Starting Fast In The Heat
July 16th, 2026
Florida heat is rarely an advantage for Bucs.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles almost always has the Bucs ready to play in the early weeks of the regular season.
What happens when Bowles and the Bucs get into the meat of the schedule is a mystery. The Bucs melt down year after year under Bowles midway through the season and (except for last season) catch fire in December.
Noted handicapper-turned-stathead Warren Sharp notes in his Warren Sharp’s 2026 Football Preview that with the Bucs’ 2026 schedule, it’s a good thing three of the first four games are at home facing far-northern teams (Cleveland, Green Bay and Minnesota) where roasting heat and choking humidity aren’t a thing.
Three of the Buccaneers’ first four games are at home in the Florida heat and humidity, so Tampa must start fast in an advantageous early stretch that may define their season.
Joe knows many Bucs coaches have wanted to use the heat advantage against visiting teams, but the only teams Joe can remember that truly wilted in the Florida sun were lousy teams to begin with.
Joe remembers Raheem Morris spoke loud and long about turning the Bucs stadium into a kiln. That was going to have the Cowboys, a Week 1 opponent in 2009, turn into milk chocolate.
Morris seemed to forget Dallas gets toasty in the summer, too. Naturally, the Cowboys clobbered the Bucs.
Then there was lousy Lovie Smith who had the Bucs practice daily at 1 p.m. so they could broil opponents. Too bad the only thing that got broiled was Lovie’s defense. #TennesseeReady
Just look at last year for more evidence. The horrible Jets came to town and damn near beat the Bucs. New York doesn’t have Tampa weather.
Same with the Eagles, who beat the Bucs in the Florida heat.
Not since the glory days of the Bucs when Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks were cracking heads have the Bucs ever been consistently adept at making other teams melt under the unforgiving Florida sun.
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July 16th, 2026 at 9:04 am
It is almost a No-Lose situation for the Bucs this year. We either have a successful season, and all is well or the Crap hits the Fan and Todd will be out after this year. They are restocked on Defense and the Putrid Pass Defense can’t help but be better. If the OC is really all that and the O-Line stays healthy there is no reason with a motivated ‘Born Again’ Baker that we should not win at least 10 games and make a run. LFG!!
July 16th, 2026 at 9:06 am
If only playing at home in the heat, and humidity was an advantage. It’s not. Check the home record. Zip, notta, no advantage. If anything all the practicing outside is a disadvantage. Home field advantage for the Bucs because of the heat is a bigger myth than bigfoot.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Joe-what is up? Why are my comments being blocked?
July 16th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Long sustained drives are the only way to take advantage of the heat. Keep the chains moving and this will keep the oven on. Of course if the Bucs D gives up long drives (Commanders game comes to mind) it will have the same effect on them.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:15 am
How improved the Putrid Pass Defense is going to dictate the Bucs season this year more than any weather factors.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Good question.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:40 am
I remember when the Raheem led Bucs team faced the steelers at home and wanted to use heat as an advantage. Steelers wore all black and won handily. I think “heat advantage” is a myth.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:48 am
I’m with you Hodad on ‘what home advantage?’. I would add half the stadium being occupied by the opposing team’s fans. It’s an embarrassment. Wish the team would do something about it, like winning the games. And wish the Glazers would do something about it as well. A 17 game road schedule is tough sledding every year.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:49 am
September home games used to kick off at 4:00. Not sure why that is no longer happening.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:55 am
Truth be Told Says:
“It is almost a No-Lose situation for the Bucs this year. We either have a successful season, and all is well or the Crap hits the Fan and Todd will be out after this year.”
That’s how I’m looking at it…except even with a very successful season, Bowles might decide to retire on a high note.
As to comments being blocked… welcome to me life. All my comments enter moderation these days.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:57 am
In all my years of being a Bucs fan, the heat has been more of a disadvantage for the Bucs than an advantage.
July 16th, 2026 at 9:58 am
We had the dog days in New England area too in late August and early September.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:07 am
The Ravens are a great example of a team that comes to Tampa early in the year and beats the crap out of us every time. I still have nightmares about a game they had us down 38-0 at halftime. They’ve now beaten us 6 games in a row and most of them in extreme heat.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:17 am
The heat advantage is WAY overrated. It’s pretty hot everywhere this time of year. I would quit talking about it because we’ve been embarassed in the heat more than the other way around (see above). The winter snow advantage however is real.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:20 am
Any team can come here for a day, deal with the heat, and still kick the crap out of us. Good teams beat bad teams no matter the weather. Bucs went their first two seasons without winning a home game. I’m sure it was hot back then too.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:24 am
Seems like good players and good coaches matter more than relying on the weather.
Seriously. We had dudes the last two years who were gassed in the second quarter! Home or away. That is on the Bucs staff and the players. I also wonder if all the walk through practices during the season factor in to this. This supposedly keeps our dudes fresh and injury free. Does it actually serve to let them get out of shape injury prone and sloppy fundamental wise? See constant missed tackles and guys jogging around instead of…you know…getting after it.
Go Bucs!
July 16th, 2026 at 10:26 am
@Truth
Don’t sweat it. The moderation program is insane. Blocks most everyone at times for no particular reason. It’s exasperating to everyone.
July 16th, 2026 at 10:38 am
Who cares about advantages. How about you play harder than the other team? Usually equates to winning
July 16th, 2026 at 10:51 am
It’s because it’s easy in the very beginning of the season. Players are HYPED and READY for actual REAL games with REAL hitting, and just for the season to START. You don’t have to ‘motivate’ them to show up and play… So, there’s none of that. They’re already chomping at the bit, and READY. Players are PUMPED for the possibilities and fresh opportunities of a brand new season. It’s once all of that wears off, when the ‘REALITIES’ of a long season and ‘injuries’ begin to take its toll. Now, THAT is when it is up to the HEAD COACH to ‘motivate’ the troops, and have them READY TO PLAY. When the goin gets TUFF. And, that is just NOT Todd. You have to be able to get EVERYONE on the same page and make SURE they are all FOCUSED. Again, that is NOT Todd Bowles.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:02 am
The early wins aren’t caused by heat, they are caused by lack of injuries yet. We have plenty of talent in the starters on this team. It drops down precipitously with the backups. And third and fourth string guards aren’t gonna cut it…
July 16th, 2026 at 11:06 am
@ Buccaneer Bonzai Says: “with a very successful season, Bowles might decide to retire on a high note.”
For the 18TH FREAKING TIME… Todd Bowles, is absolutely NOT “retiring.” HE is NOT ‘walking away’ and leaving on the table OVER ‘EIGHT-FIGURES’ worth of cold hard CASH… Not under ANY circumstance, whatsoever. 💯 without any shadow of doubt… NOT. HAPPENING. He’s not turning down 2-MORE YEARS worth of GUARANTEED Money… Especially, at HIS AGE. That’s BIGGGG $$$$.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:23 am
The heat helps to a degree. But every team has guys from all over the country. Northern teams take SEC guys in the draft.
I guess Bowles deserves credit for opening with good records if he has to take the heat, no irony intended, for the mid-season losing streaks.
He is a .500 coach. At best.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:26 am
With the injuries this team has sustained the past 2 years, he’s lucky to be .500. Hoping they stay much healthier this year so we can see just how good the team really is for once.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:27 am
The scoreboard is all that matters. Not the weather conditions.
And the scoreboard is certainly not Todd Bowles strong suit.
Eating KitKats and making excuses for mediocre results? He’s the GOAT.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:49 am
DOES ANYONE PAY ATTENTION?
Bowles Bucs always start fast. The first four games are great. Starting fast isn’t what they must do … it’s what they do.
The Bucs MUST win in mid-year.
Bowles can’t sustain winning because he doesn’t evolve throughout the season. Teams scout the first four games and gameplan around it. Then, teams just watch how other teams beat Bowles defense and do the same thing. Then Bowles says, “We just need to play it better.” He’s a one-trick pony.
5-12
July 16th, 2026 at 11:55 am
👆👆👆👆👆
SlyPirate for the W.
July 16th, 2026 at 11:57 am
C’mon Joe, a picture of people huddled in front of a wildfire is almost as bad as a video of a hurled man morphing into a Tez flip! Insert sarcastic emoji here….
July 16th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
It’s really big advantage to the team that gets our opponents the following week. After struggling through a Florida game, they are spent the following week.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
This is the year Bowles has the team ready to choke early.
1-3 start at best.
July 16th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Bucs all time September record:
Home Record: 38-51
Away Record: 41-47
Total Record: 79-98
Another Urban (Rural too) Myth shattered!
Bucs play better on the road in September.
Bucs fans can continue to hype the advantage of playing home in the heat.
Only problem? It doesn’t exist.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:21 pm
StPeteMatt … ‘With the injuries this team has sustained the past 2 years, he’s lucky to be .500′.
I think most fans underestimate the impact that injuries have on each team’s seasonal records. Depth is obviously a huge factor, but so is WHO gets injured (not good losing your starters) & how many games they miss.
Looked back thru the Injury Report summations in Pro-Football-Reference data and here’s how many games players missed according to their records:
o 2025: 176 games missed … Record: 8-9
o 2024: 204 games missed … Record: 10-7
o 2023: 105 games missed … Record: 9-8
o 2022: 177 games missed … Record: 8-9
o 2021: 133 games missed … Record: 13-4
o 2020: 169 games missed … Record: 11-5
o 2019: 204 games missed … Record: 7-9
Can’t really compare seasons (different players, etc), but it’s interesting to note …
o Bucs’ players missed 204 games in both 2019 under BA (record 7-9) and in 2024 under Bowles (record 10-7). Personally think that QB play was the driver in both seasons.
o Bucs players missed 176 games in 2025 & 177 games in 2022; same 8-9 record both seasons under Bowles.
o Bucs’ players only missed 105 games in 2023; our record was just average (9-8) but our defense (ranked #7 & only allowed 325 pts) was the best it’s been since 2009. Hard for any defense (or coach) to do well if the starters keep goingn down like flies.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
The bucs play like they’re in heat they get pounded by every team in the league
July 16th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
This post’s photo looks just like some of the images and videos taken from CUBA over the past several months… People outside in total complete darkness, just burning the hell up, and STARVING. Their “leaders” don’t care… They are perfectly FINE sitting inside of THEIR nice cool homes THEIR big fat bellies. That’s just the normal everyday ‘way of life’ in a Marxist-Leninist socialist/communist dictatorship. It’s GUARANTEED. 💯 of the time, EVERY TIME. Eventually.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Us Floridians are a dying breed,Everyone in the stands are transplants ! They leave their states (blue) and take their football pride with them!
July 16th, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Todd Bowles record against Top-10 offenses is not all that stellar IMO (I remember all-too-well when we lost 3 straight games to the Patriots, Bills & Rams right after the BYE … 3 teams with Top-5 offenses). Check out how we did against Top-10 offenses in the last 4 years with Todd as our HC AND DC:
o 2025: Bucs were 2-4 against teams with Top-10 offenses
o 2024: Bucs were 3-2 against teams with Top-10 offenses
o 2023: Bucs were 1-6 against teams with Top-10 offenses
o 2022: Bucs were 2-3 against teams with Top-10 offenses
So under Todd Bowles as HC, Bucs are 8-15 against teams with Top-10 offenses. Now check out how we did with BA as our HC & Todd as our DC:
o 2021: Bucs were 4-1 against teams with Top-10 offenses
o 2020: Bucs were 1-3 against teams with Top-10 offenses
o 2019: Bucs were 0-5 against teams with Top-10 offenses
So under BA as our HC, Bucs were 5-8 against teams with Top-10 offenses.
Same DC all 7 years. Record: 13-23 against teams with Top-10 offenses. In our best year (2021) against Top-10 offenses (4-1), Bucs overall record was 13-4. Makes perfect sense to me; to be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best.
July 16th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
Us Floridians are a dying breed,transplants bring their football teams with them filling the RayJay
July 16th, 2026 at 2:19 pm
The eagles played horrible in the heat I will always bet with the bucs when the eagles come to visit