“He’s Not As Bad As Dean”
October 6th, 2025
The camaraderie is fantastic at One Buc Palace. And all the playful behind-the-scenes needling of each other goes public sometimes.
Todd Bowles often takes jabs at cornerback Jamel Dean’s poor hands. Dean has just 2 interceptions in his past 32 starts, which covers the postseason and many drops along the way.
Bowles joked once in training camp after a Dean interception that he might demand a drug test of the 2019 draft pick.
Bucs linebacker legend Lavonte David also has developed stone hands in recent years. He dropped an easy fourth-quarter interception in Week 2 and acknowledged on The Pat McAfee Show that Vita Vea won’t stop reminding him about it.
Yesterday, David had a game-turning interception in Seattle, and Bowles had no problem throwing a jab David’s way during Bucs Bonus on WFLA-TV today.
“We were so happy he caught it. He’s not as bad as [Jamel] Dean, but we were so happy he caught it because he dropped a few in practice,” Bowles said of David’s pick. “But he steps up and makes plays for us all the time.”
Joe loves how the Bucs are having fun with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It speaks to the team’s bond.
Joe had a college teammate who had a bad habit of losing his footing. The guy rarely played, earned the nickname “Shoes” and took a lot of hounding from coaches and teammates. One night, late in a game on a muddy field, “Shoes” got in and made a play that required significant change of direction and a long run. The bench erupted in ecstasy — in unison.
This kind of feel-good stuff won’t necessary win a ballgame. But it keeps players caring, motivating and supporting each other. That can only lead to good things.