Todd Bowles’ Foot
August 30th, 2025
Not afraid to unload on a player.
Joe only wishes fans got to see the side of Bucs coach Todd Bowles that Joe sometimes sees.
On TV and in press conferences, especially during the regular season, Bowles looks and comes across as stoic, almost detached from the game. In some ways, Joe thinks that’s good. Bowles keeps his head about him when all around him could be chaos.
But that stoic demeanor is often an image that infuriates fans. They want a coach to be like Chucky, emotionally into each and every play. Fans want a coach who appears to want the Bucs to win as much as they do.
“Appears” is the keyword there.
Behind the scenes, Joe sees Bowles as almost gregarious. That shocks a lot of fans. But Bowles almost always wears a smile and is quick with a hearty laugh.
But when Bowles knows the klieglights of the TV cameras and photographers are around, he usually quickly tightens up. It’s almost like he learned from someone that he shouldn’t show emotion. That emotion is unprofessional.
So while Joe often sees Bowles with a smile and a quick laugh, Joe hasn’t seen him tear into a player. In an appearance with Tom Krasniqi of WDAE-AM 620 this week, Bowles confessed he will tear into a player when needed, but never out in public.
“You show up to work and you put in the work,” Bowles began. “It’s our job and my job as a coach that if you are not doing your job, you expect to hear about it.
“Sometimes it is calm and sometimes it is not. … Sometimes you have to put your foot in their ass.”
Bowles rattled off three or four players’ names who he never has to get on their backsides. You can probably guess which ones.
So which players does Bowles have to use his foot on? He wouldn’t say.
Krasniqi guessed Jamel Dean but Bowles said it’s not his veteran cornerback.
The closest Joe has seen to Bowles tearing into anyone, Joe didn’t hear it or see Bowles hollering, but Joe did see what happened and the immediate aftermath. It was one of the final preseason practices earlier this month. There were no fans as it was a closed practice, open only to media. During practices, players are chattering all the time, often having something to do with the next play.
Joe doesn’t know what happened but Bowles had the entire team huddle up. Joe couldn’t see Bowles amid all the players but when the, um, discussion was over, all the players sure got very quiet.
That told Joe someone did some arse chewing. Afterwards, Bowles admitted he had to lay the law down on his team because they were not practicing sharply and looked like their heads were elsewhere.
August 30th, 2025 at 12:25 am
I never had an issue with Dungy not showing emotion, but something about the way Bowles does it, just comes off as mildly annoying. Not really sure why – maybe it’s because we knew Dungy was who he was, where as we hear about this other Bowles from time to time. To me it’s not a big deal, I don’t really care how the coaches act so long as they get results.
August 30th, 2025 at 1:14 am
Makes no difference to me if he’s stoic or gregarious. Everyone needs to be themselves otherwise they suffer the loss of authenticity. May surprise some but I actually prefer Bowles over Gruden. Which has nothing to do with their outward manner. But that’s neither here nor there. It’s a results based business. Simple as. Nice guys sometimes finish last too. Many of us work or have worked in that atmosphere. Produce or you’re out. Some businesses are certainly more demanding than others. By quite a stretch. His is no more demanding than mine was. Sometimes you are the one giving the boot and sometimes you are the one getting the boot. But that is the choice we all make. Not sure what the point of the story is. Except perhaps to give a peek of Bowles behind the scenes. Which is fair enough.
August 30th, 2025 at 2:00 am
Now if he could coach consistanly good. I was just dreaming.
August 30th, 2025 at 3:07 am
If the HC isn’t going to be an emotional leader (which Bowles has explicitly said is not his job – it’s the players’ job to develop a killer instinct), then I expect him to be a good Xs and Os guy and/or in-game strategist.
He’s proven to be a below average clock manager that tends to coach too conservatively, if not scared. And the last couple years his defense his bad awful – opponents are running around laughably wide-open.
August 30th, 2025 at 3:51 am
May be just me. I care way less about his personality than I do about his decision making. However some of the stuff coming from him is not what I would call truthful. That always sets off the old BS alarms on people with me. That has been learned from life experiences.
Personality? Anyone remember Ray Perkins? Three a days? In Florida? Really abrasive personality in my opinion.
Go Bucs!
August 30th, 2025 at 4:08 am
None of that surprises me.
August 30th, 2025 at 4:24 am
I hope he doesn’t try to get cute this season with these 2pt. Conversions. He doesn’t have the instincts for it. And, you can’t go strictly, just off of the ‘analytics’ in football, because it doesn’t differentiate A LOT of the various variables. He ‘thinks’ he’s showing aggressiveness there, but it is NOT. It’s Stupid. He will pick the weirdest, WRONG times. Every time. I just want him to put a HUGE emphasis on focusing on WINNING (dominating) the “Middle-8” of ballgames and be VERY ‘aggressive’ THERE. And, PLEASE for the Love of God… Just STOP-IT with running ‘up-the-gut’ on First-Downs every damn time, ESPECIALLY on the very first-play to begin a drive. There has to be Pace, Rythym, and Tempo… LET’S GOOOO… Then, QUICK-hitting run-plays, in-rythym. NOT slow and predictable, with the play-clock running down. NOT gonna work, unless 4th-Quarter, against a tired & worn down defense.
August 30th, 2025 at 4:48 am
Love the non-emotion from Bowles. I am in the group of rather having a coach that isn’t the loudest in the room. It’s working too. We have one of the best cultures in the locker room, no drama, no bad headlines, and a strong camaraderie. Tony Dungy was one of my favorite coaches too.
August 30th, 2025 at 4:49 am
My guess their heads were boiling from the heat. They were probably looking at the Glazer shed wondering what the hell they were doing outside.
August 30th, 2025 at 5:14 am
glad we did not get belicheck, ugh
August 30th, 2025 at 6:15 am
MJ – So glad we didn’t either.
August 30th, 2025 at 6:28 am
@Garro
@Rod Munch
@joebucsfan.com
@Ira Kaufman
Garro and Rod, the combination of your two points brought me to a realization about why I’m so down on our head coach sometimes.
Tony Dungy at least spoke with some warmth in his voice sometimes, and would also crack a smile (and an occasional quip or joke) here and there.
He also very occasionally was not afraid to call out a player by name, when the player needed to “up his game”. He was never vicious about it; he always did it gently, but he wasn’t afraid to do it.
Our current head coach speaks with absolutely no emotion in his voice at all, better than 99% of the time.
For me, that just gets old. He doesn’t have to jump up and down or go spastic, but jeez dude, crack a smile or a quip once in a while.
As for truthfulness, I might have worded it a little more strongly, but the point is, I agree with that point, lol. Sooner or later, folks start to see through the smoke and mirrors and if their BS detectors aren’t going off it’s because they’re simply tuning out.
A credit to the Joes and Ira Kaufman.
To be fair…
The podcast you guys did with the head coach a couple of weeks ago was amazing, not only from an information standpoint, but you actually got him to open up, smile, laugh and crack a joke or two.
The joke about him loving Ira, but not coaching to please Ira was priceless!
Overall, it was very entertaining, very informative, and it was great work by all three of you to get him to open up like that.
I think if the head coach would open up a bit and show that same kind of sense of humor when he does his press conferences, a lot of peoples’ attitudes toward him would change for the better.
August 30th, 2025 at 7:42 am
I think people are overlooking the fact that players love because he’ll chew them out and have a laugh with them in private but never blast them in public. It’s a player’s league and image is important.
August 30th, 2025 at 8:50 am
Vanessa
That WAS a very good interview and I enjoyed it. Your assessment is exactly what I was thinking when I heard it.
When I heard he and McLaughlin go each other a little bit and joke around, I thought that was pretty funny.
Seems to love his punter, I wonder if Dixon has a sense of humor, too? LOL
August 30th, 2025 at 8:58 am
He has shown his humor to people if they would recognize it or know what a little tongue-in-cheek is. His answer last year to being asked about the season starting up was great, when he screamed “It’s Exciting” and then the laugh began. He is a calm in the face of what can be a very emotional storm at times in the game which is invaluable, even some of the players, like Baker has said that. I think he gets too much crap for whole lot of different reasons, seems people are looking for reasons not to like or believe in him. And while we’re at it, it’s not his job to let the public know every detail about this team, it would be foolish, others read and look for any intel they can about an opponent but just as important, it’s none of our business, people think they have to or are entitled to whatever they want, including someone to act the way ‘they’ want or have to know every little thing as if it’s their right. It ain’t. Think Tom Landry, Bud Grant, guys knew how to win without jumping up and down. I’ve seen Bowles get on people and officials during the game. He treats his players like men and with respect, what else can you ask for? And yes that translates to a culture, a good one. He is certainly passionate about winning as much as his players, the rest of the organization, and the fans. He has the team trending in the right direction and until he doesn’t let’s cut him a little slack.
August 30th, 2025 at 9:15 am
@KABucs
Thank you.
There’s a press conference with Dixon on the Bucs official website. Nice young man. Seems comfortable talking to the media. No real joking around, but you get the sense he’s got a good sense of humor.
August 30th, 2025 at 9:23 am
The old adage, Praise in Public, Criticize in Private, seems to be TB’s approach. And his outward demeanor with the press is designed to never give an insight that betrays his plans. I’m fine with that.
August 30th, 2025 at 9:32 am
I for one like a HC that wears his emotions! You know firey like Mike Ditka was for the ’85 Bears or Dan Campbell is in Detroit. To me it shows he cares and is invested! On occasion the emotions can cloud good judgement but I think the benefits out way the issues. Of course it does works both ways, think of Andy Reid
August 30th, 2025 at 9:43 am
I think it matters because team takes on the identity of its coach. You hear it all the time, you see it all the time. We have a very boring coach and our team comes out flat and boring a majority of the time….
But the real problem isnt his demeanor, its the imcompetent decisions he makes during the games and during the week.
August 30th, 2025 at 9:58 am
His foot needs to go up his own arse. The HC needs to take the DC to the woodshed but since it’s the same guy, well…..
August 30th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Love coach Bowles. All these fans that get upset with him cause he doesn’t appear energetic or electric are silly. He’s a calm and solid leader and in the NFL when you’re trying to herd the personalities and egos of 53 men and young men, that quiet calm leading the charge with a purpose is what’s needed. GO BUCS!
August 30th, 2025 at 10:40 am
Being calm or fiery doesn’t matter.
He is a defensive mastermind, yet his defense sucks. Has sucked. And it’s pretty clear, he’s coaching the same way and it’s gonna suck again.
40 burgers or bust.
August 30th, 2025 at 10:56 am
Vanessa, KABucs:
Thank you very much! 🙂
August 30th, 2025 at 11:57 am
Emotion is overrated.
I love Todd’s press conferences. What some call his stoicism I call his Job-like patience, as he calmly fields inane questions from the media. “Do you think Mike’s return will help the offense? ” “Did missed tackles hurt the defense?” “How do you stop false starts?”
August 30th, 2025 at 12:28 pm
You’re welcome, Joe. 🙂
August 30th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Well, I for one am glad to hear that Bowles is demanding results. Because being everybody’s buddy all the time Won’t Get Them..
I can only “hope” that he really is taking it where a coach “Has To” to have a Winning defense. We’re saddled with him so in the end of the day, RESULTS changes minds for the better.
I don’t mind rewarding flowers if someone can just earn them…