Todd Bowles To Bucs: Practice Smart, Play Smart

June 8th, 2022

Message.

So yesterday as the final week of underwear football and the first day of mandatory minicamp was about to get underway, Bucs coach Todd Bowles spoke for the first time to his team on the practice field with nearly full attendance.

And even though Bowles freely admits there is only so much one can do in underwear football, he could still get a strong message across.

(Bowles was later asked about how Playoff Lenny looked. Knowing there is no honest way to critique a running back in underwear football, Bowles deadpanned, “He ran around.”)

“[To] not beat ourselves,” Bowles said was a message to his team. “Just understanding what we have to do out here and help each other because we’re not in pads. We have to take care of each other.

“But at the same time, we’ve got to get some execution-type things done. So, we’re working on that.”

Eliminating mistakes. Playoff Lenny mentioned later that the Bucs dug themselves a hole in the playoff game against the Rams due to mistakes. A team can never start working on playing smarter football too early.

The way Playoff Lenny spoke, it seemed as if mistakes were what kept the Bucs from returning to the Super Bowl.

13 Responses to “Todd Bowles To Bucs: Practice Smart, Play Smart”

  1. Scott Says:

    so happy Todd is our HC ! didn’t want to lose him if BA retired next year and rather have him than Leftwich as HC … I love his Demeanor and style. you

  2. Scott Says:

    so happy Todd is our HC ! didn’t want to lose him if BA retired next year and rather have him than Leftwich as HC … I love his Demeanor and style.

  3. SPARKY Says:

    Did he mention coach smart?

  4. Bucsfan4ever Says:

    ^^^ well said sparky!!!^^^

  5. Bird Says:

    Mistakes sure.

    You know what caused them a super bowl

    Injuries to wirfs and godwin And AB flying over the cookoo nest

  6. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Smart, experienced, well-liked, well-respected….focused….yep, we’ve got a good coach.

    And, mistakes are why every team fails to make the SB.

  7. Dooley Says:

    Todd Bowles is that Herman Boone quote “I run six plays, split veer. Like novacaine, give it time it always works” in the flesh

  8. Goatfarmer Says:

    Hey Todd, great idea! Practice smart, play smart.

    Now, what happens when some of your guys aren’t as smart as you, or aren’t very smart period?

    How about starting simple and being sure they know the basics.

    You have to know how to add and subtract before you can do algebra. And calculus is way beyond that. Get excellent execution on the basics before all the fancy stuff. If you succeed at confusing opposing quarterbacks but your guys are more confused than them, it’s a problem.

    Cooper Kupp!

  9. Señor Harry in Costa Rica Says:

    Hey Goat, its fine that you point out that last play over and over. But lets give some credit where credit is due. Weren’t that Bucs down 27-3? Then tied the game at 27 all? Who gets credit for shutting down the Rams offense for the 2nd half? Its a team game in the biggest sense. Sometimes plays work, sometimes they don’t.

    One D-play did not loose that game. “IF” our offense executed better in the first half… “IF” crazy AB would have taken his meds and played in that game… “IF” we did not miss a field goal… yes, and “IF” the D did not let Kupp run wild in that last play. enough of this BS about one friggin play

  10. rob20819 Says:

    So I have a different slant on the Rams game. If Lenny would have NOT scored so quick, the game has a whole different outcome. He should have went down at the 1 foot line. Bucs left too much time on the clock. The had ALL THE MOMENTUM going there way. If the game gets to OT, Bucs win. Hard to stop though when you’re about to score the tying TD, if he had, I really believe the Bucs would have won another SB.

  11. Goatfarmer Says:

    Harry – one play didn’t lose the game. The incessant blitzing against the best QB on the blitz was a huge problem. That and all the busted coverages. The Rams coughed it up 4 times, not any thanks to scheme or play call. The offense was devestated. The defense had to bring it with all the starters in. They failed. That’s on Todd.

    Let’s hope he’s learned from his mistakes.

  12. Bowles4President Says:

    Mistakes didn’t help against the Rams, but injury after injury after injury didn’t help either.

    Despite the noble next-man-up mentality, there is a threshold where it becomes impossible for injuries to not significantly weaken your team. We had hit that threshold.

  13. Goatfarmer Says:

    The defense had all its starters back for that game.

    Todd!