Todd Bowles Won’t Fire Thomas McGaughey (Yet)
December 29th, 2025
Status quo.
If a head coach isn’t going to toss any assistant overboard for incompetence with just one game left in the regular season, there’s no need to show the guy up now.
Joe guesses that’s the way Bucs coach Todd Bowles feels about his special teams coach, Thomas McGaughey.
The Bucs’ special teams have largely been awful all season. Early in the season, the special teams were so horrific the unit nearly cost the Bucs a win over the Jets and likely cost the Bucs a win over the Eagles.
That’s well before the Bucs (mentally) decided to throw in the towel on the season. Special teams killed them in Buffalo, too.
Nine days ago in the wake of a close loss to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, Rams coach Sean McVay canned Rams special teams coach Chase Blackburn.
Merry Christmas.
Bucs fans took notice and howled why Bowles hadn’t done the same to McGaughey.
Today in his day-after presser, Bowles was asked if he was just dead-set against throwing an assistant out of One Buc Palace for good during the season.
“No, I am not,” Bowles said. Then Bowles was asked if he believed McGaughey was worthy of being launched since the Bucs have such dreadful special teams play.
“No, I have not,” Bowles said.
Set aside the possibility of McGaughey being used as a sacrificial lamb for the ills of the team, Joe has the shivers thinking what it would take for Bowles to dismiss a special teams coach.
The Bucs’ kickoff teams are so atrocious Bowles has ordered McGaughey to kick the ball out of the end zone on all kickoffs. This, per NFL rules, brings the ball out to the 35-yard line.
Bowles is so scared of an opponent bringing the ball back to midfield on a return, which is exactly what happened yesterday in Miami, that Bowles would rather the ball be placed at the 35.
Yes, that’s how bad the special teams are, but not bad enough to pull a McVay and perhaps improve the team that still has a shot at the playoffs, deserved or not. To be fair, Joe will note that McVay also kicks the ball out of the end zone often and intentionally. The Rams lead the NFL in touchbacks by a mile.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:24 pm
Go Panthers!!!
December 29th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Everyone will be fired including Bowles at the end of the season.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:27 pm
Special teams killed us in Eagles game, Bills game (they started at mid field every drive) and yesterday. 3 games that our ST may have lost us. We’ve been forced to kick in the endzone allowing offenses to start at 35 every series. A lot of hidden yards by sh!tty Special Teams play. Dude should have been fired after the Jets game.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
NOW vs THEN
I would have had respect for Bowles had he fired McGaughey and Grizz mid-year. They are terribly inept and it would have shown Bowles had an expectation of excellence.
If he fires anyone now it will just look like a pathetic attempt to shift blame (as he’s done the past four weeks) from himself.
One more humiliating game then this trainwreck comes to a hault.
RANKED WORST HC OF ALL TIME
It will be tough to pick which HC of the last twenty years was the worst.
Tough to argue against Bowles. He was handed a Super Bowl winning team led by the greatest player of all time. That said, Lovie was really bad.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
I really feel for Todd Bowles. Not a joke.
If I showed up to work every day knowing less about doing my job than the day prior, I too would have no clue how to improve.
One can only gain experience at doing something by given the chance to do so.
After a track record is established, results are analyzed, and the path forward is decided.
It’s time for a new direction. We will never reach the SB with Bowles.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:30 pm
JTHV Says:
The entire coaching staff including Larry Foote deserve to be fired once the Bucs are eliminated from the playoffs.
Only a Super Bowl victory can save them and that ain’t happening.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:31 pm
Todd is using fanciful comments to hide the fact that he doesn’t have a clue as to why he’s still coaching this team. His defenses have regressed every season, every game, every rookie QB without a win and without a touchdown throw. He is the defensive coordinator who doesn’t understand the opponents tendencies and watches no film because he is lazy. He coaches pre season football in December. Jason is very much the problem. His desire to have players who make no waves delivers a team with no heart, no desire, no passion, these are his men. these are his embarrassment. Clean house. Do what teams need to go through to become great.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:32 pm
Todd won’t have to do that… the whole coaching staff is hitting the road!
December 29th, 2025 at 4:37 pm
Great. Adios!
December 29th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
Speaking of McVay, he’s salivating knowing LAR get the Bucs or Panthers in Wildcard round. Seriously. He owns Bowles and will beat us by 20+. If it’s Panthers, no way they lose to Carolina again.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
“Largely been awful…”
That’s one way to put it! Dude should’ve been canned a long time ago. And with the uninspired play of late, Bowles should be shown the door alongside him.
It seems obvious to everyone watching but I think it should be said aloud. If they miss the playoffs, it should be automatic firing of EVERYONE!!!
December 29th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
And the one time McLaughlin screwed up and didn’t kick a touchback, the Dolphins returned the ball past the 50.
December 29th, 2025 at 4:51 pm
It’s up to the Glazers to clean house , they are the owners
GM
HC
Coaching staff
December 29th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
With the NFL kickers of today, us giving them the ball at the 35 yard line means they only have to gain 25 measly yards to be in FG range.
Pathetic!
December 29th, 2025 at 4:59 pm
How much more do the Glazers need to see and hear from Bowles ? No answers for any of the problems and poor play. Refusing to alter his “ system” over 4 years. Refusing hold ANYONE accountable for crappy coaching and play on the field. ( Except to throw the team under the bus in pressers) Said he wanted to feed the hot hand and then runs Bucky into the turf while sitting two very capable backs that were doubling Bucks YPC. Keeps running his favorite corner onto the field when the guy says he’s bored. Did we win a game this year due to his coaching? How many did we loose BECAUSE of his coaching? Case in point. No adjustments in first half against a rookie QB that was torching us. Adjusted the D after the half when we were in a hole. Is there a law against adjusting what you see is wrong DURING the game? That’s on the HC. There is ZERO accountability from this man regarding himself, his coaches or his players. I am so depressed over watching my Bucs that for the first time in year’s I walked across the street to my buddies house to watch the game with no Bucs gear on! I didn’t want other neighbors seeing me and laughing. If the Glazers actually give a crap about the fans as they claim, the only honorable thing to do is to give us a HC with some energy who can produce a game plan that isn’t drawn up in a HS gym and is willing to hold underperforming people accountable ,like any other good boss would do ,instead of worrying more about hurt feelings. Fire him or give him a golden handshake. It’s a business and you are loosing customers.
December 29th, 2025 at 5:09 pm
Lakeland, completely agree. If the Glazers fire Bowles, the rest of the staff and Jason need to go as well. Bowles is responsible for getting asst coaches to coach well, get whatever the locker room issues resolved, put his shoe up someone’s a$$ and benching or cutting the cancers. But Jason is responsible for the roster and clearly he owns the failed draft picks on D, signing Reddick, letting Schule leave and the disaster contract for McCollum.
December 29th, 2025 at 5:35 pm
Coach Derp is such a cu@k. So weak. Pathetic
December 29th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
The Glazers and/or Licht could have forced Todd to launch McGaughey. Case in point, Smitty, Koetter in his last year said he would not fire his DC after a real bad game in Chicago. The next week, the defense was even worse in the ATL and voila, Koetter announced that Smitty was gone the next Monday. Now that was in week 6 or 7 of 2018 but someone forced Dirk’s hand. So Joes, why didn’t someone force Todd to can the ST coach in similar fashion?
December 29th, 2025 at 6:11 pm
I was a bit torn on Licht, to be honest. I felt like he’d done a reasonable job, especially with managing the cap pist-SB. He does have weaknesses, but no NFL GM hits on every trade or draft pick. But the more I think about it, the less confident I am that he should be retained. My reasoning is that he let Bowles keep this garbage staff in place without any accountability. Special teams, strength / conditioning, and most importantly, DC.
Who pushed for the Bowles extension this past off-season??? He was still under contract and it’s not like he had a great offer to go elsewhere. If Licht had a hand in that, especially extending Bowles with Liam Coen in the building, then Licht and Bowles should leave together.