Playoff Lenny On Rueben Bain
April 27th, 2026
Says Todd Bowles will do Rueben Bain right.
Joe heard all weekend (seemingly from hundreds of people) that new Bucs defensive lineman, Rueben Bain, will light things up solely because he landed with the “perfect” coach, Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Joe is not sure how folks are connecting the dots on that, but OK. Joe’s trying to play nice.
However, when former players who either played on the same defense as Bowles coached or played against a Bowles defense are talking — or even played on the same team as Bowles — well, Joe listens.
First it was Miami defensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Joe gives Taylor major respect not just because of his NFL resume but he knows Bowles intimately Bowles was a secondary coach and assistant Dolphins head coach when Taylor played there.
And, of course, Taylor coached up Bain at The U.
Now comes word from one of the heroes of the Bucs 2020 Super Bowl-winning season, Playoff Lenny, otherwise known as Leonard Fournette.
Playoff Lenny has a podcast he co-hosts with Jarvis Landry. Landry was effusive in his praise of the Bucs drafting Bain. He called it a steal and noted how Bain couldn’t have found a better defense to play on and play for a more perfect coach.
The result, Landry said, will be Bain jacking up many NFL offenses.
Playoff Lenny pointed to Bowles as a man who will unleash Bain.
“Todd Bowles will use him ko-rectly,” Playoff Lenny said. ” And that fire that’s in [Bain] right now, Todd Bowles will tell him every f’ing game, ‘[Teams] skipped on you. Remember that. They skipped on you.'”
Playoff Lenny went on to say Bowles will know exactly where to position Bain in every situation and playing next to Vita Vea, and Bain is bound to do serious damage.
“Watching him, I thought he was a top-10 pick,” Playoff Lenny said about Bain.
Joe gives Playoff Lenny respect for his words on Bowles because not only did Playoff Lenny see Bowles work up close during the 2020 playoff run, but Playoff Lenny also went up against a Bowles’ defense in practice daily.
While Joe is still uneasy about Bowles with a rookie defensive end — Bowles’ next developed double-digit sackmeister from a defensive end will be his first — Taylor and Playoff Lenny are helping Joe relax. A little.
April 27th, 2026 at 5:16 am
Talking about skipping on Bain. In hindsight, how do they feel in Atlanta? If the Flacons didn’t make that trade for Pearce, they would have been the ones having Bain falling to them.
April 27th, 2026 at 5:41 am
HOPE. I HOPE that Bowles uses Bain in situations that cater to Bain’s strengths as a player. I HOPE that Bain can adjust to the speed the game is played at in the NFL level. I HOPE that Bain does not digress being under coach Todd ‘ the toilet’ Bowles system. As a Buc fan we can only HOPE right?
April 27th, 2026 at 5:43 am
“Todd Bowles will use him ko-rectly,” Playoff Lenny said.
I don’t know if he will!!!! Todd B didn’t do much ‘ko-rectly’ last season, but he is our Head Coach!!!
Now, if the Bucs were to bring in Jim Schwartz and make him the DC…. maybe TB and JS could collaborate and prove that Two Heads are better than One and coach these players up ‘Ko-rectly’ and have a proper playoff run in 2026!!!!
April 27th, 2026 at 5:43 am
On another note. I would put A LOT more weight in hearing what at least a defensive player has to say about Bain. Would have been a MUCH better article hearing what someone like Warren Sapp has to say about the Bain pic.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:12 am
This rhetoric that has now become your shtick as of lately, makes zero sense. You want an edge rush, you’re screaming for it on every pod, but you didn’t want Licht to take a DE/OLB in the first round due to Bowles unsuccessful history of developing DEs he’s drafted in the first?…but you’re ok if he drafts one after the first round? Your stance, for it to make sense, is for Licht to never draft an OLB/DE in any round and we replenish with free agents.
For the audience doesn’t do their research and simply takes you for your word, Bowles as a HC both with the Jets and the Bucs has drafted (2) DEs in the first round. His first pick as Jets coach was Leonard Williams, yeah, he didn’t blow up the stat sheet as a Jet but was good enough to be named to a pro-bowl in 2016 under Bowles. Darren Lee, who was undersized OLB, was drafted and moved to ILB. We knock Bowles for not turning this dude into an OLB vs ILB? And you want to smear Bowles with JTS? I this is so much more of Licht problem than it is a Bowles ability to develop a DE/OLB.
Usually every season, this Joe requires a running narrative where he will be a prognosticator of things to come, whereas this team didn’t upgrade the way he thought it should and so he’ll write about it every week until he feels he is proven right, God help Bain if he has a slow start. As if Bowles needs any more gasoline poured on him, this joe will be dousing him with it, arguing that we should not have gotten Bain in the first round and/or we should have hired Taylor to coach up our DEs. Dog with a bone.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:17 am
Lenny may be right. There were no restraints on Shaq Barrett to get to the QB.
Now with somebody like JTS, he was not that effective as an every down rusher,
so that may be the reason he was in coverage. Anyway that’s a wrinkle in Bowles
defense that needs to eliminated except for an occasional short drop in
their defensive area like the TD that Shaq had when the opponent was backed up near their own endzone.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:30 am
this joe’s dreams have come true.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:41 am
Could not be more elated with us getting Bain. Show me a talented angry powerhouse on the Dline like Bain and our sack totals and turnovers created numbers will increase and that is how you win more games.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:53 am
Todd feels like an anomaly. Do we trust people closest to him, people we have no reason to doubt who know more about the game than 99% of us ever will?
Or do we trust the record which is black and white, and our eyes which are at times clear and at times can be deceived?
You would think in these days of unprecedented access and commentary someone close to TB would have had a negative word to say but up to this point I haven’t heard it.
But still……. yeah. Probably why I don’t want him fired, I just want to be proven wrong. I will happily eat some crow pot pie to see him hoist a trophy.
April 27th, 2026 at 6:56 am
The comments are getting baaaaad Joe.
April 27th, 2026 at 7:05 am
I think it worked out great. We got a better Edge player than we expected to get and he was already high motor and motivated. But you better believe he’s PO’d about dropping to 15 and that’s just extraordinary motivation so I expect big things from Mr. Bain. ( showing him respect he didn’t get in the draft).
April 27th, 2026 at 7:09 am
just do your thing reuben. don’t listen to bowles. he SUCKS.
April 27th, 2026 at 7:42 am
Watched the pod, Lenny & Jarvis were both proclaiming how perfect of a fit Bain was for the Bucs. Landry expressed being upset for Bain, feeling like he should’ve gone 2nd overall but falling to us got him to the “right team”. Those guys just started that pod, they had Suh on a few weeks back and there were some gems in the regarding the Bucs
April 27th, 2026 at 8:52 am
So many misguided people out there seeing Bowles as a D mastermind based on his SB mismatch with a KC OL that made the ’25 Bucs OL look healthy in camparison, completely disgarding the D he’s put out in Tampa since he’s been a HC. Only know one other dude that so many people are completely blind to his obvious shortcomings that they witness with their own eyes and ears. Have to believe that living on a reputation based on false narratives has to have some affect in seeing yourself as a fraud at some stage.
April 27th, 2026 at 8:54 am
Joe doesn’t write the comments. And you’re damn right they’re getting bad. Joe is starting to salivate more at the thought of shutting them off permanently.
April 27th, 2026 at 9:53 am
Buccaneers haven’t been in a position to draft a top edge rusher. This is the first time they were able to select one ranked among the top two or three in the draft.
April 27th, 2026 at 9:54 am
“Joe is starting to salivate more at the thought of shutting them off permanently.”
Good luck with that, Joe. No offense but the genius of this site is that it’s a comment-driven enterprise. LOL. –Joe
April 27th, 2026 at 9:57 am
The better the content the less you need comments.
April 27th, 2026 at 10:12 am
The content seems fine but it also seems like it’s primarily aimed at generating comments. You must be joking. LOL– Joe Often the same topic several times a day or week, with a slightly different angle. I like it–it’s how fans talk about the team with their buddies. But if you shut off comments, that just makes it repetitive.
I guess Joe could pay Rick Reilly to write some longer form essays and do just great, lol. Now Joe knows you’re joking. –Joe
April 27th, 2026 at 10:19 am
Don’t shut us down Joe! Feel free to block the constant trolls on here though – 3.28 and HC Grover to name 2.
Please let the grownups continue to support each other and our beloved Bucs here!
April 27th, 2026 at 10:52 am
Ko-rectly? HAHAHA. Nice bit of journalism by whoever transcribed this originally.
April 27th, 2026 at 10:58 am
Don’t care what Lenny says. My eyes work I don’t trust bowels to use the kid right. Just let him attack!!! No dropping in coverage the line is very much improved don’t F it up Todd. Defense was ferocious under Arians more than likely telling bowels keep the dogs coming we all know bowels don’t have nuts and is very timid
April 27th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Comments are fine that’s what makes this site what it is everyone has an opinion if everyone had the same opinion there would be no point in discussion in an echo chamber if you shut that down you shut this site down good luck with that.
April 27th, 2026 at 11:15 am
“Buc Fan in Phoenix Says:
April 27th, 2026 at 5:43 am
On another note. I would put A LOT more weight in hearing what at least a defensive player has to say about Bain.”
An OL from Indiana, I think the center, when asked for his comments right after the big game, said first, “Bain’s an animal. That guy is an animal.”
Additionally, we heard from K Scott how good Bain is and how they worked together to get Scott into the backfield on blitzes.
So there’s your “weight.”
April 27th, 2026 at 11:15 am
I just come to read the comments.
April 27th, 2026 at 11:37 am
A commenter mentioned an echo chamber earlier if the comments are off, no I don’t think that’s it. I think some of us would like to have intelligent conversation and not have to deal with the trolls. The trolls would turn more people off from this site than the comments being turned off.
April 27th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
The hold Todd Bowles has on some of you guys’ perspective is sad and hilarious all at once.
This is an 11 year old quote from Jason Taylor when Bowles got the job in NYC:
“Schematically, forget about it,” Taylor said. “There’s nobody out there that can touch him.
“He’s honest, very honest, and he’ll tell the players exactly where they are and what they need to do. He’ll have a very focused, disciplined team that won’t have a ton of mental errors or penalties. He won’t put up with that.”
Bowles has already instilled a few punishments for the Jets, making them run for talking about the Smith incident or committing more than five penalties in practice. He appears to have the Jets on the right track early on, but it’s still too soon to crown him the king of New York. That won’t change Taylor’s opinion of him, though.
“If Todd’s the head coach, I want to play for Todd,” said Taylor. “That’s the kind of guy he is. I would run through a brick wall for him.”
Some of you want this man to come coach our guys, now how many tunes change if you find out Taylor is a Bowles “apologist” like some of you football illiterate riff-raffs like to say.
Lenny’s word isn’t good enough, because he played offense. Well, how’s about then soon to be HOF Player Jason Taylor? It’s like anytime anybody comes out and says anything positive about Bowles, you got a bunch of guys on here trying to discredit the person saying it or, like petulant children changing the value of the commenters word in real time.
Pa-thetic
April 27th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
@Warren Brooks Lynch Well said bro.
April 27th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Deff take their words over a lot of these crying 🤡. They have actually played in the nfl not just watch it and be keyboard worriers 😂
April 27th, 2026 at 3:59 pm
WBL. Good Post. We could use a few more of those.
April 27th, 2026 at 4:52 pm
Yeah Joe please don’t shut down the comments. I agree about getting rid of a couple trolls though. They have nothing informative or analytical to offer.
The comments bring people in to talk about the team, and that’s great.