It Appears Todd Bowles Has Taken A More Active Role With Bucs Offense
December 23rd, 2025
Wanted to ground-and-pound.
Boy, this sure feels like Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has had his wings clipped.
Yesterday in his day-after presser, Todd Bowles admitted he wanted to run the ball 30 times Sunday in Carolina, despite maybe having the best, deepest wide receiver room in the league.
Instead, Bowles said the Bucs were good last year because they ran the ball. So that’s what he wanted the Bucs to do Sunday.
“We didn’t have to get [30 rushes]; we wanted to,” Bowles said. “It was a formula for us that worked last year. Last year we had 41 and 38 rushes against them. When you win the game, it’s different; when you lose the game, we were right there.
“We did everything we wanted to do. We controlled every category except for the turnover battle at the end and we lost the ball game.”
Look, Joe gets what Bowles is suggesting here. And Joe is not a hypocrite: Joe called for the Bucs to feed Bucky Irving because he tore up the Stinking Panthers last year.
But man, when you have the receivers the Bucs have, now healthy, which you have been pining for all season, you basically put those guys on ice as if Carolina had Mel Blount, Deion Sanders, Ronnie Lott and John Lynch in their secondary.
“So, we try to get the ball to our stars, but at the same time, we try to establish the run game and make it balanced as well,” Bowles said.
Joe is going to stick up for Bowles with that last quote. Bowles wasn’t using the word “balanced” as in 50/50 run-to-pass ratio.
Joe had a chat with Bowles at the combine that was used on “The Ira Kaufman Podcast.”
Joe read Bowles the famous Mike Leach quote about balance in offensive football.
“There’s nothing balanced about 50 percent run, 50 percent pass because that’s 50 percent stupid,” Leach said. “What is balanced is when you have five skill positions; if all five of them are contributing to the offensive effort in a somewhat equal fashion, then that’s balanced.
“But this notion that if you hand it to one guy 50 percent of the time, and then you throw it to a combination of two guys the other 50 percent that you’re really balanced, then you’re delusional.”
Joe will never forget Bowles’ reaction: “He’s right! You want to spread the ball evenly to your weapons.”
Joe’s biggest problem with Sunday’s severely run-heavy attack was, as Bowles said yesterday, this strategy worked last year. Well, last year is last year and this year is this year.
A year ago the Bucs had solid veteran Ben Bredeson at left guard, borderline Pro Bowl right guard Cody Mauch at right guard and a rising rookie at center in Graham Barton.
This year, Bredeson and Mauch are both on the injured reserve list and as a result, playing next to subpar backups, Barton has regressed. Last year the Bucs had at worst the third-best offensive line in the league. Maybe the best.
This year, the Bucs are struggling up front due to injuries. But the Bucs’ star receivers are now healthy — and well-rested after Sunday, too.
Team Glazer is paying these guys big bucks for a reason. May as well use them.
December 23rd, 2025 at 3:55 am
You beat Carolina by scoring 30. You don’t score 30 by running the ball all game unless you have prime Barry sanders. Is Bowles scared baker will throw interceptions? Does Bowles not want to score too many points?
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:05 am
“We did everything we wanted to do. We controlled every category except the turnover battle at the end and we lost the ballgame”. So by doing everything we wanted to do we were behind by 3 points with 2 minutes left to play and at our own 10 yard line. If that’s everything you wanted to do coach it’s past time to hang them up.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:12 am
Stick to fixing your broken defence – no need to ruin the offense as well!
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:49 am
“Barton has regressed.”
I see it too. What happened? He was playing poorly when both starting Guards were in. He actually looks smaller.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:57 am
Wirfs aka Larry Allen 2.0 at LG.
Chukwuma aka The Nigerian Beast at LT.
Then…..
You can run the ball.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:59 am
I just finished researching what are the chances of scoring when starting from the ten yard line with 2 minutes left in the game. Funny that AI plugged in Mahomes and Brady as the operators of that scenario. Our chances, if we had Mahomes and Brady, would have been less than 10 percent to win and less than 20 percent to tie.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:59 am
The word “we” spoke out to me, as Bowles having the final decisions on all. Sounds like a lot of confusion for the players at the time of play. Baker sometimes takes a while to throw the ball. Is that part of it?
Agree with Joe. Something working last year, is so last year, and not this year. It’s called change, progressing to what you have at this time. “Inspire Change.”
It disheartens me to question Todd, and I have been one of his strongest supporters. However, it’s beginning to feel like an entirely new rebuild may be needed. Unfortunately, with a new rebuild comes more changes, more time to get going, patience.
Agree with Kenton too, Todd saying they did everything they could do sounds like giving up to me. If you don’t have that fire in coaching any longer, it’s time to get out of coaching and maybe do something else. Having fire at the podium, isn’t enough.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:15 am
heyjude, I’m disheartened also. I like Todd Bowles. But he’s the man that preached over the offseason that we certainly couldn’t expect to throw 16 picks and win ballgames. His legacy may be that in all his seasons here the only time he won 10 games was the year his team threw 16 interceptions. Oh yeah, shlt happens when you’re hanging 30 points a game. He either adapts or gets left behind. Life is funny like that.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:17 am
Todd went turtle, what is new????? He just wanted to make sure that his D did not give up 30+, instead they gave up 23 and the game. Bowles’ call before halftime was idiotic, he is conservative on O and then goes all out blitz on the last play of the half, daring Bryce Young to beat him? Not smart, Todd, not smart at all. Decisions like that are why Bowles needs to be fired. The team has probably figured out that Bowles is not going to save them and they do not have the leadership to save themselves, hence a lost season which had a lot of promise. Fire Bowles, Fire him, fire him!
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:24 am
This whole team is in disarray.The whole team has regressed. We had BA’s team TB Gronk and others in 22 and lost to the cowpokes in the wild card 31-14
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:25 am
So the guy who ruined the defense decides to run the offense, too? His decisions for that game were decided by what Carolina’s defense was LAST YEAR? What a sh!tshow!
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:28 am
Bowles actually said “We were right there”? Does he expect a participation trophy for only losing by 3?
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:33 am
HC/DC/OC…….what could go wrong.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:56 am
Bowels thinks ball control, limiting turnovers, and controlling the clock will win the game. He forgets that not having Baker open up the offense during the game 1. Keeps the D guessing, 2. Gets Baker involved instead of having him suddenly WAKE UP @ the end of the game and NOW GO WIN IT ….. when you purposely limited him the whole game preventing Baker to get INTO THE FLOW……..3. Keeps your scoring opportunities down..guaranteeing that the game will beclose and who makes the BIG PLAY @ THE END OF THE GAME ……W-I-N-S…!!!! MOST IMPORTANT POINT ( please)……Do you really want to put even more pressure on YOUR DEFENSE @ the end of the game ???? ( sorry) but we already know that the defense is not likely to stop a team from scoring in the waining moments of the game !!!!!! 4. SOLUTION: ……you get Baker out of his funk by opening up the offense……..go up tempo …….PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE & LET OUR RECEIVERS MAKE THE PLAYS TO WIN THE GAME !!!!!!!We have the best receiving core in the NFL. !!!! LETS PLAY TO OUR STRENGTHS. !!!! QUIT PLAYING NOT TO WIN !!!!! Miami 24. Tampa Bay 31…….Merry Christmas ( happy holidays ) EVERYONE !!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:11 am
Run and shoot, go 4 and 5 wide sets,,, safe is death Bowled
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:11 am
Bucs could’ve easily won that game by running the ball, but NOT the way they did it. Their play-calling sucked, big-time. Grizz wasted most of our 33 rushes because of predictable play-calling. Yes we got 169 yards rushing & averaged 5.1 YPC on those runs, but the ‘average’ is extremely misleading.
Bucs had THREE long runs of 20 yds or more (39, 23, 26 … and the last 2 of those were Baker scrambles), plus another ONE run of 10 yds or more (12). We had another SIX runs of 5 or 6 yds, but then the rest … 23 runs … were abysmal, and totaled 35 yds (1.5 YPC). And many of those very short 23 runs were on 1st downs, so they set us behind the 8-ball constantly. Those ‘good’ 10 runs produced 134 yds, while the ‘bad’ 23 runs produced only 35 yds. That’s sad.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:15 am
He’s setting up his scapegoat. 💯
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:18 am
Just saw this at the very top of my phone’s Google feed while sitting here waiting for my plane to take-off…Courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy!
Bucky Irving: 67/247/1 (3.7 YPC)
Rachaad White: 19/125/0 (6.6 YPC)
Sean Tucker: 17/39/3 (2.3 YPC)
It’s unbelievable. NOTHING they do ever makes ANY sense. The entire group. GM. HC. OC. Glazers. ALL OF THEM.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:22 am
Just read the article. CLUELESS. What a complete… Well, fill-in the blank. “Duhhhh, it worked last year!?” Total clown show.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:24 am
Uhhh, are we not going to mention that every time Mayfield drops back to pass that he gets sacked??? Haven’t seen much of that discussion on any Bucs coverage whatsoever. The past two games, the o-line has been a sieve. Baker absolutely holds the ball too long and contributes to those big 3rd down sacks but let’s not gloss over the fact that he barely has time to throw
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:43 am
Yes we have some Oline issues now but the bottom line is the offensive scheme is awful along with the defensive scheme. If you took this exact same team and gave them a great coach like a Sean Payton or McVay we’d be 12-4 right now. Bowles and his clown show coaching staff have to go.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:45 am
Todd Bowles literally can’t do ANYTHING right. He’s the Charlie Brown of NFL coaches. I just can’t wait any longer to see him and his staff GONE. What an absolute disaster of a season. Fire the bum today.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:50 am
Is he going to call the plays when they get to 3rd and 27 and 4th and 14? He has some experience with that.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:52 am
Too late Todd. This season is lost. Bubye.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:54 am
Todd can’t fix his defense so he is now ruining the offense too? Laughable to watch. Go blitz the buffet fatboy. Your toast. Pudgy, hoppy, dumpy Baker is too.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:01 am
they ran 40 times in the second game last year, but also threw 32 times for 359 yards. They became run heavy after they built up a big lead. Throw to score and get lead, run to ice the game
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:03 am
When Dave Canales was the bucs OC he instilled in Mayfield the goal of releasing the ball within 2.5 seconds. This helped turn Mayfields performance into pro bowl caliber. Over the past two seasons Mayfield tends to hold onto the ball longer allowing more pressure by the opposing defense. This is just one of the many positives Canales brought to the table. Canales is not a very god play caller, but his concepts are very sound and it is why he is having success with a mediocre QB in Carolina. I still think he was the right head coach for the Bucs and he is having success with his concepts in Carolina.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:08 am
I would respect Bowles more if he took responsibility for the Panthers loss. Running the ball 30 times was his idea, and it didn’t work. After 15 weeks, he should realize the only chance the Bucs have is outscoring their opponent. Not clock management or ball control. Being down 3 with the ball on your own 10-yard line is NOT controlling the game.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:18 am
Is Bowles delusional? We almost lost the first game and after the Panthers checked out Baker had an MVP game on them
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:19 am
Coltol. Correct. DR. Correct. We were also 8-14 on third down. Alot of good that stellar stat did us. And if we kick the ball off into the end zone like we have the last couple of games the entire coaching staff should be replaced mid game. When football is played right you look forward to tackling the ball. Not shrinking from the opportunity to tackle the ball. It’s disgusting really. And yes, I know why we’re doing it. I watched the Buffalo game also. I think it was right after the Patriots game where we had 3 TD passes and 0 turnovers. And still lost. Seeing alot of football this year that’s trying to drag down my football IQ.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:47 am
Joe, you don’t say!
You don’t think it is obvious that Bowles shifted the offence back to 70/80’s with trying to run the ball 30 times, instead of trying to score 30 pts.
Bowles has got to go, he is a terrible HC. The fanbase is fed up with an average team in a terrible division…don’t hand me BS about winning division titles. Bucs won the 3 division titles under Bowles with a collective record of 27-24, in a division that was dreadful where collectively the record of the other 3 teams were 57-96, winning pct .373. That is ABYSMAL!
Side note, as HC of the Jets he was 24-40.
There is no more proof required.
Anyone defending Bowles is absolutely delusional!
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:47 am
Kenton
Agreed. I’ve watched week after week as defenders shrink away from making a tackle.
I believe most would run the other direction if they could get away with it. This team is as soft as Bowles hanging gut.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:48 am
Bucky is not as effective as last year in part because they are giving him the bulk of the carries and he is beat up. Grizz keeps expecting miracles from that are
not happening. White has the two longest carries in the last two games of 20 and 39 yards. And Tucker is scoring Td’s if he can get to the edge. But 59 yards in two carries should have earned White more carries. Grizz is in over his head and can’t see the forest for the trees.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:17 am
The elephant in the room is, what happened within 1 Buc to spur on this change?
Is it being 12th ranked in pass attempts but being 27th ranked in yards per pass on the season? 23rd in Completion %?
Was it the Lions game, facing a defensive backfield with reserves at every DB position and posting 9 points?
You know what the text book definition of insanity is?
Do they no longer trust Baker to be the point guard of this offense?
As somebody who’s been screaming for running the ball more year. I saw the vision this past Sunday, but it also confirmed that Grizz favors Bucky to a fault and that works against us more often than it’s worked for us with him available.
I don’t think Rachaad will be back, he popped that one run for 39 yards and got about 2-3 more carries after, no faith in this OC. Here’s the thing Grizz isn’t doing with him that Coen did, he started more games than Bucky Irving even after Bucky started going off. Chaad was the jab, Bucky was the hook.
And if Tucker wasn’t an exclusive rights free agent in ’26, he’d probably go elsewhere too.
I dislike Grizzs’ personnel usage. Not just in the run game either, a few times we got Mike and EE/JMac split out, with Tez in the slot? Like who’s call was that?
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:36 am
I think it was a multitude of things on the offensive line. We just expect Baker to be superman every single play, but nothing is 100%. The o Line has been beat up this year, he is getting rushed through his progression because of the pass rush, and if he isnt and the Oline is holding, Then he is anxious of getting hit and wondering when its gonna happen. Cant blame the guy, especially after the shoulder injury. I would have happy feet and bee nervous nonstop when I randomly have time too. Need for depth at Oline. The strength and conditioning team NEEDS to be looked at.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:36 am
In the 2020 NFC championship against the Packers Tom Brady threw 3 picks. In 2020-2022 Brady threw 38 interceptions. In 2021(10), 2022(16), and 2023 (8), Baker Mayfield has thrown 34 picks. Kind of like what Jameis would throw about that many in a season. Of course Winston had a penchant for throwing pick sixes. And eating crab meat if it was free.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:47 am
So that’s the plan….pin it on the handpicked OC. I’ve been waiting on that.
Not that I think the offense has been good. I could care less if they get rid of him. But it won’t matter unless Todd is on the same plane out.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:50 am
Every team stays the same every year. So play them same way. If it worked that way it will work again. That the way he thinks. That’s why his defense is outdated. He lives in the past.
December 23rd, 2025 at 9:17 am
Fire Bowles!!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 9:23 am
Anytime TB’s gets involved with “whatever” it’s not going to be good! He can’t even get his defense coached up! He has to go!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 9:27 am
I meant to say in2023-2025 for Baker’s interception numbers.
December 23rd, 2025 at 9:30 am
BS BOWLES!!!!!!!
we only ran the ball 3 times in the 4th quarter!!!!!!
KLINT KUBIAK
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 10:00 am
Haha they went out and drafted a receiver in the first round. Bowles came out with a heavy run game plan. That is f’ing hilarious and had to piss off the glazers
December 23rd, 2025 at 10:08 am
Yep. Checks out. Knew he had his hands in this game plan. Screams radio plan.
Soft scared timid!! Omg please for the love of sanity get rid of this guy. I don’t care if glazers never fire before season is over first time for everything. Man he sucks!!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 10:58 am
How convenient this is. Could this just be a ploy to protect Grizz ?
Grizzard was placed into a bad situation. The failures of likely losing the last two games can then be placed on Bowles. I view this as Bowles falling on the sword for Grizz. Something terrible has occurred behind the closed doors at One Buc. The offense players must be beside themselves. The defense players don’t play to win. Everyone can see what’s coming. This could get so bad that the owners have no other choice but to (this gives me cold shivers) resort to Chucky. That could lead to Jason and Baker both wanting out.
I think it all started with the defense coaching staff and led up to Bowles. The scheme wasn’t a good fit for the talent and the coaches were mailing it in. The players on defense revolted. The offense players were decimated by injury to include Baker. The O kept trying. The D gave up. The locker room became the Hatfields and McCoys.
December 23rd, 2025 at 11:21 am
This is why a lot of people do not want those defensive coaches really anywhere teams if they can’t get out of the way and the let the offence do its job!
December 23rd, 2025 at 11:28 am
“We did everything we wanted to do. We controlled every category except for the turnover battle at the end and we lost the ball game.” – Bowles
Throwing Baker under the bus.
Yes, Baker threw a pick…and that was the final straw, but we lost that game as soon as it started.
Bowles gave birth to the Cardiac Bucs with his insistance on relying so much on the run.
The real issue though, is that he turned on his players, and now they’ve turned on him.
December 23rd, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Bowles inserting himself into our offensive game planning is the death blow.
December 23rd, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Todd Bowles needs to be spending that time with his sorry A..Defense!!
December 23rd, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Overdeployed, inept, incompetent. Otherwise everything is grand with the head idjut in charge.
He is so unemployed
December 23rd, 2025 at 3:01 pm
The reality for Bowles is pretty simple, he’s routinely on the wrong side of results. Call it bad luck, mental errors, injuries, rookies…whatever. His ceiling has been hit at ONE playoff win. We love to talk division titles well those titles come with a playoff game at home. He’s won 1 of 3 games against playoff caliber teams at home. Against winning teams in the regular season he’s also about 6-18…..notice a pattern? His entire Bucs career has been propped up by a weak division. When he faces other winning teams he’s terrible. Now he’s losing in a weak division AT HOME….its over. The players don’t care anymore, they recognize the scheme is outmatched and doesn’t work. We’re getting cooked by rookies and backup QBs….its over.
December 23rd, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Screw the balance!! Throw the ball to your star receivers!! Then you can run. It’s not rocket science.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:18 pm
It is time for Bowles to go. Bring in a new HC. Let him decide his assistant coaches. Look at film and decide who stays and what this team needs. I have an opinion that a few will retire.
If Bowles retired it would be great. If not he has to be dismissed.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:25 pm
BB, Bowles’ biggest problem was relying on Grizzatd. That is what happens when you’re forced to run through the OC circus. Bucs should have won the last 2 games. They didn’t cods Grizzatd is over his head. I don’t give a sh1t about the Panthers or Jags either. Yeah, whoopee, they are in the payoffs. I said it then and I’ll say it now: When will SOMEONE let this offense loose?? Hope Bowles muzzles Grizzard mentally Sunday. He sucks, but it’s not surprising.