Todd Bowles: “We Had A Stinker”
November 19th, 2025
Sage of Tampa Bay Sports Ira Kaufman asked Todd Bowles a tough question about his beleaguered defense today.
Kaufman let Bowles know that his Bucs defense Sunday against Buffalo allowed the most points since Bowles arrived in 2019. Kaufman then asked Bowles if he had “a sense of embarrassment” for what his unit delivered.
“I’m embarrassed every time we lose,” Bowles replied. “But from a defensive standpoint, we didn’t play well. We had a stinker. You know, it happens. This league humbles you. Every now and then you’re going to have something that messes up.”
Bowles said it was all a matter of poor play and poor coaching.
After giving up 44 points to the Bills, Joe assumes things can only improve from here.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:03 pm
he just keeps making it worse
November 19th, 2025 at 1:03 pm
If Todd remains, the “stinker” remains….
ENOUGH!!!!!
November 19th, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Which “Stinker” game are you really referring too? Buffalo, Detroit or the upcoming LA Rams on Sunday Night…for ALL the world to see again.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Let’s hope so because they have been playing football like a bottom feeder. In school you are given test to assess how well you are doing. It’s obvious the Bucs defense need a lot more tests to prepare them to handle their assignment properly on the field
November 19th, 2025 at 1:12 pm
How much longer is this sh!t going to continue. Yeah, we had a stinker for sure. Now we are ready for another one. The Pollyannas on this site will point out how much better we are than in years in the past. The real question is are we better than last year. Or, are we better than the Bruce Arens years.
This team has great players sprinkled throughout the lineup and should be more competitive each week that they have been.
When same problems exist year after year (looking at you defense) the only common thread is the COACH OF THE DEFENSE!
The solution is obvious.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Okay, so does this mean that Bowles will actually make adjustments? Like not having pass rushers out in coverage? Putting Parrish on the Outside instead of Morrison, who isn’t ready?
November 19th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
wouldve liked to hear bowles say I cant have this team playing to piss poor standards and I wont let it happen again…
be better coach!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
November 19th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
Hey just heard the fireworks on the podcast. WOW!
Anyway, have to agree with Ira on much . However, I agree with Lee. That was not a competitive game toward the end. The problem as I have said is not so much the scheme, but the talent. Ira is correct we don’t have the horses. Just not enough talent. Yes OLB is a disaster. The Bucs gambled on Reddick and lost. The inside LB is a shambles too. David is now just average. He is still good, but he has little help. Where is Winfield?, McCloumn is not playing well. The offense can’t bail out this D. I agree with Ira the Bucs need play makers and they are not there. Yes Bowles deserves some criticism , but give him the players and the scheme works. PLease stop with people don’t get the defense . That is coach speak for the players are not playing. It is that simple. If it helps when is the last time the scheme made tackles. Yes very simple the D needs ian influx odf talent. It did begin this year, but we are way off at several positions. Sorry Lee. Ira please to say the Bucs were competitve, no. PLease remember the game is 60 minutes. If you are compettiive for 50 and then collopse , that is not competitive. The players shoud have been embarassed!!!
November 19th, 2025 at 1:25 pm
Vildor should start over Morrison, enough with the I’m smarter than anyone BS and dropping lineman to cover RBs n Slot receivers, I watch a lot of football and I never see lineman covering guys 30 yards down the field
November 19th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
The fix is we got to coach it better and got to play it better issues solved guys. Stinkers happen just make it more exotic and everyone is going to be confused even bucs players apparently.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
Special teams lost that Buffalo game, simple as that!! Let’s move on!! Go Bucs!!
November 19th, 2025 at 1:29 pm
I mean why would the Glazers get rid of this genius. There is no way there is a better coach out there.
Rolling with Todd all the way to another NFC South Championship and 2026 Draft masterclass.
Love Winning All The Time.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:31 pm
Todd maybe if you are going to have our edge rushers running sprints to cover guys you should maybe do less walk throughs and more running so they have the stamina to rush the QB or forgot don’t care about that they will at least be faster covering receivers down the field.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:33 pm
Todd is way smarter than Buddy Ryan and the other defensive masters. Buddy would never had a 300lb DT covering a TE. Brilliance is sometimes misunderstood.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:34 pm
Joe, you know what happens when one assumes. It makes an…
November 19th, 2025 at 1:36 pm
talent is poor and that equals poor results
November 19th, 2025 at 1:41 pm
I remember the days when Monte Kiffin would send Warren Sapp down the middle of the field to cover the middle third. He was unstoppable at 40+ yards deep.
Won us the Super Bowl sending our ends into the flats. Isn’t that why Simeon of an almost HOFer. Imagined if he rushed the QB all of the time
November 19th, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Bowles said it was all a matter of poor play and poor coaching.
^^^^^
The gloves are off. I have been both critical and complimentary to Todd Bowles. He just keeps digging a deeper hole for himself. There is no recovery from this debacle, it will only get worse. The Glazers have no good options. This is indeed Hugh Culverhouse level comedy. Baker and his agent are no doubt in serious conversation. Even if they fire Bowles today and elevate Grizzard (placing his future in jeopardy), just who could take over the defense ? Happy 50th anniversary Bucs fans. The Glazers have chased off their first franchise quarterback. Todd Bowles has started a civil war within the Bucs. The only positive I can see is that the offense and Baker and Grizz are so PO’ed that they will play lights out for the remainder of the season. After some thought, this could be the opportunity Josh Grizzard needs. He could absolutely crush it. I hope he does and then takes this franchise by the short hairs. It’s possible but will he be a gambler and throw it all on the line ? I hope so. If he does and succeeds, Baker may stay and ride along and call the shots.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Bucky is back.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
Upstate NY Buc… special teams certainly contributed to the loss but you can’t rush 3 and give up a 43 yard TD over your head… you also can’t give up a 50 yard screen pass TD right before the half.
Those explosives wouldn’t have been as bad, if the D hadn’t already given up 3 of them the week before. What did you fix coach?
Then aside from the D, as a HC, he wasted a timeout that may have given the Bucs a chance at 7 points instead of 3 and he punted the game away to a red hot Allen.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:48 pm
What I am watching for is how the Glazers handle this. If they try to control the narrative in a positive way but behind the scenes let it all fall apart, then I will have more evidence pointing towards fundamental corruption.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:48 pm
People missing the 4-3 forget why we made the switch.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:50 pm
The Glazers are more worried about their DEI image then pleasing the fans.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:51 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
November 19th, 2025 at 1:48 pm
People missing the 4-3 forget why we made the switch.
that was because of smitty..not 43 defense…
GO BUCS!!!!
November 19th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
4-3 or 3-4 I don’t think it matters what you run if the coaching is bad I think most teams run a hybrid of some sort anyhow and try to match players more often then not.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Well it certainly isn’t the opposing offense that Bowles defense confuses. How long will we keep calling him a defensive mastermind coach as we get blown out due to blown coverages by our confused secondary. If you can’t coach it, coach, it’s time to pass the torch bro.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
The Bucs don’t play a 3-4, they play a 5-2.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
So tired of this guy.
Its been 4 years of excuses.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Rod todd bowels scheme is so exotic there are no numbers for it everyone is a db confuses everyone even the bucs.
November 19th, 2025 at 1:57 pm
The Glazers have become predictable. They will not be proactive. They will be reactive. They will let Bowles keep digging his hole deeper while they frantically try to figure out what to do. The delay in action will have a very negative impact on the team. Baker will be forced both by his own desire and necessity to rally the troops. But will the troops respond ? I suspect most of them are making vacation plans.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Look Bowles will get to the end of the season and if Bucs go 11-5 and win a playoff game Bowles is staying ..they miss or go 9n8 and another first round and out he will probably still get one more season…End of the Day we have played 6 playoff teams and a .500 team and went 3-4
November 19th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
So, here it is:
Development takes time. Giving up on 1-2 year players can be a huge mistake.
We’ve seen it over and over here:
Fans wanted Steve Young traded because he ‘would never be good enough’. (HoFer)
Fans wanted Ronde Barbe cut because they claimed he wasn’t good enough his first 1-3 years. (he wasn’t great until his 5th year, became a HoFer)
Fans wanted Mike Evans cut because of his second year drops. (he fixed the issue the following year and is a future HoFer.
Fans wanted Luke cut because they didn’t feel he was good enough fast enough (took him until year 3 to step up)
Fans wanted Lagarette Blount sent packing because he didn’t have what it took (ended up collecting multiple rings and leading the NFL in TDs).
Fans have wanted Rachaad White sent packing, and he’s been great for us.
This generation of fans is filled with ‘I want it now’ people. They don’t read books…they listen to audio books and call that reading. They are into anthologies instead of epic stories. They want draft picks to be great out of the gate.
They are cheating themselves out of so much.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Ring Ring Ring…..Hello…..Hi Roger this is the Glazers…Do you have any suggestions ?
November 19th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
If we miss the playoffs or go one-and-done, I would fully support a change at head coach. 4 years of Bowles had been decent, but we need some juice and a new defensive philosophy. We lose one starter (Dean) and the defense breaks apart. Not acceptable any longer.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:03 pm
Roscoe, they never fire in the middle of a season…and that’s smart of them.
We’ll win another division title.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Also, these players don’t quit.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Rod Munch Says:
November 19th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
The Bucs don’t play a 3-4, they play a 5-2.
Bucs play Cover Zero apparently
November 19th, 2025 at 2:07 pm
“Every now and then you’re going to have something that messes up.”
.
.
Every now and then. LOL
November 19th, 2025 at 2:11 pm
I hate to say this guys. But Bowles had better buy lots of toilet paper for the Rams game. He’s got another stinker comin.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:12 pm
Oh but we have won the District title Bowles is awesome
November 19th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Silence is a metastasizing cancer for the Glazers. If they don’t get out in front of the situation soon they will be forced to remain silent. Silence is their enemy. The doomsday clock is ticking.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:17 pm
What an absolutely horrible scenario for Baker.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:20 pm
I like Todd Bowles, but I think he meybe the new Dungy, got us competative but maybe cant take the next step, I would think that he HAS to win a playoff game to survive
November 19th, 2025 at 2:32 pm
He offers ZERO solutions. He says exactly the same thing on every loss. HIS defense has nowhere near the injuries as the offense and this is the product Licht and Bowles tells us it could be special? That we’re close to putting it all together?
Id say from reading every post since 4pm last sunday that at least 80% of comments in every article wants Todd to go home. Including me. He has no answers. He’s gaslighted the hell out of the fanbase all year with the “He’s week to week” in regard to Godwin/Bucky and Geodeke. They been out for 2 months and he’s still saying it. If you think the Bowles bashing is bad now wait until Sunday night when LA boat races us. It’s gonna be like the LA riots in here.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:37 pm
“Don Says:
November 19th, 2025 at 2:20 pm
I like Todd Bowles, but I think he meybe the new Dungy, got us competative but maybe cant take the next step, I would think that he HAS to win a playoff game to survive”
Dungy could actually coach and call a defense.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
Hey , J’s
If there’s something inappropriate or not allowed in my posts please quote them with your bold type explanation
I am a good citizen here and am puzzled by the delay in my posts appearing
November 19th, 2025 at 2:43 pm
I just had a thought. What if BA isn’t being paid to keep his mouth shut but it in fact it is just the opposite ? What if BA said to the Glazers “I’ll keep my mouth shut about everything I know if you keep me in liquor and greens fee money and keep my beloved Ronde gainfully employed so he can keep watch for me.”
November 19th, 2025 at 2:50 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai – Don’t forget John Lynch… you really think the drama queens on this board wouldn’t be demanding that the Bucs cut him when Barry Sanders juked him out of his cleats?
Overreaction is a built in feature of message boards / comment sections / sports talk, etc.
The Bucs defense had play 3 great games in a row – and yes, the game vs the Patriots was great, they gave the ball back to the offense in the 4th three times with a chance to win it. Anywho, this game, first drive, the defense gets a turnover, but then Dean gets hurt, Bowles does what he always does in those situations, he goes into a shell, plays mostly soft defense, with the same results as always.
Thing is, the fix is easy, just go back to the scheme that was working – don’t throw away everything because of one injury. I don’t care if they get burned once in a while on big plays if they’re aggressive and getting some stops and turnovers. I know all the drama queens for some reason think giving up a couple of big plays while giving up 21 points is some how a failure vs a top offense, but it isn’t.
Anyways, the fix is simple. Just be aggressive. The Bucs were doing that, had great results, then stopped, and had the worst defensive performance in years.
November 19th, 2025 at 2:54 pm
“ After giving up 44 points to the Bills, Joe assumes things can only improve from here.”
In Joes eyes BILLS > RAMS.
You have a good sense of humor Joe.
November 19th, 2025 at 3:02 pm
Can we all agree Bowels new nickname going forward will be Pepe LaPew?
November 19th, 2025 at 3:06 pm
Rams have an enormous advantage in coaching for the game this Sunday. Bucs have to have a much better roster to beat a team with an elite coach. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the talent is fairly equal for both teams in this game.
November 19th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Bowles even admitted poor coaching
November 19th, 2025 at 3:10 pm
nse is not going to get better under its present scheme. Matt Staffor might hang a 50 burger in us since we can’t seem to even touch the QB.
November 19th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
I think his nickname should be Poopy Pants
November 19th, 2025 at 3:31 pm
After giving up 44 points to the Bills, Joe assumes things can only improve from here.
————-
One has to wonder exactly what it is that “Joe” has seen to base that assumption on.