Todd Bowles: Practice Makes Close To Perfect
September 16th, 2025
Discusses game-winning drive.
Todd Bowles isn’t about to take credit for the gutty performance the Bucs had Monday night, specifically the final game-winning drive.
What Bowles will take some credit for is making sure the Bucs, since the start of training camp, focused heavily on their two-minute offense.
He believes that work has paid off the past two weeks as the Bucs are 2-0, winning both road games on touchdown drives the last time they touched the ball. But Bowles still admired players comong through so clutch when the team needed to win.
“It was a heck of a job of situational football,” Bowles said of the final drive. “Baker on the fourth-and-10, using his legs to get the first down, that kind of catapulted everything from there.
“Everything we practiced, everything we talked about, everything we’ve done about finishing the ball game, they did a heck of a job finishing.”
It’s been a while since Joe has seen a quarterback simply will his team to a win like Mayfield did last night. The pass blocking had crumbled after Luke Goedeke left and it only got worse as the game grew old.
That set the stage for the comeback: the two-minute drill. That’s something Bowles said the team has worked on constantly in practice since the beginning of underwear football season.
“We practice it all the time, starting in the spring,” Bowles said. “We go through, try to go through every scenario and put them in every situation possible. From the best to the worst. Just constant repetition and repetition.”
The game-winning drive, Bowles said, was an example of “guys believing in each other. They did a heck of a job pulling it out.”
After Goedeke’s injury, Mayfield had scant time to throw, which all but cut off his deep throws. He had to buy time a lot. By doing so, he took a beating.
Mayfield simply has an uncanny ability to pick up a key first down with his legs when the chips are down. Rarely is that a first option but he somehow gets the job done.
That 15-yard scramble on fourth down in the two-minute drill, notice the tumble Mayfield took, landing on his back (video below). And he was beaten to a pulp before that but kept on picking himself up off the turf.
Dang, Mayfield is going to be one sore SOB when he wakes up this morning.
Bucky Irving was clutch on that drive, as well, with two excellent runs after the catch, pinballing off defenders.
Put Baker Mayfield in the football guy Hall of Famepic.twitter.com/qJ5onMkRyn
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 16, 2025
September 16th, 2025 at 7:01 am
I can say I’m still concerned about our putrid pass defense. I couldn’t believe how many times Reddick was dropping back in coverage last night instead of rushing the passer. He’s the best we got. Why not use his skill set to rush the passer and figure out zone coverage with other people? Go Bucs!
September 16th, 2025 at 7:22 am
anyone else at end of first and second half notice the difference of getting that time management guru from jags. feel like it was perfection
September 16th, 2025 at 7:58 am
Going for it on 4th & 10 was a no-brainer. Would have been shocked if we didn’t, despite having all three timeouts remaining. Did we allow Chubb to score? Or at least sort of? Kind of like selling out on a stuff behind the line and letting him go if he gets past? Find out Joe. Houston was about to force us to use all three timeouts and kick the game winner with seconds left. Instead, we end up with the ball just inside the two minute warning with all three timeouts in our pocket, but needing a touchdown to win. I like those chances better than close to no time left without any timeouts but needing only a field goal. Feels like the latter scenario would have been checkmate. Or was this simply blind fortuitousness?
September 16th, 2025 at 8:03 am
@truth – Pardon the grousing interruption but, we got the road win and 3 sacks. I mean, that’s pretty good though right?
September 16th, 2025 at 8:13 am
After further review, that was definitely blind fortuitousness. It was 2nd and 9 from the 25 with 2:16 remaining and all three timeouts remaining. I definitely would not allow Houston to score a TD there. If you hold them and force the kick, there’s still plenty of time to win with a FG. But, if they had gotten a first down the calculous would have been drastically altered.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Some poster sign here would rather have style points and a loss than tough it out and a win!
September 16th, 2025 at 8:16 am
“Oxycondomns Says:
September 16th, 2025 at 7:22 am
anyone else at end of first and second half notice the difference of getting that time management guru from jags. feel like it was perfection”
Yes! I didn’t notice any gaffs. Good point.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:16 am
What we saw was an incredibly HORRIBLE display by special teams in ALL PHASES — blocked punt (could have been two), missed 38-yard field goal (new kicker?), poor return coverages — there’s your BIG reason for concern…..
September 16th, 2025 at 8:34 am
We should start games in a two-minute defense.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:52 am
Someone said that Houston played all prevent defense that last drive — It was not the case. I rewatched just for that. They actually played man defense with some help on receivers depending on the formation the Bucs were in the whole last drive.
They rushed mostly 4 but I think was 6th on that converted 4th down play. Once Baker broke that Blitz — all the defenders heads were following their man — one of the disadvantages of man coverage and Baker had the easy first down after breaking containment and if he got past C.J. Gardner would have had another 20 yards.
It looked like on the Evans catch on the last drive, Houston played a mixed man-zone coverage.
September 16th, 2025 at 9:00 am
the bucs won and mayfield is a dawg no reason to break it down
September 16th, 2025 at 9:15 am
We are 2-0!
Hats off to our backups last night. We beat a top 10 defense.
Go Bucs!!!
September 16th, 2025 at 9:19 am
Waiting for some Baker negativity from Onielbuc.
September 16th, 2025 at 9:25 am
I give Bowles credit for being so disciplined on the timeouts in that final drive. He used them perfectly.
September 16th, 2025 at 10:57 am
Smashsquatch: Maybe Bowles and team saw big picture after they picked up the flag on the texans return, and let them have their way in the most efficient way possible.
September 16th, 2025 at 11:15 am
My opinion is that Grizz continued to call for passes down field which is basically useless against the pressure Houston was providing…3rd and 3 and Baker is looking 25-30 yes downfield? Not smart nor efficient play calling considering the constant pressure. That is one example…and a good way to get your QB injured. Grizz is on record saying there is going to be more downfield throws but last night was ridiculous….and in critical situations
September 16th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
bowles didnt use timeouts perfectly licht hired someone to do it for him and it was well done
September 16th, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Crazy we still have low IQ fans on here talking about us having a bad pass defense. I think maybe they were watching another game. There was absolutely nothing wrong with our defense last night other than that first drive. The Texans gained something like 150 yards the last three quarters and we still have idiots crying about our defense.