Todd Bowles: Rueben Bain Probably Took A Step Back
September 14th, 2026
Rough start.
Rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain, Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick, had a rough Week 1.
Joe thought Bain looked a little gassed and perhaps dogged by his healed/healing(?) shoulder.
Todd Bowles didn’t have anything positive to say about Bain’s showing when asked today.
Bowles said Bain and fellow edge rusher YaYa Diaby weren’t sharp.
“He probably took a stop back in terms of the mental aspect of it,” Bowles said of Bain. “But that comes with working together with everybody else in the pass rush games, as well. And we got to do a better job up front at that.”
In short, Bain looked like a rookie in his first game. That’s not how Bucs fans dreamed it up, but that was the reality.
Joe is not worried about Bain. What he showed all summer in training camp was not a mirage.
September 14th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
Watched the game with non Bucs fans and they couldn’t believe when Rueben Bain was tasked with “doing other things” on a run play. Make it make sense.
September 14th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
I was saying this all of off season
This fanbase love to over hype these rookies
This is the NFL, it’s far different from college
You have to prove yourself in this league
How can Bain take a step backwards ( When he never took a step forward)!
This was his first NFL game, it’s gonna take time
September 14th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
The reason he has looked so good in practice is because he going up against the Bucs o-line!
This team has toughness issues!!
September 14th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Enough of the Don King hype for Yaya. Dude is and will always be a less than 10 sack guy. Greatness shows up early! Not four years later.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
It looked like the Bengals were much more physical especially on the offensive and defensive lines. Very disappointed in our offensive line because at times they looked overwhelmed
September 14th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
Where was David Walker yesterday? For a guy who had a sack every day during training campe, you would think they would bring him in at least a few times.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Bain will be fine , but it may take a full season.
Warren Sapp played all 16 games his rookie year in 1995 and finished with 26 tackles and 3 sacks, yet he became a HOF’er-it takes time.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
WHAT? Are you joking? n Did you see how he dropped back in coverage?? Then the great Anzalone plays. Look how he slides just like baseball. These 2 players were added for just this. The Bain/Anzalone combo cant be beat. Our GM Guru along with our HC?DC Guru made this combo possible.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Many of us see the same thing. Oline and dline lack of physicality. It’s been missing for years, especially under Todd. We have been pushed around way too much the last several years. I dont see that changing with our current lines. They are all vets and they are what they are.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
Walker is also part of the Don King hype!
September 14th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
But l will give Reuben Bain a pass
He was going against Amarius Mims
Mims is a 6’8 350 lbs stud
He was one of the best college tackles in college at Georgia
And he’s only 23 years old, he’s solid
Bain gonna be alright
But this fanbase expect him to dominate these tackles every game
It don’t work like that in the NFL
September 14th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
I’m sulking in the loss, but I’m praising my hesitancy to believe this pass rush was going to be magically fixed. At least now I’m just the normal level of disappointed. Is it time to sign JPP again!?
September 14th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
THE HYPE
September 14th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Another year under with Toilet leadership, another year without a d-line pass rush
September 14th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
As the best coach in Bucs history put it, yesterday Bucs beat the Bucs.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Wait, I thought that the three rookies on defense were going to change the culture???
Meanwhile – Vea, Cancy, Yaya, Winfield – did JACK SQUAT!
Zero veteran leadership on this team.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Relax. Warren Sapp had three sacks his entire rookie year. Sometimes greatness needs a minute to find the effing parking lot.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
If you wat h CFB, Mims was a very good player at UGA, and has been hurt at Cincinnati until this year.
I like Bain, but hes learning. However, no excuses for the Dline vets. They gave it up.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
I simply think he was matched up against a 6’8 manbeast. Mims is huge and has long arms. Bain is going to struggle against those type of guys. Honestly, im not sure why he is on the left side of our d-line. That’s where Diaby was last year and he played well. Why dont we have Bain on the right? I also don’t like how Bowles switches both edges every third series. We got nothing from the Nelson/AlMuhammad rush and Burrow teed off on those drives in particilular
September 14th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Everybody struggled on the d line that game , wasn’t just a rookie thing
September 14th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
As predicted, let the Week 1 overreaction train begin.
Bain will be just fine.
It usually takes time for rookies, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Bain, Trotter and Scott will just continue to get better
I’m much more concerned with some of the over paid vets like Anzalone (looked washed up), AW jr (not worth his contract), Vita (I wanted be traded) and Baker (pay me the money).
Those 4 are supposed to be the veteran leaders and stars..they all took a collective dump yesterday.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
it was a bit more concerning than just “looked like a rookie”, it looked more like he has physical limitations that have no way of improving – at least when faced against a 6’8″ 350 tackle. I dont think a year 5 Reuben Bain would have done any better. that was 36.5 inch arms up against Bain’s 30inch arms who Bowles had lining up super wide the whole game.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
Where was our high priced FA Muhammed????
September 14th, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Bane is an edge rusher and that’s a tough position to come out of the gate dominating.
But sometimes the hype is real.
Goes by the name Trot.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
We took Detroits trash, let’s hope that’s just hyperbole, because there is a reason they didn’t resign Anzalone and Muhammad
September 14th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Four guys upfront were worthless …
Vea+Bain+Yaya+Kancey
Tackles: 3
TFL: 1
Sacks: 0
Every CB did more …
Zyon McCollum
Tackles: 9
TFL: 1
Sacks: 0
Even the backups …
Benjamin Morrison
Tackles: 4
TFL: 1
Sacks: 0
September 14th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Based on how hard Bain works, he will be fine.
He wasn’t going against a below average RT.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:28 pm
bain looked pretty small trying to rush in on burrow. no luck yesterday but he’ll get some this year no doubt.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Dont rely on AQM, hes been in the league for years and finally had 10 plus sacks last year. If he was a true pass rusher do you think Detroit would let him go, especially for what we are paying him? Hes this year’s Reddick along with Alex, who Detroit also let go. To be honest, I never expected much from a q m or alex. More bargin JL shopping. Get used to it because of VV and Bakes new contracts.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:29 pm
If Bucs fans do one thing well, its buy into the preseason hype.
There’s nothing in Bowles’ history to give anyone the sense that this year’s team will be any different than his past four.
Bain has a chance to be better. Bowles will never be.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
“Joe is not worried about Bain. What he showed all summer in training camp was not a mirage.”
Would you bet your paycheck on that????
Bowles asked him to do other things…..
September 14th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
A step back from what?
September 14th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
What he showed in training camp was sacks against an o-line that gave up quite a few yesterday.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Maybe Bain just needs some motivation before the game they should show him a picture of a T-Rex and point out the T-Rex arms and show the video of him getting drafted and how all the other 14 teams passed up on him.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Thought Bain was going to show everyone that passed on him, why it was a bad decision. OVER HYPE, EITHER WALK THE WALK AND TALK THE TALK IT OR SHUT UP.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
Davenport, dumb statement. Most fan bases buy into their teams type. What else you going to do? You don’t get to see every aspect of what happens behind closed doors and practices so you have to buy into what you hear via the media, which is usually mostly positive.
Give credit to the nyj and browns fans that are still positive at the beginning of their seasons.
That’s a tough attitude to have after all these years.
I watched the replay video of all of Bain’s rushes. I got to say he didn’t have a whole lot of time to get to the QB regardless. Burrow got rid of that ball damn fast frequently. If we maybe cover a TE at some point, then maybe he sits in the pocket longer. But that didn’t happen.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
The problem is, Bowles, you have allegedly a premier pass rusher, and you still have him dropping into coverage. He played like 26 snaps. He should be pinning his ears back and getting after the QB like a dog after a bone that hasn’t eaten in a week—not, “Oh well, he’s having trouble with the mental aspect of the game.”
That’s on you, Bowles. That’s on coaching. He shouldn’t be thinking or worrying about doing other things. You let him rush the QUARTERBACK all day LONG. Let him, Ya-Ya, Vea, and Cancey pin their ears back and get after the QB. You build the defense around those guys and let them hunt for sacks all game.
You have the personal NOW so what’s gonna be the excuse??? You build the defense around what you have stop trying to put a round peg in a square hole….
September 14th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
Mohammed should start until Bain is 100% healthy.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:41 pm
Bain looked like Braswell 2.0. YaYa got pushed around and B-slapped too. Why didn’t they let Walker see what he could do? Same old no pass rush defense for QBs to comfortably feast on.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:42 pm
Yaya and Kancey didn’t show up IMO….Yaya still can’t finish
GO BUCS
September 14th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Bain’s good summer might be more of a product of our Oline being terrible for some reason now.
“Why does our Oline suck?” Is a question that should be being asked right now.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Bowles will coach them up just like all the other pass rush greats he’s developed. No worries.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
It’s called coaching them up… obviously we’re lacking in that… or these guys are overhyped
September 14th, 2026 at 1:52 pm
If the Browns even stay in the game this week, the Bowles tenure is over. Cincy is predicted to be good. Road game. Many turnovers. Okay, move on. But if the Browns comes here and we need a last second FG or something – the season is over.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:53 pm
Bain looked every bit the player other scouting department believed he’d be in the league. Yeah, it’s one game- but he was swallowed whole. He looked small, slow and not nearly strong enough to hold up. Other teams will play him the same way. The only fighting chance the kid has is seeing 50, 94 and 0 step up—but when had that ever happened?
September 14th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Is this so called pass rush just going to magically show up one day?? Naw… it’s a lack of coaching and scheming and making adjustments to put your so called talent in the best position to succeed… ain’t gonna happen under Bowles…
September 14th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
We talk about how long the process from college through the draft/offseason then into rookie camps etc.
Love Bains attitude and him striving for greatness but rest is also important to be at full capacity.
Extra hours pushing sleds is for May and June. Not August in the Tampa heat. Maybe I am overblowing it but gotta work smart as well as hard.
September 14th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Burrow was the least pressured qb yesterday in the league…
September 14th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
Still waiting for Todd / Jason to develop an edge and a qb. They just cannot.
I’ll hold judgment on Bain till end of season but YaYa isn’t doing anything special.
And as I have been saying no need to mention David Walker anymore until he actually plays and does something. Ted Hurst was a nice bright spot. Looking forward to seeing him play more snaps.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:13 pm
The refs screwed us.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:16 pm
the bengals are bigger and stronger and tougher than the bucs
September 14th, 2026 at 2:21 pm
Plan 3 from Outer Space. Plan 9 was better he could wave longer arms and drop out of rushing faster…he followed the action all over to observe. Bottom line Plan 9 was a better bust than Plan 3. Anzalone is a simple disaster call Fema. VV has become a blocking sled. They got the bag and do not care.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:26 pm
Actually Bain looked lost to me, just unsure of where to apply pressure when needed. But I’m sure he’ll play better this week.
As for the play on the line of scrimmage, the Bengals defensive line was definitely most aggressive. But, there’s no doubt in my mind the Bucs would have won that game if they had controlled the ball and not turned it over.
Go Bucs !!
Beat the Browns !!
September 14th, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Bain got locked up by TE, When Brown scored TD went right past him he couldn’t shed block. Like Baker if you going act like you are “Him” you best back it up. I know it’s week one, but Bain been hyped as the next coming savior of the putrid pass rush.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:35 pm
Warren Sapp recorded 1 sack his first game as a buc so…with all the hopium as next coming of Sapp I expected at least a sack.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:39 pm
Bain looked a lot like Jts 2.0. He got rag-dolled again and again and again. Combined with that big long blond haired hippy dude there wasn’t a lot to like between them. We saw this during crunch time late when we needed a stop. It’s just too bad as I was hoping for better. By the looks of things the Bucs are gonna be an ‘over’ quite a bit whenever they play.
September 14th, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Defensive end is a “you either got it, or you don’t” position. More reps don’t make you stronger or faster than the other guy.
Bain doesn’t got it.
September 14th, 2026 at 3:13 pm
I dont know how you can know that what you saw in training camp was not a mirage? Wasn’t this his first test against NFL starting caliber o-linemen?
September 14th, 2026 at 3:29 pm
Bain looked like that because Bowles wants him to do everything but play his natural game!!!!!!!! Bust up the back field and create havoc….
September 14th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
He’ll be fine. He just needs to learn to slide.
September 14th, 2026 at 3:52 pm
Leadership starts at the top. Just look at the New York Giants and what they did to a
very hyped Dallas team. When are some of the Bucs fans going to realize the poor play is due to the coach and the coaches
September 14th, 2026 at 3:53 pm
D-line was my biggest disappointment.
Corners (everyone’s greatest fear) were far better than expected 👍🏼
September 14th, 2026 at 4:07 pm
All the criticism won’t make an ounce of difference. The owners insulate themselves from fans. No one at One Buc gives a flip about what is written here or on PR. Changes will come about only when the owners dictate. They have not consulted with me, any JBF writers or PR writers. It is what it is. I’m now very indifferent to this original. Don’t need the weekly upset. If they win, great. If they don’t, oh well.
September 14th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
Sapp’s rookie year he had 27 tackles and only 3 sacks.
It’s Bain’s first regular season game. Give the kid a chance.
September 14th, 2026 at 4:39 pm
He looked like a little kid out there to me…
September 14th, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Meanwhile, Pyburn is on the Chiefs’ active roster for tonight’s game. But, you know, we have such tremendous OLB and special teams depth…
September 14th, 2026 at 5:03 pm
YaYa just needs a new contract and he’ll be fine.
September 14th, 2026 at 5:51 pm
They posted all of his pass rushes on the nfl subreddit. It looked rough. He got manhandled.