Stephen A. Smith: Because Of Injuries, Bucs Are Just “Decent”
November 21st, 2025
Injuries have killed the Bucs.
Joe saw screamin’ Stephen A. Smith talking but all Joe heard was Tony Kornheiser.
The acerbic, award-winning former Washington Post columnist, Kornheiser, who later turned into a BSPN Radio talking head who still hosts a tired hollering show on the four-letter, once openly scoffed at all the coverage the Bucs got in 2020, “Nobody ever gave a damn about that team until Tom Brady went down there and played for them.”
(To this day, Joe is simply flabbergasted the four-letter fired Kornheiser from his radio gig only to replace him with a fraud like Colin Cowherd. Still boggles Joe’s mind some 20 years later. What on earth were they thinking? Or were they thinking?)
So when SAS was hollering about the Bucs yesterday morning on the four-letter, Joe swore it was Kornheiser talking.
“Right now when we look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they’re a decent team, but we don’t view them the same way we view Seattle. We don’t view them the same way we view LA, and we damn sure don’t view them the same way we view Philadelphia. We just don’t,” Smith said.
“And then when you combine the fact that you got cats missing multiple games, that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, OK? Bucky Irving as well. I mean, those are pivotal, pivotal absentees right there when they’re not in the game. That affects you.
“We know that Baker Mayfield has been trying to hold down the fort despite oblique injuries and knees and all of this other stuff, he’s been trying to hold down the fort. But there’s only but so much he can do. There’s only so much that defense can do.
“Tampa Bay is a damn good team. They’re in the mix. They’re respectable, but you need all your weapons. Tristan Wirfs [missed time]. You’ve got to have him on the offensive line. You need that, brother.
“If you don’t have these cats available, you have no chance against these teams that we’re talking about in the NFC.”
SAS isn’t exactly wrong. Look how the Bucs struggle in primetime. Look how the Bucs couldn’t get over the hump with two strong AFC teams the past two weeks — both winnable.
If the Bucs had Calijah Kancey, Jalen McMillan, Bucky, Evans and Godwin on the field, there’s a damn good chance the past two losses are wins.
And now we wait to see if Jamel Dean can play Sunday night. Joe isn’t holding his breath. Last year the Bucs only won one game in which Dean didn’t start.
If the Bucs can get healthy, this is a different team. Even Kornheiser would admit that.
November 21st, 2025 at 5:43 am
I was looking over the Bucs roster the obvious guys are there Evens, Bucky, Godwin, J Mac, Mauch, on offense. Other than Kancey and Reddick on defense it’s hard to know if David Walker or Wisdom could contribute in some kind of way. Those guys have been out the longest. T Smith is leading the team in tackles. Ideally you don’t want starters getting hurt on Special Teams but when the season is on line, win or play golf I could see playing guys there. Even Wirfs pancaking 2 or 3 guys on a return. Guys like Smith tackling the returner. Anything to play next round or win and get in moment. Just pondering options this morning with my coffee.
November 21st, 2025 at 6:00 am
Not so good Texans beat the Bill what does that say about the Bucs loss to the Bills
November 21st, 2025 at 6:04 am
Yes the Bucs have a lot of injuries.
Yes they definitely affect the team.
But let as look the last 3 Bills games
Bills
13 points (MIAMI)
44 points
19 points (HOUSTON) with a ST touchdown.
Josh Allen
2 total TDs / 1 TO
6 total TDs/ 2 TOs
0 total TDs/ 2 TOs
We are talking about Kirk Cousins 2024 vibes.
There is something wrong with that and is not because of the injuries.
I dont know if Coach Bowles is arrogant, delusional or something else but there is something wrong with this picture and we have seen this pattern a lot of times the last few years.
But no adjustments, no change in defensive philosophy, no change in the approach of the game, nothing. Everything is ok the only problem is a few missed tackles and a couple blown assignemets.
This Defense is passive and plays soft as a result. Changes are not coming.
That is the problem and not just the injuries.
Go Bucs
November 21st, 2025 at 6:14 am
He forgot to mention the Bucs biggest problem, Todd Bowles defense. I get it, brother don’t want to throw shade on another brother. SAS likes Bowles, he’s ignoring the elephant in the room. Bowles defense is horrible, and Todd’s to blame. Last night Houston s defense showed us how bad the Bills have been. They looked bad the week before in Miami. They laid 44 points, and 400 yards on us. That’s on Todd. Another beat down on national TV this Sunday will get Todd fired at seasons end. I believe he’s coaching for his job Sunday. We’ll see how the team responds.
November 21st, 2025 at 6:17 am
Just reflecting on waking up this morning and seeing the Bills lost to Houston on Thursday night football, and me being someone who has defended Bowles time and time again, I start to wonder his coaching prowess…
Houston, didn’t particularly have a great offensive performance last night, with backup Davis Mills once again starting. Houston had 8-sacks on supposed MVP candidate Josh Allen, to go along with 2-ints, jesus.
I can’t ever recall Bowles, being undermanned and somehow figuring out a way to outcoach the other team, for whatever that means. I guess it would be his defense, with injuries, still making things competitive. Perhaps it’s a bit more challenging in that context for a defensive playcalling coach, vs an offensive playcalling coach? There are some brilliant minds that have just enough pieces around them where they can scheme just enough to give themselves a chance to steal a game. As much as I can’t stand Sean Peyton, I still marvel at what he did to us in 2021, with third string QBs, knocking off our 4-loss Tom Brady led Tampa Bay Team, TWICE…the only game we lost at home that year, and it was an embarrassing performance…how does that happen?
November 21st, 2025 at 6:44 am
The Rams are going to Steam Roll our Defense – expect at least 30 points and that’s the floor
November 21st, 2025 at 6:54 am
Defensive stats.
Yards per game- 342 ranked 22nd
Pass yards P/G- 241 ranked 27th
Rush yards P/G- 100 ranked 10th
***POINTS PER GAME- 25 ranked 22nd
Not to bad for a “defensive guru”. Maybe you should teach and perfect the basics before you introduce your defensive wizardry Todd. Obviously it’s way beyond the comprehension level of your players.
November 21st, 2025 at 7:03 am
Lavonte, Vita, and Winfield seems like a solid leadership nucleus. Smith and Parrish are young leaders and studs. But until we get some edge rush we’re gonna continue to look like the bottom feeder of the league defensively. It’s way too bad to fix with the snap of a finger. We don’t have the horses and the only way we hold the Rams under 30 is if Stafford goes down. It’ll be up to the offense to score 40 points- with rookie receiver’s and off the couch guards. No worries, we can blame Mayfield. He’s got to turn it up a notch or we’ll be looking for another QB. It’s not the defense. It’s the QB. It’s always the QB. Look for Baker to play his best game of the season. That’s the only possible chance we’ve got.
November 21st, 2025 at 7:11 am
There only one way to get rid of Bowles, lose, sucks but true
November 21st, 2025 at 7:14 am
Bucs defense is pure trash….rubbish. Check out what the Texans defense did to the bills. Bucs defense rolled out the red carpet and champagne for QB Allen
November 21st, 2025 at 7:36 am
Texans have 2 of the best DE’s in football.
November 21st, 2025 at 7:44 am
With better coaching and gameplanning – especially on defense – they’d be more than ok. But instead, the Bucs have “Mr Defensive Genius” himself, Todd Bowles. Literally the only guy who made Josh Allen look like an MVP this past month.
And stop with the injuries. All teams have them. And the defense is relatively healthy while the offense has been hit hard. Yet the offense is still putting up points, while Todd’s defense gives up explosive plays like they’re nothing.
It’s hard to tell if this team actually has pass rushers, because they don’t spend enough time rushing the passer. It’s the exotic “you’ll never guess who’s dropping
in coverage” defense. And lets remember – how did he beat Mahomes in that Superbowl? By not doing exactly that. How does his defense get exposed? Exotic blitz packages and ill advised coverage schemes. Stafford to Kupp – Bowles squandered a heroic Brady comeback with that stupidity.
And the Bucs idiotic ownership rewarded him by gifting him a HC no one else would have given him.
Each additional year with Bowles as HC is a wasted year.
November 21st, 2025 at 7:46 am
And I’m not saying the defense could (or should) have been able to match what the Texans did. But at least half? Bowles is a “defensive genius”. Allegedly. Allen had enough to order take out, then pick out whichever receiver was wide-ass open.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:03 am
Those 4 losses out of 7 slides have come with Bucs missing players or at full strength it doesn’t matter. This regime has mastered the art of slippage
November 21st, 2025 at 8:04 am
Many posters on this here website gives Todd a pass week after week after week. Why? A couple of quotes below to illustrate.
“…and me being someone who has defended Bowles time and time again.”
“I can’t ever recall Bowles, being undermanned and somehow figuring out a way to outcoach the other team, for whatever that means.”
Yards per game- 342 ranked 22nd
Pass yards P/G- 241 ranked 27th
Rush yards P/G- 100 ranked 10th
***POINTS PER GAME- 25 ranked 22nd
Sean McVay will be playing chess Sunday night. Todd will be playing “pick up sticks.”
November 21st, 2025 at 8:06 am
Bucs have had a mid rank offense and mid rank defense all year. I’m not sure why anyone is surprised of lur current results, almost like yall bought into the ‘super bowl’ team alittle too hard. They are a Super Bowl caliber team, but by no means have shown it thin yet at, and injuries don’t help.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:06 am
Bowles has screwed the defense up so bad that this team isn’t even decent. I understand that injuries have hurt this team, but Bowles has added to the bad situation. The guy keeps on doubling down on stupid every game. The Rams will kill this defense. 6-5.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:25 am
Bowles ego is the biggest problem. The Pats game was winnable if he simply kept Morrison on the pine instead of putting him into spell Jamel Dean every third series to give the guy reps. Now that Dean is injured we see what he does next? Todd needs to bench Morrison and move Jacob Parrish to outside CB and quit these exotic stunts where guys like YaYa and Nelson are getting smoked as QBs slice and dice this Swiss cheese D. However, Todd will not stop, he reminds me of Lovie in that the whole world can see his D is awful except for him and it is costing the team games because he trusts his D more than the O on 4th down and 2.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:26 am
How often did Hunter and Anderson drop into coverage last night? There’s our issue right there, Todd wants our pass rushers to be DB’s. His scheme is a complete joke.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:26 am
Watch the Bucs win this game that everyone says they will lose and lost 2 winnable games. SMH but I will take the W
November 21st, 2025 at 8:40 am
The Texans had the best defense in the NFL for total points and total yards. And, they have the third best defense in the NFL for passing yards and rushing yards.
So, against the Bills, with Kancey out, with Reddick out, with Dean out for almost the entire game, and with the ILBs that the Bucs chose to play the season with, no Bowle’s defense is not in the same tier as the Texans’ defense right now.
But, the Texans did not put up 32 points against the Bills – without Evans, without Godwin, without McMillan, without both starting guards, and without Bucky Irwin.
That says that the Bucs’ strength right now is offense. In particular, with the two guards they are playing right now, the Bucs strength is their running offense, And, the Bucs’ great reluctance to embrace their run game strength has cost them wins against Detroit, New England and Buffalo
Earlier in the season, the passing game was the Bucs’ strength, and it was bombs away to victory. But, with Baker’s injuries and both starting guards injured, the offensive line is much better at run blocking than pass protection.
This week against the Rams may play to Grizzard’s tendencies even if it doesn’t play to the Bucs strength on offense.
The Rams defense is very good against the run, but not so good against the pass. If the Bucs run enough to keep the Rams honest, they may actually have the success passing the ball that they became accustomed to earlier in the season.
November 21st, 2025 at 8:52 am
I’d close my eyes for this Sunday’s game, but that won’t block out Collinsworth’s slobbering over L.A. all night. Still remembering how he openly complained a few years ago about a ratings decline every time the Bucs were on SNF. That probably triggered it for me, but I’m sure I’m not the only one exhausted by all of his g.d. superlatives about whoever is trending.
Too bad the radio broadcast doesn’t sync with the TV feed.
November 21st, 2025 at 9:17 am
Really upsets me When I agree with this clown!!!!
November 21st, 2025 at 9:34 am
SAS is right, as bad as I hate to say it. In the end our defense, supposedly full of great leaders and top tier players at each level got shredded last week. Out coached, bullied, and had multiple mental lapses the week before that. It has to fall on the staff for it getting the players ready to play and on Licht for not getting the right horses to get after the QB. There is blame to go all around but we can come back from this if we get some guys back, we just have a ceiling unlike the eagles, lions, rams. They play special teams, fundamentals, play aggressive, and have a legit pass rusher!!!
November 21st, 2025 at 12:16 pm
Bucs under Todd regress weekly.
November 21st, 2025 at 12:20 pm
Todd Bowles is still a loser. Thank you your attention on this matter!
November 21st, 2025 at 3:15 pm
you can complain all you want about time lost by offensive players’ injuries, but by god, that defense is just plain terrible. Look at what the Texans’defense did to the Bills last night! Until we can get the Buccaneers’ defense, even ranked in the middle of the pack, playing like any other playoff contending team, they will only shat the bed, by the time the playoffs come around, if they get in….
November 21st, 2025 at 5:25 pm
The D isn’t riddled with injuries but is under performing again and is woefully inconsistent
The side riddled with injuries put up 32 points on the road in the rain
The ST is not depleted with injuries and is/has been far below average multiple times this year
November 21st, 2025 at 8:37 pm
SAS is right. We are a decent team. A notch above average right now. See what happens to a MVP caliber qb when you have 4 that can get home and get the qb on the ground?
I’m hoping for a LA Chargers type game from last year but this could get ugly quick and be 27-10 at halftime.
November 21st, 2025 at 10:25 pm
If I coulda woulda shoulda. No one cares. You have to play the cards you’re dealt. They can do this without those stars yet. The key is not to bring them back too soon so you have them near the end of the regular season, unless you can’t get there. I believe they can though and when they do get healthy, if they get healthy. All that matters is getting to the show and be as healthy as possible. Then, this time, everyone has to be on their A Game. Bowles can’t make dumb decisions late in the game. Personally, I’d bring in a couple of Marine Corps Drill Instructors to instill some killer instinct.
November 21st, 2025 at 10:27 pm
That’s an accurate take.
It’s also why I have hope.
Bucky is coming back. Godwin is coming back. Evans should be back in a few weeks. In theory, Kancey could be back for the playoffs – if the Bucs make the playoffs.
Get all those guys back, that gives Baker a chance to get on a hot streak, and the Bucs got a big chance to do something in the playoffs.
But the team needs to actually make the playoffs first, and those two games vs Carolina are going to be huge (I think we split, go 5-2 for the rest of the year, L’s against Rams/Panthers).
November 22nd, 2025 at 9:28 pm
Bucs suck = Blowes