Todd Bowles Names Defensive Coordinators

March 31st, 2022

Bucs co-DC Kacy Rodgers.

Todd Bowles wasted little time.

In his introductory press conference as the new Bucs head coach, Bowles stated that defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers and outside linebackers coach Larry Foote were promoted to co-defensive coordinators.

Think Bowles wants to emphasize play from the front-five?

Rodgers has been with Bowles just about every year since the two of them were on Bill Parcells’ staff with the Cowboys. Rodgers was Bowles’ defensive coordinator when Bowles ran the Jets.

Foote played linebacker briefly for Bowles with the Cardinals before getting into coaching. He was a long-time Steelers linebacker and won two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh.

Yes, Bowles is still calling the defensive plays on game days. He made that clear.

50 Responses to “Todd Bowles Names Defensive Coordinators”

  1. BuxfaninTX Says:

    Tom Brady is so old he played in college with Larry Foote

  2. AlabamaBucsFan Says:

    Never heard of co-defensive coordinators. Not sure how well that is going to work.

  3. AlabamaBucsFan Says:

    Ah….makes sense now. Todd Bowles will remain as the defensive play calling coach.

  4. Drebucsfan Says:

    Same game plan different voices, no biggie let’s get it

  5. David Says:

    He’s bringing them along slowly. He also said he will be calling the plays this year. So he is basically the DC and BL and Brady will run the offense. I think it’s fantastic

  6. Tye Says:

    Confidence in this team is going back down again with these position shuffling…

    The only positive in this is that the rest of the NFC South teams are much lesser than their former selves… The Bucs may still have an easy path to the NFCS crown but with a worse record than had been hoped for!

  7. Listnfrmafar Says:

    Another check in the box. Bucs are officially compliant. Just joking, sounds like great choices. Maybe Suh and JPP sign now.

  8. Jack Burton Mercer Says:

    One of the reasons to name someone a coordinator is it makes it harder for other teams to hire them off your roster. I believe there are some rules in place that a coach under contract can only be hired by another team for a promotion.

  9. GOB Says:

    Safe to say nothing of much will change on defense. Constant blitzing, irrational gameplans, and poor situational football will all be back in force. The secondary got worse with the retention of Davis. Steph Gilmore should’ve been a top priority. Teams are already forced to throw because of Brady, and a poor secondary. It’ll only get worse

  10. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    I agree with GOB on some things.
    This constant blitzing has to stop, because it is often picked up, and exposes our Secondary, as it did with the Rams.
    Great teams manage to get pressure with only 4 Men, leaving a ton of players to cover receivers.
    I sure hope we manage to draft some defensive players who can really rush the passer this year.

  11. sasquatch Says:

    Foote is the ILB coach now, not OLB.

  12. Mike C Says:

    So do we get a draft pick for this lol smh? Forgive me but wouldn’t it be a problem for a white guy to hire his buddy without doing an interview with a minority? I still maintain if we are going to mandate the race be set a particular way at the top of the NFL it should be set that way top to bottom. Each team must have a proper race lineup in the game at all times five White, three Latin, two Black, 1 Asian to more accurately represent the American population.

  13. New England Patriots Fan Says:

    All top coaching positions on Tampa including HC DC 1 DC 2 OC and ST held by African American Coaches.

    As per 2 DC, NE currently has Mayo and Belichek JR as co DC (unnamed)

  14. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    It is not definitive on the comp pick for promoting Bowles……if he or BL left to HC another team we would….but it’s unclear if we receive one when we promote from within.
    If not….that’s a crock…..lose or hire a minority…you get a pick…..promote a minority…you don’t.

  15. New England Patriots Fan Says:

    (ii) The employer-club shall be eligible to receive this Draft choice compensation if:
    a. The minority employee hired as a Head Coach or Primary Football Executive has been employed by the employer-club for a minimum of two full seasons; and
    b. The minority employee is not the Head Coach or Primary Football Executive of the employer-club and is hired into the same position with the new club. There can be no break in employment between clubs.

  16. MadMax Says:

    All good. Lets roll with it! We got work to do with this draft…

    Logan Hall
    Ed Ingram
    Alontae Taylor
    Matt Araiza

    some trades of course will be needed, but wont cost too much. The main trade is trading down out of 27, unless Zion is still there….but he wont be.

  17. Bucsfan4ever Says:

    That sounds like we ought to get the extra pick.

  18. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Bucsfan4ever Says:
    March 31st, 2022 at 3:20 pm
    That sounds like we ought to get the extra pick

    That’s what it looks like to me…….and, I think it’s two 3rd round picks one in 23 & 1 in 24…..but I could be wrong about that.

    Of course a bunch of Lawyers write the NFL rules…….takes a Lawyer to read them sometimes.

  19. ViSyl Says:

    It’s great that Bowles is gonna remain calling the defense plays. That means Brady is gonna run the offense entirely with Byron support.

  20. Ash Says:

    Bucs are not getting a pick they would only get the pick of we lost coordinators to another team and they got hired as a hc not a promotion from within the organization.

  21. HC Grover Says:

    Sounds good.

  22. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    Mike C, clever. However, it’s not about the demographic mimicking the national demographic. It’s about the majority of the players in the league being black, and the majority of the head coaches and front office people being white. It’s like saying you’re good enough to play for us and make us money, but you’re not good enough to run the operation.

  23. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    There is no question that there is racial disparity in the NFL…….although I’m generally not in favor of affirmative action, in the NFL case….it’s warranted.

    Even with the Rooney Rule, minority hiring of HC & GMs is severely lacking.

  24. Mike C Says:

    By “Clever” do you mean actually fair?

  25. Listnfrmafar Says:

    Scurvy, last I heard players make more than most HC’s and front office people.

  26. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    Fair to whom? But no, by saying clever I was giving you kudos for your “great idea.”

  27. Mike C Says:

    Shouldn’t the work place look like a balanced version of America?

  28. Mike C Says:

    NBA has alot of work to do.

  29. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    List, what does that have to do with equity?

  30. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    Mike, I agree. There are a lot of industries that have a lot of work to do.

  31. Mike C Says:

    What does money have to do with equality? Did you really just ask that question?

  32. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    I did ask that question. First of all, a lot of players never make it to huge money in this league. A lot of players go from practice squad to practice. So that point is moot for a number of reasons. And it’s also a strawman argument. We’re not talking about money. We’re taking about equity in coaching and the front office.

  33. Mike C Says:

    And I am talking about equality in the player ranks….

  34. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    That probably has to do more with how important the game is to each race in regards to getting their family out of poverty. But what do I know. Your idea is still great.

  35. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    You really can’t compare coaches & GMs to players…….the players have physical talent that is compensated in effect by supply & demand….and, there is a salary cap for them.

    Coaches & GMs are hired for their management ability and there is no cap.

    Different moral & ethical standards apply……look at what Gruden did to get him fired and essentially blackballed from the NFL…
    Now, look at DeShaun Watson……..$230 mil guaranteed contract.

    Like I said, can’t compare players & coaches

  36. New England Patriots Fan Says:

    Bucs starters are 19 of 24 African American, 1 in 24 Samoan and 5 of 24 White.

    Just observe the top 250 draft picks since 2020, 95% of the players drafted are of African American ancestry outside QB.

    The NFL is or will be the NBA very soon, and the African American players don’t want the coaches to be white as many work better and would prefer African American coaches running their teams.

    If you run a business where 95% of the employees are African American but 90% of the middle and upper managers are white, the employees understably will want the managers to be 95% African Americans.

  37. Mike C Says:

    So if coaches made alot more money than players and the coaches were 60 percent black but the players made less and were prodomatly white would that be equal? I know it seems like I am being cute here but I really don’t know where this path of making everything “equal” leads.

  38. Goatfarmer Says:

    Todd — how are you going to make sure that your DBs, you know, like, actually know their assignments, who they are supposed to cover in man-to-man, what their roles are in different zone schemes? You know, really advanced stuff like that. Your co-DCs are front end guys. I would say based on watching the games, your back end tends to go through volatile periods of inconsistency and suckage. As Head Coach, you might want to look in the mirror and realize you as DC abused the dog in a heinous manner to close out the season. It’s a good thing you replaced the last DC with two guys. Maybe now people will know what they’re supposed to do.

  39. Mike C Says:

    It’s cool man, I know I can’t possible understand someone getting a job before me just because of the color of their skin….. ohhh wait a minute happens all the time in my company, but that sure seems like the correct way to go about things. I don’t want the doctor that is trying to save my life get his or her job because of “trying to make it fair” I want the BEST person for the job.

  40. Mike C Says:

    Just like my football players and coaches

  41. BUCman Says:

    Mike C: I agree with you completely!!!! I have been saying this exact same thing!!!! The American population is 12.4 percent black. So that equates to 4 out of 32. We now have 3.5 with McDaniel being 50/50. So representation is fair. Lawsuit has no bases. Looks like the lawsuit should be the other way around with 70 percent of players being black. 🤔

  42. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    Okay Mike, you win the debate.

  43. Mike C Says:

    I win because by doctor Martin Luther King I am correct.

  44. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    MLk? Weird. But yeah, sure.

  45. Mike C Says:

    Weird? How so? “Jude a person by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin “.

  46. Scurvy Dogs Says:

    Yeah that makes sense in context. Just saying his name without context is weird.

  47. Anonymous Says:

    There will now be clear and consistent communication on field and between field and sideline. Play will be smoother and faster. More hurry up when Brady wants it. Importantly, all the players, both sides, will feel the consistency and flow. With all due respect to BA, he became more of a high-maintenance, interrupting third wheel last season. We’ve watched Tom Brady for 22 years and we’ve witnessed those great moments where HE drove the offense down the field, especially with the hurry-up. I can’t imagine him being totally unleashed next year. The GOAT must be pumped. Time for him to get out the Elk Horn and call Gronk in from the wilds.

  48. Eckwood Says:

    We aren’t 24 hours in and the Bowles weekends has raised its ugly head ,,, Co Def Coord …….. already worried about appeasing friends and creating a not in charge system ….. who’s in charge ?? Just doesn’t work !!! McCoys in Charge !!
    Suhs in Charge !!! Bad analogy but feel the difference!! Two Guys can’t be the leader and the head coach can’t really be the 24/7 d coord

  49. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Did the lady coach get promoted, or is she on OL?

  50. Navfree17 Says:

    Mike C: Yes there is a problem with white coaches hiring their white buddies without interviewing minorities. Its called the Rooney Rule.