The Irresponsibility Of Edge Rush
October 8th, 2026
Pirate ship listing.
Enough is enough.
If folks haven’t figured out how irresponsible the crafting of this defense is, to virtually ignore an edge rush and to ruin every friggin’ young edge rusher brought into the organization since 2022, well, it is just downright appalling.
This stunt to try to reinvent the wheel and ignore an edge rush when anyone worth their salt in football will tell you geting after the quarterback is the key to having a great defense has eaten away at Joe for years.
Joe’s done with it.
The last straw for Joe was Sunday. Packers QB Jordan Love came into the game having absorbed the most quarterback hits in the game, 31.
So what did the Bucs do? With the Packers quite literally pulling guys off the street to play, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles said he decided to instead focus on coverage.
The Bucs last Sunday hit the most-hit quarterback in the league two times. TWO!
Bowles claimed Love was getting rid of the ball too quickly for the Bucs to do anything about it.
Well, Joe saw Joe Burrow in Week 1 in Cincinnati get rid of the ball in the blink of an eye. Did anyone notice Love looking like Dan Marino with a lightning-quick release?
Besides, let’s say Love’s release was that quick. Well, then how come every other friggin’ team in the league can knock the snot out of him every week, but the Bucs can’t?
That’s because Bowles waved the white flag before the game even started. #Sad
And people wonder why the Bucs are 2-11 in their last 13 games.
Jordan Love:
33 QB hits taken
#1 most hits for any QB
despite his 2.41 seconds to throw
#1 fastest time-to throw
and only 21% of dropbacks lasting 3+ sec
#1 lowest rate in NFL pic.twitter.com/M2aYiVG0XL
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 7, 2026
October 8th, 2026 at 7:08 am
BadCoaching.com, Todd’s website
October 8th, 2026 at 7:13 am
The game has passed Todd Bowles by. His defense looks too predictable and too slow to adjust. At some point, it stops being bad luck and starts being the coach.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:13 am
Is Sean McDermott still unemployed?
October 8th, 2026 at 7:15 am
Yeah, when it feels like the coaching, offense, and defense are all letting the team down, it’s hard to find anything to enjoy. Being a Bucs fan shouldn’t feel like a weekly chore
October 8th, 2026 at 7:19 am
And people wonder why these players gave up on him. It’s too bad the owners and GM didn’t see what we all have seen since last year. Save me the bs about the team liking Todd. Todd isn’t a bad dude. Not one bit! But he isn’t head coach material AT ALL.
I seriously hate saying this but I hope the Bucs lose the entire season so they get a ransom for the first overall pick and can finally get an offensive minded head coach!
Oh, and stop going to the home games. Hit the owners in their pockets for making a dumb move in keeping Todd this season.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:21 am
This has nothing to do with coaching
Most of these guys has been in this defense for their entire career
It’s the same defense, the same DC, for the past 7 years
Vita, Kancey, Yaya has zero sacks
These are the same 3 guys that was giving us 20+ sacks a season
Between Yaya, Kancey, Vita, we were getting over a 100 pressures a season
I don’t know what’s going on
But everything is not on bad coaching
We extended Vita for a nice raise, we picked up Kancey 5th year for $15 million
These 2 players were awarded greatly this off-season, and we get nothing in return
Yaya wasn’t extended, is that a problem with him? I don’t know!
But, this has absolutely nothing to do with coaching
It has everything to do with a lack of effort from the players
October 8th, 2026 at 7:23 am
The TV revenue deal makes fans attending the games kind of irrelevant to owners.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:27 am
If you give the receivers a 10 yard cushion and NEVER play press, I COULD get the ball out in 2.41 seconds
October 8th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Walker only played 24 snaps which is malfeasance.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:34 am
These guys are professional football players
They are expecting to get paid as professional football players
And they are getting paid a very high salary as professional football players
But they are not earning their salary
And this fanbase continue to blame coaching, while these players rob the bank
At some point, common sense has to set in
These players are not performing to the level of their salaries
And they are setting a bad example for the young players on this team
These underperforming, overpaid veterans are the problem
You can blame it on coaching all you want
But at the end of the day, this team has one of the highest payroll in the NFL
But we’re not getting what we paid for
And poor coaching is their excuse for underperforming?
Nah, that don’t fly with me
October 8th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Dumbest thing I have read in years. This has nothing to do with coaching. How can anyone with any knowledge of football say that with a straight face.
Who picks the players? Who designs the schemes ? Who make the decisions?
Wake up folks.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Motivating players is a big part of coaching.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:55 am
Todd gets a pass because everyone is afraid to call him out over his Garbage defensive scheme because they don’t want to be tabbed as being a Hater aka Racist. He has done nothing to justify his keeping his job. Enough is enough. The Glazers are looking like fools for their unabashed loyalty. Tonight they will get blown out on National TV for all to see the debacle this team has become with Todd at the helm. Get it over with. Throw the Fans a bone. Fire him after tonight’s blowout.
October 8th, 2026 at 7:58 am
According to the resident rizzless CHUD Ms warrenbrookslynch- Jordan Love only had 2.1508375837 seconds to throw, so therefore any scrutiny of our defensive line is therefore null and void. It’s not fair. They are above reproach and scrutiny. Don’t you know? He doesn’t just watch Alabama and the Ohio states, no sir – he watches the mcneese states of the world. He does the work, he’s got sweat equity – just a little snapshot of how he accumulates his incredible knowledge. You think his job is done after redzone on Sundays? Not even close pal, he then spends the next 48 hours straight watching the all 22 of every single game. Clearly he should’ve been an NFL GM. You have 24 hours to take down this post because, the proper would have been to run this by him first for approval
October 8th, 2026 at 8:00 am
don’t worry about the pass rush – so what if the Cowboys put up 35 points ? Jalon & co are gonna put up 40 points – lol
October 8th, 2026 at 8:01 am
Bowles is Garbage and needs to be thrown out.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:02 am
2 coaches have already changed play callers in their organizations (Payton and demeco), when will Bowles make some changes?
October 8th, 2026 at 8:06 am
I am so over going over this time and time again! Insanity at its finest!
October 8th, 2026 at 8:07 am
Lakeland, I disagree.
I consider myself a pretty fair guy. I try to give everyone a shot at earning respect. And I do respect Todd Bowles as a man. I do not hold his Jets stint against him. I acknowledge what he accomplished with the Bucs, including his time as a DC under Arians.
I also understand that rookies usually take time to settle in. Sometimes more than a year.
However, I also believe Todd Bowles is at fault here, this season. His scheme is all wrong. Jason Licht got him some great Defensive weapons in this draft, and he doesn’t even use their strengths.
For example, Bain and Scott had some great combos in college. We have not seen Bowles use them yet hat way once.
One hundred percent on coaching.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:09 am
To bad they couldn’t cover either. Bowles defense has been figured out. No pass rush, corners 10 yards off the receivers easy completions. Let’s see how that strategy works tonight.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:12 am
if the Bucs cover the 8pts tonight it is blatant proof that the NFL is fixed. This should be a Blowout on National TV tonight. Bet the House.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Coaching matters!!!!
Great coaching = great result’s!
Bad coaching = 0-5.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:12 am
After doing some research, I think LSU Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis Jr would be a great candidate for up the upcoming available Bucs HC job. He comes from NFL coaching family. He was an Offensive Assistant with the Atlanta Falcons during their Super Bowl appearance season in 2017, which was under Steve Sarkisian as OC. Charlie was an OC with Florida Atlantic at age 24 following. Then at South Florida as OC. Then at Ole Miss having one of top college offenses as OC and now with LSU. He is only age 33 now. Charlie Weis Jr was offered the Eagles OC job and turned it down. Charlue Jr was considered for NY Giants OC job this past offseason too. Charlie is highly thought of in the college ranks and I believe a future NFL coaching star. I think Jason Licht & the Glazers can’t go wrong considering Charlie Weis Jr. as HC
October 8th, 2026 at 8:18 am
In my opinion it’s just plain stubbornness and an inability or refusal to adapt.
He’d rather lose his way than win in any other way. And he’s great at losing.
If a defensive coach can’t scheme or coach a defense to exploit the opposing offense’s weaknesses then why have a HC like Bowles?
Joe’s article is a great case for firing Bowles immediately before the game tonight.
The sooner he’s gone and his philosophy is put to rest the sooner we get back to being a real football team.
Keeping him around only further retards our growth as a team and organization.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:18 am
Todd is so hyper focused on stopping the run, the edge rush is completely secondary (and often forgotten), and yet if Vea isn’t on the field or injured, the entire run D also apparently falls apart
What a recipe 🤦♂️
October 8th, 2026 at 8:21 am
And here comes Joe, finally. Very well said Joe.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:22 am
Can’t pass Block.
Can’t rush the passer.
My comment since April.
Glad everyone is finally coming around,
Although Joe has realized the futility of our pass rush for years.
But don’t Just Blame Todd Bowles.
This is mostly Jason Licht’s fault.
NFL Hierarchy.
The GM drafts the players. Signs players. Resigns players.
He builds the team. Many get the Coach’s input. Some don’t.
The Coach hires the coaching staff. Implements the offensive and defensive system.
Then coaches the players that are on the team.
Jason Licht and his scouting staff drafted Noah Spence. Joe Tryon. Logan Hall. Calijah Kancey. Chris Braswell.
Then he signed, almost as a joke- Randy Gregory. Haason Reddick. Al-Quadin Mohammad, among others. None who contributed anything.
Randy Gregory? That was an insult to all of us and Coach Bowles.
The day our season ends,
Fire them both.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:22 am
It’s 100% coaching & management. Leadership starts at the top.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Larrd Says:
October 8th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Motivating players is a big part of coaching.
__________
You mean motivating millionaires right?
The money IS the motivation.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:25 am
I think Charlie Weis Jr. would be a great candidate for upcoming available Bucs HC job.
He comes from a successful NFL coaching family. Charlie Jr. was an Offensive Assistant during ATL Falcons 2017 Super Bowl appearance season. That season he was under Former falcons OC Steve Sarkisian. Then Charlie Jr. was OC at Florida Atlantic at age 24. Then Charlie was OC at South Florida. Then he was OC at Ole Miss while they had one of the top offenses in college football and made it to National Championship. He is currently the LSU OC and was offered Eagles and NY Giants OC jobs and turned them down. Charlie is only age 33 and is looked at a rising star in college coaching ranks. Obviously he is on NFL teams radar. Glazers and Jason need to beat these teams to getting Charlie.
Imagine 2027 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Charlie Weis Jr.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:26 am
YaYa Kancy and Bain are all busts. Dump them and go simple 4-3 with an interim coach.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:26 am
I would love to see how this defense with the same exact players would do under a different coach than Blows…would they suddenly look like world beaters? They arguably have some talent, and would it be because of schemes or because they tuned Blows out a few years ago? My guess is both…and that should get more people fired than just Todd…maybe licht would look more competent if his assembled team looked way better with a new energy…he would also have to explain why he retained Todd, which could have been a mandate from owners
October 8th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Lakeland says:
“This has nothing to do with coaching”
Are you freaking kidding me?? Are you THIS ignorant??
This has EVERYTHING to do with coaching.
Kancey has regressed in this defense.
Yaya has regressed in this defense.
Mohammed had double digit sacks as a role player last year in a different scheme. He has regressed in this defense.
Bain was in the QBs face his entire college career and Bowles has screwed him up. Just look at his limited snaps in the preseason with no game plan and Bain was in the QBs face doing what he does without a Bowles game plan.
I will say this until I’m blue in the face. JL could go out and draft edge rushers and sign the entire Broncos and Texans DL, and they wouldn’t be effective in this scheme.
It’s 100% coaching.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:30 am
If he’s getting rid of the ball so fast, why are corners playing 12 yards back? Defies comprehension.
Lakeland Says:
October 8th, 2026 at 7:34 am
These guys are professional football players
_————————————————————————————–
Homeboy, most of the time you present a reasonable argument but if you don’t understand the impact that good or bad coaching has on a team, I have overestimated your knowledge of the game.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Bowles genius defense that nobody can play is a 3-8 that he created in a video game. He updated all the players ability and speed to Max so he can play it out of any base D and has been beating 6th grade kids in online play with this D for more than a decade. For some reason it doesn’t work as good in real life.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:37 am
Bucsfan951 Says:
October 8th, 2026 at 7:19 am
And people wonder why these players gave up on him. It’s too bad the owners and GM didn’t see what we all have seen since last year. Save me the bs about the team liking Todd. Todd isn’t a bad dude. Not one bit! But he isn’t head coach material AT ALL.
I seriously hate saying this but I hope the Bucs lose the entire season so they get a ransom for the first overall pick and can finally get an offensive minded head coach!
—————————————————————————————–
I tried that last year, saying that I hope we lose the rest of our games so Bowleas could get fired. My first time ever pulling for us to lose. We did and guess what. HE DIDN’T GET FIRED. After a 2-7 epilogue, he remains the HC of my Bucs!!! And that same, if not worse, play continues. I am bracing myself for us going 0-17 and him still being here next year.
I agree with you that fans should boycott home games as long as Bowles is coaching our team.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:44 am
Low point of a statistic like time to throw is because normally speaking it takes a certain amount of time for a wide receiver to get open. The quarterback has two little time to throw then statistically with nobody open he will either have to throw the ball away or take a sack.
When quarterbacks play against us, the time to throw is very low. But not because a pass rush is getting up in their face and he has to rush the play, it’s because the damn receiver is always open immediately and so there is always somebody to throw to before having to wait more than 2.4 seconds!
This has been the systemic failure of the scheme that Todd has been employing since he got here. The pass rush doesn’t get home the receivers are open and especially the tight ends because everybody is playing off coverage. It’s like he plays prevent defense on every play. And occasionally fires a blitz. The prevent defense does one thing it allows teams to keep dinking the ball but then they turn a four yard reception into 15 because we can’t tackle either.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:49 am
@ Joe
Todd Bowles hasn’t had a talented pass rusher since Shaq Barrett…
Who is to blame for that deficiency?
I will give you a hint – his first name starts with Jason and his last name rhymes with “bright” – although he is quite the opposite.
Can you tell me who is really to blame? I will be humming the theme to Jeopardy as you illuminate on that one…
October 8th, 2026 at 8:52 am
ATLBuc I have to agree.
After the 2024 playoff debacle I was calling for Bowles to be fired immediately.
Instead they kept him and decided to extend him as a result of the backlash.
The Glazers think they know everything about football and refuse to course correct.
My fear is they have already decided to stick with Todd no matter how bad things get.
Might as well prepare yourself for at least two more years of mediocrity after the dumpster fire of 2026.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:53 am
the whole key to winning this game tonight is starting fast…
i don’t care how they do it, but they’ve gotta get out to a 7-0 lead no matter what…and then take that lead up to 10-0 or better…
they must set the tone in this game with an early lead, solid D and hard hitting…
set the tone fast and early, and jump in front, or get embarrassed at jerry’s world on national tv…
i hear amazon told bowles, if he gets blown out bad tonight, they might revoke his amazon prime membership permanently, and even take away his short bus privileges
October 8th, 2026 at 8:53 am
Just boarded the plane at TIA. We get to watch the slaughter live. This will be like the Roman Gladiator taking on the Lion at the Colosseum
October 8th, 2026 at 8:54 am
Is anyone even rooting or a Bucs win tonight??
October 8th, 2026 at 8:55 am
It’s a broken record. And after the Cowboys go scorched earth tonight and blast Bowles and Bucs it will be more of the same… same rhetoric, same excuses, same old BS.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:56 am
Ya know, Belichick’s girlfriend has probably picked up a ton of coaching knowledge. Just saying.
October 8th, 2026 at 8:58 am
What’s the over under on how many times Bowles makes the comment “we shot ourselves in the foot” during the post game presser
October 8th, 2026 at 9:09 am
Joe … ‘With the Packers quite literally pulling guys off the street to play, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles said he decided to instead focus on coverage.’
Lakeland … ‘this has absolutely nothing to do with coaching
It has everything to do with a lack of effort from the players.’
I’ve gotta respectfully disagree with both of you. Spent over an hour watching a play-by-play analysis of the Bucs’ defense in the Packers game. Yes we held the Packers to 17 pts, but we played horrific defensive football in managing to do that. I’ve seen plenty of college teams that played better defense than what I was seeing.
So Lakeland, the defensive coaching was REALLY BAD in terms of (1) who was out there in various situations; and (2) what formations they were in. And Joe, IF Bowles was really focusing on coverage, he would’ve used a lot more man-to-man. There was actually 1 play where the Bucs had THREE DLinemen in pass coverage, just PAST the goal line, while they rushed 3 from the Secondary it looked like. If Love was colorblind, he would’ve thrown the ball to Vita Vea … who was in the end zone without ANYONE within about 10 yds of him. Needless to say the Packers scored a TD on that one.
Beyond that though, came away with several conclusions:
1 – Trotter was lost on a bunch of plays. Very unimpressive.
2 – Scott was lost on a bunch of plays. Also unimpressive.
3 – Bain played, but shouldn’t have. Unimpressive.
4 – Anzalone & Rozeboom both have me scratching my head. These are veterans, but they were making rookie mistakes.
5 – Kancey is toast. He looks (and plays) like a boy among men out there.
6 – McCollum is in no way, shape or form a starter.
7 – YaYa’s play left me scratching my head. He comes close (often) but gets ridden out of the play easily it seems.
8 – Bucs tackling is historically bad. Horrible technique by a number of defenders.
9 – I’ve never seen so much holding (by the Packers OLine) that WASN’T CALLED.
10 – Far too many of the formations used left GIGANTIC swaths of real estate totally open. I think Love got confused because he had too many open receivers to throw to.
Well, that was my Top-10. Sad sad sad defense AND offense (although I did like how Jalon Daniels played in his first game as a starter).
October 8th, 2026 at 9:16 am
Not certain how anyone could, with a straight face, say “This has nothing to do with coaching”. “You are what your record says you are” and that record reads sub .500 coach. The defense has been this bad since Bowles became HC. We have no leaders on defense, because nobody has mastered his defensive schemes. In fact, every player seems to regress. This whole multiples scheme is BS! Every defender has multiple options for every single play and the defense only works properly when every single player makes the correct call. News flash! That rarely happens and everyone is left pointing fingers. Seems like the perfect cover for a sub .500 coach. It’s always the players fault! We’ve got to coach it better! Might I suggest this will never happen as only Todd Bowles knows the answers. I can guarantee you that these coaches don’t have a full grasp of what each player should be doing in every situation. They are trying to understand it themselves! But, game after game, season after season we see the same mistakes, wide a$$ open receivers, rookie/2nd string/3rd string QBs shredding our defense, blow out games, home losses, record setting performances across the board by opposing teams. It’s all nonsense! Stop trying to be a genius and devise a scheme the players understand. Furthermore, understand what your players are good at and utilize those talents. I never want to see Vea dropping into coverage again. Let Bain, Diaby & Walker do what they do best, get after the QB. Stop trying to be a “Guru” and simplify your schemes.
October 8th, 2026 at 9:16 am
Not certain how anyone could, with a straight face, say “This has nothing to do with coaching”. “You are what your record says you are” and that record reads sub .500 coach. The defense has been this bad since Bowles became HC. We have no leaders on defense, because nobody has mastered his defensive schemes. In fact, every player seems to regress. This whole multiples scheme is BS! Every defender has multiple options for every single play and the defense only works properly when every single player makes the correct call. News flash! That rarely happens and everyone is left pointing fingers. Seems like the perfect cover for a sub .500 coach. It’s always the players fault! We’ve got to coach it better! Might I suggest this will never happen as only Todd Bowles knows the answers. I can guarantee you that these coaches don’t have a full grasp of what each player should be doing in every situation. They are trying to understand it themselves! But, game after game, season after season we see the same mistakes, wide a$$ open receivers, rookie/2nd string/3rd string QBs shredding our defense, blow out games, home losses, record setting performances across the board by opposing teams. It’s all nonsense! Stop trying to be a genius and devise a scheme the players understand. Furthermore, understand what your players are good at and utilize those talents. I never want to see Vea dropping into coverage again. Let Bain, Diaby & Walker do what they do best, get after the QB. Stop trying to be a “Guru” and simplify your schemes.
October 8th, 2026 at 9:23 am
@Defense:
the scariest part about all this is…
bowles teams usually come flying out the gate like greyhounds…
and somewhere around now to the next few weeks they hit the skids…and hard…
i wonder what will happen once we hit the skids hard…
aren’t we at rock bottom now…
coach might dig us a path to china
(think trump saying “chinahh”)
October 8th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Lol 😂😂
These overpaid bums are getting a free ride from this Ridiculous fanbase
That continues to feel sorry for them.
And blame everything on something other than them
This can only happen with this pathetic fanbase
October 8th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Are we really talking about QB hits lol. QB hits of all things. Unfortunately most qb hits actually take place when the team is playing from behind and defenses can pin their ears back. One can argue this is the best that tampa’s defense has played in years. The bucs forced 2 turnovers last sunday and the offense produced, you guessed it ZERO points. The bucs turned the ball over twice, and still only gave up 17pts. In 2024 and 2025 qbs like
Jordan love wouldve thrown for 400 yds on us. This guy had 22 completions for 175 yds. Hey news flash the bucs recorded a QB hit on matthew stafford and he threw a bomb to cooper kupp to end our dreams.
Jordan love took 15 hits vs the vikings, and proceeded to throw for almost 400 yards on brian flores. Sure he threw a pick, but he also did against the bucs. QB hits, time to throw, all that ish is bogus when you dealing with QBs that dont get rattled
October 8th, 2026 at 9:39 am
Lakeland … ‘These underperforming, overpaid veterans are the problem’.
Can partially agree on that Lakeland; certain veterans are underperforming, but not all. Vea and Robinson are both doing fairly decent (not great, but decent). Kancey is a huge waste out there though; I’m totally over him. Watching him trying to attack reminds me of playing pinball; he gets pushed around all over the place. Either move him further outside or get rid of him because he’s not cutting it inside.
Roberts is actually getting halfway decent penetration when he’s in there (he’s only been in on a quarter of the def plays, whereas Kancey has been in on almost 2/3rds). I’d use him a lot more instead of Kancey.
The 3 rookies (Bain, Trotter & Scott) are getting far too much playing time. I’m not convinced they’ve been coached up very well, because each one of them keeps making very basic mistakes.
Anzalone & Rozeboom have me befuddled. I don’t think either one of them REALLY understands Bowles defense. If you watch some of the defensive play video analyses, both of those guys (and a number of others) are taking action in the wrong direction BEFORE they even need to take action. Needless to say those premature adjustments leave them out of position to make a play (seems to have led to a number of missed tackles).
Extremely frustrating. But yes, PART of it is on coaching, and PART of it is on the players themselves. Overall though, this team is playing so poorly it’s really hard to envision them winning ANY ballgames this year at this point.
October 8th, 2026 at 9:39 am
Or Lakeland, it’s possible that we realize what Mike Evans realized, it’s not going to get better with this coaching staff! 3rd & 28!!!
October 8th, 2026 at 9:45 am
I never said we have a great coaching staff
I simply said, we can’t blame everything on the coaches
The players has to make plays, regardless of who is coaching them
It’s a two way street
But when we get 0 sacks from Yaya, Vita, Kancey in a span of 4 games
Those players has to improve their play
October 8th, 2026 at 9:53 am
But I don’t blame the Bucs players for laying down
Why go all out, when you have a fanbase blaming everything on coaching?
You’re safe, regardless of your performance, or effort
October 8th, 2026 at 10:12 am
And then there’s Vita Vea dropping into coverage, all by his lonesome, with packers at the goal line – Touchdown Green Bay. WTF?
October 8th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Awesome! Hopefully Rueben can get the first of his 10 interceptions tonight that bowels expects him to get this year.
October 8th, 2026 at 10:35 am
The PFF pass rushing grades of the players with enough snaps to qualify
Yaya 106th ranked, among 110 qualifiers- Edge defenders
Rueben Bain 110th ranked among 110 qualifiers -Edge defenders
Anthony Nelson 98th ranked among 110 qualifiers – Edge defenders
AQM 42nd ranked among 110 qualifiers – Edge defenders
Vita Vea 63rd ranked among 129 qualifiers- Interior defensive lineman
Calijah Kancey 43rd ranked among 129 qualifiers – Interior defensive lineman
A’Shawn Robinson 88th ranked among 129 qualifiers – Interior defensive lineman
You can blame the poor coaching all you want
But, with these types of pass rushing grades
I see poor effort, a lack of effort, some loafing
October 8th, 2026 at 10:37 am
This will be a repeat of the LA game last year when the opposing coach feels bad and takes the foot off the gas. Isn’t it great to have a likable coach. I like butterflies. It’s a 3-28 Bucs life.
October 8th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Maybe the blame for lack of edge rush and needs to be laid at the feet of the long-time forever assistant coaches still working for Bowles. Maybe that’s the reason Bowles is always a bit lost for words and sometimes disconnected in these pressers.
“We gotta coach it better”…. Yo Larry, can you?
October 8th, 2026 at 10:45 am
This team badly need a pass rush
And we don’t need to get it from the ILBs, Safety
We are getting NOTHING from the Interior and Edge
These guys are not getting it done
Zero excuses
October 8th, 2026 at 10:50 am
I will be so beyond frustrated if the resign Diaby. He’s a good run defender I think but he doesn’t deserve to get paid like a premier pass rusher at this point.
October 8th, 2026 at 10:51 am
After 5 years as Bowles as head coach, the answer to why the Bucs are underperforming might come down to something as simple as they are tired of Bowles and want a new voice in the locker room.
Sometimes it’s not about the X and Os, but who is calling the plays. Who is or isn’t properly motivating their players.
In this case I believe it’s both. Bowles has lost the locker room, and his play calling hasn’t helped.
This happens across sports, players get tired of hearing the same voice, and want a change. Happens whether they like and respect the coach, or not.
Im very much against Gruden, mostly because I remember him holding this huge laminated sheet with dozens of plays, and he kept calling the same handful, which got the Bucs nowhere.
Also remember a story about a Buc being seriously injured on the bench, and Gruden going up to him and screaming at the player, accusing him of slacking.
I appreciate everything Gruden did to put the Bucs over the top, but his time has passed. I would interview Tomlin first, and see if he’s learned anything from his last few years coaching without much success. Might be the players in Pittsburgh needed a new voice, like in Tampa.
Not saying we should make Tomlin the first pick, but I would interview him, see if he has learned anything from his time off. If Tomlin still has a passion for coaching. Some coaches learn from their time off.
October 8th, 2026 at 10:51 am
The guy brings in DEs and then wants to convert them to OLers
IT DOESNT WORK, if you want to run a 3-4 get 3-4 players.
Yaya, Bain, QM, Nelson are all DEs let them put their hand in the dirt and get after the QB.
DW is the only OLer we have.
Run a 4-3 and watch this def turn around.
October 8th, 2026 at 10:52 am
So, what your’re saying Coach is that we can’t cover WR’s for 2.9 seconds?
October 8th, 2026 at 10:54 am
Rueben Bain
AQM
Yaya Diaby
Calijah Kancey
Vita Vea
These 5 players were expecting to totally destroy opposing offenses
And after 4 games
They have a combined ZERO sacks
And this fanbase is accepting this, and blaming it in the coaches
There’s something wrong with this picture
October 8th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Oh yeah,
And by the way
David Walker has 2 sacks in 27 pass rushing snaps
October 8th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Lakeland — What you said is bad coaching, though… If players aren’t playing well or loafing, you trade or cut them. You think the good coaches let’s what you are describing fly?
Let’s just go through the end-of-year briefings… Licht goes to Bowles or whoever the coach is and says He’s coming up on his contract; how bad do we need him. Bowles either signs off or doesn’t.
Licht has been very candid about this in an interview; he and BA discussed how we even got Brady. We had Winston, who Licht drafted and BA wasn’t in love with him, so they started to look at alternatives. I remember Licht was heavily criticized for not locking up Winston earlier before the end of his final season, but we at the end know why now. BA wanted other options, and they went out to get Brady. It’s a collaborative effort between the coach, GM & players. The common issue lately is Bowles. Under BA we looked great now we are a hot mess.
It’s not just X’s & O’s on the field; it’s identifying talent. Bowles shouldn’t keep trotting Yaya out there if he sucks; he should have said, ” Hey, Licht, get me an upgrade.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:34 am
doolnutts,
But Zero sacks in 4 games
From 5 guys that was expecting to dominate
There’s more to this story than coaching
And then a guy like David Walker (Basically a rookie)
Gets 2 sacks in 27 pass rushing snaps
It’s time for these guys to step up and play up to their potential, and salary
October 8th, 2026 at 11:36 am
But they are so versatile joe who else has defensive ends who play a safety role it’s down right genius no one will see it coming.
October 8th, 2026 at 11:40 am
We picked up Kancey 5th year for $15 million
So he has 15 million guaranteed for 2027
We know Vita Vea has something like $30 million coming in 2027
Yaya could be avoiding contact, trying to stay healthy
He’s still on his rookie contract, and will be a free agent in 2027
AQM is on a one year deal
Rueben Bain is still learning the defense
October 8th, 2026 at 11:57 am
The common thread is simply this. The longer a defender play under Bowels leadership, such that it is, the more they regress. Blame whoever you like. The trends are a clear indictment of Bowels as a superlatively poor coach and the players’ lack of character.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
what a moron
October 8th, 2026 at 12:09 pm
This team is in cap space hell for several years (ranked 27th worst cap space). A new HC and staff can get something out of this roster. Bowles takes teams makes them consistently worse til he gets fired. Here and at NYJ
October 8th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
@ Lakeland..Its time for a change in coaching
October 8th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
Atlanta Baltimore, Cleveland ,LV the giants every team does it
October 8th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
It’s rare to find a fan as wise as Lakeland. Obviously Bowles is great and gets the most out of his players. Wins aren’t happening, but it’s actually the cafeteria lady’s fault.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
I don’t know what’s going on….Lakeland
For one you posted something that made sense.
October 8th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
Rookies hide behind excuses, not veterans
And this fanbase buys into it
It don’t take much to fool this fanbase
October 8th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Lakeland Says:
October 8th, 2026 at 9:53 am
But I don’t blame the Bucs players for laying down
————————————————————————————–
I know most of us have worked a 9 to 5 in the past and most do. My question is: How long can you stay fully motivated when your boss instructs you to do things in ways that defy reason and are continually unsuccessful? I don’t blame the Bucs’ playes one iota. They are placed in a lose lose situation. We all sit here and say how bad Bowles’ coaching is but then get down on the players because they don’t belive in that losing schem.
How can those guys to get motivated week after week when they know they’re going into a duel with a water pistol? I’m proud of our players because knowing they’re going to fail, they go out there every week, putting their bodies at risk not believing in what they have been tassked to do.
October 8th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
Bowles is typical old person stuck in their ways. You could explain to them until red in the face about numerous things and he still does his thing. Lack of edge rush or pass rush in general. You draft a true edge rusher and have him standing up, and dropping in coverage. The stats prove this DE/OLB crap don’t work. How about the CBs being 10-15 yards off WRs? How about TEs always open? How about his 12-48 record against teams ending season with winning record. How about his inability to adjust during the game, which shows in his 16-53 record, when trailing going into second half.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:02 pm
I think they seriously need to look at at what Dan Campbell did in Detroit a few years back. That defense was decimated with injuries. They were literally signing guys off the street and yet they were still formidable and productive. It was top notch coaching. I truly believe the problem is that Bowles needs to simplify his defense. Play more man coverage and let the DE/OLBs get after the QB. Trust your secondary. These guys are thinking too much and that slows them down. They’re always second guessing what they’re supposed to do. Now, I don’t believe for one second Bowles will adjust, he hasn’t and he won’t. It’s unfair to continually blame the players. That doesn’t mean they are blameless. You only have so much time to reach a student before they start to check out. We’ve now reached the checkout stage!
October 8th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
all honesty, the defense is not the problem this year. As much as we like to blamr Bowles the defense is playing good, not great, ball. The middle of the field pass defense is our major weakness. We’re going to have to let our corners play more man and bring the safties, or one safety, up to shore up the middle pass defense. Our corners held their own against Chase and Higgins and would have done better last week had they not been forced into social distancing.
October 8th, 2026 at 2:56 pm
Enough IS enough.
Our defense is statistically improved and a top 10 unit and we held Green Bay to 14 points. We also forced 2 turnovers. Defense and lack of sacks did not lose that game.
Your extreme bias against Todd/defense is really pretty pitiful
October 8th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Todd focuses on coverage so much because he is still traumatized by Cooper Kupp and the LA playoff game that we pissed away! LOL
October 8th, 2026 at 4:18 pm
Only reason why Parrish got that INT was the fact he ignored his assignment. Enough said.
October 8th, 2026 at 4:41 pm
Cleveland 2024 !!
October 8th, 2026 at 4:44 pm
Coaching sucks!!