Dan Orlovsky Calls For A Housecleaning

January 18th, 2023

Appalled by Bucs’ play.

Joe believes Todd Bowles did a good job with the Bucs defense this season.

When you consider Bowles and the Bucs lost their best pass rusher midseason, and that Joe Tyron-Shoyinka wasn’t much better statistically than last year, to have a limited pass rush and play decent defense, that’s a helluva coaching job.

And then came Monday night. Sheesh. The Bucs looked so ill-prepared (Admit it. You had come to expect that from failed Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, didn’t you?). They were so lackluster, so zapped of energy, it made Joe wonder just how safe Todd Bowles’ job really is.

Yes, Monday night was that bad. Trust Joe, Team Glazer doesn’t sit well with being embarrassed on national TV before a record audience.

One guy who watched Monday night’s game was former Bucs backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Outspoken Orlovsky has been hollering about Leftwich’s incompetence for months if not years. He’s now seen enough.

Orlovsky took to Twitter and typed it isn’t just the Bucs offense that made him nauseous. It’s also the Bucs defense and the team as a whole.

The Bucs’ entire team, from Bowles on down, needs a total reboot, Orlovsky said. A housecleaning. A delousing.

Joe has absolutely no problem whatsoever if the Bucs want to invoke Operation Collapse For Caleb. To trigger this strategy, neither Bowles nor Leftwich can be with the Bucs in 2024.

Bowles and Leftwich are a combined 0-3 in attempting to develop quarterbacks selected in the first or second rounds (0-4 if you count Kyle Trask). Joe simply doesn’t trust either to develop a rookie quarterback.

So if Tom Brady leaves, the Bucs better find a veteran quarterback (a few will be available when the free agency dinner bell rings or via trade).

If the Bucs are planning to #CollaspeForCaleb or to draft Drake Maye, the Bucs have to go out and find a head coach experienced in developing successful quarterbacks.

109 Responses to “Dan Orlovsky Calls For A Housecleaning”

  1. SB~LV Says:

    A total REBUILD!

  2. ElioT Says:

    He’s right.

    FIRE BYRON & BOWELS!!!

  3. DBS Says:

    The team is screwed. BA pulled this off. NFL got what they want. Leftnut should have been gone at least yesterday. Bowles is not going to turn on him. Glazer’s are scared to go after either one. Back to the Lost Decade.

  4. adam from ny Says:

    can we just get crazy dan orlovsky in here as the freggin” HC

    😛

  5. Vsyl Says:

    Agree!

  6. Bucfan Says:

    Totally agree. Bowles is a D/C that blew the Rams game last year and was not prepared for the Cowboys. BA made him look good by having the team score 30 points per game. Without a high powered offense, Bowles skills shined. LOL

  7. Four Tuddy Says:

    Funny how Bowles is everybody’s scape goat. Like Brady didn’t 90 percent screw our season. Yeah he helped win a few but he lost more. He doesn’t want to take a hit. He has a noodle arm left. Balls in the dirt. But you guys are so scared to say something. Get out of here. We need a semi mobil qb. I love Brady and appreciate what he did, but I’m a real fan and I have seen all of this play out. People walking around with half patriot and Bucs jerseys and things of that nature. Keep your little witch-hunt going though. Some of us know what this all is behind the little facade.

  8. adam from ny Says:

    brady and the glazers will gather for a mackadocious late morning brunch later in the week…

    and they will get done what tommy b believes is best for the team and for his righteous return…

    also the gronkster is ready to play next season and get paired up with tommy b again…

    let’s roll…f the cap

  9. SB~LV Says:

    Sell the team!

  10. Cobraboy Says:

    Agree!

    Clean sweep!

    Time to start from scratch!

    Jax did this just a couple of years ago, and look where they are today! JAX!

  11. Aceofaerospace Says:

    Fire all the coaches.

  12. YucsBall Says:

    Glazers need to clean house or sell the team, they suck.

  13. mark2001 Says:

    Definitely. Anything else will put us in the same place we were in last year, less Tom Brady most likely, and at best a rookie, unproven or journeyman QB. Good luck with that.

  14. Casual Observer Says:

    End of an era. Sad. Good summary of the game.

  15. SB~LV Says:

    End of an error

  16. David G Says:

    Honestly , Why does anyone care what this guy says! My wife who doesn’t even pay attention to the games, but watches because I watch them has the same take! Dude sucked as a QB and is a big blowhard

  17. Chuckstutz Says:

    Perfect comments from Dan

    I don’t understand Brady’s affection he displays for leftwich.

    Does he feel sorry for him? Or does he think he’s really good?

    Mind blowing to me.

  18. SB~LV Says:

    Jason added the 20 lbs Tom Brady lost!
    No sympathy for him, he is the General Manager and froze at the controls!
    It was not just one thing, it was not just a few things, this was a disaster on simmer all year.
    Clean house!
    GM on down!

  19. Bucsfan13 Says:

    You know who else hated being embarrassed before a record national audience? Tom Brady. I listened to his podcast on Monday before the game, and he sounded confident and said he was excited to play with so many people watching, and then for him to play so poorly, that had to really hurt his pride. I mean you had so many people calling him washed. There were so many over the top vitriolic statements with him. Yes, he was used to people saying he was washed, but nowhere like what was said after the game. The team played poorly, but Brady bore the brunt of criticism. He was the laughing stock of the league that night. It was just so damn sad to see. Others just felt like it was elder abuse asking him to throw 66x. I know he was sick watching the film, and then watching the TV copy. He probably also saw the Manningcast where Peyton and Eli hinted that the Bucs didn’t even belong in the playoffs.

    Brady did himself no favors in FA with that poor performance in front of millions. Don’t forget prospective coaches and players watched that game with disgust. Like I’ve always said, it’s Bucs or retirement. He has no market elsewhere. Brady should’ve retired after the SB. Most people don’t get to out on top. Yes, he still had some juice left after the SB as he had a MVP type year, but so what. You don’t have to play until the wheels fall off, which Brady seems content on doing. He’s always said he wanted to play until he’s 45. He’s accomplished that goal, but his obsession want allow him to stop.

    I watched this Tom vs Time doc from 2018, and one episode was a foreboding tell of what would eventually be the demise of he and Gisele. She said he told her in 2006 that he would play for only ten more years. He wanted to win another SB and then he would finally be happy. So then he has the greatest comeback in SB history, and she says that’s great. He can finally retire and move to Costa Rica. She said he then told her no he wasn’t retiring and that he wants to win two more. She said football was his first love. She always knew she was the mistress. So he wins one in 2018 and most recently 2020. That’s two more! No wonder Gisele was caught on camera asking him what more does he have to prove. He still couldn’t quit after the SB.

    I really think the only way Brady will quit is if he suffers some serious injury which might be why he doesn’t want to take many hits. He wants the option to keep playing forever.

  20. mark2001 Says:

    Don’t mean to insult the Glazers. But Orlovsky is right. Anything short of a housekeeping is a fools errand.

  21. McBucky Says:

    Hire Sean Payton.

  22. Buc4evr Says:

    I don’t like Orlovsky one bit, but in this case I agree. The entire team needs to be blown up. All of the posturing by Bowles about a new culture is not enough, we need a new coaching staff.

  23. Manny Says:

    Thats all on bowles and leftnut. Coaching is soooooooo bad. We need that trash talking arians back. He never treated any players including tom a pre Madonna, including calling tom and other other players out all the time during interviews

  24. Roc Says:

    I would can this Coach Toilet Bowles but I won’t disrespect my Toilet

    What has Bowles done that would make anyone think he can lead a TEAM

    HE couldn’t make a winning season with this roster even with injuries WOW

    Bowles will never be a good HC if Glaziers keep him which they probably will because they hate fans just LOVE MONEY

    FANS CAN LOOK FOR EMPTY STADIUM OR PLAYING AT HOME AS VISITORS

  25. Manny Says:

    Apparently LEFTWICH IS TO BE FIRED!! THANK GOD! NOW JUst ONE OF TWO

  26. mark2001 Says:

    Honestly David, I don’t think most of us care if your wife, you or anyone else likes him or not. I don’t particularly care for him. But that doesn’t make what he said about this situation any less true. Just give him credit for seeing the situation straight away. And if he is that bad, just remember the old adage that even a blind hog finds an acorn every so often.

  27. Jack Clark Says:

    No biscuits for scaredy cat Bowels!

  28. Brian Says:

    Licht is a part of the house cleaning too. Zero impact guys outside of Wirfs and Vita. Last two years we were set up for win now and very little impact from early round picks.

    Can we acknowledge he’s not very good at building a yea

  29. Gofortheface30 Says:

    He’s correct. Desperately wanting to hang on to someone that will be 46, and a shell of himself is just plain pathetic. Pointing to arm strength does not reinforce one’s argument either – it’s his willingness to step in to throws, stand in pocket. His throw aways Monday were simply embarassingly bad. Everything has to be Preston’s and perfect for him at this point and that is not realistic. Leftwich and a general lack of unpreparedness is compounding the issue, as well as lack of team speed. This is gross, and it’s unbecoming that some of you want to keep this going and further mortgage the future. This is going nowhere. Have some self respect and stop being a cuk to Brady. We need our OWN identity. We need a real foundation, and some direction. A Caleb Williams would bring some renewed energy and potentially put Tampa in a position to be able to compete year in and year out with the Mahomes, Allen’s, Burrows, Hurts (etc etc) of the world. Relevance and sustainability is what we should be after

  30. TombsEN Says:

    I do not know why Joe, whichever one it is keeps harping on the fact that Bowles and Leftwhich are 0-4 developing QBs…you act like those guys went on to do other things in the league, no coach could develop those guys, maybe Darnold becomes serviceable but come on give it a rest, the rest of those guys were trash.

    To the “fanatics” or “fans” most mostly the latter, I think you all should just calm down, I think that if Bowles makes the right Offensive hires then everything will work itself out, this defense played well most of the season the offense did them no favors at all, eventually people start to try to play hero ball if you feel like the other side cannot hold up their end of the bargain.

  31. FlBoy84 Says:

    Don’t always agree with Dan, but he’s absolutely right on this take. Only thing I’d say is that things aren’t as dire roster-wise as some seem to think. There’s still plenty of talent that will likely show-out if properly coached, it’s simply about clearing out this staff and hiring wisely.

  32. Ed Says:

    Orlovsky is echoing what the majority of JBF followers have been saying all year.

    Prime time night games at Raymond James Stadium this year were disasters, Ravens beat down the Bucs, Bengals blew them out after halftime and Cowboys destroyed them the entire game.

    We all want to see this team win but we can’t expect a win, it has to be earned. To earn it means to play well and pull it together as a team effort.

    The no-energy part of the team has been consistant in most of these games. Did the Bucs battle and lose any of them in a competitive fashion. Absolutely not.

    The only way up for this team is to jettison the older coaches from the Arians regime and hire younger coaches out of organizations that understand good offensive football.

    Just remember, these top college players are all playing under the big lights every Saturday and they want to make big plays. When they get to the NFL and are stuck on a dink and dunk, slow motion offense, they will not buy into it.

    I’m sure the Glazers would be better off plucking assistants from Eagles, Bengals, Chiefs and 49ers and assembling a staff of younger more offensive thinking coaches that the players can learn from.

    Was there really any spirit in the Bucs this year under Bowles and Leftwich? It was a flat season in every aspect.

  33. Tye Says:

    Bowles will never create a team worthy of spending money on….

  34. TombsEN Says:

    Also, this team was just not that talented….you lose Marpet, Gronk, Cappa, Jensen, Whitehead, Brown, and the guys on defense got older or they brought in older guys to replace the people they lost, and you get what you get, one of the oldest teams in the league. And this nonsense that Licht cannot build a team is just nonsense, the roster he built is the reason why Brady came here in the first place. Once again some of you fanatics and some of your comments are asinine.

  35. DBS Says:

    TombsEN. Maybe someday you will figure out the responsibility of a head coach. Which he already said he did not do. Hands off.

  36. ModHairKen Says:

    Collapse for Caleb. That makes me sick on several levels. First, he’s a punk. Second, he’s a kid. Unproven. Third, intentionally losing is disgusting and is the antithesis for even competing.

    Joe, don’t ever tout this again.

  37. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    I totally agree! A Fish stinks, from the head down. All need to go, not just Lefty.

  38. CleanHouse Says:

    Wow everybody seems to be calling out my screen name- I must be a genius

  39. BucsMinisiterFuller Says:

    Where in the written history of mankind does it show that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can develop a rookie quarterback?
    Nowhere, they can’t!
    Read my lips…No Rookie Quarterbacks in Tampa!

  40. BUC CHEEKS Says:

    Bring Tom back, Fire the coaches, let Tom and Jason pick the coaches together, find a gd running back! Find a pass Rusher x2, LT, G, CB, TE

  41. hammerhead Says:

    Alright lets be realistic. Who in the head coaching position is available that can develop a talented young quarterback? Payton is not coming to Tampa. He’s too expensive and NO is not going to trade him to an in conference rival. Please, no more talk about Payton and Tampa. So is there a list of possible head coaching candidates that might be interested in a Brady less rebuild? Who heads the list (excluding Payton)?

  42. Duane Says:

    It all starts and ends with the HC. Bowles is supposed to know the x’s and o’s, and be able to push the right buttons to get this team rolling. He did none of that this season. You really going to give him input as to who the new playcaller is for this offense? With any success this OC is likely to be the next HC, so why even keep Bowles around? This is an offensive driven league. People want to see scoring. The rules favor the offense. Dont let this wooden caricature of a person sell you on the notion that defense wins championships.

  43. SB~LV Says:

    Give him a piece of the franchise and make him GM
    If #47 can do it then so can #12 !

  44. SB~LV Says:

    CH
    UFUNNY.. thanks I needed a laugh

  45. Gofortheface30 Says:

    Bucsminister- you’re acting like a complete loser. Stop believing in superstition. Your PTSD is unbecoming. So I have this straight – what happened years and decades ago with a diff coaching state correlates to….what, exactly. Are you suggesting that there is a magical spell on the Bucs? Lmao. You guys are insane baboons. God forbid we draft a quarterback like EVERYONE ELSE that is gnna be RELEVANT for the next 10-15 years. Your loser VICTIM mentality thinks we are a cursed franchise. You accept that we are lesser thans. That is literally what you’re suggesting.

  46. ModHairKen Says:

    Collapse for Caleb. That makes me sick on several levels. First, he’s a punk. Second, he’s a kid. Unproven. Third, intentionally losing is disgusting and is the antithesis of football.

    Joe, don’t ever tout this again.

  47. Tye Says:

    Collapse for Caleb is a motto for those who are weak minded to learn from past mistakes!
    The last time the Bucs played for the draft pick was one of the worst picks in history… PLUS, the Bucs have never done anything positive with developing a rookie qb…

  48. BucsMinisiterFuller Says:

    Gofortheface30 this is why we write down history, so we can learn from it.
    Who on this coaching staff has lead you to believe they can develop a QB?
    They turned Tom Brady into a stinker, yet you think they can have success with a kid out of college?

  49. SB~LV Says:

    Tye … LOL
    The last time the Bucs “ played for a draft pick “
    Jamyth threw a touchdown pass in a meaningless game
    Bwahahahahaa

  50. Kentucky Buc Says:

    What, in the history of this organization makes you think they can rebuild and develope players. Mediocrity would be a compliment.

  51. Destinjohnny Says:

    If u give any coach the worst o-line in football it won’t look good
    Also does our defensive have a lot of talent ?
    Let’s start BLAIMING the person that is doing the drafting.

  52. Brian Says:

    TombsEN Says:
    January 18th, 2023 at 8:57 am
    And this nonsense that Licht cannot build a team is just nonsense, the roster he built is the reason why Brady came here in the first place.

    I’m sorry but he can’t – playoff Lenny Gronk AB – huge contributors to SB aren’t here without Brady. I’ll give you he built a good line and injuries/retirement hurt.

    But too many misses man and he was here for too long without any success pre Brady and Arians.

  53. SB~LV Says:

    Genius! Todd genius!
    From ProFootballTalk
    “ Todd Bowles on Ryan Succop: We’ve got to be able to kick longer field goals“
    Bwahahahahaa
    Bwahahaha
    They are coming to take me away, ha ha ho ho

  54. mark2001 Says:

    Destin. You don’t understand that the D coordinator often has major say so in who is brought in on the D side of the ball, be it the Draft of FA. So you are saying Bowles has responsibility there too, right?

  55. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Make Tom Brady the new head coach.

  56. mark2001 Says:

    Brian. I think we are seeing the dangers of the “win now at all cost” philosophy. Salary cap hell…hoping a guy has one more year in him….It may work once, but three years in a row? We rolled the dice, now it’s time to pay the piper.

  57. SB~LV Says:

    Licht can build a team, he has shown that
    The problem is he watched paralyzed as this season died game by game by game
    He IS responsible for making corrections as needed and the Todd Bowles , Brian Leftwich, Bruce Arians experiment was a miserable failure

  58. mark2001 Says:

    SB…worked once.. almost worked twice. Total failure the third time. Thanks for the SB victory, and time to move on.

  59. Destinjohnny Says:

    So guess what
    We whiffed on Robert and Luke can we all agree ?
    We hit those picks and we are still playing
    Also what have we done to get rid of Smith ??
    We had to bring in a free agent center cause licht kept blowing picks
    Our last two first round picks. ???
    Trask?
    Just to make a few
    If we hit on those picks we are still playing

  60. Destinjohnny Says:

    Our great gm will have us winning 3 games next year

  61. mark2001 Says:

    Since we have heard nothing yet, I have to wonder if the Glazers and Licht are wondering how far do they have to cut at this point, and who might be available in various decisions.

  62. BrianBucs Says:

    Bowles is a good (not great) DC.
    His defense had some terrible games this season against some of the league’s good offenses.
    As a HC he is very subpar.
    Bowles was a very bad hire from the start. He was gifted the job by Arians who the Glazers gave much clout to because of the SB win. His team philosophy is totally different from what had been working here for the last 2 years.
    If the Glazers keep Bowles as their HC the team will go on a huge downward spiral

  63. Cobraboy Says:

    No whiffs on Hainsey & Goedeke; they are youngsters just getting their feet wet.

    Not every pick will be a Wirfs.

  64. Marine Buc Says:

    I agree – however – the weak chinned ball-less Glazer little boys don’t have the minerals to fire all these coaches.

    We are stuck… I will actually be shocked if they even fire Byron Leftnut…

    Too much PC BS to do what is proper. They won’t be invited to the island anymore if they do.

  65. NYbucsfan Says:

    @Joe,
    My mistaken. Isn’t he the head coach, not the defensive coordinator?
    He stinks at his job. he is responsible for the whole team. Why can’t you acknowledge that?

  66. mark2001 Says:

    “the weak chinned ball-less Glazer little boys don’t have the minerals to fire all these coaches.”

    That may be. But if they don’t, it will cost them millions of dollars.

  67. Destinjohnny Says:

    What did u see from either of them ??
    What about D Smith ? You kool there?
    What as our Mason ? Good move?

  68. Destinjohnny Says:

    If I was the owner I’d be o fire to waste a TB12 year from missed picks
    That’s 5 high rounds picks with nothing to show

  69. Oddball Says:

    Oh boy the next 7 months are going to be fun on JBF.

  70. Cobraboy Says:

    @Destinjohnny: learn football; you are exposed as a casual.

    Besides, an OL is as good as the scheme running plays.

  71. Cobraboy Says:

    @oddball: if Bowles is retained, it will be an angry year on JBF.

    If Bowles is retained, there is no hope for a decent 2023 season, just more of the same with a bunch of lame “there was nothing I could do” excuses.

  72. Marine Buc Says:

    @ mark

    True. And if they don’t make a change I hope they do lose millions of dollars but today’s streaming/TV deals pretty much guarantee that they make a boat load of cash regardless…

    My hope is they do what the Texans did this year. Put an incompetent coaching staff in place and tank the 2023 season season on purpose in order to get a prime draft pick and get the salary cap under control and hit the reset button in 2024.

    Any plan other than that should call for this team’s coaching staff to be wiped clean.

  73. Jmarkbuc Says:

    Wow

    Orlovsky said it absolutely perfectly.

    Clear and concise.. Licht and the entire staff gotta go. Mike Greenberg is doing all the real work in the front office anyway.. promote him.

  74. Marine Buc Says:

    Monday night was a total embarrassment…

  75. Ballwin Bucs Fan Says:

    If the plan is to collapse for Caleb and lose as many games as possible next year, aren’t Leftwich and Bowles exactly the coaches we need?

  76. Destinjohnny Says:

    Having the worst offensive line talent in football didn’t cause any of these problems??
    Not drafting a slot receiver didn’t hurt either ?
    Never drafting a good tight end for sure for sure didn’t hurt the team?
    Missing on the last 2 first round picks and burning a second on trask ?
    No didn’t hurt the team at all
    I’m not saying Byron is Bill Walsh
    But u give any coach the worst line in football
    They are not going to win.

  77. BashingBucs2520 Says:

    I see the Bucs trading Godwin for Carr and a pick. Brady, Godwin, Adams, Jacob’s, Waller, Renfrow. What an offense

  78. Bucs56 Says:

    Licht is great. He built the superbowl roster and his drafts are solid through all the rounds. Doesn’t mean they all work out but his assessment and risk vs reward are very good. He is not the problem. When BA acted his way out of HC job they were forced to hire from within. They will not making any coaching staff changes till they figure out brady

  79. Destinjohnny Says:

    Well the good news is we will have the first pick in the 24 draft

  80. Marine Buc Says:

    @ Bashing

    Trading for Carr will cost the Bucs too much money. I believe his current contract will be @ $40M per season.

    I wouldn’t want Carr for more than $10M per season with incentives for playoffs/TDs/yards/wins…

    He he was worth a spit he would still be in Vegas.

  81. Destinjohnny Says:

    The Brady free agent effect is gone boys

    We will have to draft our way out of this
    #weintrouble

  82. MarvAlbert Says:

    My brother is a lifetime Jet’s fan. He warned me about Bowles when Arians brought him in as D/C.
    He blames all of the recent Jet’s issues on Bowles
    Enough said

  83. Onetrickpony Says:

    Collapse for Caleb.
    Aaaahahaha

  84. Brandon Says:

    If you think either side of the ball needs a rebuild, you should be put on medicine. The defense struggled at times this season… not many times… but how many times in the previous two seasons did the team get into a shootout and win or nearly win? It happened more than we want to remember… the biggest difference is that the offense bailed the defense out. This year, it was the defense constantly bailing the offense out. The offense had so many three and outs and short drives and gave the ball up on so many short fields it was borderline criminal. Even a Mike Glennon led offense was better at moving the ball early in games. You finish enough first halves with ZERO points or touchdowns, eventually your defense will crack, especially knowing they have to be perfect or they can’t win. Defenses play better when they can play fast and loose and not have to worry about every blade of grass because they are paired with an impotent offense.

  85. SufferingSince76 Says:

    Dislike Orlovsky all you want, but he, and everyone else, know bad football when they see it. You guys touting Bowles are going to have a chance to find out if your faith is sound or misguided because he isn’t going anywhere. He has to choose a quality OC, since he’s mostly hands off the offense. The fact that he didn’t think there was anyone better than Leftwich available is a little scary, though.

  86. Ugotrobbed Says:

    BL should have been fired mid season! Bowels needs to be held accountable for not having the team prepared and ready to play.

  87. Goatfarmer Says:

    Orlovsky speaks the truth. But I’m not advocating getting rid of everyone, either. Fire the coaches, yes. Then let the new staff work with Licht to evaluate who to keep and who to let find a free agency deal elsewhere.

  88. Openmindna Says:

    Need a total reboot. Out with the Arians coaches and bring in New blood.

  89. HomerSimpsonRocks Says:

    Agree. Fire the entire staff. Bowles included. Owners prolly won’t do it though. They’ll give him two more years of bland mediocrity.

  90. Defense Rules Says:

    DestinJohnny … ‘I think we are seeing the dangers of the “win now at all cost” philosophy. Salary cap he11…hoping a guy has one more year in him….It may work once, but three years in a row? We rolled the dice, now it’s time to pay the piper.’

    Kudos Johnny on taking on the rampaging herd single-handedly. Hint from past experience though: it’s a fool’s errand. The maddening crowd (aka, the ‘sheep’ as Realist was wont to call them) has already made up its mind. Facts & details are irrelevant.

    FWIW, Byron was never a good coach. Not in Arizona & not here. He was a product of BA’s protection here (yup, the Red Pen was real) and superb talent … UNTIL this year. Then he got exposed. Surprise, surprise.

    Todd Bowles OTOH is the best DC we’ve had since Monte (yup, 15 years ago now). He took 2019 to rebuild this defense (a major rebuild BTW), but then finished #8 in 2020, #5 in 2021 but #13 in 2022. That’s a significant drop-off IMO from 2 Top-10 finishes. Why? Less talent & injuries on the defensive side, plus not having an offense that could pull its own weight. The biggest faux pas though was letting the leadership & some superb talent go (JPP & Suh & Whitehead). Not back-filling those slots with comparable talent & leadership skills is on Licht as the GM. So is not providing adequate depth on the OLine & skimping on at least 1 quality TE to replace Gronk. This team was doomed to mediocrity even before BA ‘retired’ on Mar 30th.

    Still, that’s all water under the bridge to me. What I’m much more interested in is where we go from here, and what will it take to get us there. Leftwich is gone for all practical purposes. Bowles is safe for now IMO, but there’s a very good chance he’ll suffer the same fate after the 2023 season. 2023 will be only the start of the rebuild; 2024 is the critical year because we’ve got to clean up some of this salary CAP mess first.

  91. Defense Rules Says:

    DestinJohnny … ‘I think we are seeing the dangers of the “win now at all cost” philosophy. Salary cap he11…hoping a guy has one more year in him….It may work once, but three years in a row? We rolled the dice, now it’s time to pay the piper.’

    Kudos Johnny on taking on the rampaging herd single-handedly. Hint from past experience though: it’s a fool’s errand. The maddening crowd (aka, the ‘sheep’ as Realist was wont to call them) has already made up its mind. Facts & details are irrelevant.

  92. Defense Rules Says:

    DestinJohnny … FWIW, Byron was never a good coach. Not in Arizona & not here. He was a product of BA’s protection here (yup, the Red Pen was real) and superb talent … UNTIL this year. Then he got exposed. Surprise, surprise.

    Todd Bowles OTOH is the best DC we’ve had since Monte (yup, 15 years ago now). He took 2019 to rebuild this defense (a major rebuild BTW), but then finished #8 in 2020, #5 in 2021 but #13 in 2022. That’s a significant drop-off IMO from 2 Top-10 finishes. Why? Less talent & injuries on the defensive side, plus not having an offense that could pull its own weight. The biggest faux pas though was letting the leadership & some superb talent go (JPP & Suh & Whitehead). Not back-filling those slots with comparable talent & leadership skills is on Licht as the GM. So is not providing adequate depth on the OLine & skimping on at least 1 quality TE to replace Gronk. This team was doomed to mediocrity even before BA ‘retired’ on Mar 30th.

  93. Defense Rules Says:

    DestinJohnny … Still, that’s all water under the bridge to me. What I’m much more interested in is where we go from here, and what will it take to get us there. Leftwich is gone for all practical purposes. Bowles is safe for now IMO, but there’s a very good chance he’ll suffer the same fate after the 2023 season. 2023 will be only the start of the rebuild; 2024 is the critical year because we’ve got to clean up some of this salary CAP mess first.

  94. Bucamania Says:

    Agree! Where do I sign?

  95. Bucamania Says:

    And yes, bad draft picks the last two years caught up to them.

  96. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Bucs56 Says
    January 18th, 2023 at 10:12 am
    “Licht is great. He built the superbowl roster and his drafts are solid through all the rounds. Doesn’t mean they all work out but his assessment and risk vs reward are very good. He is not the problem. When BA acted his way out of HC job they were forced to hire from within. They will not making any coaching staff changes till they figure out brady”

    This.

    I was completely against Jason Licht in the early days, and he won me over. The man is great at what he does. People who bash him are looking for reasons to do so.

    We knew when Brady was brought in that it would be all-in and then cap issues. Anyone here who says otherwise was either blind or ignorant.

    Jason Licht did a lot more than his haters give him credit for. One of the best offensive lines, for one (until this year when Marpet retired and injuries plagued it).

    Yes, Licht has made a few mistakes, but he learned from every one of them. People forget he came here as a rookie GM.

    He’ll rebuild the lines. He’ll rebuild find a replacement for Lavante David. He’ll find another top-notch WR to replace Evans. It might take a couple years, but he’ll get it done.

    My only real concern is waiting on Brady to decide. He wants to take his time, and that translates to putting the Bucs into a holding pattern if they want him back.

    I would take him back, personally…but I would not wait. I would find another quality QB somehow, even if in the draft.

  97. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Defense Rules Says
    DestinJohnny … Still, that’s all water under the bridge to me. What I’m much more interested in is where we go from here, and what will it take to get us there. 2023 will be only the start of the rebuild; 2024 is the critical year because we’ve got to clean up some of this salary CAP mess first.

    Agreed.

    Lavante retiring or moving on would free up some cash. Trading Mike Evans to a top contender would free up cash and land us a first rounder. Brady being gone instantly freed up a bunch of cash.

    We only had under a million in dead cap in 2022…so the challenge is to dump cap money in positions that a) free up larger amounts, and b) are at positions we can more easily refill with quality.

    Given Jason Licht’s record, I would say LBs, WRs, and OLs art his sweet spots.

  98. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Bucamania Says
    “And yes, bad draft picks the last two years caught up to them.”

    I don’t think the last two drafts were bad at all, considering we were mostly drafting for depth.

    2022
    2nd Round: Logan Hall DE – performed under pressure, should improve in year 2
    2nd Round: Luke Goedeke G – s0-so…flashed in his first year
    3rd Round: Rachaad White RB – very capable in his first year
    4th Round: Cade Otton TE – Capable in his first year
    4th Round: Jake Camarda P – TOTAL GOLD STAR PLAYER
    5th Round: Zyon McCollum CB – Invisible
    6th Round: Ko Kieft TE – Invisible
    7th Round: Andre Anthony LB (Waived)

    2021
    1st Round: Joe Tryon DE – Flashed in first year. Pretty decent in year 2. Next year is when he needs to rise to the next level.
    2nd Round: Kyle Trask QB – We have no idea…yet
    3rd Round: Robert Hainsey T – Performed as quality depth. Was never meant to start.
    4th Round: Jaelon Darden WR (Waived) Thank god he is gone
    5th Round: K.J. Britt LB – Invisible

    Considering most teams only have half their picks work out, and the fact that those drafts were intended to be depth, they were not bad.

    Licht had no way of knowing what was coming.
    7th Round: Chris Wilcox CB (Waived)
    7th Round: Grant Stuard LB (Traded (IND))

  99. Marine Buc Says:

    @ Bonzai

    I agree. I have no issues with the past few drafts…

  100. SB~LV Says:

    Clean out the whole OBP
    Remember Jason was on the hot seat before bringing in Bruce Arians and road Jamyth far far too long. BA came 1+
    Brady came +10
    4 years after BA and we are up the creek without a paddle.
    A Super Bowl and the carriage is a rotting pumpkin

  101. A Says:

    I think our defense was overrated – look at the QBs we played this year. Our O was so bad other teams shut down their own O – basically saying…when you guys can get a 1st down maybe I’ll take some chances. I don’t think our D sucks – they just are not good enough to carry the team. I also don’t think you can consistently win on D in the salary cap era. Bowles D is about playing man to man and blitz blitz…so he’ll need at least two great cover guys and a couple more as backups…plus, your team needs to know how to draft and coach them up. Cover corners are not cheap. Then you’ll need to get some pass rushers – $$$ and safeties that can blitz etc…I’m sure Bowles is a great person but I’m not sure he’s head coach material. He instills zero confidence in my opinion.

    Let’s make 2023 a salary cap get right year – GO Bucs! see you in 2024 🙂

  102. Marine Buc Says:

    @ DR

    I wouldn’t mind keeping Bowles to run the defense but bring in Bill O or Frank Reich to run the offense…

  103. unbelievable Says:

    -zero creativity
    -zero adjustments

    Wow, what a hot take there Dan!

    I’ve only been saying the same exact thing this entire season.

  104. Rayjay1122 Says:

    Bowles did not do a good job with the defense. I will agree to disagree with you on that conclusion. I vote yes to cleaning house.

  105. BashingBucs2520 Says:

    Marine Buc Says:
    January 18th, 2023 at 10:17 am
    @ Bashing

    Trading for Carr will cost the Bucs too much money. I believe his current contract will be @ $40M per season.

    I wouldn’t want Carr for more than $10M per season with incentives for playoffs/TDs/yards/wins…

    He he was worth a spit he would still be in Vegas.

    —–

    I didn’t consider the salary. I think most QBs that have gone through the coaching changes Carr has over his career would’ve been out the league or playing backup by now. Carr is worth a shot

  106. John Says:

    Not a lie was told! And the goes for much of the entire season

  107. C.j. Massie Says:

    Most commented ever? Or no…..?

  108. Bucamania Says:

    Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
    January 18th, 2023 at 12:31 pm
    Bucamania Says
    “And yes, bad draft picks the last two years caught up to them.”

    I don’t think the last two drafts were bad at all, considering we were mostly drafting for depth.

    —-

    Agree on some points but not on the top picks.

    2022
    2nd Round: Logan Hall DE – VERY little impact in rookie year. PFF grade 35. 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks. I still hold out some hope for him.
    2nd Round: Luke Goedeke G – easily the WORST guard in the NFL when he played
    3rd Round: Rachaad White RB – Good pick. I like White.

    4th Round: Cade Otton TE – Good pick. Otton will play for 10 years.
    4th Round: Jake Camarda P – TOTAL GOLD STAR PLAYER
    5th Round: Zyon McCollum CB – Terrible so far but raw
    6th Round: Ko Kieft TE – Flashed in the blocking game but very limited
    7th Round: Andre Anthony LB (Waived)

    2021
    1st Round: Joe Tryon DE – HORRIBLE football player. 4.5 sacks in a full-time role
    2nd Round: Kyle Trask QB – We have no idea…yet. Should NEVER have picked him
    3rd Round: Robert Hainsey T – Performed as quality depth. Was never meant to start.
    4th Round: Jaelon Darden WR (Waived) Thank god he is gone
    5th Round: K.J. Britt LB – Invisible

  109. garro Says:

    “Joe has absolutely no problem whatsoever if the Bucs want to invoke Operation Collapse For Caleb. To trigger this strategy, neither Bowles nor Leftwich can be with the Bucs in 2024.”

    Please stop Joe. That line of thinking turns my stomach and is right up there with steroid use and betting on games. It to me is a total lack of any real honor or sportsmanship!