Todd Bowles’ Next Move
December 7th, 2023
Todd Bowles is not known for his relationships with offensive players.
The Tom Brady-Todd Bowles disconnect comes to Joe’s mind.
Yesterday, underused stud receiver Chris Godwin’s wife teed off on Bowles via social media. It was no one-liner; it was an orchstrated attack on the head coach.
For Joe, it’s a nod to a reality that Bowles does not have strong enough relationships with his star players. Fair or not, that’s the logical line of thinking.
Throw in Devin White asking for a trade after last season and the disappearance of Bucco Bruce Arians, and Joe wonders about Bowles’ relationship skills. That’s not Joe saying they suck; it’s Joe determining they’re not as good as they need to be.
So how does Bowles proceed this morning?
Joe has yet to see a retraction from Godwin’s wife or a social media response from Godwin. This mess is still hanging out there like a Jake Camarda punt.
Does Bowles call Godwin to chat and ask to go on speaker with his wife to clear the air?
Does Bowels gently text Godwin something like, ‘I’m here if you want to talk’ and then ignore it? Does the head coach address the entire team to clear the air before a big game?
Does Bowles show up to the Godwin house bearing bagels and lox and chocolate chip cookies? (That always works when Ira Kaufman is upset.)
Bowles played for and worked alongside legendary coaches. And Bowles has seen adversity in his coaching career: his young Jets starting quarterback breaking his jaw after being punched by a teammate comes to mind. (That’s one way to end a preseason quarterback controversy.)
Before a crossroads game Sunday in Atlanta, Bowles is now at a crossroads moment hours before kickoff.
Joe is confident every Bucs player is wondering how Bowles will respond.
December 7th, 2023 at 5:53 am
what if:
he makes godwin inactive for sunday’s game ?
#BallzToTheWall
December 7th, 2023 at 6:01 am
It’s a dumpster fire!
December 7th, 2023 at 6:23 am
By my count that’s 284,906,801 screwups made by Bowles since the Rams playoff game.
December 7th, 2023 at 6:32 am
I’ll say it. His relationship skills suck just like his head coaching skills.
December 7th, 2023 at 6:43 am
Godwin has laid it all out for this organization and by all accounts a hard nosed football player who does not complain. He’s a company man and one of the top players for this organization. The fact that his wife is speaking out means he is upset. Someone got it right last night. It’s a canary in the coal mine situation.
Godwin being upset means there are a lot more players unhappy with what is happening on the team.
Bowles will lose the locker room just like he did in NY IF he hasn’t lost it already.
How the team performs Sunday will be a huge indicator.
December 7th, 2023 at 6:47 am
He will do nothing. Seems this is the one constant with bowls
December 7th, 2023 at 6:58 am
Bowel movement
December 7th, 2023 at 6:59 am
Will Todd Bowles let this unnecessary distraction prevent us from winning our next game?
Will Baker Mayfield throw Chris Godwin the ball more to shut Mariah Godwin up?
Will Chris Godwin apologize to Todd Bowles for his wife’s inappropriate comments?
Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
December 7th, 2023 at 7:16 am
Clearly the article heading is setting us up for some real zingers this morning.
Here I will start. Todds next move will be, oh who gives a uck so long as it is out of Tampa.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:22 am
HC Bowles is wondering how DC Bowles will respond.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:23 am
this sorta guarantees one thing…
coach or chris will not be here next season
December 7th, 2023 at 7:23 am
Not to hijack Joe but have you noticed JJ Watt heaping Mike Evans praises? You think it’s a recruitment tactic to go home to the Texans next year?
December 7th, 2023 at 7:27 am
So…
…Chris Godwin needs to step up and yell his wife to remove that junk. Airing that in public is a no-no.
It is likely her way of standing up for her man, which is admirable, but it could also damage his career. He does not want to become known as a player who comes with an outspoken wife.
Bowles will do nothing. Dave Canales is the one who should deal with it.
I’m not sticking up for Bowles…it’s just the way things are.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:37 am
Hopefully his next move involves a UHaul.
December 7th, 2023 at 7:44 am
Let’s see the stats…we know the guy can get open. How many targets in the last say 5 games. Seems like only the other day Evans was underutilized but throw him the ball like they did last game and look what happens! Godwin seems invisible , at least to our QB recently.
December 7th, 2023 at 8:06 am
when the WIFE of a class act like Godwin goes off on the HC it lets everyone know that there is plenty of trouble in paradise. WAKE UP GLASERS, you got sold a bill of goods with this coaching pick !!!
December 7th, 2023 at 8:07 am
when the WIFE of a class act like Godwin goes off on the HC it lets everyone know that there is plenty of trouble in paradise. WAKE UP GLASIERS, you got sold a bill of goods with this coaching pick !!!
December 7th, 2023 at 8:10 am
It’s obvious Godwins wife is hearing the players dismay first hand from her husband. I posted this last season and it still applies today. What HC does NOT converse with his staring QB during crucial game decisions? I’ve watched and played a lot of football and never have I seen a HC avoid their starting QB in games. Can you imagine Godwin on Buffalo or KC? You would forget about Travis Kelce pretty quick. Godwin skillsets fit perfect for Mahomes game.
December 7th, 2023 at 8:16 am
Seems like Joe is just begging for a Jets or Raiders like drama filled media circus-
…anything to blow up this team that he obviously dislikes in its current makeup.
Joe would LOVE nothing more than for this team to beat Atlanta, go on a run and make the playoffs. And then go out and draft a quarterback in Round 1. Now that would be fun drama all across the board, and turn the team excitedly toward its new era. They could even bring back Mayfield. –Joe
December 7th, 2023 at 8:23 am
I’m no Bowles apologist I wanted him gone like 5-6 games ago. But in Bowles defense I’m not sure what her point was Bowles has never questioned godwins work ethic or the way he plays the game. Did he lie about the snaps thing sure but I mean who cares? Does it matter? One thing I can tell by Bowles and 100% believe is he’s hands off when it comes to the offense. I mean seems like Mariah needs to check her stats because Chris is 25th in targets. So… what’s the issue? Problem is Chris is a number 2 wr. Nothing wrong with that but Mike is and always has been that. Seems like her issue should be more with the qb or offensive coordinator
December 7th, 2023 at 8:24 am
Whatever transpires, WE won’t hear about it
December 7th, 2023 at 8:28 am
Locker room has been lost….probably around the 3rd straight week of losing. Bowles entire game management philosophy doesn’t remotely capitalize on the players strengths. Our corners aren’t zone CBs, there’s no pass rush yet we continue to operate as if it’s effective, the run game sucks, we don’t utilize Godwin where he was exceptionally effective in the slot…..the team has enough talent to win in our weak division yet Bowles can’t get out of the way to allow that to happen. Arians left us with a clown show in an effort to help his buddies.
December 7th, 2023 at 8:28 am
This could be all that’s needed in addition to a loss to Atlanta to step in and let Bowles go early. Start now figuring out the direction for next season.
December 7th, 2023 at 8:46 am
Such a horrible sign lol
December 7th, 2023 at 8:53 am
Said this on the other thread. It never ends well when a player’s wife starts running their mouth on social media. Godwin will be gone or Bowles will be gone. Which could be the reason for the rant.
December 7th, 2023 at 8:58 am
Get ready fans.
We are in Ray Perkins-Leeman Bennett territory.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:06 am
Bowles is weak enough to just ignore it. But he does owe CG an explanation for the false public statement. Will he do it? We may never know.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:08 am
Blame it on Licht for not having the marbles to say no to the Arians succession plan.
Writing has been on the wall.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:26 am
Godwin will be fine regardless. Bucs back to being Bucs. Poorly Coached and drafts by GM have been avg at BEST. 2 SB’s w Brady if they took Dalvin Cook instead of OJ Howard as just one example. I mean come on… & the constant search for the next Marpet w these D2 school lineman is a joke at this point.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:26 am
Just read the broken Jaw article. I now know why Geno Smith has had such an underachieving career. Lack of character.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:35 am
Clean I agree. This all started with arians forcing the glazers to hire Bowles with his well timed departure. Putting his buddy in position to be the only option to take over. Good ole boy system isn’t working out for us bucs fans. I appreciate the Sb win but he left us years of losing with what he did.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:36 am
Bowles = Dungy 2.0 – defense
December 7th, 2023 at 9:45 am
Cleanhouse makes a good point but I also think Arians put the team in a bad spot with his untimely and abrupt resignation. Don’t know if there is such a thing as one year prove it contract for HC’s, but Bowels record as a HC certainly did not warrant a multi year deal. A one year deal would have made it easier to flush the bowel movement at a he end of the 2022 season.
December 7th, 2023 at 9:52 am
ATL should have DBs sitting on Godwin’s routes ALL DAY. Mayfield will be force-feeding him the ball. Easy INTs.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:02 am
I hope everybody clamoring for Bowles to lose his job can read this and comprehend it.
Fire Bowles, for whom? What is behind door #2?
We had dynasty potential with Dungy at the helm. We squandered it.
Sapp went to the Raiders and had 10+ sack seasons.
Lynch went to the Broncos and made 2 probowls. Hell, Lynch would probably be our GM if it wasn’t for Gruden running him out of town even after the guy offered to take a paycut. How glorious we’d be if Lynch was running our team.
Unless there’s complete disarray in the locker room, I’d like to give Todd another year or two if we have to. And hear me out, it isn’t just performance based. Could Bowles get the boot, justifiably so? Sure. But who is the next coach? If we don’t have a contingency plan, it’s a hard pass for me. Unless he’s completely lost the locker room, it’s suicide to dump him now.
Too much “what have you done for me lately” involved with the NFL and it’s the constant rotation of coaches, schemes, and systems that leave organizations in the dumpster for a decade. Is that what we want? Do I LOVE what we got right now? Hell no. Do I like it? Sometimes. Does it infuriate me? Often. Seeing career DL dropping back in coverage because you’re trying to convert them to some “EDGE” linebacker position drives me crazy. DL are not meant to be in zone or man to man coverage nearly as often as they end up in this defense.
We should’ve never fired Tony Dungy. We had 4 (Brooks, Sapp, Lynch, Barber, 5 if you count Simeon Rice) Hall of Famers on defense. We made it too 2 NFC championships. Firing Dungy for Gruden was dumb, and we probably were in line for a superbowl anyway. The Tony can’t coach offense thing was dispelled when the Colts went on for 10+ years as an offensive juggernaut under Manning and all the other hall of famers they surrounded Manning with (Marvin, Wayne, Saturday, Edgerrin, Dallas).
I’m not against a new coach and scheme… but patience is a virtue here. You guys want to end up with Josh McDaniels as a HC? Ron Rivera or Gruden again? Please gtfo and go jump on another team’s bandwagon. You weren’t here pre-Dungy and post-Dungy.
Godwin is probably frustrated with his lack of touches. His wife probably lashed out at some minor, intricate nonsense. Bowles wasn’t “lying”, he was just a little off with his reply. Maybe the intentions were to monitor his snap count. Maybe he’d be getting 60-70 snaps if it weren’t the for the injury(s). She needs to remember rule #1 of being an NFL housewife.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:28 am
I hope these Bucs come out Sunday and are focused World beaters, but my senses is this could turn into one huge dumpster fire if it isn’t handled now the right way.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:32 am
Wife should have kept her mouth shut. Negatively impacts his career. Makes him look weak that wife has to do his bidding, just like when Giselle said Tom can’t throw it and catch it. She later said it was a mistake.
December 7th, 2023 at 10:39 am
Don’t you all get it? Godwin talking though his wife.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:07 am
Do the right thing coach and resign your position !!!!! You are hurting this organization ….. there is no life raft available . Even a playoff appearance at this point is useless to your future !
December 7th, 2023 at 11:20 am
Why would you use Devin as the example. Todd infamously has a great relationship with Devin. Some might say it’s *too* good.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Impossible to put lipstick on this Pig
December 7th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Knowing Todd’s past, he’s already shat the bed.
December 7th, 2023 at 12:51 pm
Wow… what a big bunch of absolute nonsense regarding Dungy.
He was fired and rightfully so. He was stubbornly loyal to his ineffective Offensive Coordinators.
Gruden was a MAJOR reason that team won a superbowl. Even the ‘hall of fame players’ said as much (please watch America’s game Bucs episode if you can find it). He made wholesale revisions to that offense that Dungy was never going to make.
How many Bucs championships did Dungy squander? At least one, if not more with his stubborn refusal to male changes on the offensive side of the ball.
Dungy was told to leave the offense in Indy alone. It was the Peyton Manning/Tom Moore show. I distinctly remember one instance where Dungy was ready to go all conservative and punt, but Manning waved him off and ignored him. That should tell you all you need to know about who was running the offensive show in Indy.
As for moving on from Sapp and Lynch – the idea was right (one year too early vs one year too late), but Gruden suffered from having an incompetent yes man (Bruce Allen) as his GM. He needed someone to tell him no.
December 7th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
adam from ny Says:
December 7th, 2023 at 5:53 am
what if:
he makes godwin inactive for sunday’s game ?
#BallzToTheWalladam from ny Says:
December 7th, 2023 at 5:53 am
what if:
he makes godwin inactive for sunday’s game ?
#BallzToTheWall
The way Godwin is being used (as an undersized 6th lineman), he might as well be “inactive”. Team is paying Godwin for his special skills as a premier NFL WR then only targeting him 4 times per game. What a colossal wastE of talent 14 that needs all the offense it can get.
December 7th, 2023 at 5:07 pm
A Bucs Fan Says:
December 7th, 2023 at 7:23 am
Not to hijack Joe but have you noticed JJ Watt heaping Mike Evans praises? You think it’s a recruitment tactic to go home to the Texans next year?
Either that or to help his brother recruit Evans for Pittsburgh.
December 7th, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Was that a typo in paragraph 9 (‘Bowels”) or intentional? Hah. Bowles is “not known” for being an effective coach, including critical relationships with players. Individual and collective mismanagement.
December 7th, 2023 at 11:21 pm
@ steele
LOL, Joe finally jumped on the bandwagon!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:56 am
Thats funny Joe!
I had more than one HC I was convinced did not even know my name…. Until I missed a block or used improper technique. Only one of those had any people skills of note. They were all good football coaches though. Just saying… If you are the overly sensitive type then football may not be your game. LOL
Go Bucs!
December 8th, 2023 at 7:18 am
HE’D BETTER HAVE SOME KIND OF RESPONSE ( IF ONLY BEHIND THE SCENES WITH GODWIN HIMSELF )..CHRIS GODWIN IS A HUGE PART OF THIS OFFENSE & HAS BEEN SINCE HE SHINED AS A ROOKIE ! THE HEIR APPARENT TO MIKE EVANS SINCE HE 1ST ARRIVED ( NOW, WITH MIKE’S CONTRACT QUESTIONS, HE’S MORE IMPORTANT TO THE BUCCANEERS ORGANIZATION THAN EVER ! ) GIVE HIM THE DAMN BALL MORE ! HE’S A DEEBO SAMUEL TYPE OF THREAT IF USED PROPERLY !..BETWEEN HIM, MIKE,TREY PALMER & CADE & R.WHITE THERE IS SIMPLY NO EXCUSE FOR BAKER NOT TO FIND AT LEAST ONE OF THEM OPEN ALL DAY LONG ! ! !
December 8th, 2023 at 1:56 pm
“Unless there’s complete disarray in the locker room, I’d like to give Todd another year or two if we have to. And hear me out, it isn’t just performance based. Could Bowles get the boot, justifiably so? Sure. But who is the next coach? If we don’t have a contingency plan, it’s a hard pass for me. Unless he’s completely lost the locker room, it’s suicide to dump him now.”
You don’t think this is a massive sign he’s already lost the locker room? Godwin’s in his 7th season on this team and we haven’t heard anything negative from him before now. Just does his job and helps his team out. If we’re seeing this crap from a veteran who has no history of complaining, it means the locker room was lost weeks ago. As far as a replacement, if the Glazers didn’t start that process after the first loss to Atlanta, then they should sell the team.