Five Things
December 12th, 2025
Tight end Devin Culp celebrates his first NFL touchdown Thursday.
Joe thinks the Bucs are on the verge of upheaval at One Buc Palace in some form or another. That’s what happens when you may have the worst defense in the league and your team is cratering so bad in the past seven weeks you’re on the cusp of missing the playoffs. So start chugging that mug of java, you will need it.
Being Kirk Cousins’ Female Dog
Joe just doesn’t get it. How in the world can a defensive coordinator regularly get fried by Kirk “509” Cousins? Not just one game, but several.
It’s not like Cousins is Matt Stafford or Pat Mahomes. He’s OK, sometimes good. Not a Hall of Famer. Cousins is on the final lap or two of his career, yet when he plays a Todd Bowles defense, Cousins looks like an immobile Josh Allen.
You’d think getting burned once would be enough. “OK Kirk, I will devise a defense that will rattle your cage so bad you’ll be talking like a parrot for weeks.”
Nope.
And while the following may be completely untrue and unfair, does it appear Todd Bowles looked at any tape of Cousins the past two seasons? Bowles got raked over the coals by Cousins twice last year.
Did Bowles make any adjustments or add special looks or schemes for Cousins? Try something different? Didn’t look like it to Joe.
Remember lousy Lovie Smith in the Tennessee-Ready game against that rotten runaround quarterback Marcus Mariota? Allegedly, lousy Lovie was studying Mariota’s film as there was a chance the Bucs would draft Mariota (whew, bullet dodged). But when lousy Lovie’s defense faced Mariota in Week 1 of the 2015 season, Tennessee ran a form of Oregon’s offense with Mariota.
To Joe, it was as if lousy Lovie never watched 30 seconds of film on Mariota. Defenders were all over the map, having no idea where to go, what to do. Meanwhile, Mariota ran rings around lousy Lovie’s defense.
That’s what last night looked like. Bowles and his defense had been blasted several times by Cousins and it didn’t appear Bowles used anything exotic or out of the ordinary.
The results were too predictable. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and thinking you will get a different result.
Predictable Bucs
Was anyone really surprised at what happened last night? Here are the bets Joe placed on that game last night:
* Bijan Robinson to score two touchdowns.
* Dixie Chicks +4
* Dixie Chicks moneyline (meaning picked to win).
* Dixie Chicks +5 (couldn’t pass up the extra point last night).
* Robinson over-74.5 rushing yards.
* Kirk Cousins over-201 passing yards.
* Robinson over-37.5 receiving yards.
* Cousins over-1.5 passing touchdowns.
* Jalen McMillan over-10.5 receiving yards.
Joe missed one bet (Robinson over-1.5 touchdowns). Why? Because last night’s game was so predictable. The Bucs defense hasn’t looked remotely good since they beat the slimy Saints in New Orleans before the bye. And Joe figured Bowles would do nothing to adjust to Cousins.
Also, the Bucs inside linebackers cannot defend the pass, which is a bread-and-butter play for Cousins and Robinson. Joe predicted the Dixie Chicks would expose the Bucs on short passes targeting Robinson.
If some dope like Joe could predict all of this with the Bucs defense, imagine what professional NFL coaches can predict with Bowles’ defense? Well, we’ve been watching just that play out the past seven weeks.
Personal Record
Joe is so worn out by opposing offenses having someone burn the Bucs for the best day of his career against a Bowles defense.
Last year it was Kirk Cousins. This year, Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts.
Pitts has been a major disappointment for the Dixie Chicks. Coming out of the University of Florida, he seemed to be a next-level, generational talent at tight end. It never happened but for a couple of games his rookie season. And last night.
Facing a Bowles’ defense, naturally.
Pitts was targeted 12 times making 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns! He’s never had more than 163 yards in a game receiving and that was back in Dec. 26, 2021. And he’s never had three touchdowns in a game.
Until he played a Bowles defense last night.
Joe asks: Aren’t you about tired of opposing offensive players setting personal marks of production against Bowles’ defenses? Joe is. This doesn’t happen regularly to good defensive coordinators.
It’s bad enough the Bucs need an act of Congress to get a sack from an edge rusher. Yes, they got a big one last night from Haason Reddick. Now even stiffs can have near-personal records on the Bucs pass defense — in the first half!
It’s getting harder and harder to try to hatch a reason this team doesn’t need a new defensive coordinator. You can’t win meaningful games with a sieve of a pass defense like the Bucs have had the past few years.
A Devin Culp Sighting!
A lot of Bucs fans have been clamoring for reserve tight end Devin Culp to get targets. The way Cade Otton has played his way out of a new contract, the drum-beating had some merit too.
With Otton slipping into obscurity and Josh Grizzard being allergic to involving Payne Durham into the offense in any capacity other than as a blocking tight end, it has been like the Bucs were playing with 10 players on offense. Virtually zero production from tight ends.
So the folks who wanted to see Culp had some ammo, and Thursday night their pleas were heard.
Culp got wide-ass open down the seam for a six-yard touchdown. OMG, a tight end got down the field (yeah, just six yards but Joe will take it) to not just make a play, but score a touchdown?
Last night with most of the offense back, Joe had glimpses of what this offense could have been. Production from nearly very skill position.
And it was sure good to see how Culp demonstrated what production from a tight end looks like for a change.
Jalen McMillan Is Back
How awesome was it to see Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan return to the field? And McMillan didn’t just walk on the field. He caught a long pass over the middle in traffic to set up the Bucs for a one-yard touchdown early in the game.
After breaking three vertebrae in his neck, Joe figured McMillan would be skittish in his first game back from getting undercut by a Steelers camp meat corner trying to make a splash play.
McMillan wasn’t skittish at all getting that catch in traffic over the middle. That was probably the best thing Joe saw last night in a Bucs loss that’s going to eat at Joe until probably next fall.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:13 am
Most fans knew radio wasn’t a good HC. I knew it from the rip!!really tried getting supporting bowels but this is 3 years of the exact same sloppy soft a$$$ football midseason collapses. He should have been bounced last year with coen sitting right in there laps while the offense was balling!!! Nope stuck with radio. They probably won’t win another game this year
December 12th, 2025 at 6:18 am
Here’s my 5 things.
1 they’re lucky they won 7 games
2 there’s no way they go to the playoffs
3 should’ve kept Liam
4 the defense quit
5 no more D coordinators for HC
December 12th, 2025 at 6:21 am
Todd Bowles sounds like he is starting to blame some locker room cancers for the lack of effort in these losses. Did he try to do anything? Just curious, if the cancer has a big salary cap attached and how long has this been festering?????
The bad player attitude aside, the fact that everyone knows what the ATL was going to do and Bowles made zero adjustments tells me the coach is not a guru and he is a one dimensional coach whose D is a house of cards with a strong pass rush as its foundation: no pass rush and the D is cornholed. We have seen it time and time again. Glazers, time to hit the reset button. Bye Todd, thanks for the mediocre memories. Your house of cards crumbled in the Pats’ game.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:22 am
There are no words to describe this disgusting fall from grace.
Fire E V E R Y B O D Y.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:24 am
Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Just like ’22, ’23. ’24. Do we fall backwards into the playoffs or just fall out of the playoffs. Year 3 of the HC/QB combo is when it should all come together. I thought this was the year. Now…
December 12th, 2025 at 6:27 am
As soon as I saw bucs -5.5 I told everyone I know who bets to load on falcons covering.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:27 am
Here’s 5 things.
5 of last 6 games are losses.
Flush this toilet and remove the Turds.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:28 am
Can anyone provide even one good reason why Todd Bowles should be retained? I’m interested especially in a response from his fan club, who all seem to have faded into the woodwork.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:28 am
Wasn’t this when real football started Bakeyboy?
December 12th, 2025 at 6:30 am
If it wasn’t for Coen’s offense being as good as it was, this clusterf**k of a HC/DC would’ve been exposed last year to more of the masses.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:30 am
The end of the game was hard to watch. Watching Zion walk through the tunnel leaving the game whilst smiling and waving at fans was more than aggravating. Of course, Baker’s interception allowed the Chicks to drive down the field and bring it to a two point game. Which makes everything Bakers fault and a rookie quarterback should be drafted, right? The Bucks last possession was going well until Griz called a running play up the gut on first down that was stuffed for a four yard loss. Then the Chicks blitzed again and Baker was sacked for another loss. Third down Baker’s desperation pass was decent but slightly behind the receiver. Punt with a two point advantage. Here was the worst part. They had Atlanta at second and 28 or something like that after blitzing successfully. Bowles then has the defense drop back into a soft zone and the game was over. Another loss. Very poor coaching but I’m sure everything was one player’s fault.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:31 am
We still couldn’t win on a night where the Falcons committed 19 penalties. We are frauds until we are not. Something has to change.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:32 am
If it wasn’t for Coen’s offense being as good as it was, this cluster of a HC/DC would’ve been exposed last year to more of the masses.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:33 am
Five things.
We saw a different Baker earlier in the year so that means he’s hurt. His accuracy rate is no longer bailing the team out.
This fan doesn’t agree with one of the Joes about OLB use but does fully agree that pressure and sacks have to come from somewhere. Pathetic.
Reddick is a quitter. That much is clear.
Missing leadership on the defense.
You cannot not blame the head coach at this point.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:33 am
I wouldn’t call Coach Bowles insane, just outright incompetent.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:35 am
Kirk 509, no how about”Kirk 3rd and 28”. You like that! What a disgrace!
December 12th, 2025 at 6:36 am
anyone who wasnt violently sickened by bowles as DC LAST YEAR was totally asleep. how many games did the bucs get marched on over the middle over and over and over.
yet here they are this year, even worse. is he just lazy as inferred by “joe”
glazers are fools. so is licht. so are the bowles apologists.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:37 am
and yea having mike and jalen back was great. they both made some great grabs,
December 12th, 2025 at 6:40 am
One thing that has been ignored is a couple of times when the Falcons had a big penalty on 2nd down, and it would have been 3rd and long if the penalty was declined. But, on both occasions Bowles took the penalty and the Falcons, which had been picking us apart all night, had two downs to convert. Which they did. Bad decisions!
December 12th, 2025 at 6:44 am
Where is Winfield? Where is the frickin pass rush to a qb that is 90 years old-run game was our best defense what happened?
December 12th, 2025 at 6:45 am
1) 3rd and 28
2) 4th and 14
3) We can’t stop a fart
4) If the Glazers keep Bowels, you can play the games in any high school stadium because that will hold all the fans who want to see this garbage live
5) He should never, ever have been hired to be HC after his Jets debacle and here we are!
December 12th, 2025 at 6:45 am
I felt like I went back in time to a 1976 Buc game!
December 12th, 2025 at 6:46 am
Que Mike Smith, and this defense could be worse than any of the units he fielded. The sad thing about it, is that it’s a broken record, and just so predictable.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:47 am
I honestly think coehn realized how incompetent Bowles is. Jumped shipped to save his own career. Can anyone blame the guy?! Hindsight’s 20/20.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:49 am
I’m not sure which is worse, Kirk ripping this D a new one the last 3, or that 2018 performance by Mitch Trubisky. I’m going with the former. Atl had 20 penalties, a team record for them, and they still won. If that doesn’t make you sick, I don’t know what will.
December 12th, 2025 at 6:50 am
My old friend is back, focusing on the draft
December 12th, 2025 at 6:54 am
What’s the over/under on Coach Bowles getting “released” on January 5th? On January 4th?
December 12th, 2025 at 6:56 am
I read on this site several weeks ago about us Running The Table. I asked, “Do you watch football?” I knew they wouldn’t Run The Table, because I watch football. Lots of it.
Same with The Schedule Gets Easier.
Loser talk.
They won several games on the last play or so.
What does this team do well? All sarcasm aside, nothing.
So stop with the fantasy talk. They are not built tough. No Dawgs and it’s too easy to get a nice second contract from JL.
December 12th, 2025 at 7:00 am
2 chances to recover fumbles in the 4th quarter-sad
An interception gives the Falcons great field position in 4th quarter
An accurate pass to Egbuka on Bucs’ last possession gets a 1st down and ices the game
The D stinks, but this game is just as much on Mayfield’s poor 4th quarter performance
December 12th, 2025 at 7:41 am
I had both QBs going over 250 yards and falcons win. There is just too much history with Kirk Cousins shredding this defense.
December 12th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Remember, this pretty much the same D and coaching staff that allowed the Skins to have ZERO punts in last year’s playoff game. ZERO. Todd has his stint, move on. We are very close to a full rebuild which sucks because we really haven’t had a window.