“Can’t Lose Focus”
October 26th, 2026
Staying focused is easy for some teams. The Bucs haven’t been one of them over the past year.
Joe can’t pinpoint an exact reason. October 12, 2025 was the Buccaneers’ last back-to-back victory, a 30-19 win over San Francisco at The Licht House.
Zyon McCollum said in the happy postgame locker room yesterday that staying locked in is the key to beating Atlanta on Sunday at home.
“Just focus. Just focus. Can’t lose focus,” McCollum told the Buccaneers Radio Network. “Obviously, enjoy it. But we’re gonna enjoy it on the plane ride and once we land in Tampa, it’s on to Atlanta and we know how divisional games are.
“And you know, 2-5, nobody’s celebrating like we won the Super Bowl. I mean we still got a long way to go and so just stay focused and keep going.”
Focus seems like it should be so simple. It’s a professional football team. Allegedly, per the Bucs, the team has excellent leadership. Per the Bucs, the team is loaded with prideful dawgs. The team also has Super Bowl champions on the roster and on the coaching staff, and a $55 million quarterback.
Todd Bowles appeared somewhat concerned about focus in post-victory remarks to the team. “Come tomorrow, you can’t lose this attitude.”
October 26th, 2026 at 10:34 am
if this is the new zyon i am impressed.
October 26th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Fun but I’m prepared to be underwhelmed next week
October 26th, 2026 at 10:45 am
So we need is a 6-7 game winning streak. Todd and Baker got this. Right? It’s a 3-28 Bucs life.
October 26th, 2026 at 10:53 am
In my experience, some employees always come prepared and ready to go. Some have to be encouraged. Some have to be threatened. The dollars are different but the principles probably are similar. These are athletes and they’re at the top of their level but many have been coddled because of their abilities just as many got there by doing their due diligence. Again, the principles are the same. Put up with until I can replace is not a perfect philosophy but probably the most appropriate for a relatively short work window for these men. Let’s face it, the old-timers in this league retire and are considered young in the real world. That means that they’re young in their league right now. How many of us needed advice and coaching when we were in our mid to late twenties.
October 26th, 2026 at 10:54 am
Focus and motivation are one and the same to me. If your motivated your focused! This is where I’ve questioned Bowles. Not so much the X’s and O’s of the game, it’s the ability to motivate week after week. Hopefully, Mayfield and the other leaders on this team understand that has to be part of their role.
October 26th, 2026 at 10:55 am
Glad to see he’s not bored this year.
Defense is playing well it has to keep balling if there’s any chance of getting out of this hole. Maybe bowels can have a big winning streak mid season instead of collapsing like we’re used to
October 26th, 2026 at 11:02 am
It’s always all about the other things. Bowles knows this. It’s pretty certain that Todd doesn’t like scoring that many points. Run far enough to get the first down and then drop. That way you control the clock even more and the defense stays fresher.
October 26th, 2026 at 11:04 am
What is a 3-28 life??
October 26th, 2026 at 11:09 am
Zyon on fire this season!
October 26th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Zion & Parrish are doing a fantastic job……their coveage excellent…..lets see if they can cover London & Pitts.
October 26th, 2026 at 11:21 am
3-28 is the score at the half during atlantas latest Super Bowl. They blew the lead and lost to tom Brady.
A lot of people are trying to make the insignificant regular season game Vs the falcons the new 3-28, but that will forever be a knock on the falcons blowing the super bowl
October 26th, 2026 at 11:24 am
It is important for the players to stay focused, but it is just as important to have a coaching staff that challenges the players to keep their focus. Good coaches can be demanding like that. I am not sure Bowles provides that leadership, but we’ll see next week. Taking care of business against a division rival at a venue that is apparently kryptonite to the Bucs would certainly give Bucs fans hope.
October 26th, 2026 at 11:30 am
Atlanta will be the litmus test. Was yesterday an aberration or an example of things to come?
Remember 2020, the year of the Super Bowl? After a Week 1 victory, the Saints came into RayJay and blew us out, 38-3, for a regular season sweep. Two months later the Bucs beat those same Saints on their way to the Super Bowl.
Lesson: Don’t take the Panthers for granted when they come here. Anything can happen in this league of relative parity, so coaching adjustments make a BIG difference. Luckily, we have Todd Bowles during these times. “Nothing” gets by him.
Atlanta will be watching yesterday’s tape with a keen eye. They will make adjustments and it will be up to the Bucs staff to do the same. Running won’t come near as easy, so Baker better be prepared to sling it.
Moreover, Baker all but guaranteed a win when Atlanta signed Stefanski.
Whew! What a relief!
Apparently, Baker places some blame on his former coach for his perceived indifference to Baker’s Cleveland exit. So be it.
Time for Baker to put his money where his mouth is and beat his former coach.
October 26th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Uhhhh,OK How bout Brady going undefeated during the season and blowing the SB?? Sh!+ happens to every team ,get over the past.. ugh
October 26th, 2026 at 12:09 pm
I might believe it when I see it! But TB is still the head coach :/
October 26th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
“And you know, 2-5, nobody’s celebrating like we won the Super Bowl”
If you listen to Steve V and Floormatt that’s exactly the case in their little minds.
Steve V says the 5 losses don’t even matter now. Bowles is a genius!!!
The Falcons are coming to Tampa after beating the best team in football.
If we go 0-4 at home I want to hear the same unconscious over the top positivity.
I have faith in the lemmings that populate these message boards.
October 26th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Focus is everything especially when you’re behind. It’s the difference between winning and losing. Championship teams fight to the very end.
October 26th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
“The Falcons are coming to Tampa after beating the best team in football.”
Throw some caveats on there like ya’ll like to do with our wins.
Falcons beat and struggled beating a team with *check notes* 5 of its’ WR missing and got some help from Brock Purdy tossing chicken parm subs
also we’re already 0-4 at home and the Panthers beat the brakes off that same ATL team this season 34-3. Panthers’ couldn’t even hold our defense to 3 points lol
October 26th, 2026 at 12:47 pm
Can’t lose focus on the fact that bowels has still got to go.
October 26th, 2026 at 1:01 pm
Its a 10 game season 1 game back .If you knew anything other then sux, sux, sux, You’d figure it out..
October 26th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
They will lose focus again at some point. Every team in this division is jeckell and hyde. Easily could be 4 way tie at 7-10
October 26th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
Maybee the Bucs decided to have their mid season slump at the beginning of the season.
October 26th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
I would like to see Baker Mayfield play like he did when Bowles and Licht rescued him off the NFL trash heap. I haven’t seen it this year. He has yet to prove he’s worth that fat paycheck. His hand isn’t completely healed. He insisted on starting the game yesterday cos he was feeling the challenge Daniels was presenting. Bucs 2nd year backup QB. Mayfield better not cause a turnover next week. The team is hyped now, and he better get hyped and focused with them. This beheading was a total team effort. I’m expecting it next week, and the week after when we play da Bears. Wake up, Mayfield!! You’re overdue.
October 26th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
An impressive win, without a doubt. But let’s see how many more we get while throwing for 64 ypg. My prediction is zero.
Every opponent till the end of the season is going to stack the box and also bring the house on Mayfield. Why? Because if you stop the run and pressure an injured QB, he’s going to throw INT’s and incompletions at a high rate.
Everyone now knows he’s throwing wounded ducks in practice, and when he’s not, his velocity is shot. He can’t carry this team. Shut down the run and you shut down the Bucs.
October 26th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
THAT GAME PLAN WON’T WORK
The last game of last season, Tampa game planned around Baker so he couldn’t lose the game. They did that again yesterday. It works when the team can’t stop the run.
Carolina defense is the fourth worst against the run.
The Falcon’s are top ten.
Baker will have to throw the ball. The Bucs will likely lose.
October 26th, 2026 at 1:41 pm
Well we finally discovered what Baker is “Elite” at after being here over three years here.
Bake is straight up elite at handing the ball off
Can’t expect that amount of turnovers every game on defense, Bucs gotta string together some consistent play before I am convinced they are anything more than a 5 or 6 win team
October 26th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Well it worked Sunday another game coming up
October 26th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Thats what counts