“This Is Ludicrous!”

January 24th, 2024

Crushes Todd Bowles.

The gang on “Good Morning Football” agrees. Either Bucs coach Todd Bowles had some shady agreement with his friend Dan Campbell to lay down in the final seconds of Sunday’s division-round playoff loss to the Lions or Bowles made one of the worst mistakes in coaching annals.

At the end of the Bucs-Lions game, the Bucs could have called timeout with 36 seconds remaining to force the Lions either to punt on 4th-and-long at the Lions’ 32 yard line or attempt a field goal, or run a play. Instead, Bowles let the clock wind down. Game over.

Asked about it after the game and again Monday in his season-ending presser, Bowles seemed to think Detroit kicking a field goal was a foregone conclusion so calling a timeout would have been — Bowles’ words, not Joe’s — “prolonging the obvious.”

Problem was, making a long field goal is anything but obvious. Heck, Bowles’ own kicker, Chase McLaughlin, missed a 50 yard field goal an hour earlier.

Of the four co-hosts of “Good Morning Football,” seen weekday mornings on NFL Network, Kyle Brandt had the harshest words for Bowles.

Brandt believes the only thing that remotely makes a lick of sense is Bowles had some handshake blood oath pact with Campbell that neither coach would go Greg Schiano on the other’s team in the final minute of the agme.

Bowles and Campbell are long-time friends. They worked together twice. Bowles was an assistant in Dallas where Campbell played some 20 years ago, and later the two were on the same staff Dolphins staff.

Brandt said if there was such an agreement between Bowles and Campbell, then that is bush league. And if Bowles really did give up and pull a no mas, it would be a slap in the face to his players who busted their tails for him all season.

“This is ludicrous,” Brandt howled. “Either [Bowles] completely messed up and just lost track of things, which is incompetent, or there really was some intangible gentlemen’s agreement with Dan Campbell, they have a past and everything. That’s not football. That’s not what you do!

“I don’t even want to hear the word ‘probability’ or ‘likelihood.’ From my last dying breath — let’s get to the football of it: [Detroit would] either punt or they do kick a field goal and they miss. I don’t think Michael Badgley as a kicker is going to the Hall of Fame yet. Off the upright, bang.

“You’ve got a few seconds. They haven’t guarded Mike Evans all day. You’ve probably got two plays. You hit a 20-yarder to Evans and then you have a strong-armed Baker Mayfield who at worst is going to chuck one in the end zone. …

“It’s the playoffs! Your whole team was about never say die and keep fighting till the last breath. Baker Mayfield’s whole life has been about that.

“Either he completely blew it or he has a really cockamamie excuse of a gentlemen’s agreement. It’s nonsense. I think Bucs fans should be p!ssed off.”

Brandt added if Bowles wasn’t so well-respected throughout the league and wasn’t such a nice guy and instead it was someone who thought he was smarter than the game like Brandon Staley, he would have been crucified mercilessly for this unforgivable brainfart.

Co-host Jason McCourty, who won rings with the Belicheats, said there is no way someone up in the coach’s booth wasn’t screaming in Bowles’ ear (provided Bowles didn’t shut off his headset or take it off) to call a timeout.

McCourty said more than one coach upstairs would have been crunching the numbers the second the Lions took possession of exactly how or if the Bucs could get the ball back based on the time remaining.

The only thing for Joe that makes sense is Bowles got emotional and simply lost track of time. His explanations since are nothing more than an attempt to sweep the issue under the carpet.

 

81 Responses to ““This Is Ludicrous!””

  1. Phred Says:

    The entire game was a missed opportunity.

  2. Phred Says:

    Name one great NFL head coach that would leave time on the clock during a one-score loss.

  3. heyjude Says:

    I have backed Todd Bowles for awhile now, and am discouraged too. For years he has been stubborn, no emotion, and too calm at times. But we have no idea what is going on inside of him. He could be exploding. Unfortunately, he threw in the towel in this game. He gave up. No fire. Head coaches should never give up. Also, the 2-points was a big mess-up too. Bad decision.

  4. Bucco Bruce Says:

    This imo will lose the team and in doing so we will see what happens next year since they refuse to move on from him. Especially in this climate with so many better coaches available. Regardless if we want to maintain mediocrity and barely slip in or just miss the playoffs this is your coach. Otherwise move the F on.

  5. Fansince76 Says:

    He should just come out and say he had a brainfart and farked up bad.

  6. Vanessa Anne Says:

    I didn’t pull any punches and completely threw Todd Bowles under the bus the last time I commented on a post about him here on JBF.

    Won’t go that route this time.

    He either screwed up big-time or there needs to be an investigation by the NFL.

    I think he should be let go, or at the least, step down as HC and continue as DC (if he would be willing to take a “demotion” like that). I know… pretty unlikely, lol.

    Yes, our team, the coaches and front office did some amazing things this year, given the constraints we were under with salary cap, etc. The dead cap, 13 rookies, a season record way better than what anyone expected, a trip to the playoffs… we had a great year!!

    But Todd Bowles has demonstrated too many times that he doesn’t have the killer instinct that winning teams and their coaches have. He’s also made too many blunders that contributed to, and were main factors in, some of our losses this year.

    In the larger picture, I agree with two of his points about how to win games. Don’t turn the ball over and we need a run game. But his stubborness in insisting on running the ball up the middle even when it was obvious we needed a different plan for the run game, is one example of why I think he doesn’t get it. There are many, many more I could list.

    If, in fact, there was some sort of “off the record” collusion between him and Dan Campbell related to not taking that time out, then the NFL may need to step in.

    As a quick side note, what an unbelievable slap-in-the-face that would be to the 53 guys in pewter and red who played their hearts out for 18 weeks.

    That’s a serious claim. Or accusation, if you prefer to call it that. I know a lot of folks think the whole thing (season, games, wins or losses etc) is “rigged” anyhow.

    Tossing around accusations like that is a bit like tossing around manhole covers. You can do some serious damage if you’re not careful.

    But, colluding or “rigging” a game like that can… also… do some damage! I’m thinking of career trajectories, contracts and salaries, not to mention the financial windfalls or losses of entire organizations. The NFL is a business…

    Players in other sports have been fined, suspended, even banned for life, for things like that. Anyone remember Pete Rose?

    In the end, for me, even with all the great things our team accomplished this year (despite the seriously limiting constraints we were under), Todd Bowles has made too many mistakes and hasn’t demonstrated he has the killer instinct to take the team any further.

    We got as far as we did this year primarily because our players played their hearts out, not because of Todd Bowles.

    He needs to go.

  7. Joe in Michigan Says:

    Bowles already had conceded the game by playing Ryan Neal. How many times did we see Bucs defenders decide not to tackle? Devin White (vs. Indy), Joe Tryon (vs. Atlanta), and Neal (getting “juked” by the Lions TE) are examples.

    I was watching the game at a bar packed with Lions fans, and me with my Bucs gear on. I didn’t catch this when it happened, but it doesn’t sit well with me.

  8. UGotRobbed Says:

    Decision-making like this is one reason I was screaming for TB’s head at mid season. Soo, still have serious doubts about him as a head coach. No wonder his team failed to show up for so many games the past few seasons.
    Embarrassing!!

  9. Mark Says:

    When Goff first took the field following the interception, there was 1:33 left on the clock. If he takes a knee, let’s say that takes 2 seconds off the clock before Bowles takes the time out, that’s 1:31. Second down, Goff takes the second knee, that runs the clock down to lets say 0:53 (assuming they don’t use the full 40 seconds). Third down, they run the clock down to lets say 0:15. If they kick the field goal, that could take another 4 seconds off the clock, so the Bucs only have 11 seconds to get 2 scores.

    Best case scenario, the kick is blocked and we run it in for a touchdown.
    Second best case scenario, the kick is blocked or missed and we have 11 seconds for two hail marys.
    Worst case scenario, the kick is good.

    Obviously Bowles decided it wasn’t worth it. I’m assuming he wasn’t paying attention to the Lions as they took their knee early, at 27 seconds (1:06) and 29 seconds (0:37).

    So either one of three things has happened:
    1 – Bowles had given up and wasn’t expecting them to take the knee early and not fully run down the clock, so wasn’t paying attention.
    2 – Lions saw we didn’t take the timeout after the first knee and assumed we’d sportingly given up so didn’t run down the clock fully in order to get to 0 as quick as possible and Bowles decided to keep that approach.
    3 – There was some gentlemans agreement beforehand.

    Either way, neither team came off looking good in terms of clock management and Bowles came off looking far worse.

  10. mg Says:

    Wooden Indian should have been fired immediately after the game.
    He is a embarrassment to high school coaches.

  11. Onetrickpony Says:

    Bingo, bingo, Vanessa Anne. And Ryan Neil is a football player, imposter.

  12. Darin Says:

    He’s been making.those decisions for years. I don’t say fire a coach based off one game or decision. It’s a pattern. Not a smart guy

  13. BucU Says:

    That no time out didn’t lose the game. What lost the game is the inability to get a pass rush with 4 linemen and the atrocious pass defense. The defense collapsed in the last quarter.
    For the record Ryan Neal is the worst secondary player I’ve ever seen. On his exit interview I hope he was told to not bother sticking around Tampa anymore.
    Biggest bust on the entire team this year. Awful player.

  14. Marky Mark Says:

    Yea, that was BS by Bowles. Baker nearly won the game on a walk off Hail Mary against Buffalo. If Godwin had turned one second earlier he would have caught it. What about laterals? Should
    Be investigated.by the NFL.

  15. Bobby Says:

    [Joe first wrote about this Sunday night and have written subsequent stories ā€” plural ā€” about this subject including this morning. ā€”- Joe]

    Oh really it you took Ira and you Joes 2 days to write this about the timeout. They have been writing at national outlets since Sunday night, even your boy Florio talked about it with Simms on there show on Monday. But you guys gave Bowles his flowers for days. Hmmmmā€¦.

  16. Zoocomics Says:

    Vindication for your article!… congrats…lets keep beating this drum of your outstanding journalism. You’re like a 12 year old trying to win an argument. Move on, it’s amazing how no other Bucs outlets are covering this stupid story, but oh not you, keep feeding the red meat, as you can see “your’ fanbase is loving it, and look, you’re getting clicks from them and from my dumb@ss who cares to engage in all this. Win-win for you man.

    God, I hope we all get that apology from Bowles, I’m sure this same group that wants him fired, will feel that much better when he does. SMH.

    I can’t wait for next season when you pull up this story again after Bowles has another supposed hiccup as a head coach. Let it go man.

  17. Boss Says:

    Bowels being bowelsā€¦ā€¦

  18. SteveK Says:

    Outstanding post, Vanessa Anne!

    To all those folks, feeling the ā€œget over itā€ sentiment, I refuse without an apology and acknowledging a screw up. Thatā€™s how we grow from our mistakes, by learning from them.

    After the Cleveland game last year, Bowles didnā€™t let Brady cook with a minute left, and saw Wirfs and AWJr. Get hurt in extra time. Inexcusable, soft hearted, weak minded football will not be tolerated.

    I donā€™t know how any player can feel their coach is 100% trying to win at every moment bc he fails to adequately use his resources (timeouts) and doesnā€™t play to win.

  19. Weebs10 Says:

    Bobby I think you missed the two or three articles that have already been written by the Joes about it. They had one up about within an hour or two of the game ending and several more since lol.

  20. Oddball Says:

    @Zoo

    See Bobbyā€™s post just before yoursā€¦

    This isnā€™t the first time this season Bowles left time on clock with timeouts to use.

  21. Fred Says:

    Bowles hasnā€™t been fired yet?

  22. johnnymoon Says:

    As said by couple Nfl Coaches yesterday you use the first time out to notify the other coach as a Gentleman Nod than Detroit still runs the clock out out with kneel down slides or just 3sec backups .. People are really not good with MATH if you can not see how Detroit would still run the clock out ..But it is the school girl media we have to have that gossip …It is like going for the 2pts ..we did the same thing vs Buffalo yet no one says anything …Like I said Schoolgirl Gossip .

  23. Lt. Dan Says:

    Been saying it for awhile now: Bowles is not a defensive genius and just a mediocre head coach. We can do better.

  24. Ultra ClodHopper Says:

    This is why I vote no confidence every week.

    I don’t have many good things to say about Bowles but this gentleman’s agreement theory is preposterous imo. He may struggle at head coaching but he’s a top notch man.

  25. realistic-optimistic Says:

    Quintessential Bowles. He does this stuff all the time. It’s the main reason he regularly gets ‘No Confidence’ on JBF polls. Decent DC, horrible HC.

  26. doolnutts Says:

    He’s a d coordinator that simple he has no business being the man.

  27. Jack Clark Says:

    Of course the media leaves out the proper context to prevent viewers from making an unbiased decision. The Lions were already in field goal range with a first down, 93 seconds left on the game clock, and the Bucs only had one timeout left. The Lions could have easily ran the clock down to 13 seconds before putting more points on the board or running a few more seconds off the clock to give the Bucs only one more play well outside of Hail Mary range. We accepted defeat with grace and dignity, nobody likes a sore loser

  28. Frank the Tank Says:

    Is the NFL rigged?

  29. RiggedNFL Says:

    Bowles is 18-19 as a HC for the Bucs.

    His history tells us it will only get worse.

    What are the Glazers waiting for?

  30. infomeplease Says:

    This was not the first time TB quit on his team. The past two seasons he has quit numerous times. His clock management skills are perhaps the worst in the NFL. Ownership must be ok with this for some reason! I’m sure the players are not. I’m not!

  31. NutterBuccer Says:

    Promote Diamond Dave Now… can’t lose him to the panthers. This guy is going to be a great head coach.

  32. Davenport Says:

    If Bowles was fired, do you think any team would hire him as HC?

    Then why should we keep him?

  33. Joe Says:

    Vindication for your article!ā€¦ congratsā€¦lets keep beating this drum of your outstanding journalism. Youā€™re like a 12 year old trying to win an argument. Move on, itā€™s amazing how no other Bucs outlets are covering this stupid

    Joe should just forget about it? Like a guy who dropped a pass in the flat on first down? Eh, no big deal. Letā€™s move on. Nothing to see here. Really?

  34. infomeplease Says:

    Jack Clark, you make some valid points. But that’s why you play the game. To see what happens!!! i.e. The field goal gets blocked. Blocked and returned. The field goal hits the upright. The holder screws up. The center snaps the ball bad. ect ect ect ect…. Things do happen in high pressure games. That’s why you play the game!!

  35. SteveK Says:

    Exactly, Joe, thank you for speaking your truth and presenting the best dam buccaneers coverage in all the land. We crave the real stuff that occurs with our team, and darn it if Coach Bowles didnā€™t play stupid games (lack of timeouts all year!) only to win stupid prizes (playoff elimination without making your opponent execute to the final whistle).

    Coach Bowles ā€œloafedā€ on this one and any player can point to this moment as a point of weakness. Hopefully the Bucs can acknowledge it as a mistake and move on.

    Sweeping it under the rug will make more of a Streisand Effect and blow it up more.

    I am with you 100%, it was a mistake and coaching g malpractice.

  36. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Darin Says:
    January 24th, 2024 at 6:22 am
    Heā€™s been making.those decisions for years. I donā€™t say fire a coach based off one game or decision. Itā€™s a pattern. Not a smart guy”

    Exactly. It wasn’t even the first time this year.

    That’s why he’s called Ball-less Bowles.

    I don’t think there was any sort of agreement. I think it was incompetence.

  37. Ricki Says:

    But but but Joe gave Bowles a B+. How is this possible?

  38. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Unfortunately, we’re probably going to see it happen a few more times next season.

    Unless the Glazers are working behind the scenes to find a new coach, we’re sticking with Bowles.

  39. Morgus the Magnificent Says:

    This team has the talent and the heart to go far….but NOT with Bowles as HC.

  40. Hail2dabucs Says:

    This guy is just simply put , WAY over his head as an nfl head coach . I wouldn’t mind having him call the defence but as far as running the team as head coach , NO Thank you !

  41. D Cone Says:

    If Bowles was going to call TO it would have been on first down.
    Show me anywhere in the History of the league that a team has had the opposition take 3 straight knees and then called TO.

    Had the Lions been deep in there own end maybe he takes the shot but the game was Lost where the ball sat. Even if you cleared away every Baker Boi that’s been up it all year was Mayfield going to pull the game out of it. Non Issue. Move On.

    Had they called TO @ 1:31 and second down then 1:20 would have been run of and then its a matter of less than 10 seconds. Bowles knew that.

    Probably a punt out of bounds near the 5.

    Can’t push the narrative that Mayfield was 1 TO short of an NFC Title game. He was one loss and was a major contributor. Not like he was at the 12 and didn’t get spike down as time ran out.

    A month before he was one loss short of not making the playoff.

    can say the Bucs were playing with House Money but it was more like being on Borrowed Time.

  42. TomBucsFan Says:

    it was a a mistake that he should get fired for.

  43. Couch Fan Says:

    We’ve seen this type of stupidity from Bowles for 2 seasons. I dont call him The ReTodd just because it sounds funny. The guy is an absolute imbecile in every aspect of his job. How many big times screw ups can one have and still keep their job? And then he quit on his team. QUIT. But thats ok to some of you. Apparently its ok to the Glazers also. No biggie now we get to see him screw up yet another season. Lovely. GO BUCS!!

  44. Bucs Lives Matter Says:

    This will be debated for decades. Unfortunately, we’ll never know what really was going on inside Bowels head at the time and he’ll never tell us the real reason. If what he told us is the real reason that’s just discouraging. The team fought so hard, especially the offense to stay in the game and to end it like that is unacceptable.

  45. Dave Pear Says:

    Fire him and his over-rates defenseless genius complexities. If he did it once heā€™ll do it again.

    Heā€™s a liar, heā€™s not a head coach, and his alleged ā€œstrengthā€ was on display for all to see in the 4th quarter.

    Fire him.

    Hire Harbaugh

  46. Bobby M. Says:

    So letā€™s reviewā€¦.Bowles calls out blitz against Rams leaving Kupp wide open and blowing our chances to advance to NFC championship. Fast forward to last weekend and with an opportunity to tie the game he opts not to try. Heā€™s not this guru folks pretend he is, dude routinely chokes when it counts the most.

  47. Duane in Sanford Says:

    This is my problem with Bowles. He is a LIAR, and he seems to enjoy gaslighting the fans whenever he is asked about his accountability. We are supposed to be a community living a shared experience, and Coach Bowles seems to running an entertainment program that is not inclusive of the fans.

  48. BucFanDMV Says:

    Bowles not going for it on that 4th down earlier in the game was all we needed to see. The man is conservative, and this is what you get with this kind of coach and we all know this. This is what you get with this type of coaching so it is what it is with this. Until he’s gone we will continue to deal with this

  49. HC Grover Says:

    Perfect end to that season.

  50. HC Grover Says:

    Do they have a red phone hotline to make this deal?

  51. Craig Says:

    Much ado about nothing.

    Bowles did well to keep that timeout, it would have been crucial if the Bucs had scored a TD, a two point conversion, and an on side kick.

    Instead Baker chucked an interception that rang like the gong of doom. It took all of the air out of the Bucs sideline.

    This is all a moot point, saving 36 seconds would have done nothing to increase the Bucs chance of a win.

  52. Lefty Says:

    Letā€™s not forget having only 9 defensive players on the field for a goal line touchdown vs. ATL in week 14. That speaks competence in leadership alright.

  53. Temp Bucs Fan Says:

    I’ve said this previously on another joebucsfan.com post, so I’ll repost here.

    “I honestly donā€™t think his mind or heart was in it, especially in the 4th quarter. Surprised he went for the 2 point conversion, but didnā€™t go for it on a couple of 4th and short instead of punting it. Hell, itā€™s not like the defense was really stopping Goff, so at least it wouldā€™ve let them score faster leaving more time for Baker to bake instead of letting them waste 6 or 8 minutes on drives. Clearly doesnā€™t know when to hold ā€™em or fold ā€™em.”

  54. Buc4evr Says:

    Bowles needs to be fired. Everytime the Bucs are in a critical situation he fails. We need someone who actually cares.

  55. Bobby M. Says:

    I have yet to see any public statement from Licht or ownership stating Bowles is coming backā€¦I get the feeling they are seeing how things unfold with Canales. Say what you want about Canales but he wasnā€™t exactly an offensive guru this season, if he leaves do you really have much faith in Bowles next hire? Does Mayfield and Evans? I think a lot is riding on Canales situation.

  56. GhostofBrady Says:

    Firing him over the end of the game clock is ludicrous. The interception happened at 1:35 left (95 seconds). If the Lions had snapped the ball and let it run 39 seconds between each snap with TB taking one time-out, 39+39 = 78 seconds would have run off the clock> That leaves 17 seconds remaining. I don’t think Lions take a field goal. They probably punt and give TB the ball on the 20 with 12 seconds left assuming the punt takes 5 seconds off the clock. 12 seconds on our own 20 with no timeouts to score a TD. That is pretty much the game. Only hope would be a block kick on max protect. When TB didn’t take the timeouts on the first two snaps, that was TB giving a gentlemen’s agreement the game was over. Lions got lazy and snapped the ball earlier than the 39 second run-off after first down because not calling a timeout is generally a coaches signaling no mas not worth a 12 second miracle.

    Criticizing Todd Bowles over the time out is just hyperbole to get rid of the guy.
    I say concentrate on the the defensive performance in the big game. Over 75% completion percentage and narely a QB rush on Gared Goff is what the Bowles haters should be concentrating how we let Goff pummel us twice and let a rookie QB Stroud walk done the field in less than a minute to beat us in Houston. Those are fireable offenses not this timeout BS.

  57. GP Says:

    I’m truly surprised at the number of people posting here that are embracing the same type of losing mentality that we have endured for so many years and bought RayJay the moniker “The Den of Depression”.
    Regardless of what the situation on the field, if there are seconds still on the clock, the game is NOT over.
    Winners fight on, losers and quitters go home.
    The desperation ‘hook and ladder’s play rarely works or wins a game. And yet, every season, some team will call it, even when they are down more than two scores. That’s called, ‘Never Give Up’, and is the sign of a winning mentality.
    Quitting is for losers.

  58. GP Says:

    @GhostofBrady
    Over his career, how many games has Brady won in the final 30 seconds?
    How many has he tried to win in the final 30 seconds?

    Who is the only coach to take the ball out of his hands in such a situation?

    Losers go home

  59. Crickett Baker Says:

    His cowardly plays and total lack of time management skills (which have been demonstrated numerous times) make me think he is a bust at HC, no matter what goodness he has accomplished otherwise.

  60. Tye Says:

    It’s astonishing at how many people so badly want to believe Todd Bowles is a good coach that they choose to ignore reality, the evidence that TB is in fact a crappy coach….

  61. Derobbins Says:

    Would have been been Bush league. Previous plays we conceded. If we hadn’t and called timeout on say first down, the lions would ran plays to run off clocking or get a first down. We joined them in the victory formation/ concession.

    If we had gone back on that concession on third down, I would have been disappointed.

  62. GP Says:

    Derobbins

    Satisfied with losing.
    Would have been upset if we tried to win.
    OK, we know where you stand, or should I say ‘lay don’t

    Losers go home

  63. Derobbins Says:

    Nah. I’m just not gonna pull some Schiavone level dive at the kneel down snap level crap.

    We don’t get to that third down situation without conceding.

    I would have been fine with calling timeouts on 1st down, and fighting till the end. But not on going back on our concession on third down.

    I feel you have to pick one. But I also feel we maybe get the ball back with 5 seconds or not at all if we call timeout on first.

  64. Derobbins Says:

    * Schiano

  65. Burl Morgan Says:

    The finality of losing a playoff game can linger for awhile. The season is over & not alot of time to reflect as teams generally will have decisions to make. I think it’s time to move on from Todd Bowles as I have given him a pass on several occasions. Sometimes leadership just needs a new voice or fresh start. I believe that there are some good coaches available, will ownership pull the trigger. Change is inevitable & this team has some talent. Will always root for this team, been a BUCS Fan since 1976šŸ™‚šŸˆ

  66. GP Says:

    I often play chess with my two boys (25 & 30). So much so that I have incorporated a chess board into my patio behind the house and invested in extra large chess pieces for it. I have never once, for any reason, given up on a game and let them win. It would be rare considering that they are better players than I. On the other hand, they have never, for any reason, taken pity on me and let me win. Nor do any of us not take advantage of a ‘mistake’ by our opponent.

    It’s a game.

    There is nothing dishonorable about winning or doing everything possible to win.
    ( Short of cheating, cheaters, by definition, do not win)

    There is no honor in quitting.

  67. GP Says:

    Derobbins
    Where is it in the rule book that says anything about when we must use our time outs, and what we must give up or accept dependent on when we do use them?
    Your argument holds no water.
    Detroit made a mistake that we (honorably) should have taken advantage of.
    It was dishonorable not to.
    Regardless of weather we did or didn’t use the one we had to spare, or when.
    I guess you don’t play chess.

  68. Vancouver Buc Says:

    Vanessaā€™s take is spot on. Couldnā€™t say it any betterā€¦but I wouldnā€™t keep him as DC, his defence scheme was awful on Sunday, get rid of him altogether.

  69. CleanHouse Says:

    Joes,

    How about a confidence poll?

  70. Addb Says:

    Theory: he didnā€™t want to go for 2 but someone convinced him. Once we didnā€™t get it his mentality shifted and his will broke.

  71. Jeffrey Becker Says:

    finally bowles getting buried in the press for something he should have been buried for ten times over. love it.

  72. Bosch Says:

    We now have heard multiple plausible scenarios of what the truth may be. I believe the ā€œgentlemen s agreement ā€œ theory to be the least plausible. But within all these possibilities there is one certainty. Bowels LIED. He totally lacks character and is unfit to be a leader of any kind, much less a Head coach.

    #FIRE the LIAR!!!

  73. Vancouver Buc Says:

    He shouldā€™ve been canned half way last season

  74. DeRobbins Says:

    hell im just a dissenter at heart, i was team trade mike LAST year, and still think the team would be in a better place if we had done so.

    Holding on to him, just to go one and done in the playoffs (what i called at the trade deadline last year) and we essentially did that again this year, the eagles game was just a drawn out seppuku by the eagles.

    We may get compensatory picks for him, but we could be a year further down the road on developing a a beast o-lineman or d-lineman instead of starting that process next year.

    Call me a quitter, whatever, I personally would have supported the team in fighting to the last second, but not, not fighting, then fighting again when the team we are playing takes us at our (aparent) word we arent fighting.

    Im not supporting quitting. I’m just against UN-quitting once you’ve done it.

  75. DeRobbins Says:

    To me its like Golf, when you give someone a gimme, then their club bumps it or something, and you say that counts as a stroke.

    Either make them put it, or not, but don’t take it back when you have already conceded the shot.

  76. DeRobbins Says:

    also, i dont golf. so if that makes no sense, forgive me, trying to explain my sentiment better.

  77. GP Says:

    There is no code or message board to the other team based on how or when you use your time outs. Especially with Bowles, who seems to believe he can save them up from game to game like some people save their vacation days towards retirement. And even if there was, baiting your opponent into making a mistake that you can capitalize on to win a game is absolutely fair play. It’s called “competition” for a reason.
    Quitting is never acceptable.

  78. unbelievable Says:

    THERE IS NO EXCUSE.

    NONE.

    OTHER THAN BOWLES ONCE AGAIN SHOWING HIS INCOMPETENCE

  79. BUCman Says:

    AN EVEN WORSE DECISION WAS GOING FOR A 2 POINT CONVERSION WHEN AN EXTRA POINT MAKES IT A 7 POINT GAME.šŸ¤¬

  80. GhostofBrady Says:

    LOL – I am not calling anyone on this thread bush league Jameis Winston thinkers. But it is generally understood, when defenses don’t take their timeout on the first victory snap, they are signaling there is nothing left to play for. Those who think it’s worth it to play to the very last second on a lost cause are the ones who get their players injured on meaningless downs.

    Both teams recognize the 0.000001% chance of victory is not worth injuring your team member or others. A meaningless touchdown that Jameis pulled in victory formation is on par with calling the one timeout for a miracle block punt. I don’t think Campbell kicks a field goal with 10 seconds left on the 33. Max protect punt into end zone. Leave our QB with one play to let everyone injure each other 80 yards away. This is not the Alamo. If the people in the Alamo had 10 millions dollars to live for like these NFL players who are not trying to get injured, the Alamo combatants probably would have given up.

    The 2-point conversion and the awful pass rush are probably more fair reasons to hack at Bowles’ coaching. I hope Detroit does not become our Chiefs to Bills nemesis. The hump we can’t get pass. Both Detroit and Tampa are similar. Strong willed defensive mind head coaches. #1 pick QBs cast away for something better. Hope Bowles can figure it out. He had the team playing hard. I don’t trust his scheme against these high octane offenses with good QBs.

  81. Bucco Bruce Says:

    Just want to say great breakdown by Vanessa. Couldn’t agree more.