Will Todd Bowles And Josh Grizzard Focus On A Clear Matchup Advantage?
December 25th, 2025
Major mismatch over Miami.
Joe is OK with a team wanting to establish the run and ground-and-pound a defense — if they have the horses to do so and, most importantly, are successful with it.
The dumbest thing in sports has to be when a coach says, “We’re going to run the ball!” And they keep slamming rotten running backs into the backs of an offensive line that cannot create holes.
Neanderthal thinking.
The Bucs made sure all the necessary parties Tuesday were schooled to point out Carolina was 2-15 in the previous 17 games when an opposing offense ran the ball 30 or more times. That’s why the Bucs were so focused on running Sunday.
No one mentioned running the ball successfully. Just running. Bowles defended his philosophy by saying the Bucs did well running on Carolina last year and won both games. But Bowles apparently ignored two major differences from 2024 to 2025.
The Bucs had, at worst, the third-best offensive line in the NFL last year and Bucky Irving was a star. This year? Bucky is a shell of himself and the Bucs have two subpar backup guards starting due to injuries.
The worst sin Sunday, though, was the Bucs completed just one pass longer than 13 yards from the line of scrimmage despite having arguably the best receivers — Nos. 1 through 4 — in the NFL.
Joe didn’t see Ronnie Lott, Mel Blount, Deion Sanders or John Lynch in the Carolina secondary.
Well, playing the tanking Dolphins in Miami this Sunday, the Bucs have a significant mismatch advantage. Will Bowles want to capitalize on it, or run the ball?
This information comes from Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis.
Miami has a 51.1 percent success rate defending passing plays, 31st in the league.
OK, you have Mike Evans (healthy), Chris Godwin (healthy), Emeka Egbuka (healthy) and Jalen McMillan (healthy) going up against a p!ss poor pass defense. Why would you not take advantage of that? That would be irresponsible.
If the Bucs pull the same stunt as they did last week in Carolina — and lose to the tanking Dolphins — well, then they would not deserve to be in the playoffs. They’d very much deserve whatever may come in the wake of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
They don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Period
December 25th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
Ummm, I’m guessing that’s a hard no, Joe.
Why? Because this years Bucs seem to do the polar opposite of what works.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Joe.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Fire Todd
December 25th, 2025 at 12:11 pm
Grizzard is over his head. Not making Coen co head coach was a huge mistake.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
They call him Flipper Flipper…faster than lighting. No one you see can stop Hill. He too fast for the Yucs.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:28 pm
Todd prefers the Reverse Psych game plan. Opposing teams never expect the Bucs to ignore their weaknesses and play into their strengths. It is brilliant, when you think about it.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
Marky Mark is spot on, that ship has sailed now.
While we can, go and Hire Mike LaFleur the Rams OC , draft the Best Guards late in the draft from Division 2 schools and put the rest of the focus on the Defense side of the team.
If we make the playoffs this year, we prolong the Bowles Era longer, loose the opportunity to land LaFleur.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:39 pm
If there is some way for Bowles and Gizzard to fck up this game, they will find it then they will do it. We are likely to lose. My guess is this: Carolina loses to Seahawks and Bucs lose to Dolphins. It comes down to final game versus Panthers. The Bucs will lose it on a Baker screw up–a fumble or a pick. The blame for the lost season will shift 100% on Baker. Bowles and Gizzard will get a pass and be kept for yet another year. There is no reason for optimism of any kind with this horrendous team and coaching staff. The Bucs are losers and the Glazers are cheap and afraid. Merry Christmas
December 25th, 2025 at 12:40 pm
HC Grover , I believe Flipper is out the rest of the year on IR. He is a freak when healthy.
The Bucs have a mini version in Tez Johnson, unfortunately he can’t run a route to save his life. Baker never knows where he’s running to, bottom line though he’s always open by 5 yards.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
I wanna see the offense go off these next few weeks. Rollout away from the crappy guards and blast the ball downfield! I wanna see 15+ passes more than 20 yards downfield in every game. Do it! Win by 40.
December 25th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
Excuse me, but is this the type of offense that’s been able to take advantage of ANYTHING this season?
Pretending this identity-less offense is going to have their way with anybody, what have we been watching all season long?
December 25th, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Baker Mayfield should run his own offense.
Grizz, as a rookie OC, has not been good enough…but I have to wonder: Todd Bowles is a very controlling head coach. Is his insistence on playing offense a certain way what has hurt said offense? He is a run first kind of guy, after all.
And as a rookie, Grizz would bend the knee to the head coach.
Either way, Bowles deserves to be fired after the season. We can only go one game over .500, and may miss the playoffs.
While I can excuse a bad year if I feel a HC has a chance to turn things around, and while I DO think injuries played a major role, I do not believe Todd Bowles is mentally capable of improving at this point.
That and he’s now lost the players.
December 25th, 2025 at 1:02 pm
Todd is too stubborn and creatively challenged to open up the offense. He wants to go the other way. Todd wants to pull inside his little turtle shell and hide. Grizz is no help either
Where is the motion and play action from Coen’s offense? Where is that continuity we hired him for? What a preposterous notion to think Todd would play to his players’ strengths. He’s done the opposite on defense. Why would he change for the offense? Fire Bowles now.
December 25th, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Matt Nagy would know how to address the challenge. The Glazers need to pay whatever it takes to get him.
(linked with my name)
December 25th, 2025 at 1:20 pm
Matt Nagy is dumpster juice
December 25th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
We chose to suck Monkin for HC. No nonsense good offensive coach. Worked with Baker?
December 25th, 2025 at 2:27 pm
Firethecannons just laid out the perfect & probably accurate script
December 25th, 2025 at 2:27 pm
I’ll take Monkan or Kubiak here….
Bottom line is we need a DC that is reputable and has a scheme that he can fit to the players we have….
Also need coaches with enthusiasm and personality…
NO MORE STOIC COACHES 🙂
December 25th, 2025 at 2:27 pm
If we fire Bowles we will obviously get a new HC, OC and DC. Will we also get a new GM? What do the Glazers think? The next two games will tell us a lot.
Go Bucs!!
December 25th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
And as I recall there were MANY calling for ground and pound prior to the Carolina game.
Did we not run for 170 yards and 5.1 ypc vs Carolina ? Is that neanderthal thinking ?
I’d like to see us sling it all over the yard but our pass game has been pathetic.
December 25th, 2025 at 2:54 pm
Some of yall are being very dramatic. Yes from previous games the Bucs have not given us any confidence. Put your drama aside. We’re still in the race. Fat lady has NOT sung even tho she’s pretty dam close lol. Let’s go Bucs. Let the real fans step up support this team to the end. Win or lose. Let’s gooo
December 25th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Vegas, do you have that same comment on auto time to post on every new post? Do you have any other opinions? And do you think you saying that as a comment in a blog post is going to affect any change? Just curious