Todd Bowles Gets A “D” Grade
January 11th, 2023
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
As Joe pointed out yesterday, Bucs coach Todd Bowles has done something rather rare in recent years for defensive coaches who take over an NFL team.
He led the Bucs to the playoffs!
But that doesn’t seem to impress former Associated Press NFL national editor and Hall of Fame selector Barry Wilner.
(Joe knows some readers often listen to “Movin’ the Chains” on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Wilner used to appear on the show weekly during the season with his power rankings for the AP.)
In handing out his grades for each NFL coach for The33rdTeam.com, Wilner slapped Bowles with a “D” grade, playoffs or no playoffs.
Also in that weak division, the Bucs struggled and Tom Brady got his first losing record as a starter. Few decisions Bowles made worked out, though the playoffs could bring redemption.
If Bowles and the Bucs can find a way to beat the Cowboys on Monday night, Joe thinks Bucs fans — not all fans, but some who are upset with Bowles — may calm down. As Joe likes to say, winning is the greatest perfume.
So yeah, if you cannot put together a winning record with Tom Brady, that’s a stinker of a season, even if you won a garbage division.
**Bucs fans graded Bowles here this week in a one-our flash poll. See results below.
January 11th, 2023 at 12:31 am
I tend to agree. Even if they beat Dallass. But watching a great game would be REALLY nice.
January 11th, 2023 at 1:01 am
D is an understatement for what the games at Cleveland, at Pittsburgh, at Panthers and vs Bengals should really be graded. A very soothing understatement.
January 11th, 2023 at 1:03 am
D-
He turned one of the best teams in the league into one of the worst. We have a losing record ffs!!!
He made so many mistakes throughout the year. His only redemption is winning a Super Bowl this year
January 11th, 2023 at 1:07 am
D# Let’s Go!
January 11th, 2023 at 1:11 am
Yep, D is about as high of a grade as I could justify!
Saints, Panthers OR Falcons play ANY better than they did this Season and the Bucs are out of the playoffs…
I would argue that Wilks, Aurther and probably even Allen would have done better with the Bucs and Tom Brady than Bowles did…
January 11th, 2023 at 1:16 am
Asked this all season… but go loss by loss, and tell me which of these games do the Bucs still lose if Arians was still the head coach?
Game / Outcome if Arians was HC
GB / W
KC / L
@PIT / W
@CAR / W
BAL / W
@CLV / W
@SF / L
CIN / W
Tell me here I’m wrong on that list? If I’m right, the team is 14-2.
January 11th, 2023 at 1:51 am
the record was super underwhelming for the year…
@Rod:
i think we would have been more of a 12-5 with BA…
i go by the philosophy that when you’re a really good team, you will lose to one completely average team, and one really crappy team during a season…
usually the mediocre team just balled out and played a complete game like a 13-4 type team would…
and the crap team viewed you as their superbowl, and you probably took them for granted, and got a little blindsided, and suffered a surprising loss…
these type losses happen all the time…
so with that, the bucs under BA would have pulled off a 12-5 record imho
January 11th, 2023 at 1:54 am
nevertheless, none of that matters because here we are at 8-9…
and we’ve been spoon feed the old america’s team…
and we are the new america’s team 🙂
so we should take them out on that nice thick juicy ray jay grass…
and send them home wondering wtf just happened on mnf
January 11th, 2023 at 2:06 am
Headline says it all.
January 11th, 2023 at 2:58 am
I still have not forgiven Todd Bowles for calling for a blitz with 42 second left and leaving Cooper Kupp wide open in the Bucs-Rams playoff game last year. The Bucs clawed their way back to tie the game miraculously at 27-27 with Tom Brady and the Bucs 42 seconds from overtime. It would not happen because Bowles’ decision led to a loss and early exit from the playoffs. Let’s hope that history does not repeat itself.
January 11th, 2023 at 3:01 am
I would give him a “C+” because of circumstances beyond his control ( injuries, retirement, player failures, etc.). He still is positive and uplifting his team.
January 11th, 2023 at 3:03 am
Only losers quit on their team before it’s over. Winners NEVER quit.
January 11th, 2023 at 5:00 am
The guy is a loser. He destroyed the Bucs in one season, even with the best QB in the history of the nfl. D is too high.
January 11th, 2023 at 5:15 am
The only way he got a D is with a generous curve… The record speaks for itself.
January 11th, 2023 at 5:46 am
Did the Glazeovers do any investigating into his debacle as the jets head coach?
The owners are inept.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:04 am
Stop with the Arians nonsense. He was a blowhard that called out players and never held himself or the coaches accountable. An average coach who was stubborn to change the offense half way thru 2020. The team caught lightning in a bottle with Brady playing perfect football outside GB 2nd half . They scored 30 or more all 4 playoff games mixed in with terrific D from Bowles. He’s still an upgrade over TBowles, but not enough to make this a double digit win team we were too many issues on both sides of the ball, especially speed, playcalling in-depth
January 11th, 2023 at 6:30 am
I will allow grading on a curve if somehow, someway, he gets out of the way of the offense and let’s Tampa do what it is capable of doing… hint. it is scoring more than 17
January 11th, 2023 at 6:39 am
Bowles has failed miserably. He’ll be back here next year with his own staff and we’ll see a 6-11 record AT BEST. (Assuming no Brady). You take away the 3 miracle finishes with Brady this year and we’d be 5-12.
Bowles is a disaster and will continue to be.
You can bet a mortgage payment on it.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:49 am
PC 2022 grading
January 11th, 2023 at 6:52 am
Let’s be honest, Bowles didn’t take over the lions, he took over a team that was one play away from playing in back to back super bowls. The bar is higher than making the playoffs with a losing record.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:54 am
A…D?
A …D?
Must be Christmas.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:55 am
Bowles Win or Lose Monday is not a good coach
He has All kinds of talent beside Brady
Evans
Godwin
Vea
Hicks
David
Dean
Ect……
Bowles was bad in NY and he is bad in Tampa
January 11th, 2023 at 7:24 am
D- here. He can’t motivate the team. You can tell by how badly they played the trap games.
It will get worse, next season might be a 3 win one, Bowles cleaner will bring in more worn out FAs and play a lot of rookies, because the cupboard is going to get cleaned out this off season, both because of the salary cap issues and the smart rats looking for dry ground.
January 11th, 2023 at 7:49 am
Did anyone expect anything other than a D for the defensive guru…he underwhelmed on purpose to achieve the D.
Yeah that’s right, it’s a karate chop.
January 11th, 2023 at 8:25 am
[Sorry, not going there. You may not have been around when Greg Schiano was Bucs coach. Or Mike Smith as defensive coordinator. Do like your handle, though! — Joe]
January 11th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Wilner must be in a great mood, a D is generous
January 11th, 2023 at 9:08 am
Any success the Bucs have on Monday, and/or miraculaously in the few weeks after, have nothing to do with Blowes and everything to do with Brady ignoring him and telling his cuddle bear Bymron what they are running. It’s pretty obvious that we’re stuck with Blowes for one more season regardless.
Depressing.
The train wrecks ends into a dumpster fire but Toad survives.
Brian Flores or Eric Bienemy. Before someone else scoops them both up.
Won’t happen though.
January 11th, 2023 at 4:33 pm
Todd Bowles = Lovie Smith 2.0
Why does this franchise continue to make the same mistakes??
January 11th, 2023 at 4:52 pm
ONLY IF GRADING ON A CURVE
A perfect score in the NFL is 17-0. The most wins in the NFC is 14. The curve is +3.
The Bucs total wins graded on a curve coincidently is 64% (8+3/17). A solid D.