Trouble Defending Todd Bowles
December 8th, 2025
The storm continues around Todd Bowles.
A longtime defender of Todd Bowles is now having trouble doing just that amid the growing calls for the head coach to be fired.
The social media chorus to can Bowles upgraded to a full blown orchestra yesterday in the wake of Sunday’s at-home embarrassment at the hands of the formerly two-win Saints.
Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) took to his In The Trenches podcast to address those ready to send Bowles a few PODS containers so he can ship his things out of state.
In Beckles’ mind, things of gone so wrong at One Buc Palace, he can’t argue with the Bowles haters today.
“There’s going to be talk about fire Todd Bowles … it was happening when he was winning. So when he loses, it’s definitely going to be out there,” Beckles said.
“This Buccaneer team that was 5-1, then went 2-5. At this point right now, if you’re a Buccaneers fan and you’re saying, ‘Fire Todd Bowles. Fire Todd Bowles,’ if you go back five weeks, I’d be like, ‘Pump the brakes.’ At this moment right now, I’m not saying, ‘Fire Todd Bowles.’ But I’m not sure I could defend him at this moment. Because it doesn’t look good and the future now doesn’t look great.”
Beckles termed the future of the roster as “getting a little bit scary.” Joe can’t go there, but Joe certainly cannot explain the Bucs’ lackluster performance in December. That’s when well-coached teams are supposed be at peak performance, focus and effort.
And the Bucs’ fire seemed out from the opening whistle.
Beckles also noted “the special teams coach sucks.”
As for the screams to fire Bowles. Everyone employed at One Buc Palace knows how to pipe them down. Go beat a bad Falcons team on Thursday and take out the Panthers 10 days later.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:39 pm
I am finding it very frustrating that everyone is finally, just now, coming to the realization that Todd Bowles has to go. The fact that Bowles has had to go and has been holding this team back has been true, and I would argue obvious, for years. It was especially true last season, before the playoff loss to Washington and before Liam Coen had any official head coaching interviews. Many of us were screaming from the rooftops that if this team was actually serious about taking the next step and going from an average team that beats up on the worst division in football to a true Super Bowl contender, that we would have to promote Liam Coen to head coach and move on from Bowles. The Bucs organization, and a seeming majority of the fanbase, was far too complacent with the status quo to make this move. That complacency may very well have set this franchise back a decade.
Even if it wasn’t an outright firing, but something where Bowles could have moved into a front office role with grace, I would have been very happy. Todd Bowles seems like a great guy, and he deserves a lot of credit for how he handled the transitions from Arians to him and Brady to uncertainty at the QB position. It is obvious that the players respect him and that he has built/maintained a good culture here in Tampa, and that should not be overlooked. Although culture is important for a football team, it does not justify Todd Bowles’ glaring and obvious shortcomings as a head coach. The clock management gaffes, the cowardice punts, consistently being out coached and unprepared against the leagues’s best teams. His flaws are constant, he seemingly never learns or adapts. The great coaches in the NFL are the ones that dig into the rulebook to give their team any leg up they can, they are the ones who obsess over clock management situations to be able to capitalize on every opportunity they can in a game. Great coaches find ways to win on the margins, it’s crucial in a league with as much parity as the NFL. Todd Bowles’ Bucs have consistently lost on the margins whenever they face a competent opponent.
Bowles’ in game decision meltdowns are too many to count but here are a couple that highlight why a Todd Bowles led football team will never win (or come that close to) a Super Bowl: just a couple of weeks ago against the Bills. The inexplicable decision to punt on 4th and 2 down 3 when neither defense in the game could get a second half stop to save their lives. We punted the ball away and Baker never had it back in a one possession game again. Bowles essentially forfeited a potential game of the year with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter so he could put the game in the hands of his treasured defense (which has been horrible for the majority of his Bucs tenure). The next, and most unforgivable, blunder came in the divisional round of the playoffs in the 2023 season. Todd Bowles decided not to use his final timeout at the end of the one possession game to force a 49 yard field goal attempt with 30 seconds left. Instead he just… let the clock run out on the Bucs season… IN A PLAYOFF GAME. I could go on about this specific decision forever, but any NFL head coach should move heaven and earth to get the ball back in a one possession game even if it’s with one second left from your own one yard line. That should be the case for a regular season game… let alone THE DIVISIONAL ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS. You will never win a Super Bowl with a coach like that calling the shots, that should have been obvious to everyone involved before Liam Coen was even hired by the Bucs.
So here we are, Liam Coen is 9-5 in Jacksonville in sole possession of the division lead and the Bucs are imploding after a 6-2 start. It looks more likely every week that we will blow the division to the Panthers and Dave Canales (another former Bucs OC who’s a better head coach than Bowles), and I can’t help myself from hoping that it happens. It seems like it will be the only thing that will force the Glazers to fire Bowles, and nothing matters for this team until he is fired. But even if we fire Bowles now, I am just too angry about the unforced error of waiting a year too long to do it to be excited about who we hire. We already had the right guy for the job in the building. We could have paired Baker Mayfield with a play caller that got the most out of him for the rest of his career. It’s worth noting that the Bucs did realize how important Coen was to the team’s success, they offered to pay him more than Bowles to stay as the OC (what does that make Bowles? A motivational cheerleader?). But we all know how that went down at the end, the manner in which Coen left was dishonorable but I don’t blame him for not passing up the opportunity to be a head coach after he earned it.
The decay and collapse of the Bucs this season isn’t all on Bowles, Jason Licht deserves some of the blame, but given the same players and injuries there is no doubt in my mind that a Liam Coen led Bucs team would be competing for the #1 seed in the NFC right now. This is not hindsight, this was plainly obvious over a year ago to many of us. The 2020s have been so much fun as a Bucs fan, probably the high water mark of the franchise to date, but I fear that complacency over the last couple years has doomed us to another dark age.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:40 pm
I don’t care if they beat those teams he needs to go. .it will be one and done again and then were stuck with him again ! No thank you ,time to move on !
December 8th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
For mental purposes of the players and fan-base, Thursday is a must win game!! Evans has to play, he will lift them up!!! Go Bucs
December 8th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Should fire the special teams coach today. But not Bowles or Licht. I think with our full roster we can run the table.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:45 pm
It is painfully obvious this Team and Coach have hit their ceiling. Time for some changes both in D philosophy and game management. Our Pass Defense has taken 10 years off of my life since Todd has been in charge. It is Time.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:45 pm
Which part of the season was the real 2025 Bucs? Im of the opinion that those first few games were a mirage that was cocooned by some Baker Mayfield heroics at the end of each game.
I know it’s a game of inches, but how come Bowles teams can never just win a game by more than an inch or two? I mean just yesterday, the Rams seal clubbed the Cardinals, the Seahawks seal clubbed the Falcons, the Vikings of all teams seal clubbed the Commanders….how often does a Todd Bowles team just boat race a lesser team and put them out of their misery with a curb stomp to finish them off? I wonder why Baker is begging for killer instinct from this team when he looks around the league and sees what good teams are actually doing to bad teams.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:45 pm
I do hate that we put ourselves IN THIS POSITION. It does almost feel scripted. For how illogical it is! Panthers beat Rams and we lose to the Saints?! What are the odds of both those things happening?
December 8th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
imo, the only way bowles returns as HC next year is if we make it to the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP game…
otherwise, he’s done….
GO BUCS!!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
WHAT’S MISSING IS A BIG TELL …
“Fire Bowles” is running rampant across the internet and NFL media. Not one Bucs player has come out in defense of their Headcoach. Licht or the Glazers have not issued a statement of support.
CONVERSLY …
No one is saying fire John Harbaugh (6-7) or Andy Reid (6-7). If someone did utter those words, their players, coaches, and organization would have their backs.
It says a lot!
December 8th, 2025 at 2:50 pm
What should happen is that the higher-ups at the Bucs place should fire Todd Bowles. When 60 to 80% of your fan base hates the guy, I think it’s time they listen. The guy could not coach his way out of a wet paper bag. He stinks. Look at the quarterbacks and players he’s had. He’s .500. With him at the helm, we’ve done nothing but waste a group of talented players, and our Super Bowl window, which was open, has been shut.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:51 pm
Stpetematt Says:
December 8th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Should fire the special teams coach today. But not Bowles or Licht. I think with our full roster we can run the table.
BINGO!!!!
too many damn nice guys at the table patting each other on the back….
GO BUCS!!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 2:52 pm
Please. Comparing Andy Reid and Todd Bowles is irresponsible. Reid has been to how many Super Bowls? Six? John Harbaugh is a slightly fairer comparison, but Joe is blinded by the glitter of Harbaugh’s big, shiny ring he got as a head coach.
Those guys have (much) more street cred.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:52 pm
Does anyone here think that NFL teams need a Todd Bowles to win a SB. Nope. Nobody wants low energy Todd. Time to send him, and his mostly garbage coaches, to the unemployment line. And Jason Licht has some explaining to do. Licht’s credibility is on the line if he doesn’t fire Clueless Todd the moment the Bucs late swept by Carolina.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:53 pm
Since Bowels was gifted wrapped the HC job, every season has been mirrored like Groundhog Day and getting pathetic!
Most know the its the OCs that have saved his job this long… OCs that now have turned losing teams around quickly while Bowels several years running the team has not built this team up to better it…. NEXT!
what would be a real shocker is if Bowels gets a shot to ever be DC again (unless through the bubby system)…
Several great options this year for HC… pounce quickly!
December 8th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Stpetematt Says:
December 8th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Should fire the special teams coach today. But not Bowles or Licht. I think with our full roster we can run the table.
_______________________
Wow. Run the table? No offense man, but do you watch the games?
This team isnt running anything and they definitely aren’t stopping the run either
December 8th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Upstate NY BUC, I dont disagree with you but the Rams game was a must win for mental purposes of the players and fan-base
and so was the saints game…
its a must win for ATL too and i bet they are licking their chops…BUCS are licking their wounds
GO BUCS!!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Joe,
I believe you stated once before that the Glazer family looks at more than just wins vs losses but what the trajectory of the team is in conjunction with the wins/losses. Right now the trajectory does not seem to be all that great and I can’t help but wonder how the owners feel about the sample size, whether or not Bowles has peaked, and if this team is slowly tuning his message out.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
“John Harbaugh is a slightly fairer comparison, but Joe is blinded by the glitter of Harbaugh’s big, shiny ring he got as a head coach.”
You should pay better attention to what those fan bases are actually saying, as the home crowd was chanting “Fire Harbaugh” when the Ravens lost to the Rams 17-3 back in October of THIS year lol there’s literally video evidence.
Harbaugh also has that ugly 17 games lost with a double digit lead in the 2nd half of games on his rap sheet. Not as sparkling/bulletproof as you’d think if you were paying attention.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:05 pm
Indefensible!
Blah blah blah
All you have to do is to watch Bowles address the team after victory in the locker room.
He may be as knowledgeable as the best DC or HC in history, he is not!
But he is a lousy communicator and I suspect motivator , yes players are all different and some need a kick in the ass and others are a bit more fragile.
Change of subject
The Gruden-Vinny Testaverty interview is very good and touches on different coaching styles
December 8th, 2025 at 3:07 pm
Joe – actually there is a lot of chatter of John Harbs being fired! That team may be the biggest disappointment in the NFL this year.
Yes, Bowles defense has taken several steps backwards. The middle of the field has been exposed. Our schemes have been exposed, this team has been exposed!
December 8th, 2025 at 3:08 pm
Greg … ‘So here we are, Liam Coen is 9-5 in Jacksonville in sole possession of the division lead and the Bucs are imploding after a 6-2 start.’
Yes Coen is 9-5 in Jacksonville, and his offense is doing reasonably well. But it’s his #10-ranked DEFENSE that’s actually done more to get the Jaguars where they are. They’re giving up an average of 20.9 PPG this season, a major improvement IMO over the 25.7 (#27 ranking) that they had last season.
And they’re doing it with a 1st time DC … Anthony Campanile. Was the Linebackers coach with the Dolphins from 2020-2023 and spent last year with the Packers; learned the trade under Brian Flores. Seems to have a pretty good knack for being a DC.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
As soon as Bruce was forced to hand him the gig because of the whole stupid DEI movement, it was over. Glaziers know what they were doing, they wanted to make sure they did not spend and make up the money spent during the Brady run. Now fans have to suffer.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:10 pm
HEY GREG … tell us how you really feel .
December 8th, 2025 at 3:25 pm
NYbucsfan … ‘What should happen is that the higher-ups at the Bucs place should fire Todd Bowles. When 60 to 80% of your fan base hates the guy, I think it’s time they listen.’
It’s much more than just ‘fire Todd Bowles’ IMO. This entire team is going in the wrong direction. Us long-time Bucs’ fans have seen that before, and it never ends well.
This entire coaching staff is performing woefully. Grizz is in way over his head as OC. Todd has seemingly said ‘let’s just keep doing what we’ve been doing but do it better’ as DC (ya like that’s gonna turn the ship around). And our S/Ts coach is playing ‘Little Dutchboy’; plug 1 hole and 3 more leaks spring up. None of them have any answers.
But it’s not just the coaching staff, it’s a sizable percentage of the players too. All we heard earlier in the season was how tight they were, how the ‘culture’ was the best it’s ever been. Horsepuckey. When the losing started, none of them stepped up to stem the tide. Right now we’ve got a bunch of guys starting who at best should be sitting on the bench.
I’m convinced that the Glazers have seen enough and that that some significant changes are coming. I also remember though 2008 when Chucky was fired after the season and replaced by Raheem (puzzling decision). Also remember 2011 when Raheem was fired after the season and replaced by Greg Schiano (another puzzling decision). Followed by Lovie then followed by Dirk. It wasn’t until BA arrived in 2019 that the Decade of Darkness started to end. Don’t eve want to go through anything like that again.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Wow joe you think a win against a putrid Atlanta team that is circling the drain is gonna do anything against the outcry of get bowels out of here lmao wild take buddy wild take.
If you think a “W” Thursday won’t calm a percentage of fans, then you’re not paying attention.–Joe
December 8th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Ladies and Gentlemen, Coaching Matters !! See the Hoosiers from Indiana. If you like being a sub par team in a Garbage division the Bowles is your man. If you want to win a Superbowl, there needs to be a change. The defensive Guru is offensive !!
December 8th, 2025 at 3:32 pm
Greg nailed it.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:34 pm
These past few seasons have been so hard to watch. Todd Bowles is a terrible coach, discussion over. Defense, laughable. Baker has kept us in way more games than anyone thought he would. Offensive line, we have one? Just painful with the offensive weapons we have. Time to have a come to jesus moment and part ways with a few people. Starting with Todd
December 8th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
In likely hood, most commenter’s on this blog will have passed away before we even sniff the “maybe” of going back to a Super Bowl.
This Reality lays DIRECTLY at the feet of the Glazers FIRSTLY and Jason Licht, A VERY CLOSE SECONDLY…
Hey, most of you Fought Hard for Mediocrity. YOU WIN….
December 8th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
@Defense Rules yeah Jags defense is awesome, oh what I would give for that edge rush duo. Coen has definitely brought his dynamic rushing attack with him. I think Lawrence is the big thing holding that offense back. I fear that the success the Jags will have over the coming years will haunt us for a long time.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:57 pm
first im not saying dont criticize Bowels …but my question for all you armchair GM geniuses …is who
will you replace him with and when that guy sucks
worse then what will you be saying…my thought
is get your stars healthy and bring in better talent..
December 8th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
Biggest concern for next year is we need much better coaching for offense, defense, and special teams. Is it enough if we replace Grizzard and McGaughey and is that likely to happen if Bowles stays? Is that even enough because I feel for a serious contender we need a better DC as well.. not just filling a couple holes here and there. Its hard to imagine Bowles abdicating the defense. I can’t see this team being anything but a pretender until we get 3 new guys in those positions and I can’t see that happening unless Bowles is gone and its a new regime.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
todd bowles should have been forced to hire a competent DC LAST YEAR. not making that change is a good part of what the problem is this year.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
The rest of the division is 71-121 since Todd took over. It’s a crap division. He shouldn’t be kept just bc we beat up a bunch of midgets. It’s awful.
Any other divisions and he would’ve been fired already. He stinks and so does Jason Licht who has a losing records as a GM(even with Brady).
FIRE THEM ALL!!!!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 4:16 pm
There were major signs before he even coached his first game for us as HC that it was a major mistake. I said right from the beginning that he wasnt the guy because he wanted to take a super bowl winning offense and change it to a running team. It was stupidity right out of the gate with this guy. And most just ate it up.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:23 pm
Can we get a go fund me page for a “Fire Bowles” billboard on Dale Mabry, maybe something close to Mons.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:29 pm
Just imagine if we weren’t playing in the worst division in football the past three years?
December 8th, 2025 at 4:39 pm
Nick Rapone, and Kevin Ross our DB coaches should’ve been replaced years ago! They’ve been with Bowles since his college days! When they are finally gone, they will retire, no team would ever hire them. Half his staff are pity hires on Bowles part. The special teams coach? Who but Bowles would hire him? This has to stop, time for a fresh start.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
Only a buffoon would defend Bowles at this point.
What would your argument to keep him be???
Perhaps his post game monotone boring response to questions has cured your insomnia.
Other than that there is no logical reason to continue down this road.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:49 pm
Great thing is this is all in Bowles control. Beat Carolina twice, come back in 2026. Miss the playoffs, and join Gruden in the fired coaches club.
Why would they keep Bowles after a collapse when Gruden was shown the door? Because Arians likes him? Nah. He hauled ass and left this mess.
Football is a results oriented business. Can’t sell season tickets next year if they choked like beaten dogs.
Players: you’re playing for your own jobs and your coaches jobs.
Get off your asses and hit somebody!
December 8th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
It’s depressing to think the Bucs might have the same DC and the same HC when the 2026 season starts. I’ve been a fan of this team for all of the 50 years, and that will never change. I don’t have many years left. Just once I would like to see the Bucs have a team balanced with a strong Offense AND a strong Defense at the same time. It’s frustrating to watch this sieve excuse for a pass defense year after year after year. Bowles is the common denominator. I have no issue with Licht. We have a talented nucleus to build a competitive team around. Coaching changes are in order, even if we make the playoffs. Right now that’s questionable. Whatever happens, I’m rooting for my Bucs.
December 8th, 2025 at 5:05 pm
When you’re a senior manager, your primary responsibility is hiring, developing, promoting, and terminating personnel. One thing that seems pretty consistent this season is that the special teams are seriously underperforming. What has Bowles done about the ST coach?
December 8th, 2025 at 5:19 pm
I do not think the Bucs are there yet with Coach Bowles, but it is starting to look like a Dungy situation again, good team that needs a new voice to get over the hump.Who would be the next Gruden? (Please not him or his bro, been there done that).