Fear May Have Cost Bucs Two Stars For Slimy Saints Game

November 28th, 2022

No matter how you slice it, the Bucs should not have been in overtime yesterday in losing to the Browns — the Browns!

Bucs coach Todd Bowles explained today his fear that the greatest quarterback of all time, a master of the hurry-up offense on a historic pace of not throwing picks, would throw an interception so he preferred overtime.

Well, Bowles’ fear really put his team in a pickle for next Monday night when the Bucs host the slimy Saints.

Bowles, while also explaining his severe phobia of a late pick (he’s really going to need counseling when he starts Kyle Trask next year), informed the local pen and mic club in today’s day-after presser that right tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield both suffered ankle sprains in overtime.

If the Bucs were coached up correctly yesterday, neither would have been on the field and the Bucs would have won in regulation.

Bowles doubted Wirfs would be able to go next week, claiming his high ankle sprain is a pain-tolerance injury. On Winfield, Bowles was less certain.

So thanks to being fearful, the Bucs may be without two of their best players a week from tonight.

How’s your Monday going?

53 Responses to “Fear May Have Cost Bucs Two Stars For Slimy Saints Game”

  1. SB~LV Says:

    Sean Payton!

  2. Rod Munch Says:

    The last time I remember hoping the Bucs lost a game was against the Saints in 2014 to close out the season.

    Now I’m hoping the Saints start Winston and he embarasses the Bucs on MNF. Will that finally cause the Glazers to get involved? Probably not.

    Also for the anti-Winston insane nutjobs, no, he probably won’t start — because he’s injured, and Saints coaches have said he’s unlikely to be healthy before the end of the year. I know you want to claim he’s ‘benched’ because that’s important to you, but the coaches have said otherwise. But don’t let that stop you from posting boring, stupid, repetitive idiocy all week saying otherwise.

  3. Browsing from DC Says:

    “Playing it safe and taking it to OT” is a strategy you use if your QB is iffy but have a smothering D that can get you the ball back and keep the other team from scoring. When you have TB12, 40+ seconds, 3 timeouts and all the weapons on offense, there’s no excuse.

    Pathetic coaching and use (non-use) of timeouts. Apparently Bowles is stuck on the “no risk it” part of BA’s signature catchphrase.

  4. SB~LV Says:

    Fire the HC , OC and DC
    Let Tom run the offense
    and
    Lavonte the defense
    Might just run the table

  5. Dewey Selmon Says:

    All we needed was Creamsickle unis and a Neil O’Donahue/Morris Owens sighting and it would have felt like the 70’s Buccaneers. Would have loved to hear a John McKay quote about this one.

  6. Dusthty Rhothdes Says:

    This game will feature 2 horrible HCs that did nothing to deserve a chance at being a HC for a 2nd go around.
    The NFL has a super huge turnover rate each year for these crappy coaches I hope the bucs get on board. It seems the following teams need a new HC:
    Colts, Panthers, Texans, Broncos, Lions, Chargers, Cardinals, and Bucs, 2 of those teams for sure will get a new HC, the rest probably should follow as well.

  7. SB~LV Says:

    Sean Payton is a PROVEN HC!
    Get him!
    Get him!
    Get him!
    and OH !
    Brady’s arm is a limp dick compared to Bissetts yesterday and other starting QB’ s

  8. Rod Munch Says:

    Dusthty Rhothdes – Waiting until the offseason to make changes does nothing. Also, next year, when Brady is gone and the team is in cap hell, you want loser idiot coaches here since it’s the best way to get that #1 pick. If the Bucs don’t do anything in season, and they won’t, there is zero reason to do anything in the offseason since these two clowns running the show are a perfect fit for team that will want to tank.

    If you do get that #1 pick, and the top QB in the 2024 draft, at that point you hire whoever to pair with that QB. Doing that in 2023, knowing the team will stink, doesn’t make much since as you want proven losers next year.

  9. Rod Munch Says:

    Hey guys, you know what is more important than scoring points? It’s winning the turnover battle, and on that front, the Bucs are excelling. Just look at yesterday, while the Bucs lost the battle, they won the turnover war, 1-0.

    If you only care about wins and losses, you’re focusing on the wrong thing.

  10. Dusthty Rhothdes Says:

    You are right Rod, if Bowles is coaching this group to 7-10 or in that range imagine the possibilities with no Tom Brady and Trask or Gbbert at the helm, 2-15 is a realistic possibility and back to the real bucs glory days. Agree better to keep Bowels, Lefwich and Armstrong to bury the bucs. Put a tent over Ray Jay as the clown circus will be full go in 2023

  11. SufferingSince76 Says:

    The Bucs can’t disappoint me Monday night because I don’t expect anything from them.

  12. Marine Buc Says:

    The Bucs had two weeks to prepare for a 3-7 Cleveland team…

    Let that one soak in…

    I haven’t said this yet but I’m down for firing Todd Bowles at this point. Solid defensive coordinator – poor head coach.

    The clock management yesterday was horrid and that falls on one man and only one man’s shoulders – Head Coach.

    I would absolutely love to see Sean Payton hired.

  13. McBucky Says:

    Speechless.

  14. Show Me the TDs Says:

    Geez, how many times are you going to write this article? Don’t even need to read it.

  15. Rod Munch Says:

    Marine Buc – The Bucs can’t hire Sean Payton, he’s under contract with the Saints. The Bucs would have to trade for him, and there’s a zero percent chance the Saints would do that, even if they offered up a Gruden like package to get him.

  16. ClwJB Says:

    Joel and Bryan have been working the phones since pre-Germany trip

    Expect a splash signing by Jason unless some Christmas miracle occurs and this high school coaching staff suddenly finds its way

    Think of what Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, or maybe a Raheem Morris would do with this group of collected talent and compare it to the trash we are put through weekly…..

  17. firethecannons Says:

    Bucs play saints and falcons play steelers–not liking our chances nothing changes unless something changes and todd bowles just gave a press conference admitting he was too afraid to let Brady throw 1 or even 2 more passes in in the final 30+ second series. Bowles and leftwich are awful and Brady needs to take control of this franchise.

  18. captivajim Says:

    Brady has FAR LESS influence with the Bucs this yr –Pretty obvious he’s not trusted, or respected by HC. ..this team is toast ……With a 4th & 2yrds at their 37 yrd line ; if you do get intercepted –the Browns take over at their 20 or 25 yrd line -where that stupid punt put them anyway !!!!

    Toiletbowles is simply NOT HC material–but he & leftworst are both anointed ones..

  19. Marine Buc Says:

    @ Rod

    Good point. I forgot SP was still under contract in NO…

    This stinks like fromunder cheese.

    The worst thing we can do is sit here with both BL as OC and TB as DC/HC next season.

    If the Glazers are going to keep TB as HC next season they absolutely have to get rid of BL and pair TB with a real OC – like Frank Reich.

  20. Rod Munch Says:

    Marine Buc Says:
    The worst thing we can do is sit here with both BL as OC and TB as DC/HC next season.

    ———

    Again, I have to disagree. There is not a chance in hell that Brady is coming back to this team next year, so you’re stuck with Trask (who can’t even beat out Gabbert for the QB job) and a team that will likely but cutting every veteran you can in order to clean up the cap for 2024 and beyond.

    In that case, you’re playing for the #1 overall pick, and who better to get you that top pick than two of the dumbest coaches in the game? These two losers are going to give you the best chance at that. So if you’re not going to make any changes in season, then you certainly keep them for one more year as the designated tankers.

    Then, in 2024, you’re starting fresh, with a new QB to build around along with a coach paired with them.

  21. Tucker Says:

    It’s tough watching this team struggle like they have been love my bucs but man watching these coaches continue the same ineffective game plans week in and week out it’s just tough to watch. Even the players look dejected the coaches have lost the confidence with the entire team sad to see.

  22. Jeff Says:

    Clueless Todd strikes again! Glazers should make an exception and fire the coaching staff mid season. Time to raise the bar!

  23. Marine Buc Says:

    @ Rod

    LOL!

    You aren’t wrong.

    If we leave BL in place as OC and TB12 is gone we are probably picking in the top three next year.

    How depressing…

    Thanks pal.

  24. John Ocala Says:

    All three of those coaches on the sidelines are idiots. Look at all the yards teams are getting on kickoff and punt returns from our special teams. Zero fear of our special teams. Better sign Sean Payton now. He’s the best out there and if you can talk him into coming in late in the season like this it would be great and guaranteed to be on every News Network for the next several weeks.
    Other option. Aryan comes back to the sidelines as HPIC… Hurt feelings from the three subpar coaches, who cares? If ownership and/or management make decisions based on hurt feelings, especially in this particular industry, then you’re in the wrong business. No exceptions.
    I tuly do do not like typing this next line, yet it’s true and hits the bullseye.
    Special teams, offensive coordinator, head coach/ defensive coordinator are all persons of color. And management very well may not want to deal with the headaches from the blowback for terminating their positions. You need the best people for the job and forget about how their skin is tan or non-tan, green, blue, yellow, red or orange. WTF does it matter. Pick the best people for the job regardless to these other social factors which are influencing management and ownership decisions nearly of all 32 teams.

  25. Marine Buc Says:

    @ John

    I don’t think BA will be making a return to coaching in the NFL. He was hospitalized a few weeks ago for four days due to myocarditis…

  26. BucU Says:

    2 weeks to prepare for a 3-7 team.
    I have no desire to see this team play for the rest of the year. I’ll take a crappy team who fights like crazy (aka The Panthers) all day long over this uninspired bunch. Bowles you ought to be ashamed. Instead you pass the buck time and time again.
    Accountability my azz.

  27. John Ocala Says:

    Amen Bucu.
    Since 76 I’ve literally only missed a handful of games. I occasionally see the glaziers at Bern’s. I have never spoken anything other than a casual hello. It’ll be really hard not to stop by their table ( private room – lol) and simply beg them to get a person in here that can work with all this Superbowl/ pro bowl talent. After nearly 50 years of dining at Burns they may ask me not to come back. LMAO. Serious though, if my disappoint doesn’t subside soon I very well may ask them – what’s up this train wreak….

  28. NEfan Says:

    SB-LV, it’s clear you have up first hand experience (pun intended) with erectile disfunction. I would love to see Brady throw for 400 & 3 td’s beat the Saints then pull a Karen Roger’s fake injury and give Bowles, Licht and most of all BA the one finger salute. SB, I.am sure Browns would be interested in a trade for Brisset, maybe Bucs premadona WR Evan’s who pulled a White and took the 4th qtr off.

  29. HC Grover Says:

    Bowles, stop digging.

  30. alton d green Says:

    I worked in the coal mines for 15 years. They would pay us bonuses for certain amounts of coal. If the boss came to our work area we would tell him to get the hell away from us. Why? we were all experienced miners. we didn’t need a foreman (coach) he was just in the way and costing us money. we even threatened to kick his arse if he didn’t leave. Of course we can’t do that with Todd and Byron. The Earth would fall off it’s axis. That would be a hate crime. As of yesterday we still have a chance to make it. BUT Heckle and Jeckle would have to get the Hell out of the way and let Tom drive

  31. adam from ny Says:

    yes but how long is payton still under contract with new orleans???

    isn’t this his last season under contract?

    if so, it sort of makes sense to make the coaching change after the season – and go for fish lips…:)

    canning the coach now could create an unnecessary mess, unless you are convinced we could still win the superbowl this year if we just put in a coach with a different “tude”…

    or swapping out the OC for a dude with a more expansive mindset, and a creative approach to playing “field chess” with the opposing team…

    but…

    after tossing tom under the bus, if the glazers truly have tom’s back and want him back as he continues his career for a couple more years, you can dudes right now – and tell tommy b it’s your show – now let’s fuggin’ go

  32. Marine Buc Says:

    @ adam

    “Payton is under contract with the Saints through 2024, which means that whatever team lures Payton out of retirement will have to compensate his former team.”

  33. Rod Munch Says:

    adam from ny – Payton’s contract runs through 2024, meaning the earliest he’d be available is 2025.

    Also, why in the world would Payton leave the Saints to come here with Trask as the QB?

    He isn’t coming, next year, or 2024, or 2025.

  34. pancake block Says:

    what difference, at this point, does it make!!!

  35. adam from ny Says:

    @Rod:

    that’s really bad news…we can’t wait for that long…tommy b will b long gone by then…

    i’m no payton fan, yet he can really coach his azz off…i guess i can learn to love “fish lips”…lol…

    and if he did come here, there is a chance tom stays too…

    things are crumbling fast…and it’s getting messy and ugly faster than i expected

  36. mark2001 Says:

    You guys act like this entire coaching S Show by Bowles is an aberration. It isn’t. It is simply the glaring worst case. It is the straw that should break the camel’s back.

  37. Cobraboy Says:

    @adam: when you “retire” your contract goes into suspended animation.

    Whatever the time left on his contract when he walked away is what it is today.

  38. Rod Munch Says:

    Cobraboy – I thought that as well, like if Andrew Luck wanted to return, he’d still be under contract with the Colts. However, based on the people talking about Payton, I thought maybe coaches deals are different – for example coaches get paid even if they’re fired, where as players who are cut, do not get paid.

    I’m not sure which it is, but I do know Payton is not coming here.

    Personally, if I’m the Bucs, I’m calling up Gruden and telling him to come in and just yell at everyone, including on gameday. He’s got nothing else to do, and I’m sure he has a lot of pent up energy. I’m not in any way a Gruden fan, but he’d at least change up the energy of this team.

  39. Will Says:

    We all know how the Saints play us no matter how their season is going they play us hard. We’re about to get embarrassed in Prime Time. Right now this team isn’t good on Offense and ST as far as return and coverage is concerned. No Tristan means Wells get the start. Gonna be an ugly night. I have no faith in this team and coaches to figure a way to win.

  40. Bring back the lawn chairs Says:

    If the Bucs do choose to keep Bowles in 2023, can they at least represent well with a helmet that has pics of moe Larry and Curley photos on side? How appropriate.

  41. adam from ny Says:

    thanks for the info guys…

    yeah so the saints will clean us out for basically an entire draft class to have their coach…

    and don’t get me wrong – i’m no fan of payton…but i can enter into a “learn to love him” relationship with said dude…possibly

    i’m still ticked off that koetter never clocked him during their midfield handshake like 5 years back 🙂

  42. Mike Johnson Says:

    I;m sayin it now. Bucs vs Saints will be a toss up. Saints just might…(you call’em)

  43. adam from ny Says:

    @rod:

    maybe sapp needs to go into that locker room on gameday and shut the music off, smash a few chairs, hang a few db’s up by their underwear on wedgie hooks, and slap a few linemen around to let them know he’s not p*ssyfooting around

    🙂

  44. Frank Pillow Says:

    Todd was handed the HC job AFTER his inexplicably terrible blitz call (and even worse on field execution of it) against the Rams that cost us a chance to get back to the NFC title game. His Jets teams got progressively worse too. Outside of a handshake deal that included 12s return and Bruce’s ouster, what exactly qualified him to run this team? The whole affair belongs right up there with the best of the tales of this woebegone franchise.

  45. Timothy Velasquez Says:

    The glazers are fools wasting the goat with a coach like Bowles. Playing not to lose . He really is a terrible coach .

  46. Crickett Baker Says:

    Gruden?? You are NUTS! The Glazers took down from the ring of honor. He probably would get a police escort out if he ever set foot near 1Buc Place. Geeze. Todd isn’t going to change his philosophy and he is already changing the culture of our team. This playing-not-to-lose culture is infectious.

  47. IrishTony Says:

    You know what I blame BA for pushing this Bowles as head coach agenda. He’s clearly a very good D coordinator but not head coaching material doesn’t even seem comfortable in that role. If BA didn’t want to continue coaching then they should have brought in an offensive minded HC. This team is built for passing the ball. Even White’s more of an all purpose back.

  48. DrunkinYbor Says:

    This is my limit.. I try very hard to be subjective. To analyze all sides and find a common conclusion. No No No Not this time. We have a lying cowardly priss as our H.C. Bowles ” I was worried Brady would throw a int.’ The rest of the team ” says and thinks W.T.F.!!?!!????? Barely balls Bowles is dictating to a champion how to give up the booty and lose. Bowles no more faith you Suck your a terrible leader of mem

  49. BKBuc Says:

    Bucs will beat the Saints.

  50. Rod Munch Says:

    adam from ny – yeah, I mentioned Sapp yesterday. We should do a Jeff Saturday deal, and just fire the OC and HC and name a former player to coach the team. I’m picking Sapp – purely for the entertainment value and his interactions with Brady.

    Also Sapp would get on Vita for being out of shape and might turn him into a full time player, instead of the current part time player we got.

  51. Christos Says:

    First i m speechless about the explanations from Bowles. It reminded me last year the Steelers-Vikings game when Claypool lost valuable seconds for the team because he wanted to do his signal for a 1st down (obviously your signals and dances are more important than try to win the game) and later in his press conferance put the blame on his teammate that run to get the ball out of his hands. He showed zero awareness for the game and even after the fact he didnt believe that what he did was a mistake or a problem. Just like Bowles. Even after the fact when he had time to contemplate what happened he didnt think he made a mistake. That shows that his mindset and his approach to game management will not change and he will continue to manage passive, conservative and reactive. Recipe for more losses than wins.
    Second, for those that say keep this coaching stuff not because they think they can turn it around but so the team can tank i only have to say…….
    What the explicit you say, its like you didnt watch the last 15 years of creating a loosing culture. Are you serious. This team had been tanking willingly or not (because of bad coaching and more) and where it got us. So many high draft picks and for what. Winston was no1 and where it got us. 5 years of hope and believe was thrown away with INTs and INTs and INTs. So what the team needs is create more losing culture. Unbelievable
    I m speechles because of the Coaches and players but also because of some of our fans. UNBELIEVABLE

  52. LongSeason Says:

    Bowles is not a Head Coach. He’s a coward and idiot.
    Fire Bowles NOW. Hire Sean Peyton.

  53. Jamie Says:

    I wish the Bucs had been trailing by a point in regulation because then they would have been aggressive and probably won by 2 and never gone to OT. Being tied was a curse in this situation.