Zyon McCollum Addresses Boredom Charge

June 3rd, 2026

Honest discussion of struggles.

Last year Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum’s play really slipped.

Joe didn’t like his body language. At times, McCollum looked like he had thrown in the towel.

KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles seemed to be covering for McCollum when Bowles, a couple of times, had an incredulous claim that McCollum’s problem was that he sometimes got bored.

An NFL player being bored? Joe never heard of such a thing, unless a player was so damn dominant that unless he faced an equally talented foe or was in a win-or-die moment, he lost focus.

(John Madden used to say that unless a game was close, Raiders quarterback Kenny Stabler got so bored that after a timeout, Stabler would forget the play before he reached the huddle. But if Stabler was in a close game, Madden said he was unequaled as a locked-in fighter.)

So yesterday after OTA practice, McCollum confessed he at times did get bored.

Bowles has McCollum “focusing on the little details, and he’s been hard on me throughout the summer, and throughout these OTAs, in terms of … always being in a football-ready position,” McCollum said, in his first public chat since the 2025 season.

“If the quarterback is not looking to your side, like still trying to fight [a lack of focus],” he said. “You know there are going to be boring times out there at corner, you know? Sometimes, especially in Bowles’ defense, he dials it up for all types. Everybody’s going to get some action. So when your number is not getting called, you’ve got to hold it down for the rest of the defense.

“Just do your job and fight that boredom.”

It’s wild that an NFL starting corner would admit he gets bored on the field and loses focus if he doesn’t think the quarterback will throw to his side of the field.

Joe applauds McCollum’s candor, but wow. A bored corner?

For some strange reason, the Howard Stern Show skit of impressionist Billy West imitating Larry Fine at Woodstock springs to mind.

Fine/West is trying to sell drugs using the concert’s PA system before Jimi Hendrix takes the stage. Fine/West says, “How about Ritalin? It worked for Curly.”

85 Responses to “Zyon McCollum Addresses Boredom Charge”

  1. DS Says:

    Was he bored getting torched all last season?

  2. Bucnbeers Says:

    Maybe he needs to be treated for attention deficit disorder.?

  3. buc4evr Says:

    The guy is mentally lacking. I don’t think he was bored, I think he was getting his ass handed to him and gave up. He should not be a starter.

  4. Bee Says:

    Wow, even Bowles handpicked players think the defensive scheme is boring. Playing 10 yards off the LOS and staying in zone is boring to watch too. Especially when you rarely see a sack. Oh boy…this has got to be the last year of this nonsense.

  5. LynchMob50 Says:

    This is a scathing indictment on the guru HC\DC. His players on defense are bored???

    Well, we fans are extremely bored watching the same tired and busted pass defense scheme getting boat raced during stretch runs late in the season.

    Every day Bowles is employed at OBP is a wasted day. Fruitless efforts.

    The results speak for themselves. Wake up Glazers!

  6. SB~LV ? Says:

    He doesn’t have the “it”
    Plays because he’s a gifted athlete but has NO DOG !
    That’s something in a player’s DNA …. So he is what he is
    Replaceable!

  7. Bucnjim Says:

    Is boredom the new politically correct word for quitter? I really hope that’s not the case!

  8. SuburbianGymRat Says:

    You can draft great players etc but at the end of the day these soft corners can’t cover a fern must less a receiver, Honestly Bucs will be lucky to go 3-14

  9. DS Says:

    Finesses player you can tell he doesn’t put work in his craft.

  10. NCbucfan Says:

    Not a good look at all! There is a reason he was drafted in the 5th rd, when he had all the physical traits of a 1st rounder.

  11. Mister Marty Says:

    35 million guaranteed, that’s what made him bored. He joined the Winfield/Dean club. They both should be embarrassed for there play last year. Reddick should be banned forever attending even a game again. Like SB said either you got dog or not. Sometimes you can have dog until you get paid. By the way Joe Bucs Fan has
    dog.

  12. Kenton Smith Says:

    High school football 50 years ago in Oklahoma. Me and my twin brother were our cornerbacks. Different game, for sure. Alot of awful good players. Strong side corner lined up on the tight end side. Weak side corner ( me) lined up on wide receiver or flanker back ( what we called them back then). My junior year I played corner but moved into a position we called Rover Back for probably more than half the snaps that year. Led the team in tackles. Only job was to follow the ball. Senior year I had 24 tackles the entire year. In one game as a rover I had 19 tackles. Our 25 year head coach had retired after my junior year. Teams that threw alot back then might throw the ball 15 times a game. If the receiver ran a down and out you have to cover him, even if the ball is going the other way- until it crossed the line of scrimmage. So Boring. Watching film I could see there were reasons to go non stop to the whistle. But it could, at times, be the most boring position on the field. But there’s never an excuse to not play through the whistle. Or as we were taught- through the echo of the whistle. There’s always somebody to hit. No excuses for Zyon. He’s gotta be better.

  13. Show Me Your TDs Says:

    So much for gang tackling and helping your brothers out.

  14. Dom Says:

    I’m tired of hearing this excuse. It’s so lame. You get paid millions of dollars, train all off-season, and all week for a game, and you can’t lock in for 60-70 plays? Gtfo with these excuses

  15. JustVisiting Says:

    Trade him, if possible.

  16. Pops Malone Says:

    This guys needs to be shipped out of here. I know we need to find a replacement, but he openly admits to this and our idiot head coach has no problem saying it either. I am embarrassed for both of them. I will be in Cincinnati for the opener and in Chicago at the Bears game and watch what being bored gets him in those games. What a joke. 2-7 down the stretch last year after the bye, not hard to see why that happened……

  17. ElioT Says:

    Dude looks like Sideshow Bob

  18. Sal Volatile Says:

    AAWW Shucks. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. Ever’ thang gonna be all right.

  19. Sal Volatile Says:

    Zyon resembles a multi-million dollar brussel sprout.

  20. Defense Rules Says:

    Joe … ‘Joe applauds McCollum’s candor, but wow. A bored corner?’

    Sorry Joe, but I don’t think that ‘boredom’ is the real issue with McCollum. Lots of media & fans have grabbed hold of that as a descriptor, but most are adding their own definitions of ‘bored’. It DOESN’T mean that the defensive scheme is boring. It DOESN’T mean that McCollum is just going through the motions because he’s now making big money. And it DOESN’T mean that he’s a quitter.

    A LOT has been written about professional athletes getting ‘bored’ and, more importantly, how to deal with it. LOTS of factors can play in there, such as psychological mechanisms (like dopamine drops) that can be behind this. But athletes CAN train their brains to stay engaged during slow moments, and there are specific coping strategies players use to fight in-game mental lapses.

    Having flown high performance aircraft for years (when I was younger of course), I can say without hesitation that no one maintains 100% focus 100% of the time. But that’s still the goal, even though it’s virtually unattainable.

    I’m convinced that Zyon understands the problem, and that he’s focusing (on maintaining focus) more than ever. I like what he said at the end of his quote:

    “Sometimes, especially in Bowles’ defense, he dials it up for all types. Everybody’s going to get some action. So when your number is not getting called, you’ve got to hold it down for the rest of the defense. Just do your job and fight that boredom.”

  21. Sal Volatile Says:

    ooops, I left off the “s” in brussel”s”

  22. Football 1 Says:

    I just commented on the other post about McColumn. The boredom thing is a poor excuse and not believable. I mean people with passion and being competitive don’t get bored when being made to look silly on the field. His play for a starting cb was at times down right embarrassing!!!. I don’t think that was boredom unless to you add I don’t really care to the boredom statement. The bottom line the Bucs missed the boat on thus guy. He did look like he would develop at one point ,but didn’t. The Bucs should not offer him a starting job. They should have brought in an established CB and made McColumn earn his starting position. I think the Bucs are in denial with him and hoping to get the most for their investment. However sometimes you have to cut your loses. Again I think they have taken a huge risk with nothing to go too when he again becomes bored. I expect he will be exposed like Dennis in the very first game at Cinn.

  23. mj Says:

    that’s what happens when you give an entitled child millions of dollars to play a game, devante adams made him look worse than my 80 yr old grandmother trying to cover him when the qb looked his way. he’s got to be very close to being benched

  24. mj Says:

    football 1- exactly

    an attitude like this is cancer

  25. ‘74 Bucs Fan Says:

    Not a good look for him, Bowles, Licht, and all position coaches (at that time). Be prepared at all times and hustle.

    Bored – are you kidding me!? Attitude adjustment coming.

  26. Bucswin? Says:

    So that would be the opposite of guys that LOVE football. If you love it your excited just to be on the field. Practice or game doesn’t matter. And that folks can be the difference in winning and losing. One player making one big mental error mistake. Unacceptable. Where are our standards? It’s s Bucs life

  27. Warren Brooks Lynch Says:

    Not as worried about McCollum as some of you seem to be, in fact I’m expecting him to bounce back and be more of his 2024 self than his 2025 run that ended with him on IR, for actually being injured.

  28. KABucs Says:

    Cleanhouse Says:
    June 3rd, 2026 at 9:42 am
    “Mike Evans made the right call.”

    Actually, we won’t know until the end of the season if he made the right call.
    If the Bucs don’t win the division and miss the playoffs and the 49ers win their division, he made the right decision.
    We’ll see what happens.

    I don’t see San Francisco getting past the Rams now. He must have been extremely happy with his decision now to see Miles Garrett joining an already pretty tough defense of a div rival. Stafford will be lucky to get out of games against the Rams alive.

    Oh, and let’s not forget San Francisco’s upcoming travel miles. LOL

  29. Obvious Says:

    Pro – he owned up to it.

    Con – that it happened in the first place.

    Maybe letting these corners play up a little more and jam might wake him up.

    Bad look for him, the coaching staff and the personnel dept.

  30. KABucs Says:

    Oh, and about the boredom issue, was Barber ever bored out there? This kid has all the intangibles to be a great corner, he just has to get his head straight. He has to expect the ball to come his way every single time. I’m not a football guru but I do realize good quarterbacks will look off the receiver they actually really want to throw too. He has to play EVERY SNAP like the WR he’s covering is going to be getting every pass.

    Morrison has his head on straight and if he stays healthy, it will be he and Parrish on each side and McCullum on the bench (making way more money than the other two corners combined, sadly).

  31. Vanessa Anne Says:

    He’s a heck of an athlete, but he certainly took a step back last year.

    I agree with others who’ve said we should bring in some veteran CB talent and give Mr. McCollum a run for his money.

    Given how much we’re paying him, you hate to see that kind of money go to waste sitting on the bench. But, it might just motivate him.

    And frankly, for that kind of money he should be giving 100% every minute of every day without having to have a fire lit under his backside.

  32. Smoke Porterhouse Says:

    I wonder if some of these DB’s seemed disinterested or got “hurt” (Dean) during the most important games because they knew the scheme was substandard and they didn’t have much of a chance at being successful against an OC who knew what he was doing.

  33. Fred McNeil Says:

    I don’t think “bored” is an accurate word. He played pretty darn well in 2024. I think he was adversely effected by that multi million dollar paycheck. Now I don’t know if he figured “I’ve got mine” and just coasted or if trying to live up to his $15 mil a year salary made him poop his pants a little bit, but the money changed him. Plus he kinda strikes me as someone who just ain’t quite the sharpest tool in the shed. He was never destined to be the next superstar, but if he goes back to just being solid and paying attention to detail I think he can be at least pretty good.

  34. Fred McNeil Says:

    And no…we cannot cut or trade him this year even if he knocks up the coaches daughter.

  35. BucU Says:

    This mind set is apparently acceptable on this team. Reason # 6,295,034 why Todd should’ve been fired.

  36. Hodad Says:

    Bet he was never bored cashing that ridiculous early extension Licht gave him.

  37. Smoke Porterhouse Says:

    If anyone is bored, like Devin White and this guy, they need to be bored on the bench. Then eventually, bored on the unemployment line.

    I wish the Bucs had a guy who they could pay that would actually help motivate the players and have them ready to play…Something along the lines of what A HEAD COACH IS SUPPOSED TO DO.

  38. Bucnjim Says:

    Paying players with that attitude is the reason we don’t have the cap space to bring in other veteran players.

  39. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Don’t write Zyon off just yet.

    Given how bad the team was last year, we were all pretty bored. This year should be much different.

    And, btw, one bored player does not a team make!

  40. LynchBob50 Says:

    I get being perceived as a lockdown player and getting bored because you’re just not getting targets in a game. I get the “game within the game” that players must manage play to play. 100% vs 75% output goes a long way, in energy conservation, through 4 quarters. If you can predict this from watching opposing offenses tape, you become a next level player.

    But how many years was Zion really that good of a CB to earn this kind of “status”. Time to go back to basics/fundamentals young man. I believe he will figure it out

  41. ModHairKen Says:

    It was a stupid thing for Bowles to say. It’s even stupider for McCollum to acknowledge it.

    Have some pride.

  42. Mveal2006 Says:

    Yes I think this is a serious issue and hardly limited to zyon.

    Players need to focus on whats needed and ignire toe closing culture of much of the planet

  43. OLDSCHOOL1976 Says:

    The size of his bank account made him bored. He played for the money and he got paid (like AWJ). Fat Cats get lazy, not bored. They have a lack of professionalism and motivation once they achieve that goal. Hope he can overcome it but I’m not convinced he has the fire now.

  44. Badbucs Says:

    Zyon is untradable now. Restructured dead cap, too much cap hit and little chance of getting anything worthwhile in return. Another JL error in judgement for the exorbitant extension and a second error for the restructure making him impossible to cut or move.

  45. Mort Says:

    Billy West is truly one of the greatest voice actors of all time.

  46. Jmarkbuc Says:

    Wow

    He actually managed to make it worse.

  47. Stpetematt Says:

    If you are reading this Zyon cover every down like it’s your last and wrap up and tackle on every play. If the ball crosses the LOS on the other side of the field charge that player to gang tackle. One of these days, that player will get free and you will save the team from surrendering a huge play if you maintain focus and effort like that! It’s inevitable. If you want to win, this is how you play football.

  48. jimmy Says:

    i’ve repeatedly said how he’s not that good. now he has admitted it. another JL experiment gone wrong.

  49. Todd Says:

    A bored mind is a vacant lot where bad defense manifests quickly.

  50. Delson Says:

    Did a really good job of defending the run. That was amazing

  51. Jack Burton Mercer Says:

    It was obvious and well-known that JPP took running plays off in the regular season. Sapp had several periods of, let’s say, inattention himself. Lots of players do. The good teams have less of this than the bad ones as you might expect.

  52. G-Buc Says:

    Hard to fathom what the hell this young man is talking about. Apparently, he is not a focused player. Not focused on winning! Not focused on doing his job.

    Give me a break.

  53. garro Says:

    That sounds a bit…selfish? Im not on the highlight reel so I will just go stand over here? Either way there is something wrong there. Bored! You are living your dream son! I never ever took one snap with that kind of thinking….Ever!

    Go Bucs!

  54. Bosch Says:

    This guy needs to go. How much of his remaining contract is guaranteed?

  55. Freddy PA Moxie Says:

    This is deeply disturbing to hear. Idk why this isn’t a mainstream news story (other than it’s because it’s the Bucs).

    Deeply disturbing…

  56. srqbuc Says:

    Sad to see someone with elite traits squander their gifts because they are bored and unmotivated. The competitor in me weeps.

  57. 813bucboi Says:

    his problem is focus and confidence…

    maybe bowles should send him on a CB Blitz or have him shadow a WR all game…

    but at the end of the day, Zyon has to mature, remain focused and be confident

    GO BUCS!!!!

  58. Bucfanforever Says:

    I get it, 7.5 minutes of work over 3 hours. I’d zone out too.

  59. 3.28.Evans Says:

    Twocoach is unmatched at taking promising and talented young players and regressing them into sub-mediocrity. But Jason fired everyone else and kept Twocoach. And people get mad at Mike for taking action. The anchor has been dropped right through the hull of the pirate ship.

    What a sham.

  60. 3.28.Evans Says:

    Twocoach is unmatched at taking promising and talented young players and regressing them into sub-mediocrity. But Jason fired everyone else and kept Twocoach. And people get mad at Mike for taking action. The anchor has been dropped right through the hull of the pirate ship.

    What a sham.

  61. Mhystc Says:

    I got “ bored “ watching him get burnt all season.

  62. JA Says:

    Agree! Incredulous to me how partaking in one of the best jobs in the world while making great money could ever become boring. Many would darn near kill to be in his place.
    Perhaps if KitKat-eating, buffet hogging Terrible Todd did his job and benched him with threat of release, (with emphasis on the latter) he might come around.
    And here’s the thing: by both coach and player both admitting neither is doing their job, how do they expect fans to think they have a winning team on their hands?
    “Uh, we were in a good position to make a Super Bowl run until we became bored and lost our last seven of nine …” Then again, maybe they had that hot Star Trek chick on their minds and wanted to replicate her name.

  63. Dano407 Says:

    Give the guy some Adderall.

  64. Leopold Stotch Says:

    Disgusting comment from him, honestly I’d cut him on the spot. PATHETIC!

  65. Warren Brooks Lynch Says:

    All of you are saying the same thing w/different wording lol

    This is how the machines in “The Matrix” reduced humanity to nothing more than a biological fuel source.

    Anyways, here’s a word from Darrelle Revis:

    That’s the life of an elite NFL cornerback. The action always seems to be on the other side of the field.

    “Boredom,” the New York Jets’ Pro Bowl cornerback said Tuesday. “That’s one of the biggest challenges for us as cornerbacks. Some of the elite-type guys, we don’t get the ball thrown to our side a lot.”

    No it’s not a direct comparison of players, anyway

    Here’s another from Denzel Ward:

    “I didn’t get no targets. So it was kind of boring for me,” cornerback Denzel Ward said. “No, I wouldn’t say it was boring, but I didn’t like that I didn’t get no targets though.”

    For those talking like this is the first time they’ve ever heard of a CB playing well being “bored” why would you throw at the guy allowing a 59% completion percentage when Kindle Vildor and a Rookie CB are playing on the opposite side of the field. This isn’t even a defense of McCollum, but more of an indicitment of those of you trying to spin this like Zyon has always been lackluster. STFU already lol

  66. Baking with Robinson Says:

    I think Todd should share his KitKats with Zyon. The guy is low on sugar.

  67. Baking with Robinson Says:

    How does Todd hold him accountable? Is Todd bored with his job therefore accountability is out the door?

  68. Jack Burton Mercer Says:

    WBL thanks for doing the work that was too boring for me. These guys like to be challenged and when they are not, the game is “boring”.

  69. 50yearbucfan Says:

    Imagine if all of us could get millions of dollars to be bored it would be awesome! 2027 can’t get here fast enough with new coach and new players that are hungry to win! Bring back the dungy days of hard hitting fun to watch football with players excited after great plays and a excited coach not a lazy frog that is clueless about game management or producing fired up players. Get rid of zm and tb

  70. OLDSCHOOL1976 Says:

    50year, I bet you A LOT of people on this site would mail it in if they got the big paycheck guaranteed. They lose the money motivation

  71. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    I see a lot of judgement here. Perhaps too much.

    I suspect Zyon will surprise you all this year.

  72. ModHairKen Says:

    Bonzai, are you judging us?

  73. Kenton Smith Says:

    Just finished looking up a guy I knew who played cornerback for a small Juco in NE Oklahoma 50 years ago. At that time OU would get high school athletes from around the country who couldn’t pass the muster at the big schools so they’d funnel them through this Juco and if they could make the grades, or clean up their issues, they’d get to Universities around the country. Guys name was Jerry Anderson and I had heard he’d played for the Bucs. Guy drowned early in life, I had remembered that. From the Juco Jerry Anderson went on to All American status at OU. National Championship team. I thought I could return punts and maybe play a little DB at this Juco. After playing a little football with this guy, and others alot like him, you find out the level of talent some of the best players have. Wonder, do any of you old Bucs fans remember Jerry Anderson? That dude hit harder than anybody I’ve ever seen on this Bucs team. I’d love to hear about it if anyone remembers him.

  74. bakerfan Says:

    Wonder if he got bored cashing those unearned checks that they paid for a full time focused player?

  75. Steve V. Says: Says:

    Face it! the wheels came off..physically, emotionally. It happens in life! Even pro athletes that make a ton of money! To the janitor that cleans up the puke in the stadium bathrooms after you the fan drinks too much! Last season is over im sure the players feel the same as us fans.Looking foward to this season is all we have
    ..Go Bucs!

  76. Fred McNeil Says:

    Now that I think about it a cornerback should be honored that quarterbacks stay away from a great defender. That would be great! Trouble is….umm….I must me going senile because I don’t recall any quarterbacks staying away from his side. Did I miss something? This sounds really counterintuitive, but hopefully he actually needs to quit worrying about earning and deserving all those millions and just play football.

  77. Rod Munch Says:

    Bowles literally has guys stand around flat footed, 15-20 yards down field, waiting for something to happen in his garbage zone scheme. Bowles version of zone requires you to just sit there and wait for something to happen before you react. I can see how players would be just as bored and frustrated to play it as it is for fans to watch it.

  78. BillyBucco Says:

    Joe
    You see Parsons is gonna miss the Bucs game?
    Strict 9 month rule they say.
    Won’t play until week 5 or 6.

  79. Rod Munch Says:

    BillyBucco Says:
    June 3rd, 2026 at 7:26 pm
    Joe
    You see Parsons is gonna miss the Bucs game?
    Strict 9 month rule they say.
    Won’t play until week 5 or 6.

    ————-

    I remember Fournette blowing up Parsons, then throwing a hissy fit online when someone posted a clip of it.

    With that said, I watched Parsons during coverage on draft night – and the guy really did a great job, knew all the players, had great info on them, etc. He’s going to be a TV guy once his career is over, and also is clearly really smart. But also very thin skinned when clips of him getting knocked on his rear by a RB (a 260lb RB) go viral.

  80. Steve V. Says: Says:

    Thats Ludacris azzmunch,these players have been taught to fly to the football since they were 6yrs old wawa wawa waaa freekin crybabies!!

  81. Obvious One Says:

    Stop giving Malcom a hard time. He’s just doing what Bozo told him IS his “Job Description”!

    Bozo the clown BOWLES, TRAINED HIM PERSONALLY TO BE HIS SIDESHOW BOB! I mean COME ON! You think it’s easy to Have To walk around with your hair butchered like that just to please Bozo? It’s a tough job being a Ridiculous Side Show! The floppy shoes and honking clown nose has become BORING! But what else can a clown do?

    Well get a thumbs up from his clown boss to receive enough money to fill a BIG Top! THAT’S WHAT THE CLOWNS HAVE DONE!

    In fact it’s become rather boring with this COMPLETE FAILURE OF A DEFENSE! YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR …… !

    But I’ve got to say that Bozo did a MASTERFUL JOB OF TURNING THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION INTO A THREE RINGER! And with Licht playing as THE wonderful idiot of OZ behind the curtains HANDING OUT MONEY “NOT EARNED”.. It’s A FULL ON CIRCUS! It’s a JOKE from the top of the big top to under the stinking ELEPHANT SIZED POO THAT BOZO THINKS IS A GENIUS DEFENSE!

    It’s just such a bad look! Bowles IS trying so hard to get us “back to” the LOSINGEST TEAM IN ALL OF SPORTS! And he’s doing a fine job of it on planet BIZZARRO!

    Can we PLEASE bring in Adults to run this team? The Glazer children have NO CONCEPT of how to run the “day to day” of a WINNING organization.. “Unless” the plan is a brand new “DRAFTED” franchise QB… If THAT’S the plan, they ARE doing a masterful job of making sure it happens…

  82. LynchMob50 Says:

    Bowles is a defensive guru. No one can match his pure genius.

    One day we’ll all tell our grandchildren we got to watch Todd boat race the entire NFL.

    Best coach in the history of the league!!!

    Licht needs to sign him for 10 more years!!!!

    By then we might have enough skilled players to run the defensive masterminds scheme.

  83. David Says:

    It’s not “boredom“. It is lack of focus. Quarterback didn’t look your way so you hung out with no focus and then when the play came back your way it was too late and you were burnt. This is unbelievably ridiculous. They need to start looking for another starting CB immediately. I have been on his bandwagon saying last year was a down year and he’ll be fine… This made me second-guess everything.

    OR
    Prescribe him Adderall this year and watch him thrive

  84. Day 1-76 Says:

    Only stupid people get bored. Find something to do, for God’s sake…or don’t accept your paycheck.

  85. Nicholas Carlson Says:

    Wild.