What Todd Bowles Is Looking For With Rookie Minicamp
May 9th, 2026
Goal of rookie minicamp.
Aside from the guys the Bucs drafted and maybe a handful of undrafted free agents, what exactly can be accomplished by the Bucs this weekend by throwing 70 guys together, most of them strangers to each other and first-timers in Tampa?
What is KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles hoping for and wanting from the rookies?
“The biggest thing is not [to make] the same mistake two or three times in a row,” Bowles said. “You can make different ones as the install grows and you get yourself in shape. [But] you got to make sure when you make a mistake you learn from it and come back from that.
“If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that kind of tells the story.”
Bowles went on to say learning roles is at least as more important than what they do on the practice fields. Rookie minicamp is underwear football. No hitting until training camp.
“These guys have been studying, so we’ll come back tomorrow and see what they learned from the day, and not make that same mistake,” Bowles said.
Additionally, Bowles said many players are unfamiliar with Florida weather. Some struggled with the heat yesterday and others from the humidity. It wasn’t that hot for Floridians — but it was for guys coming from other parts of the country.
So Bowles had to take it easy on players as a result. For example, even for third-round pick Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst, Bowles said the weather was giving him a battle.
May 9th, 2026 at 7:54 am
I moved to Tampa from VA in ’78 for my senior year of high school, before long I was playing basketball outdoors at noon during August.
Now I live in the Virginia mountains, when I come to Florida for work, I can scarcely be outside after 9am
May 9th, 2026 at 8:00 am
“If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that kind of tells the story.”
Correct, Todd! We’re tired of the same old story year after year!
Bowles has to be the least self aware person in history. Maybe not the brightest bulb either.
I came here for two things. Swiss cheese pass defense and Kit Kat bars.
Looks like we’re all out of Kit Kats. Thanks, Todd.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:19 am
D@mn Lynch – bringing it hard this morning.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:25 am
LynchMob50, is this all you have in life?
Do you sit by the computer waiting and waiting for Joe to post an another article so you can say the same negative spiel you said in your last post? I don’t even read you posts bc I already know what they say.
What a sad pathetic life you have… Im sorry you mother didn’t love you. But you can see why.
#sad
May 9th, 2026 at 8:28 am
Some look for perfection which is impossible to achieve.So they never have anything good to say, they only criticize.
Unfortunate way to live, they live to criticize because They can’t stop being negative It’s like an incurable disease, it keeps infesting itself.
Hard to get rid of. A possible cure is win your division, get to the NFC Championship game or to the Super Bowl.
Hey, Bucs fans, what do you have to say.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:35 am
I, for one, am so tired of the bashing our head coach is taking. Every single one of my senses tells me that we have the right coach to play football, competitively, against any team in this league. As a player and as a defensive coordinator he’s got rings. He and Licht were professional enough to know that they had to spend capital to build an offense that could win after Brady’s departure. First picks were Barton and Emeka. Dollars were needed for that. Despite shorting our defense for the last 3 years we were able to compete with any team in this league, even when injuries tried tearing us apart. Bowles has kept the ship heading in the right direction and I believe, this year, it’s full sail ahead. Anybody who wants to sell this team short doesn’t know what they’re talking about. And this season is going to expose the knuckleheads for who they are. And I ain’t whistling Dixie.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:41 am
Living rent free in the Pom Pom squads head!!!
Good times!!!
Fire Bowles Now!!!
May 9th, 2026 at 8:59 am
The defense wasn’t really shorted that much. The picks were just poorly chosen. White, JTS, Hall, Braswell were all high draft picks. If they had all been hits instead of misses, we wouldn’t be so lacking in talent. Add to that we didn’t get anything for them and you have the current state of the defense. Todd apologists are about out of steam. It’s nearly make or break time. You can gaslight all you want but his record speaks for itself. Hopefully, the infusion of talent gets us back to the playoffs. Go Bucs!
May 9th, 2026 at 9:05 am
“If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that kind of tells the story.”
Doesn’t it? Three game losing streaks plus every year. Calling for DEs to cover the flats and giving up big plays. 3rd and 28. 4th and 14.
Bored players. Standing on the sideline after a big play and showing the same level of enthusiasm as a wooden Indian.
So this statement applies to Bowles.
And it applies to Licht telling us year after year that the roster is ready and this guy’s going to blow up. And then it never happens.
It applies to the Glazers. Trying to save some bucks because of bad decisions.
Two years out of 50! Sure it’s better than Atlanta and the Chargers. And the Browns and Jets and the Cowboys since 1995.
But this is still the worst sports franchise in the history of sports. It’s been an overall embarrassment.
Facts.
May 9th, 2026 at 9:14 am
So tired of seeing his mug as the alleged leader of men for this team. The Glazer family failed miserably on many levels with this farce.
May 9th, 2026 at 9:19 am
Lynch mob gats carried away, but he’s not entirely wrong. Our defense was a disaster last year, and 99% of us were blaming Bowles, and wanted him gone. You all forget? Licht has done his best with the draft, and FAcy. Now it’s up to Todd to turn this D around. Personally I don’t trust him to get it done. You shouldn’t either.
May 9th, 2026 at 10:25 am
@Beeej: I took the opposite trek. Grew up in Tampa moved to RVA 26 years ago. Agreed – Florida after 9am in the summer is brutal now – never was an issue back in the day.
May 9th, 2026 at 10:53 am
Re: Linchmob
Guys, just ignore the sunuvabeech and maybe, with no responses, he will go away!
May 9th, 2026 at 10:59 am
Well, today’s thread is the Pollys vs the Doomer trolls. Todd Bowles is the reason I pulled away from the Bucs this year and planned to focus mainly on the 49rs. However, things aren’t working out that way. Today, like every day, I am backing reading and sometime commenting of the various threads. I don’t even read 49r blogs. I literally screamed when they got Bain, who I think was the #1 player in the draft for us.
A note to the Pollys like Lakeland, who can make chicken salad out of the the worst chicken sh!t the Bucs can shovel. Just because our glasses are not rose colored, we still can express an opinion that may even be a little more (at times) more true to life than yours. And, we root for the same team never the less. You express your affection for the Bucs one way and we do it another. Live with it.
May 9th, 2026 at 11:37 am
“The biggest thing is not [to make] the same mistake two or three times in a row,”
Well, in order to make the same mistake 12 or more times in a row as we saw in 2025, it requires a special kind of scheme, teacher and practice regimen. Bolwes is the master of confusion. Dudes staring at the opposing offense, mouth breathing. Confused.
2-7
May 9th, 2026 at 11:55 am
Todd should fire the D coordinator.
May 9th, 2026 at 12:41 pm
“If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that kind of tells the story.” Was Bowles talking about the players or himself?
May 9th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
Senor Harry in Costa Rica Says:
May 9th, 2026 at 8:25 am
LynchMob50, is this all you have in life?
What a sad pathetic life you have… Im sorry you mother didn’t love you. But you can see why.
————————–
Lol Senor
That caught me by surprise and made me spit out my coffee 😂
May 9th, 2026 at 2:07 pm
3.28.Evans Aqua turd was actually born a D*ck first . The rest of his body came later,minus the brain. Being a d*ck just comes so naturally to him. Poor guy what a miserable life.
May 9th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
I don’t even care anymore I’m so excited about Bain you can even see the bucs organization as a whole is till giddy about it.
May 10th, 2026 at 7:47 pm
Everything Todd says just inspires millions of people that they too can be a HC in the NFL.
May 10th, 2026 at 10:38 pm
Keep it coming fatty. Your imaginary friend will be over soon. To comfort you. It might hurt at first.