Ranking.
Whenever Joe types a post about Todd Bowles, the Bucs coach seems to lure both defenders and haters alike.
The defenders point to playoff appearances in each of his three seasons in charge. Also true: The Bucs have improved their record in each season after his first in 2022.
Bowles’ haters will point out that his pass defenses are terrible, which shouldn’t be when your head coach is a defensive guy. True. Also true: The lack of a killer instinct on offense demonstrated by Bowles has cost the Bucs critical games and possibly playoff games, too.
So given there are logical, reasoned arguments for and against Bowles, should it really surprise anyone that Warren Sharp, on his website _Sharp Football Analysis_, has Bowles ranked in the middle of the pack in his annual preseason coach rankings?
Sharp and his gang have Bowles as the NFL’s [No. 14 coach](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/best-nfl-head-coach-rankings-by-positional-unit/).
> Todd Bowles has been solid during his three year run with the Buccaneers, making the playoffs in each of those seasons. He jumps to 14th in this year’s rankings after finishing 20th a year ago.
Joe understands fans still kill Bowles over the Cooper Kupp catch that doomed the Bucs in the 2021 playoffs. That’s fair, but dang, isn’t that just about ancient history now?
If you want to bang on Bowles for having a lousy pass defense, that’s fair. In only one season has his pass defense not finished ranked in the 20s, which really shouldn’t be given Bowles was an NFL safety.
If you want to rag on Bowles for rarely going for the kill shot when just about everyone watching the game can see that’s the obvious move, that’s fair.
But what is also fair is Bowles is always rallying the team through potholes that would wreck most teams’ seasons. Bowles has also developed players and developed a tough team (with injury-prone players). And Bowles has improved the team’s record the past two seasons.
Those are very good traits.
So yeah, when you balance the good with the bad, No. 14 seems reasonable to Joe.