“I Really Don’t Know Why People Are Ready To Run This Guy Out Of Town”
May 13th, 2026
Todd Bowles has a well-known supporter in town.
Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) has never shied away from running a guy out of Tampa if he thinks he is keeping the team down. Beckles has had several punching bags through his long media career: Gerald McCoy, Barrett Ruud and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, among others.
But when it comes to head coach Todd Bowles, Beckles doesn’t put Bowles on a naughty list like so many fans do. He sees Bowles as a proven and respected commodity, though he doesn’t give him the “great” label.
Beckles is considered somewhat of a sage when it comes to Bucs history, which is why he had a role in Raise The Flags: 50 Years Of Buccaneers Football, the stunning 10-part Amazon documentary.
“Todd Bowles, nobody in the history of defensive coordinators could have made that defense great last year. How?” Beckles told The Jay Recher Podcast. “How? We didn’t do anything great. We didn’t have one great [defensive] player last year. So, name me a great defense that doesn’t have one great, dominant player. So it’s not rocket science.
“Listen, I’m not here defending Todd Bowles, I just think he can coach. And I think that the Glazers and [Jason] Licht think he can coach as well, clearly.”
Bowles was retained for a fifth season as Bucs head coach because Team Glazer trusts him and likes doing business with him, per Beckles, and because Team Glazer believes he’ll do a strong job with the right people/players in front of him. Beckles is in that camp, too.
“I really don’t know why people are ready to run this guy out of town, to be honest with you,” Beckles said.
While Beckles seems in disbelief, Joe gets why so many fans are down on Bowles. It’s very much about underachievement last season and in the 2024 playoffs, and not believing Bowles’ eight-year head coaching résumé is good enough to return the Bucs to the Super Bowl.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
This is his last chance we loaded up the defense for him. No more excuses Todd.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I’ll forgive Bowles if he does a few things:
Don’t put Bain in coverage more than a few times this year.
Don’t use Trotter like you did Dennis, he can’t cover Bijan either.
Bench guys that are “bored” playing football. They can be bored on the bench.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things, but that’s what comes to mind.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I like Todd Bowles. But it’s pretty obvious people want to run him out of town because he generally hasn’t led the team to more than 9 wins a year and the team collapsed last season.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
I believe that the only reason Todd is back, is because the Glazers went cheap. Rumors of possible team for sale back this up. Not to mention virtue signaling by certain Glazer owners.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:25 pm
Playing the devil’s advocate here, but Bucs had 10 wins in 2024.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Hold Up Says:
May 13th, 2026 at 1:25 pm
Playing the devil’s advocate here, but Bucs had 10 wins in 2024.
^^^^^^^^
Q: How many games would they have won if the defense was decent that year?
A: More than 10
May 13th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
the defense wasnt as good as it was in past years but they shouldnt have come out “flat” or “bored”…
my issue with bowles is the lack of urgency…i dont see where bowles wants it as much as other coaches and imo, that tickles down to the players…everyone was too nonchalant…
its one thing to have a calm demeanor, but its another to be too comfortable…2026 better look/feel a lot different…players shouldnt come out FLAT or BORED!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
May 13th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
We lost a slew of people once Brady was done. The majority of the talent on this defense left or retired. Other than a couple remaining very good receivers we had little else left. We have been on a multi-year reconstruction process, that much is obvious. We started with drafting secondary players and offensive line since they take longer to develop and a good O-line can improve a team right away. Now we’ve moved on to front 7 while also backfilling for more people that have left. Successive great drafts have accelerated the process. The team should be really good now, and next year borderline excellent. The only wild card is injuries as always. Keep the team healthy and we are heading for a very good season. Lack of injuries early in the season is why we start strong and then hit a bunch of injuries and have a lull midseason. Let’s get out of that pattern and **stay healthy** all the way through! GO BUCS!!!
Also, Todd is an excellent coach. The only coach I would be more excited about is McVay- and he would cost way too much.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
I KNOW WHY …
3-28
He can’t win prime time games
He can’t beat good offensive coaches
Gets destroyed by every coach named Sean
Never changes his defense from week to week
Midseason slump every year
Drops our best pass rushers into coverage
His team quit on him last year
The Bucs didn’t actually hire him
Evans left because he knows Bowles can’t win
If the Bucs played in any other division, he’d be long gone
May 13th, 2026 at 1:49 pm
Hey Ian when was Bowles considered good at what he is paid to be, that is HC/DC?
Granted last years D didn’t have one ‘great’ player, and the defense was not by any stretch ‘great’, but Toddy can at least share some blame for that.
Even average would’ve made a large difference….
May 13th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
He’s coached 8 seasons as a head coach he’s overall record is 62 and 77 he’s 35 and 33 in Tampa Bay followed by 1 and 3 in the playoffs #!! How is that for you #? Good coaches don’t have mid season slumps every year #!!
May 13th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
“I Really Don’t Know Why People Are Ready To Run This Guy Out Of Town”
Answer: Two 8-9 seasons in four years. One lone playoff win against a floundering Eagles team, and three losses in the playoffs.
Absolutely zero hope of even getting to the NFC title game is another.
Also, Bowles was forced upon the team by BA. His hand picked successor.
Everyone wants to say, “Look what he did in the SB versus the Chiefs”.
He wasn’t the HC then, and Brady was the QB. Enough said on that one.
Byron Leftwich was the OC in that SB and where is he again????? Nowhere.
We are exactly a .500 ball club under Bowles in a putrid division. After winning a SB and almost going to another the next year that isn’t good enough.
Plus we witnessed what Bowles thinks is good defense versus the Rams in the playoff game at home. It got torched just like every year he’s been the HC.
Todd handed Brady his only losing season in his NFL career.
That’s what Guru’s do. They fail upwards despite results.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
Todd’s back because he had them playing the best football last season at 6-2 ,then the injuries cut them down and the depth wasn’t very good ! There’s a reason why players are ” 2nd string” and there’s a reason why some players stay on the practice squad… Bowles has had this team playing meaningful games in December Regardless of the record and im looking forward to todd and the bucs this season
May 13th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
I agree completely with Beckie’s. The defense had no players last year nobody could have coached this team up. Yes they could have hustled more, but people seem to think this defense had potential, it didn’t. Now what you can blame Bowles and Licht for is not putting talent on the field. They told us Dennis was a great LB ,he wasn’t. McColumn apparently was considered better than he was. Morrison was flat awful. Winfield barely showed up. Dean who played well was injured. Vea was good, YaYa good, however that is about it. So as Beckles says how do you get a top or even average defense To play at that level with no talent.
You saw the results. The old saying don’t expect to get blood from a turnip.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:58 pm
I agree completely with Beckie’s. The defense had no players last year nobody could have coached this team up. Yes they could have hustled more, but people seem to think this defense had potential, it didn’t. Now what you can blame Bowles and Licht for is not putting talent on the field. They told us Dennis was a great LB ,he wasn’t. McColumn apparently was considered better than he was. Morrison was flat awful. Winfield barely showed up. Dean who played well was injured. Vea was good, YaYa good, however that is about it.
The old saying don’t expect to get blood from a turnip. That sure fit for that defense.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:09 pm
It’s put up or shut up time.
If in 2026 we have a much higher ranked defense and our offense is clicking along like it should and we avoid the injury bug, Bowles will need over 10 wins and get past the first round of the playoffs to quiet the “Fire Bowles” crowd. If we end up close to 500 or worse and miss the playoffs, I will probably join the “Fire Bowles” club myself.
Let’s see how this season goes.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Football 1 Says:
“Morrison was flat awful” You think????
Well guess what? He was hand picked by Toad Bowels.
You know, the defensive mastermind that had the 32nd ranked red zone defense.
If the HC\DC isn’t being supplied with these mystery players that are going to magically turn his defense into the 85 Bears, who’s at fault for that????
I’d say the GM is at fault if I bought your premise. Which I do not.
You can’t have it both ways. The GM supplies the HC with players that should fit the scheme that is in place.
It’s the chicken or the egg debate. In this case the HC\DC or the GM.
In a perfect world both would be gone. But Licht has actually won a SB.
Bowles was just a passenger in that bus ride to the top. Not the reason we won.
That belongs to TB12 and him alone. No Brady = No 2020 SB title
May 13th, 2026 at 2:11 pm
@Stpetematt
I’m pretty sure I remember you from last year and before but I could be wrong.
I think you had a diff name but it still had stpete in it. You were another objective and optimistic commenter that I’d missed having around to help offset the trolls….
Anyway, I appreciate you and the many others who try to sway the losers opinions around here. If you’re who I think you are (not going to post who I think you were before) welcome back. If not – still glad you’re here 👍🏼