Todd Bowles: Anthony Nelson Cannot Be Stopped (For One Yard)
October 27th, 2025
Bucs coach Todd Bowles was in such a good mood after the Bucs’ win last night he even let his sarcasm show.
Of course, the talk in the locker room and at the podium in the bowels of Lincoln’s Tomb was Anthony Nelson. The veteran outside linebacker had his first start of the season and he easily had his best game. He got his first pick since high school.
Bowles was ecstatic at the podium talking about Nelson.
“He’s a good ballplayer,” Bowles said. “We talk about him all of the time. He is a very aggressive player. He is a very smart player. He hasn’t fallen for a bootleg yet.
“He has great anticipation when he batted the ball up. He is a very good athlete. He can catch the ball very well. He had a heck of a ballgame.
“Once he catches the ball, there is no one who is going to catch him for one yard.”
Well, if Nelson really cannot be stopped in gaining a yard, perhaps he needs to be involved in the Bucs’ goal line offense.
Joe is happy for Nelson, a good guy who has been around a while. He’s one of the few backups who re-signed (twice!) with the same team that drafted him. Usually, those guys find greener pastures (and salaries) elsewhere.
Bowles is right. Nelson is smart and he does hustle. His issue is he gets taken out by physical teams too often. Aside from that, he always seems to have an impact.
He’s never had an impact like he had yesterday (sacks, pick-six, forced fumble).
October 27th, 2025 at 5:50 am
Nelson was superb! Got us all cheering! He is starter material.
October 27th, 2025 at 5:52 am
Gotta admit after securing that pick, then punking Rattler in the manner that he did, was the play of the game. Those just happened to be the game winning points. That came after the hustle play of knocking that fumble loose. And 2 sacks. Reddick must have done an amazing job of coaching him up this week. I told you guys that Reddick is a heck of a player
October 27th, 2025 at 5:55 am
His height can probably work against him if his technique isn’t perfect but man, what a game. He’s earned a start for the next game. Let’s see what he can do with those extra snaps.
October 27th, 2025 at 6:04 am
Anthony Nelson and Jamel Dean. Talk about 2 guys who have taken a SIGNIFICANT step into the limelight. This defense the past 2 weeks has been unbelievable.
With the bye coming to hopefully reset the offense, there’s a thought stretch after next week, Baker and Grizz have to be ready to close the season rolling.
October 27th, 2025 at 6:04 am
Tough stretch*^
October 27th, 2025 at 6:27 am
The story of the game is the no whistle called back fumble. This is one of many bad calls every week. I’ll bet bad calls are up since replay. I’ll bet there will be no explanation of no evidence of a whistle upon replaying the call at elevated volume. That was a touchdown and another game changing call.
I did enjoy Anthony Nelson and Todd’s defense.
October 27th, 2025 at 7:24 am
he’s great in space when he has room to move but if he gets double teamed it’s tough, see how he does against the patriots can he back it up?
October 27th, 2025 at 7:47 am
great job Nelson!!!!!
6-2!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 27th, 2025 at 8:14 am
Career Game
October 27th, 2025 at 8:52 am
I think his height is an asset, when it come to batting passes at or behind the line of scrimmage. I hope he gets more snaps and start making opposing QBs looke like Chris Sims.
October 27th, 2025 at 9:02 am
Nelson was great. That puck six was entertaining as hell to watch. He just chucked the qb to the ground. That mystery whistle that nullified Winfields TD shortly after was total bs. I try to rationally look at why they play so soft every week and it must have to do with being in zone and a bend but dont break attitude. I disagree with this philosophy when our offense is not getting points, thats when time matters. We did win the game and our defense did win the game so maybe im.nit picking. When announcers are talking about Bowles great defense schemes they never mention that at all. To me when we are playing man coverage good things happen so I wonder why we done do this more often
October 27th, 2025 at 9:34 am
Like Woodson said yeaterday at half time, maybe Nelson isn’t a backup for long!!. Really happy for him. Talk about dedicated.
The Winfield debackle?, WOW!!, really unbelieveable. My question, did anyone in the stadium hear a whistle?, and would the guy who blew the whistle please stand up. I wonder if the whistle was blown in NY. Between
October 27th, 2025 at 9:35 am
Sorry the Between was a typo above, I accidently hit enter instead of delete
October 27th, 2025 at 9:42 am
I have always liked Nelly!
Always knew that he steps up when needed. He saved us the game against the Panthers with that forced fumble.
I feel like the issue with him has less to do with his ability and more to do with he seems more like a 4-3 defensive end given his size and weight then a typical outside linebacker in a 3-4 system who tends to be smaller lighter and faster. So in that regard he is a bit of fish out of water. All that to say I kind of feel that we actually have the players to make up a 4-3 scheme better than a 3-4. I think Logan Hall and Elijah Roberts are two other players that don’t quite fit the mold of three four defensive tackles…
October 27th, 2025 at 9:43 am
We need a whistleblower on The whistleblower!
October 27th, 2025 at 9:49 am
Awesome play and I like how he soundly and purposefully he dispatched Rattler before bouncin’ into the endzone
October 27th, 2025 at 9:51 am
He has always shown flashes, but he has lacked consistency. This was his best game yet as a Buc. Hopefully, he’s turning the corner?
October 27th, 2025 at 10:40 am
TB is pretty funny. Nobody is going to catch him for that one yard TD.
October 27th, 2025 at 11:22 am
As you mentioned earlier, Hassan who?
October 27th, 2025 at 11:22 am
“So in that regard he is a bit of fish out of water. All that to say I kind of feel that we actually have the players to make up a 4-3 scheme better than a 3-4.”
We can bookend our DL with players who fit in both schemes. Shaq was more of a prototype 3-4 OLB as to where JPP was a 4-3 DE, we played them both and asked them to do the same things with their different skillsets. That’s the hybridization of this scheme, it’s not always in the function of all 11 alot of it has to do to where the personnel is lined up.
Nelly on the Parrish sack, was in the flat but lined up as a OLB just to flip his hips and cover space. Same for the play he made the INT, he didn’t do that as a rusher but playing contain and Rattler I think underestimated Nelly’s length thinking he’d get that pass over Nellys’ head and well..