Todd Bowles: Bucs Not Healthy Enough To Practice If They Wanted To

November 13th, 2024

So the Bucs could be on the field practicing this morning.

They’re not.

Players are enjoying their second day off in a row. Under NFL bye-week rules, head coach Todd Bowles was required to give players four consecutive days off. Instead, they got six (Tuesday through Sunday).

Talking to WFLA-TV sports chief Dan Lucas, Bowles explained that if the Bucs had a scheduled practice today, the team wouldn’t have been able to get after it.

“We got to get healthy first,” Bowles said. “I don’t think we could practice if we were to practice on Wednesday, we were probably walking through, so it didn’t make any sense.”

Given that the Bucs have lots of little things to master, per Bowles, Joe would have preferred to see the team together today. However, there’s real value in rest and disconnecting, too.

The Bucs don’t have to publish an injury report on a bye week, so it’s unclear just how banged up the team is.

29 Responses to “Todd Bowles: Bucs Not Healthy Enough To Practice If They Wanted To”

  1. PhxBucsFan Says:

    We have communication issues, so we aren’t going to do any non-contact training to fix them. Great logic. We’ve done nothing and we are out of ideas.

  2. Tucker Says:

    Given all the current communication issues would have been nice to see them working on flash cards. Lol go bucs

  3. David Kilmer Says:

    Just wondering no one has brought it up yet. Do you think all these injuries have something to do with the ways the players are being physically conditioned?. I mean all teams have injuries, but the Bucs are over the top. It seems half the team suffers from hamstring and calf injuries. The injuries appear to be an epidemic so to speak. I can’t help but think that something is off with the way these players are being physically conditioned. To hard to soft?, not being trained properly for the activity they are doing?. I mean that type training is a science these days and the Bucs appear off in this arena. Just a thought

  4. Fred McNeil Says:

    I think Todd was just making an offhand comment. He can’t make them practice today. If he did it would just be a limp-thru.
    Rest up boys.
    It would be nice to see Evans, McMillan, and Dean back.

  5. Fred McNeil Says:

    To the posters who posted just before me: yeah, the BUCS have communication issues, but that’s not the biggest problem. They cannot tackle to save their booty butts. They couldn’t get to the passer if they were dropped in by a stealth helicopter. They couldn’t cover it they wore roller skates and glues super-magnets to the receivers butts.

  6. BucsBeast Says:

    Loser mentality

  7. Kenton Smith Says:

    David Kilmer good point “ just a thought” I’ve been having the same thought. Nothing wrong with having some discussion with training staff along with coaching staff.

  8. First Name Greatest Says:

    How do you fix communication issues?

    How do you fix game management issues?

    How do you fix awful technique and scheme?

    Tampa Media please ask Bowles some tough questions, this clown gets a pass for accomplishing very little here.

  9. Mike C Says:

    BucsBeast Says:
    November 13th, 2024 at 8:34 am
    Loser mentality

    Well Brady took time off during training camp…..

  10. BallHawk75 Says:

    Rest up boys. You’ll need to be fresh for your next 500 yard surrender to the Giants.

    Might have to prop bet Daniel Jones that day.

    It will be a career day for him.

    But, communication issues……..

  11. heyjude Says:

    I guess we won’t know the total of injuries at this time. Sort of scares me hearing all this.

    Why not still hold a get-together meeting, watch film of the upcoming teams, strategize, have lunch together and bond, communicate frustrations, … Just saying.

  12. Pmike Says:

    Have you guys ever felt burnt out from work and needed a day off??!! Jeez let these guys rest!!! They have half a season to put their bodies on the line for your entertainment, give them a couple days off!!

  13. Badbucs Says:

    The players should want to come practice after what they have put on film. Bowles statement is ridiculous. There has to be many things individually and teamwise they could work on without it being the full team regimen. Just another bad decision Todd.

  14. Badbucs Says:

    For that matter, should have had the whole defense doing tackling drills all day every day for the rest of this week after their rest days.

  15. unbelievable Says:

    Coach Softer-Than-Wet-Tissue strikes again!

    Softest training camp in the entire league.

    Softest preseason in the entire league.

    Softest practice schedule in the entire league.

    And whaddayaknow? We also have the softest sloppiest most pathetic defense in the league too. And we’re still riddled with injuries, despite Bowles genius plan to not let guys even breathe on each other. No wonder no one can tackle.

    I’m so sick of Bowles

  16. Alanbucsfan Says:

    They don’t have a quality Edge Rusher or Middle LB
    B Hall, J Dean, S Dennis, T Smith all have been injured
    The LB and secondary depth is poor
    But it’s all Bowles fault

  17. Upstate NY BUC Says:

    Sapp and Brooks and Nickerson would have been embarrassed and ashamed if they performed on the defensive like this squad has so far, No splash plays whatsoever!!!! they cannot be happy about this defense the Bucs are putting on the field. Time for a closed-door meeting immediately!!! Go Bucs

  18. JimBobBuc Says:

    I’ll be the contrarian today. I would think that self scouting and meetings are still going on every day and hopefully all day if they aren’t on the field. I’m OK with the guys spending time with trainers and not on the field now. However, the on-field work needs to ramp up to full contact as the bye goes on.

    Offense: Baker and WR’s need lots of reps in the second half of the bye.
    Defense: Bowles and his defensive staff are lost and have no clue. They’ve had lots of time to fix the defense. Lots of film work and a$$ kicking in meetings now. Next week, tackling drills, and 7 on 7s for the secondary.

    Licht needs to sit down with Bowles and officially tell him he is gone at the end of the season unless this defense turns completely around, and Bowles must be better with the end of game strategy.

  19. D-Rok Says:

    I wonder aloud if tablets can be used in the ice bath for Zoom meetings?

    If you can’t be on the field, be in meetings. ALL DAY LONG.

    Fix it, Coach!

  20. Dave Pear Says:

    Now the fraud masquerading as two football coaches shows he is a quitter, too. Nice.

    Jason takes notice. So do the Glazers.

  21. View from 132 Says:

    Starting to read these posts like “does it really matter?” No knock on Joe, but just doesn’t feel like this team is accomplishing anything this year unless you still consider the 10-6 missed playoff year or the years Dungy got blown out in the Wild Card round a great outcome.
    Joe suspects things will feel better when/if the Bucs win their next three games. Never know what can come together for a team down the stretch.–Joe

  22. BucU Says:

    This team is T O A S T.

  23. Jerseybuc Says:

    Setting up just like last season. Falcons finally lost their lucky rabbit foot last week, maybe they get tripped a few times second half. Gotta hope Vikings come back to earth as well, but 10 games seems like a fair goal and who knows what the league looks like after Christmas.

  24. Big Red Says:

    I don’t understand all the Todd Bowles hate. Who doesn’t enjoy watching Vita Vea drop back into zone coverage on the first play of the game?

  25. drdneastup Says:

    We get just as many debilitating soft tissue injuries of players in practice as we do in games. Something isn’t right here.

  26. Bucswin? Says:

    Just relax. Todd knows what he is doing. Just have confidence in our coaches. All will be well. He got this. Superbowl bound #teampositive

  27. Hearty Dikerson Says:

    Hopefully this article helps clarify all those defending Bowles wit the “but the players still love him!” argument.

    Yeah they love him because he makes their lives easy. Days off, soft practices, no accountability. It’s the way students love the substitute teacher. Every day is movie day at One Buc.

  28. Dave Pear Says:

    Algo Rhythm intercepts another pass. Amazing.

  29. Jake been there since the beginning Says:

    I would hope that they at least got in something worthwhile, I mean work the wideouts cause we could lose some dropped balls and I’m sure the rest of us would like that. The less they have the ball thrown to them the more little things go wrong and oops. I know it’s second nature but it’s happening here to much. If McMillan would have caught one a couple weeks ago he was going to the house. Can you get some stickum from back in the day. Go Bucs!!!!