“They Are Psychologically Damaged”
December 15th, 2025
A man on the field and in the locker room with the Buccaneers has strong opinions.
Joe has gone years without quoting team mouthpiece TJ Rives, but the Bucs’ longtime radio sideline reporter and postgame locker room guy does get views of the team many fans and media don’t get, in addition to traveling to and from road games on the team plane.
It intrigued Joe early this month when Rives lectured legions of devout Todd Bowles bashers. “Go away!”
Last week, he was detailing to The JP Peterson Show that the Bucs haven’t mailed in the season. They just have mental problems.
“I won’t go along with the word “quit,” but they are pschologically damaged and you’re waiting for the next bad thing to happen — what’s going to happen next. And you can’t play that way,” Rives said. “So I would just couch it as ‘confidence problem.'”
Keep in mind these comments were before Thursday’s national embarrassment.
So a guy with a close-up view collecting a check from Team Glazer thinks the Bucs are “psychologically damaged.”
Ouch!
December 15th, 2025 at 1:44 pm
When you a flip a coin, you don’t know what’s going to happen next because the odds are 50/50.
When you turn on a Bucs game, you can’t trust it’s going to be a win, because under Bowles the odds have been 50/50.
December 15th, 2025 at 1:45 pm
Klint Kubiak for Bucs HC!!!
December 15th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
New GM and Coach please , bad coaching and bad players equal bad results.
December 15th, 2025 at 1:48 pm
Maybe from all the key injuries? Sure have been a boatload. Need to get over that now and MOVE ON! Season can still be salvaged and we have our weapons back!
December 15th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
It’s so crystal clear to anyone who actually have watched all these games since the bye week that this team has unquestionably lost it’s way. Bowles defense scheme is utterly pitiful. We see the same garbage week after week after week. No pass rush. Middle of the field ALWAYS wide open and the last straw for me was another HOF display from Kirk Cousins who absolutely owns Todd Bowles. Inexcusable that this fraud runs the exact same defense that Cousins historically abused twice last year. And he has the nerve to lay the blame on players as if he’s not responsible to make sure his guys are in the right spots like good coaches do.
I want him relieved of his duties the very next day after the last game of the season. Playoffs or no playoffs. Don’t care. We need competent coaching and he ain’t it.
December 15th, 2025 at 1:58 pm
I’m sure Todd Bowles is a great person…. but as a Head Coach, he is terrible. He turned the Bucs into his Jets team !!!! What a Shame !!!🤬🤦🏻♂️
December 15th, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Yikes, that is pretty strong for Rives to say. There does seem to be something off since the bye. We know about the physical, but now more mental too. Maybe they brought JPP in to help boost them all up. Mike is back, and that should have been a huge boost. We all were excited to see him and Jalen back. Elated all of us for sure. Hoping for a win on Sunday! Go Bucs!
December 15th, 2025 at 2:07 pm
Hey Liam Coen snuck out on tampa in middle of the night… let’s tempt him to do it again in his return.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:08 pm
Yeah, not good.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
Joe, you’re embarrassing, too.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:12 pm
So a guy with a close-up view collecting a check from Team Glazer thinks the Bucs are “psychologically damaged.”
^^^^^^
“psychologically damaged.” !!!!
Pansies
December 15th, 2025 at 2:20 pm
Rex Ryan please
December 15th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
Rex Ryan?
I think we’ve had our fill of terrible discarded Jets HCs.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:35 pm
yea but what about the long suffering bucs fan they are dealing with alot of damage to almost worse than CTE
December 15th, 2025 at 2:38 pm
If you ever played sports and have gone through a rough patch, I completely understand that.
I remember that feeling in high school football, and I still get it sometimes on the golf course.
Personally, I think their season is toast, but the talent level is there. It’s a matter of execution and coaching. Whoever wins Sunday is going to the playoffs. You can throw all the other scenarios out the window.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
This is 100% what’s going on right now. Hopefully the players can break through.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
The players who are loafing it and making vacation plans don’t seem psychology unable to cash their pay checks!!! every Monday!!! Stop making excuses and play some prideful Ball, getting ridiculous now!!! Go Bucs
December 15th, 2025 at 2:54 pm
Confidence is a huge part of any sport.
Staying calm when everything around you is falling apart is necessary for success.
That is where coaching comes in to guide and teach the players.
If we’re going to throw flowers at coaches when the team wins, they also should get tomatoes when the team loses.
Toad Bowels never takes the blame for crap stained sheets.
December 15th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Give me a break….we are talking about sports aren’t we.
Bottom line is that this is a mediocre team at best, which is being coached very poorly. It doesn’t seem very complicated. Bowles must go.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
I’m starting to wonder if Reddick was locker room poison.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:06 pm
Honestly, this makes sense. And with the alternative being they are quitters w/o effort. I can take solace that they may just need a patented Baker comeback or 2 down the stretch (or just a couple clean game of complementary football) to get that confidence back they had pre-Detroit. Especially with most of the horses back on offense.
Yeah the defense sucks, but it is what it is.. just be competent enough to play shootouts and hope Baker can will them to a few wins.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:13 pm
A bunch of overpaid, lazy, unmotivated “psychologically damaged” defensive players! SMH!!
December 15th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Sounds like a line from West Side Story.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:24 pm
Maybe its time Bowles ditches this complex defence he has had for the last 5 years and simplify it so players can understand it and play fast. Even the veterans struggle to understand it. Its never going to work if its that complicated and yiu will never have 100 percent buy in with all players give theroster churn evey year. His defence is simply too complicated for players, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. He also needs to man up and hold players accountable, he is the head coach. All this player driven team BS is rubbish. He needs to hold them accountable, they all get paid millions for the priviledge to play for this team and we as fans pay for it all with out subscriptions tickets etc so its fair to ask questions when we don’t have a good product on the field. Malcolm Glazer always listened to the fans and its obvious to everyone outside of the building that the GM is drafting soft players, he is still a good GM but he needs to revisit his strategy. As for Tood unfortunately I don’t think he is HC material, he simply doesn’t have the fire to lead a group of men to battle, nice guy though and I think his coaching staff is not very good either. Simply watch the video with yaya diaby and Simeon Rice and see how much yaya still doesn’t know, it’s embarrassing and thats on coaching.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
It’s the fans who have been psychologically damaged by being subjected to the play of this team week after week. Hard to watch a team when you know the defense can’t stop anyone. Bowles, Licht and his “be that man” player philosophy have sucked the life out of this fan base.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Seriously? Psychologically damaged? This team has no heart and is weak and soft. If this is true, then Bowles needs to be fired immediately. Weak leaders cultivate a weak culture. Explains it all!
December 15th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
You’re paid millions to play a game and you’re psychologically damaged? Javonte David was drafted in 2012, he didn’t make the playoffs until 2021 and he played during the lost decade. How did the locker room get this way. I knew Todd Bowles dead personality and decrepit old coaches were bad for this team.
December 15th, 2025 at 3:55 pm
Brooks Says: “Rex Ryan please.” Respectfully, that is a no.
December 15th, 2025 at 4:05 pm
Psychologically damaged = Exposed to Bowles nonsensical scheme.
These player are confused and out of place on the field.
Whatever is being taught is not working.
And the HC\DC continues to put the game on his defense in the fourth quarter.
The results are in, and it’s an epic failure. 35-34
December 15th, 2025 at 4:06 pm
they have 10 days to get straight! they should go back and watch the texans game, seattle game!! get your crap together! Bowles was right when he said ‘this is your livelihood’ be professionals, the saints can do it why cant we?
December 15th, 2025 at 4:07 pm
they dropped 3 games in 1979 and only won the division on Neil O’ Donahue kick in the pouring rain last game of the season!! THAT WAS HEART!!!!
December 15th, 2025 at 4:13 pm
Rex Ryan sucks toes!
December 15th, 2025 at 4:31 pm
some girl on some site called the buccaneers defense “a bunch of cutie patooties running around in circles”…
hopefully that’s the straw that breaks the camels back
December 15th, 2025 at 4:38 pm
Fear is the path to the dark side – Yoda.
December 15th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
I think Canales will collapse Sunday.He collapso in NOLA. Bowles has more experience in this division and winning it with a .500 record.
December 15th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
HC Grover – Hoping you are right!
December 15th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
Baker will inspire them.
December 15th, 2025 at 5:02 pm
I like the Kubiak suggestion
Psychological damage from emotional abuse?
Time for a change
December 15th, 2025 at 5:02 pm
“Psychologically damaged?” I should say so! Last 6 games have been awful and the Head Coach just now started to drop some f-bombs! There’s quite a handful of key players on our team that wouldn’t last a week under Dan Campbell or Sean McVey.
December 15th, 2025 at 5:06 pm
I don’t know why I said that, Joe. I’m.sorry.
December 15th, 2025 at 5:15 pm
Show Me the TDs Says:
December 15th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Sounds like a line from West Side Story.
^^^^^^
That line made me laugh out loud. Good one !
Soon some of them will be singing ” I feel pretty” when they run out the tunnel.
December 15th, 2025 at 5:26 pm
I’m psychologically damaged from watching them.
December 15th, 2025 at 5:31 pm
Just how did TJ Rives arrive at the term “psychologically damaged”?
Is he so WOKE that it is part of his regular vernacular ?
Did someone from the Bucs mention it ?
Did a player or coach mention it?
I could understand frustrated, bummed out, disappointed, angry, but psychologically damaged ?
December 15th, 2025 at 6:52 pm
Just a few short weeks ago, the Bucs were cruising to an easy division championship, eying the #1 Seed in rhe NFC, Baker was a front-runner for MVP and Grizzard was the next hot HC prospect.
After embarrassing losses and uninspired play, they’re the ‘Yucs’ again? I don’t buy it and I’m glad Bowles went off on them. We’re too good to be this bad, especially with Evan, Godwin and JMac back. The D needs to step it up and play 60 minutes of smash-mouth football.
I just heard we signed JPP back to the practice squad. Maybe he can get these guys to change their attitudes and toughen up?
The Bucs control their playoff destiny. I want to see them WANT it.
December 15th, 2025 at 7:17 pm
Just go away …. TJ !
December 15th, 2025 at 7:42 pm
They’re coached soft and so they play soft.
Tough love is too little too late.
These highly paid divas needed to be publicly called out long ago – they’re all so obsessed with social media that behind closed doors stuff doesn’t work.
3rd & 28!
4th & 14!!!
December 15th, 2025 at 7:43 pm
Another way of saying it is Detroit mental and physically broke the team. Then somebody leaked something. What are we supposed to do put emotional support cats in the tunnel before the game. One in the injury tent on the sidelines… Let’s go Bucs, get mad with it!
December 15th, 2025 at 7:55 pm
Jon Gruden please!!!!!