Todd Bowles Laments Week 3 Sloppiness
September 30th, 2026
Was that Week 3 on Sunday or Preseason Game 6?
Sadly, it was the real thing and the Bucs are 0-3. Todd Bowles had some sour numbers on his lips last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network (Joe listened on WDAE radio).
“We had six offensive holding penalties and a chop block penalty. Four of them were on third down,” Bowles lamented. “It felt like most of them were in the second half.
“One time we were in the red zone; e were first-and-goal on about the 7 or 8 [yard line]. We ended up first-and-goal on the 27. You can’t have those type of penalties and expect to score points. So we had to do a better job at controlling our penalties because you only get so many possessions.
“Defensively. I thought we played hard. I thought they played well, especially in the second half. They gave up the one [deep touchdown throw] in the first half, but we gotta get more turnoves. Somehow we gotta get more turnovers [defensively]. And obviously special teams, you can’t have a punt return for a touchdown and expect to win in this league. So we gotta get that part straightened out.”
Bowles added that leadership and character don’t win out over errors.
“Big picture, we gotta eliminate the mistakes,” Bowles said. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and we got some great character guys and some great leaders, but at the same time, the mistakes have gotta cut down. It’s Week 3 now going on Week 4 coming this weekend, and we gotta cut out the mistakes for us to have a chance.”
Joe will add it would be nice to see the Bucs play with more anger and fire, especially the offensive line.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
Once again, broken record. Heard it all before coach. NOTHING CHANGES. Do you hold anyone accountable? Same sh!t different week.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
Maybe the Joes can post an accountability board weekly like BA used to in his meeting room.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
Clean it up! Run the ball,let the kid manage the game ,no turnovers,Let the defense fly!
September 30th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
Broken record= common sense
September 30th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
Flores as new Head Coach 2027 and Ronde assistant GM, Glazers can keep the DEI protocol in place!! Go Bucs
September 30th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
How about having some fun? We don’t even play like we enjoy the game.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, but How did Jamel Dean play, coach?
September 30th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Big picture we got to eliminate mistakes. First mistake that needs to be eliminated is Todd Bowles. Year five as HC, it’s painfully obvious he’s not the man for a job. Neither is Licht. Time to turn the page. It’s never been clearer.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
Ok todd, so you fix the mistakes like not covering over the middle to the opposing team’s TE’s, going for it on a 4th down (in our on territory) when we were 2 for 17 on 3rd’s….and um, oh i dont know, plays throwing behind the line of scrimmage for a few yards gained….choosing FG (not the 59 yarder, that was awesome, GJ Chase) but the others….keeping our best pass rusher out (at the time, Walker)…getting AWAY from the run when it was working…..and of course dropping pass rush into coverage so many times….
and thats just these last few games. Dude, you’re an IDIOT!!!! Will never get PAST IT!!!!!
All good. Setting up for a good draft next year…and your retirement or firing….
September 30th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
The lack of accountability by this coaching staff, combined with a lack of commitment by the players, will result in the bucs maybe winning one or two games this season. We have taken multiple steps back the past two seasons, including now handicapping the future coaching staff with a terrible QB for the next 2-3 years. Joe, time to rename the stadium the “Den of Depression” because that is where this is headed.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Get rid of Bowles, bring in Tomlin and watch the discipline arrive
September 30th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Biggest mistake that needs fixing is firing Bowles.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
This stoic clown sputters the same lame nonsense every time we have a losing streak. Then he doubles down on stupid. Never mind the “We gotta play better” echos and change something. It’s not like you could accidently make things worse.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Blah blah blah
September 30th, 2026 at 12:38 pm
How many more chances/years does he think he should be allowed to clean up the slop?
September 30th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
The team is a reflection of the HC….its super simple. Bowles sets the standard from a disciplinary standpoint, energy, strategy, etc. Arians didn’t tolerate sloppy play…when Winston didn’t get it done, he got replaced. Fournette didn’t like his role….he got an ultimatum, get on board or hit the road. Bowles is too much of a players coach….anytime I hear a mediocre team talk about their admiration for a coach, you know it’s doomed. Your HC is too much be respected and somewhat feared. Nobody is concerned with Bowles which is why you see the same reoccurring issues.
In a different post, I think McCoy hit the nail on the head. The players arent being put into positions for success based on their skill set but instead are trying to execute a doomed scheme and in doing so consistently fail. The mistake won’t end because guys are being utilized for their strengths but instead are in bad roles trying to overcompensate. Bowles is too much blame, it’s ultimately on him and he’s shown no ability in the last 11 or 12 games to get it fixed.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
if the team was rolling on all cylinders we should have won that game 30-16…
one more offensive touch down in each half would have bumped us to 30 coen-esque points…
and if special teams didn’t get caught sleeping on that big return, the vikes would have been at like 16 points…
would have, should have, could have…
we gotta get our act together and fast…this isn’t foozball, it’s the nfl
September 30th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Coach Todd,
Please get involved in every aspect of the offense, make corrections and turn the ship around in the right direction !! Defense is playing well, obviously the offense needs a lot of work !! Get the red pen out please.
We would love to beat those Packers !!
Go Bucs !!
September 30th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
Ok Todd so your saying if you quit being a bad team at week three mind you everything will be good well at least you are not saying we gotta coach it better and play it better, wait a minute.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
Hmmm, 3 sloppy games to start the season.
If only there were 3 games to practice/play before the season started then we could avoid looking like sh!t?
Maybe they should have a preseason or something?
September 30th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Does Anyone really think the Bucs can win a game this season with this offense? Especially with a rookie QB, WRs that are just terrible, porous Oline and an OC that is one of the worst in recent history. It’s not just the mistakes, it’s the terrible game plan. Get rid of OC now and hire Gruden as OC.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Todd Bowles is too sloppy to be a HC\DC in the NFL.
He’s proven that to be undeniably true. Unless you’re Floormatt and Steve V level of a lemming.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:01 pm
Todd is an excuse machine.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
An Erection For Sacks Laments Todd Bowles Teams’ Sloppiness.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
The team is engineered to fail.
Defensive head coach mindset = play not to lose, avoid mistakes, play off the ball and keep everything in front of you, don’t take risks on offense.
Everything is focused on operating within Bowles’ principles and beliefs. The players he trusts to operate within his system get the snaps, even when they don’t perform.
The coaching philosophy informs the personnel decisions and shapes the roster. We have solid citizens, but no stars, no one who dominates at their position. There is no margin for error, so when error inevitably occurs, the team loses.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
“Somehow we gotta get more turnovers [defensively].”
Well here’s a way – check out last week’s game in the third quarter with right about 7:00 even on the game clock. Murray is looking for a receiver and taking quite a while to find one. No lineman is guarding him on his far left side. Muhammad is just standing there with open field between him and Murray. No blockers, just standing there staring at Murray. Finally, as if Muhammad went inside his head, “ah, F– it,” he finally scrambles across the line to go after Murray. He was clearly instructed not to go after him, and finally just did it anyway. You want a way to get turnovers, let your edge rushers rush the qb!
September 30th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Somebody correct me if I’m wrong. I’m usually not. Our average third down was 3rd and 14. 7 major OLine penalties? Were the refs paid off? It’s nearly impossible for an OC to call plays on 3rd and 14 or an offense to convert on 3rd and 14. Unless it’s against our defense.
Baker is in charge of the offense and as deada$$ as his body language says he is it’s not too difficult to see why we can’t beat anybody.
If Baker hadn’t been hurt he’d be starting again Sunday. Don’t like to see anyone hurt, but when an offense looks like ours has been looking, first thing you do is change QBs. We have to win a ballgame. Then we can go from there. I still think we can get the mojo back. And turn this year around.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Someone tell zac robinson that preseason is over and he can open his playback now. Hahaha Dude is garbage
September 30th, 2026 at 2:07 pm
Oline and Te blocking has been terrible
September 30th, 2026 at 2:18 pm
NFL is such a short season no excuse to come out and be flat, but Bucs have looked like pre-season ball since after the bye last year.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
Well, since some people think that baker is the reason we lose, then they should be overjoyed that we are now starting an undrafted rookie. At least now we will win the next 3 games. Right?
September 30th, 2026 at 2:37 pm
Offense 2024 had mostly the same players (-2). Offense 2026 diferent coach and scheme. There seems to be a disconect, could it be coaching naaaaa
September 30th, 2026 at 2:56 pm
Second verse same as the first
September 30th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
The interior oline is well below average, they were blown up repeatedly. The problem is when you need a guard or center don’t draft a tackle. They are not strong enough to handle a 330lb DT as evidenced all this year. This team looks like it already is trying to check out, Bowles is not the answer! We need fresh Coaching and different personnel choices.
September 30th, 2026 at 3:16 pm
We’ve been hearing these words for 4 years. Mercifully it’ll come to an end this year
September 30th, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Do you think Todd shares his kitkats with the players when he’s scolding them 🤔 we are as weak as a butthole against diarrhea during a hard cough people. We got nasty in a lot of bad categories lately to, draft picks #1 , tossing money to the soon be sorriest player on the team, Chucky is waiting on the phone to ring. He’ll smack Robinson and make way better use of his playbook and limp into the playoffs, right now, with Daniels. They like their jobs? They got 14 weeks to earn keeping it. Draft picks aren’t really expensive but next years offensive line, all veterans. I hope the new staff will uphold this standard. Bruce Allen. Lol
September 30th, 2026 at 3:23 pm
He @##%ing SUCKS
September 30th, 2026 at 3:53 pm
@Bartow..I like your thinking brother! GO BUCS!
September 30th, 2026 at 4:52 pm
Maybe there’s ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ …
Go back 25 years in Bucs history … Sam Wyche took over for Richard Williamson (3-13) after the woeful 1991 season.
o 1992: Bucs go 5-11 under Wyche.
o 1993: Bucs go 5-11 under Wyche.
o 1994: Bucs go 6-10 under Wyche.
Then on 16 Jan 1995, Malcolm Glazer bought the Bucs for a mere $192 mil (a league record at the time BTW) from the Culverhouse Estate. Rich MacKay became the GM just prior to that in Nov 1994 (after Culverhouse died), and the Glazers retained Sam Wyche as HC for 1995 when they bought the team. The team actually improved to 7-9 for the 1995 season under Wyche. Notably the Bucs ranked 12th defensively in Points Allowed, giving up only 335 pts in 16 games … 20.9 PPG. And that was in the old ‘Black-and-Blue Division’.
That team had some pretty good players, to include Warren Sapp & Derrick Brooks (both rookies that year), John Lynch, Hardy Nickerson and quite a few others. Unfortunately, not nearly enough to keep from going 7-9. Sam Wyche was replaced by Tony Dungy … and a whole new coaching staff … after that 1995 season.
Interestingly the Bucs’ offense took a step backwards during the 1996 season, only scoring 221 pts & ranking #30 offensively. But our defense improved, allowing only 293 pts (18.3 PPG) to rank #8. Sadly the Bucs started the 1996 season under Dungy by losing 8-out-of-their-first-9 games, but ended by winning 5-of-their-last-7 games to finish 6-10 for the 1996 season.
Bucs improved to 10-6 in 1997 under Dungy … with the defense leading the way. We ranked in the Top-10 defensively EVERY year under Dungy (with Monte as his DC), and that continued until the 2006 season while Chucky was HC (with Monte as his DC). That’s 10 straight years of Top-10 finishes for our defense. THAT’S OUR HERITAGE, not only under Tony Dungy, but also prior to his time here.
IF the Bucs are to turn around this 2026 season, DEFENSE WILL HAVE TO LEAD THE WAY. We’ve got an undrafted rookie QB starting for at least the next 3 games (if not more). Hard to envision us decimating any NFL teams offensively (like the upcoming Packers, Cowboys & Steelers) by scoring 30+ PPG. IF we’re to win, it’ll have to be because our defense held them to at least below 20 PPG. And after what I saw us do defensively against the Vikings, I think we’ve got the talent to be capable of doing exactly that. We just need the coaching to ‘git it together’ and come up with some winning game plans & game management. Yes we have to stop making mistakes by making fewer giveaways, more takeaways, fewer penalties, etc. But for heaven’s sake, this isn’t rocket science. Experienced coaches know how to put guys in position to make plays. No more excuses … JUST DO IT.
September 30th, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Blah blah blah Boweles no one listens to you.