Todd Bowles Wants More Downfield Throws
December 23rd, 2025
Why, Josh?
Joe was losing it Sunday watching the Bucs game. When the Bucs did decide to pass, it was like there was some Charlotte city ordinance that banned throws past the sticks.
Baker Mayfield was 7 for 10 at halftime… for 41 yards!!! Why in the world is Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard so allergic to throwing the ball downfield? He has perhaps unmatched weapons.
Barry Switzer’s old Oklahoma teams passed for more yards running a damn wishbone!
Grizzard way too often redefines dink-and-dunk. It drives Joe wild.
Well, for the second time this season, it appears Todd Bowles was irked enough to say publicly it might be a wise decision to throw past the sticks a few times in a game.
“It’s not by design,” Bowles said of so many passes behind the lines or flat out sideways. “We need more explosive plays.”
It’s not by design? Joe doesn’t think Mayfield is scared to throw the ball. That certainly is not the way Mayfield is wired.
Sometimes Joe swears watching Grizzard and his east-west passing offense, Joe thinks it’s the Mike Glennon-led Bucs offense.
No one threw short of the sticks as well or as frequently as Glennon. Third-and-seven? If the pass was completed, Glennon was money for a four-yard gain.
Joe wishes someone would quote Warren Sapp to Grizzard.
“If you’re scared, say you’re scared.”
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:14 am
Get an offensive head coach in for next season
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:21 am
Barry Switzer’s old Oklahoma teams never once(ever) were confused about what their strength was offensively. Never. Once. Ever.
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:27 am
It’s because they know their guard play sucks, and because Baker has become shell shocked, seeing ghosts. He’s not trusting the down field to develop. He’s not hitting them in stride when they’re open, and he’s not seeing the field. He’s playing panicked. The interior O line is terrible. Grizz is over compensating by dialing up short stuff. Gone completely away from play action too. By the way, even on that long pass to Egbuka should have been a really long TD if Baker leads him and splits the defenders properly, he probably walks in untouched. To be fair, he didn’t have time, but I did notice that. Also, White has had some great big plays and then they go away from him. Part of the reason Bucky had so much success last year is because teams had to account for our passing game. The other half was a much better, healthier O line!
December 23rd, 2025 at 4:30 am
We went from No Risk it, No Biscuit to No Bueno!
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:02 am
Bowles told Grizz to run the ball 30+ times vs. Carolina. Bowles said that was important, and that time of possession is important. It’s almost as if Bowles doesn’t understand that the objective is to score more points than the other team. Bowles said something along the lines of the Bucs offense did whatever they wanted to do…Was Bowles watching the same game we were?
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:08 am
Todd has the last say of the plays. It’s a team effort. I think we all thought Grizz would do well since he was already involved. However, it is clear that he wasn’t ready to take it on and is over his head. He is not the only one though. A lot of blame to go around, and since the bye we have seen the dysfunction.
What about the timing of the blitzes? Sacks, protection lacking for Baker, some of Baker’s throws, penalties, and so much more. Thankfully, we have to give it up to Chase. He is a true gem along with Mike, Chris, and a few others that keep stepping up.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:11 am
Joe in MI is spot on, it seems to me like Bowles told his young OC to run the ball and keep it out of Carolina’s hands and now is changing the narrative a bit to cover for his own ineptitude. BTW, the difference in the game was Bowles ordering that blitz with 12 seconds left on 2nd down when Carolina was already in FG range. Bowles just calls any other play and the score is 10-9 at halftime not a 13-10 deficit. Bowles idiotic decision probably cost the Bucs the game. now he is blaming his OC for the team’s failure, last week it was his players. When is it Todd’s turn to be accountable, is it when the Glazers make a statement saying that a change at HC was needed in early January after the Bucs finish 7-10????
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:18 am
FortMyersDave: Agreed. When asked about the blitz at the end of the 1st half, Bowles threw Dean under the bus…Wasn’t Bowles the one cursing about accountability? The players are the way they are because the coach is the way he is. The lack of accountability starts with Bowles himself.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:19 am
If we stuck to Coen’s playbook from last year, Grizz must be holding it upside down while reading it. Coen’s offense was good last year. This year his offense in J Ville is even better. We were sold on Grizz because he was going to keep it the same. Does this look like the same offense to you? This year, this team has turned into a disaster.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:29 am
Don’t think it is by design. Probably more to do with the fact that we have back up guards and Baker is sensitive (like most quarterbacks) to middle pressure. No pocket to step up into. Baker also doesn’t always make decisive reads, doesn’t really have a history of downfield throwing accuracy and probably has a chronic left shoulder injury at this point.
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:39 am
Hodad, I think Bowles has gotten to the young OC and told him to go turtle to protect Bowes’ “Smitty bad D”. Maybe the kid is also dropping the plays from his playbook which require Baker to hang onto the ball for a bit longer (ie mid to long passes) because the OL has become a sieve this season. Still, Grizzard has Coen’s playbook, it is amazing how things have gone so sideways, Bowles has to have a hand in this……
December 23rd, 2025 at 5:48 am
Hodad – We have had a lot more injuries this season, and longer periods of them. However, we were doing great early on until the bye. So it is confusing on what is really going on. Yea, we all thought Grizz would be great. I also agree with FortMyersDave, sounds like in the end Todd approves what will be called. Leading to confusion too.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:29 am
you could blame every loss on Baker and you wouldn’t be far off, every game he misses critical throws that brady would never miss
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:41 am
Can’t wait for this entire coaching staff to be fired. Every one of them. Throw in about half to 3/4 of these lousy players too.
The 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers = Nightmare.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:45 am
Again, our play-calling sucks. Baker completed 18-of-26 passes for 145 yds (69.2% completion rate), with 1 TD & 1 INT. Baker completed ONE pass of 20 yds or more (40 yarder to Egbuka), plus FOUR passes of 10 yds or more (12, 10, 13, 13). So FIVE completed passes accounted for 88 yards, while the other 13 completed passes accounted for only 57 yds (4.4 YPR). We did better than that running the ball, behind some very predictable play-calling.
There’s something seriously wrong with your play-calling when your QB completes 69% of his passes, but for an average of only 5.6 Yards per Attempt when you have receivers named Evans, Godwin, Egbuka & McMillan. Our running attack (5.1 YPC) was almost equal to that.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:51 am
Does anyone really care what Bowles says? Does it even matter?
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:53 am
The glazier boys owe it to the fans. Get a young exciting offensive coach. Someone innovative. We as fans are tired of being mediocre. The Brady affect has left the train station. We are a very boring team. We have a lot of weapons. Now on Defense it’s time to go to a 4-3 and bring in some pass rushers. Todd Bowles Defense is outdated.the league has figured it out. Just pass in the middle of the field.
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:56 am
So for the Miami game Bowles wants the Bucs to throw the ball? What happened to run the ball 30 times? Sounds like deflection of the HC to me! He wanted the Bucs to run last week and said so himself at half time. Maybe he realizes that the only chance we have is to score 38 points. Take responsibility dude especially for the Panthers game that was on you!
December 23rd, 2025 at 6:57 am
maybe an occasional play action pass on first down? ran the ball on 78% of first down plays, way too conservative
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:00 am
Baker is not a potted plant. He knows how to audible and change the play. So let’s find out why he did not change the dog mess Grizzard was calling.
The bigger problem is he cannot stay in his drop back long enough to let the WRs get open. The line play is horrendous.
And BTW, they would not have been in position to have a late pick due to “miscommunication” if, when they had lead before half, they had scored instead of giving it back to Carolina and letting them walk though the wet paper towel Defense and expose Dean for what he is: a mediocre player.
That was the game changer.
Miami 28-24. And “we are right there” Bowles will grimace some more.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:12 am
mj … ‘You could blame every loss on Baker and you wouldn’t be far off, every game he misses critical throws that brady would never miss.’
No question that Baker deserves his share of criticism (as do Bowles & Grizz), but my suspicion is that there’s a LOT more going on than what we’re seeing.
Last season Baker threw for 71.4% completions over 17 games, for 4500 passing yds (7.0 Net Yards per Attempt) & 41 passing TDs against 16 INTs (roughly 1 INT per game). He also ran 60 times for 378 yds (6.3 YPC) for 3 TDs & 24 first downs. He had an OLine that stayed healthy for the most part, protected him & did a very good job of supporting our Run Game (5.3 YPA). He also had Evans & McMillan for almost all of the season, plus Godwin for somewhat less than half of it, as well as Otton.
This season we’re seeing a very much different Baker. Instead of averaging 265 Yds/Game like he did last season, he’s now averaging 210 Yds/Game this year. His average Completion Rate is down to 61.6% this season, a full 10% LESS than he threw for last year. That’s a HUGE drop in performance. And his Passing TDs are down to 1.53 TDs/Game this year from his 2.41 TDs/Game last year. That’s also a major drop.
Those a some MAJOR differences in production. Baker’s surely responsible for some of it, but how much? We know that he’s been hurt for several games, but not how many games that was. We know that his OLine has been in shambles much of the season, AND that several of his top receivers (Evans, Godwin, McMillan) have missed 30 games all together, BUT … it appears we haven’t adapted very well at all.
Add to all of that we’ve seen game-after-game that our defense has been abysmal, and together it all spells ‘prescription for disaster’. And with us losing 6 of our last 7 games, DISASTER is pretty much what we’re seeing.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:12 am
Oh boy!
This is not good, doing your job with your boss looking over your shoulder and second guessing what you do.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:16 am
Jags are on cloud nine
Bucs are broken down on Dale Mabry and no one is stopping to give them a hand.
Please nobody get seriously injured in the next two games.
Merry Christmas!
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:21 am
is grizz becoming the new leftwich…..?…..that is the question
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:24 am
can you believe coen and the jags record…
omg…how tf is their record that good…!
coen must be looking in the mirror, smiling, and popping his collar when he thinks about his year in thumpa bay
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:30 am
there once was a nice like 5 year window where the jags had a quarterback named mark brunell, and receivers like keenan mccardell and jimmy smith, and running back fred taylor…and the jags were a damn good football team…
jimmy smith was no joke…pull up his stats some time…dude tore up the league for like 10 years straight…
he’s very under-talked and very overlooked
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:36 am
In other words… “I deny any and all responsibility, yet refuse to make calls directly”
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:39 am
DR, gonna disagree loudly about one point you made. And I’m using your stats to make my point. 13 completed passes for 54 yards. That’s 4.4 which is worse than our rushing which was 5.1. You already told us that 23 of our rushes were barely over a yard. If we’d have thrown the ball half of those telegraphed run plays we’d have won the game going away. I like to run the ball as much as anyone DR, but I’ve also watched this defense play for three years.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:42 am
Sitting on the best WR room in franchise history with a team built to light up the scoreboard and outscore opponents. Should be scoring 30+ points a game. Drafted EE instead of defender to make it even more potent. Throws 5 yard pass and 3 yard screens and hovers around 20 points a game. That is if Mayfield doesn’t throw a INT, get sacked, or a holding penalty. Because time has ran out with two games remaining to figure things out. Let Mayfield sling it all over the place. Only two things will happen. First he forces things and makes bad decisions or he gets dialed in and puts up huge numbers. At least it will be fun to watch. Just air it out may get some interference calls for a auto 1st. It’s ok to run the ball and it’s part of the balance. Try to be 15+ points at halftime. TD a quarter + field goal somewhere in the game.
December 23rd, 2025 at 7:54 am
“There’s something seriously wrong with your play-calling when your QB completes 69% of his passes, but for an average of only 5.6 Yards per Attempt when you have receivers named Evans, Godwin, Egbuka & McMillan.”
It means you’re throwing short passes in volume is what it means. You’re not consistently pushing the ball upfield at the rate you’re settling for checkdowns, the screen attempts and any receptions in/around the tackle box.
Just go and look at Rachaad Whites’ receiving yards the last 3 seasons, it’s all the same, he ends with more YAC yardage than actual receiving yards because he’s catching a ton of passes behind the LOS. All those catches behind the LOS, that are basically long handoffs, count as receptions. Throw enough of those at a high enough rate, and it’ll ballon the efficiency numbers.
It’s a combo of the play calling, but some of the play call reflects your capability either from the pocket or as a unit on offense.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:01 am
Bowles is the king of knowing how to win the game after its already been played.
I dont want to hear or read any more of his revisionist history BS. Shoulda…coulda…woulda………all nonsense.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:04 am
Coen must have taken the playbook WITH him, like that bastid Jerry Reed did
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:19 am
Kenton … ’13 completed passes for 54 yards. That’s 4.4 which is worse than our rushing which was 5.1′.
Those are the numbers Kenton, but can’t just compare apples (only successful, COMPLETED passes) to oranges (ALL rushes, some successful, some not successful). Fact of the matter IMO is that we could’ve done better running MORE … at selective spots. But that’s the problem; Grizz doesn’t seem to have a good feel for when to use the run versus when to use the pass. He’s making the opposing DC’s job a LOT easier than it should be.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:24 am
Warren Brooks Lynch … ‘It means you’re throwing short passes in volume is what it means. You’re not consistently pushing the ball upfield at the rate you’re settling for checkdowns, the screen attempts and any receptions in/around the tackle box.’
B-I-N-G-O!!! That’s on the play-caller AND the QB. There are a lot of short passes that you can throw BEYOND the LOS within 2.5 secs. The play-calls IMO are too predictable (making the defense’s job MUCH EASIER) AND Baker is taking too long to get rid of the ball on far too many passing situations.
December 23rd, 2025 at 8:25 am
“Coen must have taken the playbook WITH him, like that bastid Jerry Reed did”
😂😂😂😂 one of the greatest football movies ever