Defense-First Head Coaches Making A Comeback
January 18th, 2026
It’s been seven years since a defense-first head coach has been in the Super Bowl — Bill Belicheat in 2019.
That’s highly likely to change very soon.
Seattle (Mike Macdonald) looks destined for the Big Game after blowing out the 49ers yesterday. Next Sunday, the Seahawks will host the winner of Rams-Bears tonight.
In the AFC, the winner of this afternoon’s Texans-Patriots clash (both defense-first head coaches) will head to Denver next Sunday for the conference championship game. But the Broncos lost their quarterback and will start journeyman Jarrett Stidham. It’ll be Stidham’s fourth career start and first since 2023.
Joe has little doubt the Texans-Patriots winner will be favored to win in Denver.
A full-throttle revival of the defense-first head coach seems imminent.
Joe brings this up only because the man leading the Buccaneers is a defense-first guy — even though his defense stunk this season. It’s often said that NFL owners are obsessed with trends and perhaps Todd Bowles has benefited professionally — and will continue to — from defense making a comeback across the league.
Total scoring per game is down in the NFL over the past four years — compared to where it was in the prior four years (2018-2021). For the 2025 season, scoring was equal to what it was in 2024, but that’s the equivalent of scoring being down because of the juiced up football helping kickers.
Joe already can hear the obsessed Bowles haters screaming while reading this claiming Joe is lobbying for Bowles, carrying his water, and sucking up to the power brokers at One Buc Palace. Nothing could be further from truth, but those freakouts do entertain Joe.
Bowles made his bed and Team Glazer is letting him stay in it. Joe is only noting that being a defense-first head coach might feel a little more comfortable after this season. Six months ago, attitudes around the NFL weren’t quick to go there.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Bucs need to go OC for next HC!..
DC get a HC job, its easier to replace or promote….
We have experienced few years in a row that gifted OC aren’t as easy to replace…
January 18th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
No point to have a defensive head coach if your defense sucks and consistently gets burned with absolutely zero fire and intensity
January 18th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Bowles in no Mike Macdonald. Those guys in game adjustments are something!
January 18th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Bowles may be a defensive HC coach, but he is never going back to the SB. He has let the game pass him by. The other issue is Licht. The guy can’t draft anyone on defense that can make a positive impact and he won’t get any premium FAs. Until both of these idiots are gone, this team is doomed.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Defense first in name only. His defense has not worked. So what, really is he?
January 18th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
Looked like the defensive cupboard was pretty thin this year thanks to Jason Licht signing a washed up Hasson Reddick and foolishly flushing 14 Million of Glazer loot.
Licht also extended Zyon ( I am bored ) McCollum foolishly giving him 35 mil guaranteed and 16 mil per year average wasting more Glazer loot.
At the trade deadline-when it was painfully obvious to all that the Bucs LB corps was not up to par, Licht just sat on his hands when the #1 Tackler and great coverage LB Jordyn Brooks was being dangled by Miami again foolishly wasting more Glazer millions by costing the Bucs a home playoff game by not adding Brooks.
Licht has been sub par for a while now and the Glazers better focus on not only Bowles performance, but Lichts’ as well.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
Worst of all worlds with Bowles. He mastered all 3 phases offense, defense and special teams all sucked.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
Yeah!
With the right person!
This dufuss has to have a dedicated clock watching time out caller .
Bowels is exactly what his record is!
MEDIOCRE
January 18th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Jumping the gun a bit if it’s Payton v. Johnson or McVay.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
So when will the Bucs get a HC that can build a great defense?
January 18th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
This is the weakest playoff field in many years too.They’ll be a champ but no one is great.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:45 pm
What have we got on here, a bunch of NFL football psychics? How about shutting up for once! You sounds like a bunch of retards, and half of you, I don’t even recognize. You sure aren’t Buc fan regulars. Bowles did build a SB Defense and the Bucs won their 2nd SB with it. I’m glad the pressure is off him over this OC confusion and headache. I also hope Bucs can sign a good one who WILL OPEN UP THE OFFENSE! Make sure he sticks around for more than 1 season, Bucs!
January 18th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
*sound
January 18th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Problem is Bowles defense sucks.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
How is Bowels a defensive minded legend? I haven’t seen it in his plays. The lack of wins and lackluster defensive proves he’s not as good as he proclaims to be. I don’t believe all the people who says he’s a defensive genius. It’s not true.
January 18th, 2026 at 1:57 pm
When Bowles had a quality Dline that included JPP , Suh, and Vea along with a good edge like Shaq Barret and an LVD in his prime the defense was good enough to win the Super Bowl.
If you give a great chef spam and american cheese to prepare a gourmet meal that is a bit much to ask.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Bowles as a DC is a greater liability than Bowles as a HC. And that’s saying something.
Bucs desperately need to upgrade both roles
January 18th, 2026 at 2:06 pm
If you had a defensive minded head coach who would run a defense that his players could understand and execute on the field, that would work. But he runs a complicated scheme that they can’t understand , and so you get breakdowns that allow guys to run wide open all day long and then you get the head coach saying “we gotta coach it better” because he’s old and stubborn and won’t change what he is doing. It doesn’t work with Toilet Todd. Flush him. He is outdated. I see Tyler Shough scoring a touchdown on a 32 yard naked bootleg against us last year in my sleep. Enough!!
January 18th, 2026 at 2:17 pm
Out with the trash !
January 18th, 2026 at 2:18 pm
I needed a good laugh. Bowzo Comeback……stop this shilling.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:19 pm
Both our SB were won with offensive coaches
.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:19 pm
Joe now calls realists….Bowles ‘haters’. This is way too woke for me.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:22 pm
90 percent of commenters are now ‘Bowles Haters’.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
The way the Seahawks offense looked last night and the fact the Glazers haven’t even attempted to do an interview with Kubiak tells me they must be completely oblivious or perfectly content with being mediocre.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
I do not ‘hate’ Bowzo. I just think he sucks as HC/DC. He is a sideline stiff. He inspires nothing. He blunders at bad times. I just do not think he a good coach. Stop wit the woke labels please.
January 18th, 2026 at 2:35 pm
I do think there is still a chance we have a new HC in 2026 before the draft
There are potential new candidates that can come on the market
McDaniel hopefully will come back for round 2 of interviews and help with changing direction here
I have to fight myself to be optimistic after that waste of a season
January 18th, 2026 at 2:39 pm
How can you call Bowles a Defensive Anything
Why does this guy get a pass NO OTHER COACH IN NFL GETS
Fact LOOK AT THE teams that fired their HC this year
Any other NFL team would have fired BOWLES
Bowles benefited from several HC being fired this year and cheap owners
He is not a HC let’s be True Tell it like it is
January 18th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
Bowles is not a defensive anything
NO STATS support him being defensive guru
Bowles is not a HC
No Stats support that except won three division titles Yea!!
That gets you nothing in the NFL
No other team would keep him
Bowles benefited by several team firing their coaches and cheap owners
January 18th, 2026 at 2:43 pm
🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🤢
January 18th, 2026 at 3:08 pm
Another interesting “trend” I’ve noticed is the number of HCs that are also coordinaters.
Apparently the whole dual hat, can’t be a coordinator and HC narrative that’s been repeated for awhile, by some, is less of an issue than they’d have you believe ? 🤔
January 18th, 2026 at 3:24 pm
KLINT KUBIAC! The Buccaneers need to go with a young offensive mind. A HC/OC seems to work better. Then you don’t have an HC with a D mind interfering with the offense. An offensive mind is more inclined to let the DC do his thing… Gruden and Kiffin.
As for BOWLES, I defended him for years, but jumped off that bandwagon this year. The more you look at the numbers, the more you realize his defense has steadily declined year after year after year.
The last time it was good was because of something he said he does not need…
A 4 man pass rush.
When your defense can’t stop rookie QBs from throwing for 300 yards you’re not winning in today’s NFL
January 18th, 2026 at 4:36 pm
Does that include defensive HC ‘s that finish dead last in red zone defense. If so we are set. LMAO
January 18th, 2026 at 4:47 pm
Hey Tom Petty…
Seattle, Houston and NE all have defensive HCs AND a DC!
Obviously those coaches have a heavy hand in the D scheme and gameplan but they aren’t wearing 2 hats.
They are active on the sidelines, getting after refs, bringing energy. Joe can say what he will about appreciating the stoicism from Todd but players respond to fire and energy.
January 18th, 2026 at 4:55 pm
I have zero faith in this team to be more than a 6 or 7 win team next season regardless of the OC. The franchise is busted from the top down. Look at teams like New England. That is a winner. The Bucs are losers other than a couple seasons out of 50!!!
January 18th, 2026 at 5:25 pm
The problem with that is you are not only naming defensive coaches but good coaches Todd is just a defensive coach minus the good.
January 18th, 2026 at 6:03 pm
Yes Defensive HC are making a comeback with a top 10 Defense the created not a bottom 10 Defense for 4 straight years/
January 18th, 2026 at 6:19 pm
Offense still rules the league. McDaniels helping the Patriots win while Houston defense isn’t enough to overcome their bad offense. Preach about edge rushers all you want but if your offense sucks, it doesn’t matter how many sacks Anderson and Hunter get.
January 18th, 2026 at 6:26 pm
It’s this simple: Bowles is cheaper than replacing him. The owners think that they the loss of ticket sales and concession revenue will cost them less than waiting this out for another year.
The Buck will not be in competition for any decent free agents. They will be tight with the dollars.
Then, after 2026 nets them a top 8 pick, they’re going to promise us how much they really care about all of our feelings and that they’re going to get a top level coach.
But they won’t. Because right now, Tampa has gone from what was perceived as a top 10 franchise to a bottom 10 franchise.
Welcome back to 1983.
January 18th, 2026 at 6:45 pm
I’m so mad about Bowles coming back to be the Bucs head coach. I think the glazers are doing it on purpose because everyone knows the Bucs won’t win more than 5 games next season. The glazers are only focused on there soccer team right now because they can’t spend too much money on two professional sport teams, so the Bucs are getting shafted this season. They need to sell the team. This is not fare to the fans, I’m so sick of the Buccaneers being a losing franchise the last 4 years we get teased with a .500 club, as a fan for over 45 years I’m not ok with that. If any one of those NFC South teams were any good we wouldn’t have won any division championships. The Bucs won them by default, that isn’t going to happen next season because we clearly seen the panthers, saints and falcons get better while the Bucs got worse. This is why I’m not spending any more money on this franchise until there is some real change. The fans are not going to accept mediocrity.
January 18th, 2026 at 6:56 pm
Me looking around for our defensive head coach.
January 18th, 2026 at 8:28 pm
Stupid post
January 18th, 2026 at 8:39 pm
Total Defense: 19th (337.2 yards/game)
Passing Defense: 27th (238.2 yards/game)
Rushing Defense: 5th (99.1 yards/game)
Scoring Defense: 20th (24.2 points/game)
Red Zone Defense: 32nd (69.8%)
Fourth Down Success Rate: 6th
Blitz Rate: 2nd highest (38.9%)
Pressure Rate: 8th highest (35.8%)
Just let that sit there and marinate for awhile. 27’th against the pass and last in red zone defense. But we have a defense first head coach.
January 18th, 2026 at 9:26 pm
Yes – defense first coaches are doing well this year.
Unfortunately, our coach is not a defensive guru. And he’s not an offensive guru. So what the hell is he?