Todd Bowles Not Using Offense As A Scapegoat
November 10th, 2025
Won’t unload on offense.
The Bucs offense, outside of a handful of plays, stunk yesterday.
Talk about dink-and-dunk, gee. Joe isn’t anti-dink-and-dunk but man, when you need 8-12 yards for a first down and you’re throwing screens and having receivers run short routes hoping they would break tackles, that is out of hand.
When faced with a third down, the objective is to get the ball past the sticks. It’s generally easier to do this when your receivers are catching passes past the sticks, not five yards on the wrong side of the chains against a fundamentally sound defense.
(Joe guesses maybe he shouldn’t use the term “chains” any longer. No chain gang means it’s easier for the NFL to rig first down calls via “virtual” measurements.)
Despite the offense being, well, offensive, Bucs coach Todd Bowles refused to unload on the Bucs offense after the game. He said it takes all of us, winning or losing.
“All the way around – we didn’t play well on all three phrases,” Bowles said. “We didn’t have any rhythm on offense, we didn’t have any rhythm on defense, we didn’t have any rhythm on special teams, and it showed.”
While the defense didn’t play great, it was still a one-score game late. Joe gets what Bowles is trying to do here and he’s not wrong. It’s not like the defense played like the 2002 Bucs.
But son of a gun, if the Bucs had any type of offense yesterday they could have won that game.
On the Bucs’ second-last drive that fizzled at the Patriots-27, Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard called for a screen pass to Rachaad White on fourth-and-three. White lost three yards.
That said it all.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:04 am
Baker has the authority to change plays at the LOS, he should’ve canned and get to another play. Why not try a slant? It was only 3 yards. It bad play calling all around.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:19 am
We’re going to be loud and clear. Three touchdown passes and a field goal drive with zero turnovers would guarantee victory 99% of the time. Could anyone here tell me the last time that has happened in the NFL? I’ll wait. First ballot hall of fame numbers. QBs should never lose a game when that is the work they’ve done. Damned right he’s pissed.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:21 am
Our offense and Defense both had some good success and good plays, but were overall pretty terrible. I don’t think we’ll beat any teams with a winning record til maybe in the playoffs if we get a few guys back healthy at the end of the year.
We’ll see.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:24 am
I also place the blame for this loss more on the Defense giving up huge plays in crucial months than on the Offense not scoring enough.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:25 am
*moments not months
November 10th, 2025 at 12:28 am
The ceiling on this team in 2025 is NFC title or Divisional round, that is just the reality for a very beat up team, playing without so many starters coming into camp.
There is a reason they did not make any moves like Philly. Its plain and simple. The mgmt does not see this team making a Super Bowl Run, if they did, they would have made moves that teams make when they believe they have a real shot. Anyone remember when Brady came in 2020…what happened, many moves were made because there was a genuine belief in winning the Super Bowl that year. Philly obviously believes and with good reason, so Philly made many moves. I do not care whether people like what was said, as it is they have over achieved so far with all the pieces missing so far. I hope for the best, but you need talent to win, not smoke and mirrors. And right now this Red Badge of Courage Buccaneers are playing with a hand tied behind their back. There is things that could be said about Grizzard and others, just not going to go there, hopefully Grizz gets better, or someone else is brought in.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:39 am
If the defense doesn’t get better coaching, these next few games are going to be much of the same ….. Bucs offense will have to play their best just to keep the games competitive…..
6-5 is looking like more likely than them getting to 7 wins these next few weeks…
November 10th, 2025 at 12:48 am
You don’t have to blame anyone but yourself when you give up huge play after huge play. This is not a championship team. It’s painfully obvious we aren’t getting back to form and this team is not built for wins against the better teams.
Philly, Detroit, New England,
with future losses against Bills and Rams.
I am completely done with this team wasting offensive plays on Sterling Shepard.
I hope they are as well.
November 10th, 2025 at 1:07 am
Bowles kept it close. Bucs could have won the game but failed to capitalize in the last 2 minutes. Bowles D gave up giant plays. He is headed for .500.
November 10th, 2025 at 1:41 am
JL isn’t making ANY deadline “move” no matter what. I think he’s made just ONE, in about the last 10-YEARS… And, it was mostly, an irrelevant move by only giving-up a 6th-Round Pick. NOT EVEN, during the bad years (pre Brady) FOR PICKS… Not that I can remember.
November 10th, 2025 at 1:43 am
Team loss, bad coaching chasing points, kick a field goal only go for two late in the game, this crap always backfires, take the dang points. special teams are trash, bucs always start inside the 30 when receiving the kickoff yet our opponents always start at the 35 or beyond, don’t get me started on this punter, the defense can’t get a stop, how many third and longs can they give up and credit to the pats sticking with the run and killing us, the offense is not good without 13. Sick of hearing wait until guys get healthy. McMillan and Godwin are never coming back, Bucky probably the last 4 games and how effective can he be sitting for the last two months. Evans maybe for a home playoff game.
The new OC needs to find a way to get a groove.
Such a share game all around
November 10th, 2025 at 1:50 am
For the record… Gronk, AB, and Lenny were NOT “deadline moves.” It was already a DONE deal for AB… They just had to wait for his ‘suspension’ to expire FIRST, before signing him. All three of ‘em 💯 were “Brady-Deals,” or they NEVER would have been made. EVER.
November 10th, 2025 at 1:51 am
And Joe I can’t believe our offense only had a handful of good plays. After handing our team the lead with over 7 and a half minutes left in the second quarter your whipping post offense went from a 3 point lead to an 11 point deficit before getting the ball back. So Baker leads us on a 94 yard touchdown drive. Surely there were at least a handful of good plays on that drive alone. Our OLine, our running backs, and our defense is the problem. Baker’s gonna take the blame. That doesn’t mean he’s the problem.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:00 am
The defense gave Baker the ball back three times in a row with a chance to take the lead in the 4th quarter, and Baker turned it into 0 points. The defense more than did it’s job.
And that doesn’t mean Baker played poorly, but people talking about the defense like they sucked today are just morons. As for Baker, I haven’t seen the ALL22, but I’m guessing there weren’t many guys getting open. That’s why you pay WR’s big money, you can’t just blindly repeat that stupid ‘next man up’ garbage and actually think it means anything – if it did, you wouldn’t have all these expensive pieces on the team.
Anywho, just lost to a team that was better today.
Give us back some of the injured pieces and I very much like the Bucs chances.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:00 am
And Joe, we gonna blame Griz for the 4th and 3. Look at that play again. I have. 5 times. Pressure on Baker in under one second. That’s not coaching. That’s execution. That’s on our blockers.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:12 am
Well, i just watched the highlights…Zyon couldve save that last TD from the pats but he gave up on the play and slowed down thinking he was tackled….thats why you “play to the whistle”….and on that 4th and goal play we had, Egbuka shouldve just sped straight to the corner of the endzone. Oh well, hindsight’s 20/20….gotta learn from these mental errors guys.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:15 am
Rod. You’re a moron. Our defense should have held that team to 14 points. Tops. They played well enough to do that. Except they didn’t 4 times. It got us beat.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:36 am
Not a “deadline move,” but the last major trade we made was sending Carlton Davis to the Lions, for what eventually became JMac. Now, that one turned-out to be a GREAT MOVE. Uhhhh, wait a minute… It sure would be nice to have HIM about right now. Seriously, can’t make-it up! Unbelievable. And, I am STILL PISSED.