Tony Dungy: Todd Bowles Can’t Simplify
November 20th, 2025
Former Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy (1996-2001), aka Father Dungy, spelled out the angst of the Tampa Bay defense very succinctly yesterday.
On Sunday, the Bucs will face the Rams in Los Angeles. That means they’ll defend against stud QB Matthew Stafford and a high-octane offense before the Sunday Night Football broadcast crew of which Dungy is a part.
On a Football Night In America podcast, Dungy noted how the Bucs’ array of blitzes are largely ineffective against top quarterbacks like Stafford. Per Dungy, the Bucs need pure pass rushers they simply do not have.
Co-host and former All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison said he thinks Bucs head coach Todd Bowles suggested Bowles simplify the defense to help his mistake-prone defensive backs. Dungy shot back at Harrison saying Bowles can’t do that because he literally has no pass rush without blitzing.
Harrison agreed
Of course, those blitzes make life complicated for defensive backs.
A huge key Sunday for the Bucs will be their sad red zone defense, which allows offenses to score touchdowns 64 percent of the time they’re in the red zone. That ranks 26th in the NFL. Last year, the Bucs’ red zone defense ranked 9th. Big difference.
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