Résumé Vs. Reality
January 6th, 2026
Joe often hears head coaches, including Todd Bowles, say how the previous season is ancient history and that every year is a new season.
They’re not looking back because personnel and coaches change annually along with tweaks to scheme and more.
So it made Joe squirm yesterday when Bowles looked in the rear view mirror answering an important question from Ira Kaufman at Bowles’ season-closing news conference.
“What’s your message to Bucs fans who don’t feel you’ve earned a chance to coach this team in 2026?” Kaufman asked.
Bowles replied: “All I can do is coach and be myself, you know. I’ve earned the chance. I’ve won three straight division titles. So, that says a lot as far as I’m concerned … “
Joe gets that Bowles believes in his body of work, but he looked back a full year, which coaches are loathe to do. Joe would have much preferred to hear from Bowles about hidden successes in 2025, along with how he has a very strong vision for the future and the fire to execute it.
Joe has talked to other media and fans and many believe Bowles did not have a good season-ending news conference yesterday, as in he did not inspire confidence.
Bowles is paid to win games and not public perception, but it wasn’t a great look.
Longtime Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, who works for the struggling twice-weekly Tampa Bay newspaper that also resides behind a paywall, said he thinks Bowles might have hurt himself with ownership in that news conference and did not send a great message.
“Yes, you did win three straight division titles, but the goal is not to win a division title. We would agree with that?” Stroud said on Sports Day Tampa Bay, not to Bowles.
“So if we’re going to stop there and say ‘well, this should be good enough,’ you know, you stand up in front of your team the last two training camps and say, ‘If we’re just in it to win the [NFC] South boys and we’re not winning a Super Bowl, we’re wasting our time.’ I think playoff success matters.”
Joe’s not sure where the Bowles regime goes from here with Bucs fans.
If he’s back next season, the bar will again be very high and fan oatience will be razor thin, unless those above Bowles on the food chain come out publicly and lower expectations. And why would they do that?
Challenging times.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
still a chance he gets canned
January 6th, 2026 at 12:24 pm
what have you done for the bucs lately todd?
nothing.
And good on Stroud for asking the obvious.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
oatience?
Challenging times, indeed.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
I’m hearing from multiple sources that the players are saying they did too many walkthroughs this year, more than any other years. That would definitely explain all the busted coverages and players being out of position. If that was the case during our losing streak why did it continue to go on?
January 6th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
Jason Licht & Todd Bowles career records – 155-181
46%
That’s a lot of losing – a lot of bad draft picks
These guys are losers and should be treated as such.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
I was thinking about this very topic this morning. He talked about the past instead of any desire to be better in the future. It bothered me more than it should have. It shouldn’t inspire any confidence from the players or owners. I’ve said it since the slide started, he lacks fire.
#noconfidence
January 6th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Without Liam Cohen Todd Bowles and his putrid defense would have been fired last year. Why the Glasers are oblivious to this is beyond me. 8-9 twice in the worst division in the nfl is nothing to brag about.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
If Todd stays we need to get new OC (Kingsbury just became available ) and a new DC (Gannon available) and any , and I mean any New Special teams guy would be an upgrade ,,, then let Todd just be a leader of men (and do very little)
January 6th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
“Bowles is paid to win games and not public perception, but it wasn’t a great look.”
This tear he is doing neither!
January 6th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
The press conference was despicable. He’s a piece of work. Just like every other presser this failure has ever had. He’s earned getting fired. As has Grizzard.
Fire this entire coaching staff. TODAY.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Joe, please tell me you all have enough clout that the Glazers read this blog!
January 6th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Him saying he deserves to be the coach because of the 3 NFCS titles is like bragging that you are the smartest kid in a special education class.
The Bucs would MAYBE have won last year, MAYBE. But the others were gifts from a weak division.
8 and 9
9 and 8
10 and 7
8 and 9
It doesn’t get much more average than that.
He is what his record says he is.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
it is a bit upsetting that a lame carolina team is playing this weekend…
they are NOT a playoff caliber football team
January 6th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
I got the same queasy feeling, I also don’t like it when leaders use the work “I” it is always “we, unless they are taking ownership of failure. His defense has sucked out loud and gets involved in the offense which he should not. He did it with Cannales and this year. Last year Liam gave him no reason to. His default is conservative on offense and we see how well that’s worked. Close games with a shat defense that has no pass rush is a recipe for failure. Baker saved his ass early in the year but he has his limitations. He needs to go, he doesn’t inspire us and I’m fairly certain he is not inspiring players.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
also i looked at next years schedule…and i know that’s jumping too far ahead and all…but i tried to guestimate the wins and losses as a future cast…
i was hard pressed to pull up 7 wins…
but as a homer i said 7-10…
however, i do think it’s gonna be a hard press for 7 wins with of how things are currently…the state of the franchise
January 6th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
I see you Drama Queens are still at it
It’s a sad day for this site, the level of the stench here is unreal
This site has stooped to the level beyond ignorance
The Mental Patients has took over the Nut House
Enjoy each other, all you commenters belongs together
A bunch of nuts in a fruitcake
January 6th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
He really shot himself in the foot with that comment. We’ve seen the beginning of the year team meeting speech’s where he says a Super Bowl is the only goal. To publicly brag about division titles multiple years ago as being reason for staying on as head coach screams that division titles are enough. Guy can’t get out of his own way on the field or off. No way the Glazers hear that and are like, wow, that’s the guy to lead us to another Super Bowl. And if he ain’t it, no point in him staying to be mediocre, unless, that’s all the Glazers care about.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
And I should also say Bill Belickeck has 6 Super Bowl rings but no NFL organization will go near him. Clearly the past isn’t the only measuring stick of the future.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:52 pm
He must go
January 6th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
He and ACDC LIcht earned the chance to play alot of golf next year after a complete meltdown after the by me eyes have seen enough hard to watch
January 6th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Joe, you mention that it may have been better for Bowles to talk more about his fire and vision for the future. Did anyone ask him if he has that fire to coach this team in 2026? Maybe it was sort of interpreted as a yes in how he answered other questions, but if he did explicitly confirm, it would make a sudden retirement announcement (one of the options here) a clear indication that the “retirement” was not his choice.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Remember the lost decade. Bowles and company have made the bucs relevant every year. We missed on the pass rusher piece this year and they need to figure that out. With a decent pass rush we’re in the playoffs again next year.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Joe! The bar will not be high next season if Bowles is back. The bar will be low in the eyes of many fans because we have seen his ceiling. That’s the entire problem here.
Entering this season the bar was high because there was still hope. Added some defensive pieces, hoped Grizzard picked up where Coen left off, hopefully Bowles learned from mistakes and our young guys ascend. Basically none of that happened and it’s a bad reflection of the HC.
No hope of this team reaching potential and going deep under Todd.
I won’t even have expectations because I will be taking a year off from the frustration.
January 6th, 2026 at 12:58 pm
If Bowles stays the bar will be VERY low. FIRE HIM NOW!!!!!
January 6th, 2026 at 12:58 pm
he’s going to get fired
give it a little more time
a couple of more coaches are going to get fired at other teams too
January 6th, 2026 at 1:01 pm
I can’t stomach one more season of the Bowles regime
January 6th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
THE REAL RESUME vs REALITY PART 2
HEAD COACH MAKER
Canales won the NFC South
Coen won the AFC South
>The Bucs have a better roster than both teams.
>Any competant OC instantly gets a HC job if they are able to win in spite of Bowles. Other teams simply can’t believe they were able to succeed in the environment Bowles creates.
OUTCOACHED
>Can’t win Prime Time Games: The Bucs are 4-10 in Prime Time games under Bowles.
>Can Beat Great Offensive Coaches: Sean Payton as an example owns Todd. Todd Bowles is 0-2 vs Sean Payton as a head coach and 1-7 all time.
>Can’t Beat Backup QBs: We all know that story.
So don’t tell fans you’ve, “Earned the right to stay.”
January 6th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
If he commits to retiring, I will claim he was a great coach!
January 6th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
“it is a bit upsetting that a lame carolina team is playing this weekend…”
I’m good with it. We likely would.have been nothing more than cannon fodder in the first round. And because we didn’t deserve to be there (losing record, deplorable performance), it would just reinforce the notion that many of the “old faithful” have about our franchise being second rate.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
If the Glazers planned to keep Bowles, they would have definitely said it publicly by now. The only thing Bowles has earned is the courtesy of being told in person before the public announcement of his firing, which is why it’s been radio silence from the organization so far.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
The ship seemed rudderless with him at the helm. And that’s one of the most troubling things a coach can portray.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
I’m a Bucs fan, not a Bowles fan. That means if he doesn’t get fired, I will STILL be a Bucs fan. I will hope for the best in that situation. I won’t hate constantly during the season.
I hope to have a new offensive-minded coach next year, but will complain a little and then get over it if they keep him.
That said…I don’t think they are keeping him. But I KNEW he would not get fired right away like some people predicted (Whatevs).
January 6th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
bowles was gifted the job by arians. he isnt capable of earning a division title in a horrendous division. not good
January 6th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
I think Bowles response was not his best and probably a weak response for the moment. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a case why he should be head coach.
The case for him: His defense won a super bowl, stopping the best version of the Chiefs and they have won the division and won a playoff game – proving his scheme and his abilities as a coach are real. He is a capable coach, with good players – and many coaches probably fall into that category. He successfully integrated new OCs – well two at least.
The case against him: His lack of offensive knowledge is a key blind spot, leaving him completely reliant on OC, unable to offer meaningful assistance. You might even say Canales and Cohen carried him. The defensive players he has do not fit his scheme and he failed to make adjustments. This team underachieved overall this season and last. It will be difficult to make staff adjustments with him being under the hot seat.
I would prefer we get an Offensive minded coach, so we keep an offensive identity and maximize that side of the ball, which, currently is our strength. It likely is easier to find a DC than an OC.
Post Brady/Super Bowl, we were in a bit of cap hell and maybe still tight. We missed badly on many defensive player draft picks (injury or just flat misses) and failed to land any players via free agency and draft. Licht has to take some of this blame as well. He needed to do more on the defensive side.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
The rest of the NFL is on the edge of their seats hoping to get a crack at hiring Bowzo and Co. If the Glazers let these Gurus escape.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Licht
GM since 2014
4x winning seasons and 8x losing seasons
Longest streak of winning seasons = 2
Is Licht safe?
January 6th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
I say he gets fired if for no other reason than marketing research
He is despised enough for The Glazer’s to know its going to affect receipts
January 6th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Kingsbury is available all of a sudden.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
If they keep Bowles it will contradict everything the Glazers said on the 50th anniversary series they better have a plan. If he stays they are embracing mediocrity and are not serious about winning more than the worst division in the NFL not to mention who will buy tickets to see this dumpster fire next year.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
I’ve never really liked it when somebody says they’ve earned something. Just really irritates me.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
“Bowles is paid to win games and not public perception, but it wasn’t a great look:
Well, he didn’t do either this year! I think he helped our case to see him jettisoned after being peppered with some tough and honest questions by the media!
The fact that he hangs his hat on the past is just another example of how CLUELESS he is!!
January 6th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Todd playing that same tired a$$ prevent zone even in the press conferences.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
I wasn’t on board the fire Bowles train until the last few games of the season because head coaching changes are a crap shoot if the team improves. His defense has sucked for years but this year was a new low.
All I see from him is that he thinks he is prefect and everyone else is the problem. Time for Bowles to go.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
This is what I find funny about the Glazers. They own Manchester United and just fired their coach after 14 months for being mediocre. Yet Bowles have been that way for four years. I don’t care that we have been to the playoffs. We went with records in any division that would be second or third best. Each year his defense has gotten worse, some of that you can also blame on the GM with the picks they have chosen. Heck if Atlanta fires Morris after two years after showing improvements, what are we seriously waiting on.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Fire Bowles and let licht pick the next head coach. Lichts only pick as Head coach was arians and that worked out well. Bring in Monken!!
January 6th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
He won 3 division titles in the weakest division. In 2 of his 4 years as HC, he earned a sub-.500 record in that weak division.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
I need more oatience.
January 6th, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Please Glazers – please fire this guy! Us fans will be disgusted if we have to endure another year of this crap. At least give us some excitement and a chance beyond 9-8, 8-9, 7-10, 0-17.
January 6th, 2026 at 2:05 pm
This man’s presser really pissed me off. He is something else.
January 6th, 2026 at 2:09 pm
This is such a no brainer to me – when has anyone watched this team and thought they’re well coached. And then all the talk about players not being motivated or bored. Been a season ticket holder since 1988 and don’t remember a more disappointing season.
January 6th, 2026 at 2:20 pm
He’s a goner. No way he survives this. Arrow pointing demonstrably down. Now is the time. New year and direction is here.
January 6th, 2026 at 2:20 pm
Firing Grizzard the day after the season ended might have helped, as it is now, the organization is floundering just like the 2nd half of the season.
January 6th, 2026 at 2:21 pm
Good coaches don’t average 8 loses a season with a competent roster Todd…
Bowles is a nice guy (You know what they say about “Nice Guys”) but we’ve fired better coaches in the past (Dungy/Gruden). Tough call but he needs to go; Tampa would instantly become the most attractive job available; My personal favorite would be Seattle’s Kubiak. Not sure how to feel about Nagy; but I have to admit in his case, being stuck with Justin Feilds in Chicago basically got him fired. I much rather an offensive minded HC and not some ultra conservative Defensive minded guy.
To be continued…
January 6th, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Oatience..Joe you must know after you hit send it’s like you walked into a lions den in a porkchop overcoat….
January 6th, 2026 at 2:51 pm
Kinda like Bowles presser am I right? Am I Right??? LOL
January 6th, 2026 at 2:57 pm
This is more exciting than their last 8 games. Players and coaches showing the same energy, but the mob is gaining momentum. I have my pitch fork tines sharpened
January 6th, 2026 at 3:05 pm
hire klint kubiak!!!!
GO BUCS!!!
January 6th, 2026 at 3:13 pm
Jason Licht has shown defenite growth as a GM in the last few years. However Todd Bowles hasn’t and has a long pattern of winning divisions only. That’s good but he hasn’t shown the leadership or coaching ability to take the Bucs to the Championship or Super Bowl 🤔
I respected him as a defensive coach in the past but not as a HC.
January 6th, 2026 at 3:26 pm
Terrible press conference. Zero passion. Zero inspiration. And that is exactly how this team looked on the field the second half of the season. He “took responsibility” but that is only words. No accountability. Nobody has been held to account this entire season. Special teams coach not fired. Defensive play calling not removed from Bowles. Week after week same pathetic showing and zero accountability. Going to be hard to purchase a ticket next year and make the trip over from Orlando for the product I am expecting they will put on the field.
January 6th, 2026 at 3:39 pm
Oahu Jimmy do you leave In Oahu?I live in Wakiki Shaka 🤙🏾 Brudda
January 6th, 2026 at 4:10 pm
The Glazers are very sharp otherwise they wouldn’t be billionaires. Plus Todd is very well off that he doesn’t need the job. But it is about pride for him. Wouldn’t want to be on either side.
January 6th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
Uh, please name one instance ever in history when Bowles has actually inspired confidence.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
January 6th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
If we were in the playoffs this weekend, we’d probably be doing walkthroughs as preparation all week…..
January 6th, 2026 at 4:39 pm
In life you are only as good as what you have done recently!!! Todd’s coaching has stunk up the field the past 2-3 years!! His D went from great (Superbowl against KC) to 30 something ranked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He had a beat up team at 6W and 2L who had beat San Francisco, Houston, and Seattle believing that they were winners and then turned them,as they got healthier, into a team that went 2 and 7 losing to lesser teams even when they could have guaranteed a playoff birth with a W!!!!!!!!!! Is this the coach you want next season?????
January 6th, 2026 at 9:19 pm
At least we didn’t go 11 – 0 and still couldn’t make it….js
#steelers