Todd Bowles Seems Fully Focused On Atrocious Special Teams
October 1st, 2025
Back to the lab.
How bad have the Bucs’ special teams been through the first four games of this year? Joe’s glad you asked.
Despite kicker Chase McLaughlin booting a record 65-yard field goal outdoors on Sunday and Kameron Johnson highlighting a much-improved punt return attack, this may be the worst Bucs special teams play Joe has seen.
In just about every game special teams is costing the Bucs points.
With the Bucs beat to hell already physically and players dropping like flies, there is no way the Bucs can reach their dreams of a playoff run overcoming both injuries and their own special teams.
Joe has typed, and it’s not hyperbole or hot air, unless or until this special teams issue is resolved, the special teams very easily can Pearl Harbor this team.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles agrees. On Monday, he vowed to get the special teams repaired. And in a sitdown with Aileen Hnatiuk of WFLA-TV Channel 8, Bowles explained how he will get the special teams right.
“You look at everything from scheme to effort to accountability to everything involved,” Bowles said. Bowles will look for “guys that can make plays.”
So what is going on from his view? Some of it’s just mental busts and things that shouldn’t happen [on] Day 1,” Bowles said. “There are things that we have to get fixed [with the special teams] if we want to go through the season and win.”
Joe is going to toss up a suggestion: How about guys on the punt team block for a change? As Bowles said Monday, it would help if punter Riley Dixon can get the ball off quicker but it is not all on him.
The Bucs should have seen this coming. A punter known for getting punts blocked was signed and asked to play for a special teams coach whose previous stop was also known for getting punts blocked.
That’s a toxic mix.
October 1st, 2025 at 7:13 am
Punter also had to take a step right to catch the snap, another thing to slow the process
October 1st, 2025 at 7:15 am
Well since both the coach and punter were together before, the block numbers add up..
Not a Todd hater, but this constant excuse making about things that should have been right since day one and constantly having to “fix things” isn’t a ringing endorsement of his coaching. Hiring a guy who had terrible ST’s AND the punter who was a part of that, not smart. Not good coaching/management.
October 1st, 2025 at 7:32 am
You said it all Joe, a toxic mix on the punt team. Also, the kickoff return team isn’t blocking with the Bucs often held inside the 30 on our returns, while routinely allowing returns around the 35.
I gotta give kudos to Chase for fixing his kicking. As a golfer I know from experience about the yips and developing a bad attritude. Chase not only turned his kicking around but he did it emphatically with kicks down the middle, even from 58 and 65! This guy is mentally tough.
October 1st, 2025 at 7:42 am
Loyalty, Love and Brotherhood are beautiful.
However, Todd needs to fire his friend.
Our special teams have been terrible for decades.
There is a concept in Buddhism called “stupid compassion.”
In this case, Todd is being too compassionate with his friend so it’s hurting him and his team.
We need a be special teams coach. Period!
October 1st, 2025 at 7:43 am
*new
October 1st, 2025 at 7:51 am
Ultimately it’s up to Todd to fix it. All of it. The slow starts, the mental lapses, the not being on the same page. All the BS that’s gone on under Bowles. If he can’t get it right, it’s up to Licht, and the Glazers to find a HC who can.
October 1st, 2025 at 7:54 am
Fix it please!
October 1st, 2025 at 8:00 am
If you ask me, that’s a stupid mix.
October 1st, 2025 at 8:02 am
I say after our 8 and 9 or 9 and 8 season we give Mike McCarthy a call
October 1st, 2025 at 8:19 am
So ready to move on from this Bowles huh
October 1st, 2025 at 8:25 am
Had to go all the way back to 2018 to find the last time the Bucs had a punt blocked (none in the 2019-2024 period), and that was when Bryan Anger was our punter (he was replaced by Bradley Pinion the next year BTW).
Last season 8 teams had 1 punt blocked and 2 teams (Titans & Raiders) had 2 punts blocked. Their combined record? 7-27. Having crappy S/Ts wasn’t the only flaw that sunk their season I’m sure, but it certainly didn’t help.
Just think, Bucs already have a leg up on both of them this year.
October 1st, 2025 at 8:27 am
Fire the coach Todd.
October 1st, 2025 at 8:31 am
Hoo-boy, we’ve got to go through three 3-1 NFC teams. I’d like to think we can take one of those (49ers?). Then there is another tough set with the Bills and Rams. Then, we should be able to smash through those final six games. I say 11-6, but I am admittedly a “homer”. We will have TB for another year unless we puke all over ourselves in the intra-division games.
October 1st, 2025 at 8:33 am
It’s a little late for full focus, no?
October 1st, 2025 at 8:43 am
Hodad … ‘Ultimately it’s up to Todd to fix it. If he can’t get it right, it’s up to Licht, and the Glazers to find a HC who can.’
Agree Hodad, but that’s the same for VERY team in the NFL. Folks at the top get fired all the time because they couldn’t fix whatever problems were appearing.
Can guarantee that Todd is under a microscope right now by JL & the Glazers because of (1) all the injuries; and (2) the lapses that keep occurring. GMs & owners may not get intimately involved in ‘coaching matters’ but they sure do keep an eye on the BIG PICTURE. And when things occur frequently, they become part of the BIG PICTURE (like injuries & recurring screwups?).
The poor S/Ts play bothers me because there’s no reason for it. Last season there were only 12 blocked punt in the entire NFL. We had none blocked in the past 6 years. This season, thru 4 games, we’ve already got TWO blocked. Unacceptable. We’ve had a FG blocked & returned for a TD, plus a punt blocked & returned for a TD. In only 4 games. That’s ludicrous.
That’s also 14 points that the defense got tagged with while sitting on the bench. If I was them, I’d be pissed.
October 1st, 2025 at 8:52 am
I said the same thing after week 2. It may be different problems each week, but the Special Teams keeps costing us points. At a time where we’re so banged up and need the easy plays to be the easy plays, they just haven’t.
Something needs to change for that group, Chase seems to be back from his mental hiatus, but now the problems are elsewhere.
In saying that, we’re 3-1 only losing by 6 points to the defending Super Bowl winners, as a fan who’s used to losing every single 1 score game, I feel blessed to have my biggest complaint be the special teams.
I think we can heat up here and go on a run still, let’s go win a ring.
Why not us?
October 1st, 2025 at 9:09 am
An entire seasons mistakes in only 4 games. It took Mayfield last second heroics to bail us out of two, but the punt block for 6 was too much for any team to recover from. Even if the Bucs go mistake free for the next 13 games we will still be at the top of poor special teams play.
October 1st, 2025 at 9:13 am
With all the injuries we have why can’t the special teams coach suffer an injury as well and need to be replaced? J/K. But seriously at what point do we take action to correct the problem? I think that time has passed so what are we waiting for?
October 1st, 2025 at 9:26 am
good coaching can prevent it , dixon under sean payton had none of his punts blocked last year
October 1st, 2025 at 9:45 am
Todd is on it folks. Nothing to see here. Consider the ST disasters a thing of the past. Until next Sunday.
October 1st, 2025 at 10:25 am
Putting on the optimistic glasses for a moment, I wonder if the Bucs have used up ALL their “screwups” for the season already, and now they have all the issues identified and it will be smooth sailing from here on out.
What is that saying about bad luck happens in threes? Which means, there’s an end and a return to the norm. Is this the end of injuries, screwups, and mental lapses for this team???
One can only hope, or else our season as Bucs fans will be sorely underwhelming and frustrating.
October 1st, 2025 at 11:09 am
Fully focused after how many years of bad to mediocre special teams?about as fast as the DMV.
October 1st, 2025 at 11:51 am
Good posting DR. And then this…” Their combined record? 7-27. ”
Eeesh.
It’s not ideal that Todd is basically wearing three hats instead of two right now. And right as the defense last Sunday produced its best choke out in years in the second half.
Fire Magoo. Replace with Keith Tandy.
October 1st, 2025 at 12:22 pm
all this whining and crying is insane lol
before the season, no one had us going 4-0….
we’re 3-1 and folks are talking about fire bowles lol…
on to SEA!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 12:30 pm
@813
I agree with you on a lot man. I don’t get the Bowles switch up when I think if these games were played last season, we start 0-4. Bowles has CLEARLY improved, and our only loss is a 1 score game against the guys wearing their brand new Super Bowl rings.
As you say:
On to SEA
GO BUCS!!!
Let’s win a Lombardi!!!
October 1st, 2025 at 1:42 pm
Now with Todd involved with special teams it’s the blind leading the blind.
October 1st, 2025 at 3:44 pm
Todd Bowles wakes up in a brand new world every single day.
October 1st, 2025 at 4:14 pm
How about teaching the kick off team how to tackle? If you’re going to let the other team return it past the 35, you might as well let Chase kick it out of the end zone.