowns, against a Todd Bowles lead defense. A lot of blame should go on the players for letting the Texans torch them all game, but you have to wonder if Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff's decisions were the real problem.
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This Bucs defense has been very good in man coverage dating back to when the Bowles was hired. Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean play best when they are in man coverage. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of zone coverage lately. You have to play to your player's strengths. I know Dean was injured, but the whole secondary looked lost out there, not just Dean's replacement, McCollum. Davis also may have had the worst game of his career. Nonetheless, there shouldn't be any excuse for giving up that many yards, especially to a rookie QB.
Offensively, the play-calling was not very good. The Bucs put up 37 points, yes, I just feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities. I saw a lot of throws to the flat when guys are running free downfield, Mayfield has to see those open receivers. Running the ball in a potential game-winning situation when it's clearly not working is very frustrating, especially when you have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out there. Near the end of the game, Bowles called a time-out with 49 seconds left on the clock instead of electing to use the ten-second runoff after a Texans penalty. Mayfield threw a touchdown the next play. If you let the clock run, Stroud possibly wouldn't have had enough time to take the Texans 75 yards to win the game.
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Hate to say it, but Bowles has not been very good at managing the clock this season or last. I find myself questioning his decisions often. This dates back to his time in New York. Bowles is a great defensive coordinator don't get me wrong, but he hasn't shown much promise as a head coach.
This team has a lot of work to do if they want to win the division. The division title is looking more and more unlikely as the Bucs add onto their losing streak. I suppose it's still possible, but after a loss like that, you have to wonder if changes are coming to the coaching staff.
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