Todd Bowles No. 27
June 15th, 2026
Analyst believes Bucs could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles.
Among the many critiques by haters of KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles is they are convinced the Bucs will never win a Super Bowl with him as head coach.
Those critics believe Bowles is a middling coach whose ceiling is winning a garbage division.
One NFL analyst agrees with half of that sentiment.
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports took part in a Ringer exercise — a coaches draft. And despite Daugherty selecting Bowles at No. 27 — that’s fifth-worst for those playing at home — Daugherty tried to make the point that Bowles isn’t a bad coach and may have even improved.
That begs the question, if Bowles has improved and you don’t think he’s that bad, why did you wait until No. 27 to select him?
Daugherty made the point while he doesn’t believe the Bucs can win a Super Bowl because of Bowles, he thinks the Bucs can win a Super Bowl with Bowles.
The trick is, Daugherty said, the Bucs would have to have a completely loaded roster to make Bowles a Super Bowl champion (as a head coach).
“I think I’ve seen enough that with a talented enough roster you could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles,” Daugherty said. “I think he’s he’s kind of allowed himself to evolve on offense.
“I know he’s a defensive-minded head coach, but you know he had a reputation as like the most stodgy conservative guy you could ever have [with the Jets]. And when he had Tom Brady, I think maybe it opened his eyes to the way modern offensive football needs to be played.”
Did it?
Remember when Bowles took over the Bucs, he had a high-flying offense. He said from the moment he got the job he was changing the offense, in part because he said his defenders were too gassed at the end of games.
So Bowles decided to implement more of a running offense. The Bucs’ offense went from ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2021, averaging 405.9 yards a game and scoring 30.1 points a game (No. 2) to 346.7 yards a game (15th) and 18.4 points a game (25th) under Bowles in 2022.
Regular readers know full well what one of this Joe’s core beliefs is: never fix something not broken. And that Bucs offense was anything but broken. To be fair to Bowles, he got stuck with knothead Byron Leftwich as his offensive coordinator. So in a sense, Bowles was doomed his first season.
“Is he a special head coach?” Daugherty rhetorically asked. “Doesn’t really seem like it. But in the right situation, I think [a team] could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles.
“Maybe that’s damning with faint praise, but [Bowles is] a solid coach.”
Bowles has a good batting average selecting offensive coordinators. Will that luck return this after Bowles’ first whiff as Bucs head coach?
June 15th, 2026 at 4:16 am
He is what his record says he is.
June 15th, 2026 at 4:17 am
Gruden won a Super Bowl with a talented roster that he inherited. One of Bowles major flaws is that he has failed to motivate his defense to play inspired football. When the D threw in the towel last season, all he could do was stand on the sideline and look crazy. Sure, he had a temper tantrum but even that failed to motivate the team.
Every now and then he makes a boneheaded decision like when he decided to punt the ball to Buffalos on a 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter when we hadn’t stopped them all day and our offense had been moving the ball. That’s the game when my patience finally gave out with him.
I think we could win with a talented roster but it won’t be because of him if we do!
June 15th, 2026 at 5:25 am
Honestly, 27 is about right. He needs to go.
June 15th, 2026 at 6:05 am
The defense has been BROKEN for the last 2 years, but the same guy is going to fix it?
June 15th, 2026 at 6:38 am
ATLBUC – Good post. And that’s only a couple of examples of his excellence as a coach. He’ll be under an electron microscope from the opening kickoff on week 1.
As he should be.
June 15th, 2026 at 7:18 am
If you don’t know how “modern offensive football is played” how could you ever hope to figure out a way to stop it?
June 15th, 2026 at 7:20 am
Not familiar with modern offensive football as a defensive coordinator? Good luck stopping it then.
June 15th, 2026 at 7:35 am
Rehash
June 15th, 2026 at 7:55 am
I think he’s 33rd.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:05 am
I’m not a hater, I’m a realist.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Joe … ‘Remember when Bowles took over the Bucs, he had a high-flying offense. So Bowles decided to implement more of a running offense.’
o Bucs actually ran THE SAME NUMBER OF TIMES in 2022 (386 rushes) as they did in 2021 under BA (385 rushes). So no, it wasn’t MORE of a running offense.
o Bowles took over the HC responsibilities very late actually (30 March 2022). Zero opportunity to create his own staff (gotta wonder if that was BA’s intent, so that HIS guys would still have jobs that season).
o Our OLine underwent MAJOR CHANGES that Spring. LT Donovan Smith stayed at LT; LG Ali Marpet retired & was replaced by Nick Leverett; Ctr Ryan Jensen got hurt in preseason & was replaced by Robert Hainsey; RG Alex Cappa moved on to the Bengals & was replaced by Shaq Mason; RT Tristan Wirfs remained at RT. MAJOR CHANGES at 3 of the 5 OLine positions. And oh ya, it played terribly that year.
o TE Gronkowski retired, replaced by rookie Cade Otton. Fournette only played in 9 games. Evans & Godwin missed 6 games between them.
o Most importantly, QB Tom Brady wa a shell of himself without a strong OLine to protect him. He threw MORE passes in 2022 (733 attempts) than in any year in his career, and even completed more (490 completions), BUT only hit for 25 TDs (18 TDs LESS than he hit for in 2021). Brady was obviously going thru a LOT off the field, but got a hunch that being 45 years old didn’t help much on the field (he stayed a year too long).
I for one agree with Daugherty’s bottom line evaluation of Todd Bowles:
“Is he a special head coach? Doesn’t really seem like it. But in the right situation, I think [a team] could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles. Maybe that’s damning with faint praise, but [Bowles is] a solid coach.”
June 15th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Joe … ‘Remember when Bowles took over the Bucs, he had a high-flying offense. So Bowles decided to implement more of a running offense.’
You’re being much too selective with your use of ‘the facts’ Joe.
o Bucs actually ran THE SAME NUMBER OF TIMES in 2022 (386 rushes) as they did in 2021 under BA (385 rushes). So no, it wasn’t MORE of a running offense.
o Bowles took over the HC responsibilities very late actually (30 March 2022). Zero opportunity to create his own staff (gotta wonder if that was BA’s intent, so that HIS guys would still have jobs that season).
o Our OLine underwent MAJOR CHANGES that Spring. LT Donovan Smith stayed at LT; LG Ali Marpet retired & was replaced by Nick Leverett; Ctr Ryan Jensen got hurt in preseason & was replaced by Robert Hainsey; RG Alex Cappa moved on to the Bengals & was replaced by Shaq Mason; RT Tristan Wirfs remained at RT. MAJOR CHANGES at 3 of the 5 OLine positions. And oh ya, it played terribly that year.
o TE Gronkowski retired, replaced by rookie Cade Otton. Fournette only played in 9 games. Evans & Godwin missed 6 games between them.
o Most importantly, QB Tom Brady wa a shell of himself without a strong OLine to protect him. He threw MORE passes in 2022 (733 attempts) than in any year in his career, and even completed more (490 completions), BUT only hit for 25 TDs (18 TDs LESS than he hit for in 2021). Brady was obviously going thru a LOT off the field, but got a hunch that being 45 years old didn’t help much on the field (he stayed a year too long).
June 15th, 2026 at 8:13 am
BTW, I for one agree with Daugherty’s bottom line evaluation of Todd Bowles:
“Is he a special head coach? Doesn’t really seem like it. But in the right situation, I think [a team] could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles. Maybe that’s damning with faint praise, but [Bowles is] a solid coach.”
June 15th, 2026 at 8:13 am
BTW, I agree with Daugherty’s view of Todd Bowles:
“Is he a special head coach? Doesn’t really seem like it. But in the right situation, I think [a team] could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles. Maybe that’s damning with faint praise, but [Bowles is] a solid coach.”
June 15th, 2026 at 8:16 am
Daugherty … “Is he (Todd Bowles) a special head coach? Doesn’t really seem like it. But in the right situation, I think [a team] could win a Super Bowl with Todd Bowles. Maybe that’s damning with faint praise, but [Bowles is] a solid coach.”
I agree with him.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:20 am
How is Dougherty’s assessment of Todd Bowles different than any other HC. except for a few HC like Belichek (who had the Goat in Tom Brady). IT’S NOT. Very few teams are loaded with key players,
If the Bucs defense turns into a good defensive team and the Offense is a top 10 team. the Bucs chances of making the Super Bowl increases again.
The Bucs could win between 10 to 11 games. This may not silence the naysayers (because you can’t fix Stupid)!
June 15th, 2026 at 8:22 am
Bowles boneheaded in game decisions proves he is below average as an NFL coach. The game has evolved. Bowles is still hanging on to the 70’s brand of football…3 yards and a cloud of dust. Hey DB’s…careful now – just keep everything in front of you.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:25 am
lol. With a loaded roster, bout anybody could win a SB.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:44 am
It says a lot when the best wide receiver in team history leaves for greener pastures.
June 15th, 2026 at 8:55 am
“Remember when Bowles took over the Bucs, he had a high-flying offense. He said from the moment he got the job he was changing the offense, in part because he said his defenders were too gassed at the end of games.”
What kind of revisionist nonsense is this?
We lost Marpet, Cappa, then lost Jensen all while Tom was losing his wife to a juijitsu instructor. Gronk retired. There wasn’t some drastic scheme change, we still ran duo, we still tried to take shots, and we stunk at it more often than not.
June 15th, 2026 at 9:04 am
Rank of 27 feels right as it’s close to the defensive rating. Bowles keeps prioritizing run defense in a passing league.
June 15th, 2026 at 9:15 am
He’s not even 32nd. And he was retained. Mike had seen all he needed to see, including when Brady’s final season became the only losing season of his entire life in any sport.
Mike knows what sober, realistic fans know.
June 15th, 2026 at 9:20 am
3.28.Evans. How do you figure you’d know what sober, realistic fans know? Just saying.
June 15th, 2026 at 9:22 am
3.28.Evans. How do you figure that you’d know what sober, realistic fans know? Touché!
June 15th, 2026 at 9:22 am
Bowles is the reason Mike left and took a pay cut with higher taxes.
What more do you need to know? The evidence is clear as day.
A cardboard cut out would be a better HC\DC than Todd.
Truth be told!!!!
June 15th, 2026 at 9:24 am
Bowles is the reason Mike left and took a pay cut with higher taxes.
What more do you need to know? The evidence is clear as day.
A cardboard cut out would be a better HC\DC than Todd.
Truth be told!!!!
June 15th, 2026 at 9:25 am
Bowles is the reason Mike left and took a pay cut with higher taxes.
What more do you need to know? The evidence is clear as day.
A cardboard cut out would be a better HC\DC than Todd.
Truth be told!!!!
June 15th, 2026 at 9:27 am
Definitely don’t see how stating the obvious facts regarding his below .500 career win% as an 8yr+ HC makes someone a hater. He’s a below average HC based on his record, as well as the performances of the teams he’s led. The excuses people use to justify that fact are issues that every other coach in the league has to deal with, yet most figure out a way to overcome those obstacles. todd has proven unable to do so, and don’t see that changing at this point in time. Not going to waste time doing the research, but be very curious if any 8+yr HC with as poor of a win% has taken a team to the SB. Actually doubt there are many HC’s that lasted that long with a sub .500 on their resume. Baffling that the Glazers are still riding that horse.
June 15th, 2026 at 9:29 am
27th place seems generous. I’ll just leave it at that.
Happy Monday, folks!
June 15th, 2026 at 9:43 am
Since firing Sam Wyche, the Glazers have hired eight coaches.
Arians and Dungy were a good bit better than .500 coaches, and Arians won a Super Bowl.
Gruden and Bowles are just over .500 coaches, and Gruden won a Super Bowl.
Kietter, Schiano, Morris and Smith were sub .500 coaches and won no Super Bowls.
From that small sample size, if the Glazers hire another head coach, there is a 50% chance the coach they hire will be worse, and a 25% chance the coach they hire will be another .500 coach. The odds are 3:1 that they will not get a coach who is an actual improvement and better than .500.
Why pay money to buy out Bowles and roll the dice with those odds.
Now, if the Glazers thought that they could get “the guy” with a great chance to win the Super Bowl, they could go all in again like they did with Gruden.
So, the questions are, is there such a coach available, and who is he?
Callahan, Carroll, Harbaugh, Tomlinson? Someone else?
Otherwise, just making a change to make a change looks like bad business.
June 15th, 2026 at 11:14 am
I’m not a TB hater, but not a cheerleader either. I believe he should have been thanked for his service and relieved of his duties last year. My conspiracy theory is the Glazers are playing 4D chess and had a thought of how many openings there were going to be after last year and after taking an honest look at the team new they wouldn’t be anywhere near the top choice of the people they would want. I still won’t be surprised to see Mike Tomlin here in 2027.
All that being said, 27th best? That’s a little ridiculous. Not light years, but I think he has at least done enough to be considered in the high teens. I think somewhere in the 18-19 range is probably more accurate. Good enough? God no, but even if someone is mediocre they should get what they deserve
June 15th, 2026 at 11:15 am
Who is ranked below Bowles? Who are the 5 coaches ranked 28-32? I am going to guess that they are either new coaches for bottom feeder franchises like The Titans and Cards along with the Jets head coach who seems to have a mentality similar to Bowles and a D that might even be worse than Todd’s.
June 15th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Only in the putrid NC South could a career losing HC like Bowles survive.
He didn’t win the division because of overwhelming talent on his part.
It was only due to the manure pile of a division he resides in.
Basically he has at minimum three wins inside the division by default.
In any other division he’d already be gone. But the Glazer kids love the culture!!!
June 15th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Joe said “Those critics believe Bowles is a middling coach whose ceiling is winning a garbage division.”
Correction: Bowles is .515 as Buccaneers HC, in a division that’s been .438 since the moment he took over. For perspective: entire divisions only being able to scrape together a .438 winning percentage over five years has only happened twice in league history, and the NFC South is one of them.
So… to reframe what Joe said… we believe that Bowles is not even a middling head coach — he’s just in one of the two worst divisions in league history over any given five year span.
June 15th, 2026 at 2:02 pm
CALLAHAN??? Bill Callahan??? LOL Maybe as a future offensive line coach. Surely you don’t mean his dopey son?
Carroll is toast. He was truly awful in Las Vegas and there’s a reason Seattle let him go.
Harbaugh? Which one? Not sure either is leaving his current gig.
Tomlinson??? Guessing you mean Mike Tomlin? He’s Father Dungy, Jr. Since Roethlisberger left he never found a decent QB. Hasn’t won a playoff game in forever. His offensive coordinators were bbbrrruuutttaaalll since Art Rooney ran off Arians!!! Tomlin talks a good game, though.
Bowles has a better track record with QBs and the playoffs this decade than Tomlin. That’s no joke.
June 15th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
If this season turns into the roaring lithium battery plant fire we think it may evolve into, the Glazers should can Licht and Bowles together.