Unsung Hire
January 10th, 2019
Lauded.
Of course with six of the eight NFL coaching openings filled, many national sports TV networks arguing shows are trying to draw up a list of the best hires and the worst.
The Bucs hiring Bucco Bruce Arians is getting very high marks. But if there was a “1B” hire compared to Arians’ “1” hire, mock draft-scowling, L.L. Bean-wearing, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal picture-taking, video game-playing, Taylor Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training social activist Peter King of NBC fame would give the “1B” coaching hire to the Bucs for defensive coordinator and former Jets coach Todd Bowles, which the Bucs made official yesterday.
Speaking on “Pro Football Talk” with the host of the show, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio which intelligent football fans watch weekday mornings on NBC Sports Network, King went out of his way to give the Bucs kudos for luring Bowles.
Bruce Arians “also has the luxury of bringing Todd Bowles with him,” King began. “And that would be one of the best hires of this postseason. If you get Todd Bowles, who was a really good defensive coordinator with the Cardinals the first time — and he is really close to Arians — if you get him, all of a sudden, you got the quarterback whisperer in Arians and you have the no-nonsense guy on defense who is really going to help build a better defense than they had.”
Of course, time will tell. Joe senses a potential gutting of the defense. And frankly, it is long overdue. This defense has been horrid since inept Lovie Smith took over in 2014.
Time to cut the cord. Even if this means some good players will be tossed overboard, the Bucs have hung on to some good players with not enough team production for too long.
Fresh blood cannot be any worse than what we’ve been watching the past five years.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
Sorry Joe, but how is this an “unsung hire”, everybody is pumped up that he is coming in as the new DC.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Why not see what you have in training camp. Can’t just gut the whole defense. Of course gut the defensive concepts and system. I expect that. There may be players that we have that may actually perform way better under a new system. How about giving them a chance to succeed. Ludicrous.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
It’s a package deal….Todd will follow BA as HC if everything goes as planned….once BA feels the franchise can take the training wheels off in year 3 and he,BA, moves into another non coaching role with the Bucs……IMO
January 10th, 2019 at 12:06 pm
If they were good players they wouldnt be tossed overboard. We need experienced corners and safeties. We could also use a good linebacker also.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:10 pm
He was quite unpopular with NY Jets fans, and some media.
One headline read ” Toilet Boles Got Flushed”
Boy, the NY Media are brutal.
Personally, I am excited he has re joined his old college Coach Bruce Arians !
January 10th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
outside of JPP he should flush the rest of the dline and linebackers…
January 10th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
This is definitely shaping up to be a defense heavy draft. I could see them drafting a guard and tackle, but otherwise, all defense.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
Beckwith should be back at LB. He may be the best LB on the roster.
Can’t wait to see this new look D!
January 10th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
jousting:
I am not sure you understand how the cap and market work. Good players are jettisoned all the time to create space–which the Bucs currently need.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Sounds like Bowels is a guy to teach on the practice field not to and not going to put up with any softserve93 hands on hips defense busted out in the second half. Gone from a great DC to HC and now back to DC? Feel that only makes your coaching game better. Excited to see the defense.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:16 pm
Build an elite front 7 / elite line and the rest will take care of itself.
That’s what Dominic and Licht have never been able to do.
If we go to a 3-4 that might mean a complete rebuild of the front 7; where guys like Carl Nassib / McCoy / JPP won’t fit. Lavonte David / Kwon also undersized as 3-4 LBs.
It’d be a lot easier on paper to rebuild a 4-3 by just moving McCoy and drafting his replacement R1; and a 4-3 DE to groom behind JPP & Nassib in rounds 2-4.
Comes down to how much they value guys like Nassib/JPP/David/kwon.
As realist has alluded to in the past; it’d be cool to be the only NFC South team running a 3-4
January 10th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
Whatever it takes.This is about wins, not popularity contests. There are a lot of players that should have their head on a swivel.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
They’re at a good point on defense where other than the young secondary and Vea they can cut bait with any of those guys and attempt to upgrade if necessary.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Bucsfanman
that crow did you some good… glad to see you on the side that popularity means nothing if you are in the bathing in the sewer.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Jason Licht is responsible for this horrid defense through his terrible personnel moves from drafting VH3 to cover the big WRs of the nfc south at same time passing on Laremy Tunsil and this year passing on both Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick who the bucs did and still do need a big time back end player; passing on those 2 when the 2019 draft is loaded with DT/DE as good if not better than vea, just poor personnel and foresight on the dude getting the groceries the past few years, hopefully arians is the loudest and final voice in the room……bowels has his work cut out for him with this crew he inherits
January 10th, 2019 at 12:22 pm
hope he’s renting until they run cancer93 out of town no defensive coach has survived that illness.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Unsung meaning not getting enough credit or attention it deserves.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:29 pm
Joes always find away to spin every good thing into a negative. My God . I gave you credit for breaking the news and when it happened but don’t ruin it. Everyone is excited..!! Let’s ride the wave for awhile. It finally feels like we have a real shot of being good..
January 10th, 2019 at 12:29 pm
BucFamous
Agreed. You see teams every year that win Super Bowls with a bunch of average/above average vets because they had the cap room to get them.GMC (30), LVD (29 on jan. 23), JPP(30) are the only vets starting on defense. Even though I love LVD, all these guys could take the long walk to free up a bunch of space for younger vets and one or two big money players in their prime.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Joe, you do know that no one actually reads that looooong title for Peter King…right? lol
January 10th, 2019 at 12:32 pm
Defensive front seven JPP & Nassib DE Vea NT Kwon & Beckwith ILB David & Spence OLB or?
January 10th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
Need some extra picks somehow ..someway….
sump’n fer DJax
sump’n fer McCoy
as painful as not grab’n the 5th player in the draft
trade down fer picks
FA can work…and we’ll have to spend for vet talent…hopefully it will work this time
January 10th, 2019 at 12:48 pm
Duthsty Rhothdes
Ignorance is a smelly perfume. You think Jason Licht says “okay, I like this guy, lets get him.” What drafting and FA moves done by Jason Licht all comes from a team plan of who makes the most since for the teams plan. HC and coaching staff put in a Big word when it comes to that team plan. As you can see, we’ve had a sh!t for brains HC and coaching staff since Chucky left. “Need to fix the pass rush for the secondary to work.” – Koetter and Smith. He’s not a coach so he’s not likely to go against their word on what they say is the best move. They put together a big board of most important positions needed to the best players in that position and the HC isn’t just sitting around in the draft room eating corn chips not putting in his word on picks. Licht is a great business man and scout. He drafts a lot of talent and has a good eye for talent. Bucs fans want him to hit a grand slam draft every year but that doesn’t happen with any team.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:48 pm
Welcome to town Coach Bowles… Lets GO!!!!!
January 10th, 2019 at 12:52 pm
just like the way BA brought in his guys. The ones who took the job know whats up, and the fact that their done deals early and quality coaches makes me happy.
best I have seen the bucs do when it comes to hiring coaches, and sheez, bucs fans have seen a lot of that lol
January 10th, 2019 at 12:56 pm
No risk it, no biscuit on defense too!
January 10th, 2019 at 12:57 pm
So everyone senses a complete overhaul of the defense…. What if…. hold on, what if….. The defense doesn’t get completely overhauled and we find out that the players really are pretty freakin good. They just didn’t have anyone helping them. I mean we have heard stories of players saying they weren’t going to do something because they didn’t get paid enough. We have heard stories of coaches teaching techniques that players have never heard of. So, is it that hard to believe that the defensive coaches were not engaged and completely screwed everyone within this organization? I don’t think it would surprise many at all.
January 10th, 2019 at 12:58 pm
The defense truly is fascinating. My guess is that they will spend half the time showing an aggressive 4-3 then morph into 3-4 as the situation dictates. Bowles has a tough job figuring all of this out.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:00 pm
sounds like the bucs have won the offseason for the 3rd year in a row….lol….
GO BUCS!!!!
January 10th, 2019 at 1:03 pm
SOEbuc you are joking right? So in 2016 in round 2 with all the needs the bucs have and koetter having zero power that arians is going to have, you think koetter was pumped about drafting a kicker with all of the eventual pro bowl talent still on the draft board, absolutely no way aguayo should have been anywhere near the on field players that the bucs still needed. Moves like that and many others licht has made show he is a clueless gm and I am pretty sure that arians similar to jon gruden will be the final call on who gets drafted. The guy has basically whiffed on 2.8 drafts, ME13 was only one still around out of his first draft.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:04 pm
813- You’re starting to depress me dude! Maker’s Mark, here I come!
January 10th, 2019 at 1:04 pm
Where are all the posters saying “Nobody wanted Todd Bowles”……..the fact is that he would be welcomed as DC at many teams.
We got us a good one….
Some could argue that Koetter with Bowles may have made a good team…..but, I’m liking BA & Bowles better.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:06 pm
@Bucman0620 – My gut tells me that your hypothesis is trending towards being an Occams razor territory. Bad coaches (lack of leadership) is the most likely cause.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:06 pm
*in Occams razor territory
January 10th, 2019 at 1:11 pm
TOM
“Defensive front seven JPP & Nassib DE Vea NT Kwon & Beckwith ILB David & Spence OLB or?”
Devin White would rise quickly on my list to number 5 to replace Kwon and not have to pay him big cash.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:14 pm
ChanEpic: yeah maybe a little. I just find it hard to believe that with the players we have had that they have constantly sucked for roughly half the year or roughly half the game…. To me, that is not the players. That is the play calling. That is the coaches not knowing what or how to communicate. You don’t cut one coach and suddenly get better with the same talent and not understand that the obvious problem was not the talent. If my car doesn’t turn over and I jump start it, I don’t go replacing heads on my engine.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:20 pm
I don’t know about other Buc fans out there but I finally feel like we have a “real” head coach with undeniable experience and the best defensive coordinator we have had since Monte Kiffen. Bruce will get the best from Jameis and Bowles will help fix our putrid defense. I don’t care if we clean house on defense because we sucked 10 ways from Sunday on the defensive side of the ball. We are sure to have a top 5-10 offense and top 15 defense and that equals playoffs. Go Bucs!
January 10th, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Some of you really need to learn how to spell the man’s name. You empty your Bowels. Bowles is our DC. Most likely our season opener will be vs AZ or ATL.
January 10th, 2019 at 1:30 pm
New and better coaches the Buccos received , New and lofty heights I hope their players achieve , but with a GM named Licht , who aint very bright , when fans see the new players they will be asking for bayers or fighting their migraines with aleve.
LICHT FREAKING SUX-YOU BLEW IT GLAZER BOYS
January 10th, 2019 at 1:34 pm
Here Here !
January 10th, 2019 at 1:39 pm
Potential (FA) Signings
• Henry Anderson
• Preston Smith
• Neville Hewitt (Cheap)
• Deone Bucannon (Cheap)
• Markus Golden (Cheap)
Potential Cuts (Discounts for Us)
• Michael Brocker
• Dontari Poe
Draft
• Jeffery Simmons
• Chase Winovich
• D’Andre Walker
• Charles Omenihu
• Sutton Smith
Potential Front 7
LDE Michael Brocker | Jeffery Simmons
NT Dontari Poe | Vita Vea
RDE Henry Anderson | Carl Nassib | Charles Omenihu
OLB Preston Smith | Chase Winovich
ILB Lavonte David | Deone Bucannon
ILB Kendell Beckwith | Neville Hewitt
OLB D’Andre Walker | Markus Golden | Sutton Smith
January 10th, 2019 at 1:43 pm
Make Todd Bowels DC and make Byron Leftwich OC
Byron can be like Moniken in his first year, learning from and copying the head coaches offensive scheme until he can run it without help
Please draft offensive lineman for first pick, preferably OG unless their is a better OT available
We need to fix units (like o-line unit, defensive backs unit) rather than individual positions
January 10th, 2019 at 1:45 pm
I want to see Tampa Bay become a 3-4 “you never know what blitz you’re gonna see” team
January 10th, 2019 at 2:01 pm
Duthsty Rhothdes
We had been desperate for a kicker since these dumba$$ let Matt Bryant walk and Aquayo shattered college records. Everyone was jumping for joy when RoJo was drafted and everyone thought he was going to be our savior in the run game. Telling you it’s not all on Licht when everyone thinks it is and they can’t all be All-Stars.
Licht talented draft players:
-Jameis
-ME13
-Ali (drafted out of D-III)
-Kwon
-Beckwith
-J.Evans
-Whitehead
-P. Barber (UDFA)
-Hump (UDFA)
-Brate (UDFA)
-OJ
-Vea
-C.Davis (potential)
-BoBo (potential)
Licht FA moves:
-JPP for a third round pick!
-Nassib for peanuts
-Jensen is a good step into fixing the oline.
January 10th, 2019 at 2:06 pm
LUVMYBUCS…awesome….if they 100% go to the 3-4 i like it, what do they get for JPP a 2nd round pick? Walker is going to be a flippin monster off the edge and can play in space
def with this have some money to get some capable OL also have to either FA a solid RB or maybe they can save rojo, but 2 RBs that will be available that are solid is tevin coleman and alfred blue who do what it seems BA wants
the bucs flippin off season always restores hope and then the actual bullets fly
January 10th, 2019 at 2:22 pm
SOEbuc. Thank you for bringing sanity to the whole Jason Licht discussion. He’s done everything the fans wanted him to. He got Jameis, got weapons for Jameis, drafted one of the best kickers in the history of college football and got JPP. I give him credit for a lot. The fact that some guys weren’t developed is on coaching and schemes, not the GM
January 10th, 2019 at 2:23 pm
SOEbuc
Cmon man!! Going from DC to HC back to DC didn’t work that well with Mike Smith as we all should know. I’ll believe he’s a good DC when the defense is good.
January 10th, 2019 at 2:35 pm
The talent level on defense is laughable
January 10th, 2019 at 3:37 pm
Joes headline had me checking Webster to make sure I knew what the definition of ‘unsung’. Unsung by who? Not the fan base that’s for sure. I love this staff, there a 3 potential successors to BA on this if they succeed. Bowels (DC), Goodwin (OL) and Armstrong (ST). Some think Leftwich but I think he doesn’t have enough experience.
January 10th, 2019 at 3:58 pm
The Buc Defense cannot get any worse. It has nowheres to go but UP. And
Bowles will get us there.
January 10th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
@AE
Agree with both of your takes.
Others…am I mistaken or weren’t we beotching just yesterday that Bowles was reportedly headed to Chicago?
Isn’t Chicago already the best defense in the league? Wouldn’t most DC’s give up a family jewel to coach Khalil Mack? If the Bears were interested in Bowles taking Fangio’s spot it’s not like some have suggested that Bowles is overrated.
This will be an incredibly entertaining and exciting off season.
Who stays…who goes…FA’s…draft picks…a ton of moving parts good thing BA had his staff ready since day one because they are going to be busy dudes this off season. Evaluating talent on hand…considering which players they want going forward…draft..FA’s….I’m already jacked!!!!
January 10th, 2019 at 5:45 pm
Gut the D!
January 10th, 2019 at 6:18 pm
By “QB Whisperer” does he mean the same guy who’s never had to coach a QB that wasn’t drafted #1 overall? (the only exception being Roethlisberger) So difficult!
January 11th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
This defense has been horrid since inept Lovie Smith took over in 2014.
——————————————————-
That defense was horrid far before Lovie… do you not remember Schiano’s LaQuan, Danny, and whomever the other turd CB was? How about Raheem’s terrible rush defense? We haven’t had a D since the game BEFORE Kiffin announced he was leaving to join his mentally handicapped son at USC.