If Todd Bowles Could Change One Thing
July 12th, 2026
“Pppsssttt, coach, your defense hasn’t been good for a few years now.”
Ah, Joe has a hunch folks will swing and miss at this one.
Joe hopes Todd Bowles can change one thing about his coaching philosophy. And no, it’s not devloping an appreciation for a vicious edge rush. Joe doesn’t expect Bowles to lose his mind. He’s pretty set in stone about that one. S
So what would this change be?
First, some background.
Joe believes Bowles has to quit thinking his defense can bail out his team.
When Bowles is in close games, his defensive upbringing as a coach rises often to the surface. His defense will make a stop or get the ball back, or save the day. It rarely has the past three seasons.
Think about the some times Bowles blew games thinking his defense would save the Bucs. Here are a few:
* Taking the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands at Cleveland.
* Preferring to kick an extra point rather than go for two to beat the then-defending Super Bowl champs, Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs, on the road on Monday Night Football.
* Thinking his defense could get the ball back in the playoff game against Washington.
* Believing his defense would stop Josh Allen multiple times last year in Buffalo when Allen ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
#Fail Every. Single. Time.
If Bowles has an epiphany and comes to grips that his Bucs defense isn’t close to the Joe Gibbs defense he played in, then Joe honestly believes that ultimately the resulting changes would lead to two wins this fall on that mindset alone.
July 12th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Maybe the defense will be quite a bit better this season?
Either way, I agree especially we should have went for 2 in that Chiefs game. At least we would have went out with guts. I was screaming for it when I watched the game.
Our offense is better than our defense right now and that’s just a fact. And I agree Bowles should at least realize that.
July 12th, 2026 at 8:43 am
A solid run game, and a healthy O-line and hopefully a competent O.C again, and I think we might get your wish Joe
July 12th, 2026 at 8:52 am
The Bucs need to win the division and at least win the first playoff game or Todd’s gone.
July 12th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Excellent point, Joe. Well supported too. Losing his overconfidence in his defense and humbly accepting that he is not the great DC he thinks he is (despite all the evidence to te contrary) would certainly improve his decision making as a head coach. BUT… he would still be the head coach. Wouldn’t it be better if he quit, retired, go play golf with BA, begin a new career doing stunts featured by MTV’s Rediculousness, or anything that would make him no longer part of the Bucs’ organization.
Yes, I realize there is about a .0001% of that happening. But what are the odds of him improving his decision making?
July 12th, 2026 at 9:13 am
Hope springs eternal, Joe!
Even though it’s a lousy strategy for winning games, lol.
Watching Tom throw his helmet in disgust on the sideline in Cleveland, and Baker turning his head and groaning during the coin toss in Kansas City, said it all.
Only time will tell, but with our FA acquisitions and draft picks on defense this year, it may not be as much of a guaranteed shoot-yourself-in-the-foot situation as it has been in the past couple of years.
I’m still a bit skeptical about that and would rather lean on the offense, but either way, it’ll be interesting to see how (and whether) our D gels this year.
July 12th, 2026 at 9:21 am
The Trolls aren’t out of bed yet? It’s nice to read an article and comments with garbage trolling. Keep sleeping.
July 12th, 2026 at 9:28 am
His diet ?
July 12th, 2026 at 10:37 am
I’m not sure why he wouldn’t bring in a defensive coordinator not to take over the D, but as a strategist. There are younger coaches who have an excellent understanding of how modern offenses attack. An extra set of eyes on the sideline is extremely valuable to some who is head coach and defensive coordinator at the same time.
July 12th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Even with overwhelming evidence that Bowles is out of his depth at both the HC\DC positions, how can anyone still believe he’s capable of changing?
He’s a stubborn fool that was gifted a job he wasn’t qualified for.
I might enjoy having a drink with him, but that doesn’t make him the right guy to lead the Bucs.
We need to get back to the mentality of imposing our will on opponents.
Doing the least amount of effort to barely do enough to back into a division title is a cowardly move. And even that plan failed in 2025.
Mike knows.
July 12th, 2026 at 10:51 am
If he could change one thing it should be his job.
He looks highly qualified to be a competitive eater. He’s have to be a Vegas favorite to win the Super Bowl of engorgement.
As a football twocoach not so much.
July 12th, 2026 at 10:57 am
His cowardly soft shell pass coverage. Sick of seeing the CBs play 15 yards off WRs. Sick of AWJ playing so far back he’s never even in the screen.
A second into the play, there are 3 WRs immediately open. As much as this site talks about an absent edge rush, Reggie White wouldn’t do much in this scheme.
July 12th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
When did I realize Bowles was clueless? When he let Devin White do whatever he wanted, including loafing on the football field.
As pointed out above, his defense seems to be some version of a “Prevent Defense”. When guys like Cousins and Ewers are shredding your defense, you should be unemployed. The Glazers love him, though. Even more than they love winning football games.