What Does Todd Bowles Expect From His Offensive Coordinator?
January 20th, 2026
What is he looking for?
Joe would think on paper, the Bucs would have a coveted opening at offensive coordinator.
You have a Pro Bowl quarterback, a Pro Bowl receiver, a second receiver who, until the roof caved in, looked like the second coming of Amon-Ra St. Brown, and a third receiver who, when his neck healed, looked like an above-average No. 2 receiver.
And if Mike Evans decides to come back, well, then you can add a Hall of Fame receiver to the lineup. That’s pretty sweet.
Now Joe has read that if, for example, Mike McDaniel was interested in the job, he would be granted “autonomy” because Bucs coach Todd Bowles is mostly hands-off and is otherwise focused on his defense.
But what does Bowles really want in an offensive coordinator? Bowles last year at the combine told Jenna Laine of ESPN what he’s looking for.
“Obviously, any offensive coordinator has leeway coming in, but you understand what we have to do,” Bowles said last year. “He has to read the game when we’re playing well defensively, when he might have to outscore someone, and it’s never just run, run, pass, he has leeway to call his plays. I’ll have the say-so on whether to go for it on fourth down, things to do on two-minute, and so forth — as well as red zone — but he has a lot of leeway.”
How much does Bowles wield power over the offense? It’s hard to say. But a reader stated the following in a comment on this here corner of the interwebs that made Joe think.
Joe assumes — but no one has confirmed — that the Bucs offense last year went down the drain because Baker Mayfield was hurt so badly he simply couldn’t throw right. As a reader pointed out: When is the best time to change an offense? During a bye. After the bye, the Bucs offense was awful. So this reader suggested Bowles ordered former Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard to go more to a running, dink-and-dunk offense during the bye.
That sort of adds up until one remembers that the final game before the bye, a win at New Orleans, the Bucs’ offense was awful but it was the defense that took over the game and dominated the slimy Saints.
So Joe can’t buy the offense-changed-at-the-bye argument. The Bucs offense began playing like trash right before the bye.
Whatever the reason for the plummeting offense (Mayfield’s health, offensive line injuries, Bowles’ direction, Bucky Irving’s absence), that cannot be repeated again this fall.
January 20th, 2026 at 1:03 am
coach expects his OC to take his job…lol,,,
therefore, coach will be running the show in 2026 as HC…be the DC…and surprisingly he will be the new OC as well…!
coach is going to be doing it all…jack of all trades, master of none
January 20th, 2026 at 1:33 am
Geez, Bowles only said that he would have a say on the offense during 4th down situations, red zone situations, 2 minute drills and so forth (which means other times as well). This could scare of any competent OC who wants autonomy. Granted he said that last year and perhaps the upper management at OBP told him to keep his hands off of the offense but what he told Laine does indicate that he will meddle in key situatios.
January 20th, 2026 at 5:27 am
Punt, punt, FG. Yay.
January 20th, 2026 at 5:49 am
Why is the OC decision up to Bowles? What does Jason Licht do? Not only is Todd the HC, DC, now he’s the general manager? The dude was 8-9, lost 7 out of 8, in what bazarro world you let this guy pick anything? We’re doomed with Todd leading the charge.
January 20th, 2026 at 6:18 am
The new OC should require a clause in his contract that only the GM can fire him. That way, Bowles really has no say at all in how he runs his offense.
January 20th, 2026 at 6:54 am
“That sort of adds up until one remembers that the final game before the bye, a win at New Orleans, the Bucs’ offense was awful but it was the defense that took over the game and dominated the slimy Saints.“
The offense showed the same symptoms in the first 4 games as it did in every single game post-bye.
-Empty drives that end in punts.
-Could be a drive where we move the chains a few times.
-Could be a 3 and out.
-Penalties, not so much at a high frequency but damned if they weren’t at terrible -moments.
-settling for 3 in the redzone
-connectivity issues in the pass game
The difference between those early games, with the exception of the anomaly in Seattle, were all games that came down to the wire and were close.
We went into the bye +7 in the turnover margin with 12 takeaways to 5 giveaways
For the stretch after the bye we zeroed out with 11 giveaways to 11 takeaways in 9 games. The 11 defensive takeaways came in 6 of 9 games. The offensive takeaways came in 7 of 9 games.
Our 2 wins after the bye, we were +4 in the turnover margin with a 5:1 takeaway:giveaway ratio. Scored 36 and allowed 31 in those games combined.
Those 4 games we lost before the season finale we lost by a combined 11 points and we were -4 in the turnover margin. 5 gives, 1 take.
All close games, just like the “comebacks” it’s not like we were in a bunch of shootouts to start the season, no. We were struggling to string together drives that generated points from week 1.
January 20th, 2026 at 7:13 am
HC develops the entire game plan every week and hands it over to OC. HC controls and runs the practices. HC is The Captain of the ship and OC is 1st Mate. This ship rots from head down.
January 20th, 2026 at 8:09 am
“He has to read the game when we’re playing well defensively…” now that is funny.
January 20th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Bowles expects the next OC to help save his job like Liam Coen did
January 20th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Well, yanno…I’m not a head coach at all so I probably don’t know much. But can that idiot blowzo please point out when that defense has ever played well. 2020 Super Bowl?
January 20th, 2026 at 9:02 am
Anybody else remember how in training camp, Grizzard was in love with a fade type play when the team was in goal to go situations. He kept having them practice it over and over again and it never seemed to work right? That was a major redflag. A fade is not ingenuous… it’s basic… and it didn’t work yet he kept trying to pound it through. What’s the definition of insanity? Same definition as a football coach that doesn’t have a good scheme. The reason the Bucs sucked going into New Orleans is that NFL defenses had figured out Grizzard and he failed to adjust. It takes several weeks for teams to get a feel and figure out what other teams are trying to do…once they do… everyone else copies it and what was once good, is suddenly excrement. Same thing with Canales… he struggled, but at the tail end of the season, his offenses looked more and more competent. He was capable of learning from his mistakes and improving… Grizzard simply got worse. That’s why he’s without a job.
January 20th, 2026 at 10:03 am
score 40 per game
January 20th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Let’s be honest, what he wants is what he needs…a savior
January 20th, 2026 at 10:29 am
Bowles needs a Defensive Coordinator PERIOD!
January 20th, 2026 at 10:50 am
“He has to read the game when we’re playing well defensively” – Todd Bowles
We are all waiting for a time when the defense is playing well under the guru.
“What Does Todd Bowles Expect From His Offensive Coordinator?” – Joe
Probably to score enough points to paper over the reality of the Swiss cheese defense.
Coen was the best OC in Bucs history and he could only get them to 10 wins and a home playoff failure under Bowles.
We all know the problem. We’re just not trying to resolve it.
January 20th, 2026 at 11:49 am
bowles has been careful in hiring assistant coaches who could possibly take over as head coach thats why they are all bad. he almost messed up with coen , but likes hiring people with no experience for a reason
January 20th, 2026 at 1:49 pm
@ Brandon
Same problem on the defensive side of the ball. All the offenses have figured out Bowles soft bend then reak scheme. Both sides of the ball are unimaginative and easily predictable. Grizz was just following orders from Bowles with the outcome predetermined. Blame falls to Bowles- not Grizz.
January 21st, 2026 at 8:55 am
To be like him.why can’t we get a coach like Vrabel.