Todd Bowles Considered Handing Over Defensive Playcalling Duties For Buccaneers
Todd Bowles knows a thing or two about calling a defense. After all, he's been doing it for over a decade in the NFL.
Over the years, Bowles has gained a reputation for being one of the best, and most aggressive defensive coordinators, with a propensity for blitzing at an especially high rate. He's called the shots for some quality defenses over the years, with his marquee performance coming in Super Bowl LV, where his masterful gameplan — executed to perfection on the field — allowed the Buccaneers to stymie Patrick Mahomes and the seemingly unstoppable Kansas City Chiefs' offense.
Not to mention, Bowles' defense took down Drew Brees' Saints, and MVP Aaron Rodgers' Packers in the postseason contests leading up to it.
That said, Bowles' experience as a head coach in the NFL has been far less triumphant. He didn't succeed in New York and was fired after four seasons at the helm for the Jets with a record of 24-40.
After a season and a half in Tampa, Bowles has an underwhelming record of 11-14.
That's a total win/loss record of 37-54, and a winning percentage below .400 as an NFL head coach.
Despite concerns regarding Bowles' ability to lead a locker room coming into this season in Tampa Bay, it was Bowles' success and reputation as a defensive play-caller that bought him some extra grace with the fanbase, and likely his bosses.
But a lot has changed since then.
After a hot start to the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are spiraling. And so far this season, the defense has looked as bad as it has in several years.
Despite having an all-pro caliber safety in Antoine Winfield Jr., and two top-tier outside cornerbacks in Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean, the Buccaneers have the worst passing defense in the entire league.
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They've also struggled mightily when it comes to pressuring the quarterback too, which certainly doesn't help when it comes to slowing down an opposing team's passing attack.
Look no further than C.J. Stroud's passing numbers from the Texans' victory over the Bucs last Sunday in Houston. The rookie quarterback went 30-42, for 470 yards, and 5 TDs against Bowles' defense in a 39-37 win.
As a result, questions about Bowles' stability not just as the head coach, but as the man best suited to call the plays for the Buccaneers' defense have begun to arise.
Immediately after the game, Bowles said he hadn't put any thought towards handing over the defensive play-calling duties.
But during his press conference on Monday, when asked the same question, Bowles was singing a bit of a different tune.
"I consider it all the time. But it's not the answer to the problems we have." Bowles stated.
It's hard to decipher what exactly that means. Or why Bowles answered the same question he got on Sunday, completely differently on Monday.
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What it does tell us though, is that there is angst not just amongst the fanbase, but somewhere within the Buccaneers' facility as well. Does this sort of instability and doubt just come from losing? Is it a result of additional pressure being applied behind the scenes? From the Glazers? From GM, Jason Licht?
We don't know at this time. But we do know that doubt, instability, and angst are present. And the way that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach, Todd Bowles, is answering questions about his role leading the defense, proves as much.
At this point, it's safe to say that not only is Todd Bowles coaching for wins, but he's coaching for his job as well.
You can follow Collin Haalboom on X.
