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Baffling second-quarter stunt.
This question comes up way, way too much for a good coach: What was Todd Bowles thinking?
This question is often asked before, during and after a Bucs loss. And Joe has few answers.
Earlier Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys, not a likely playoff team, came back from 20 down to beat Philadelphia. And here we were on Sunday night, the Bucs trailing by 21 in the _second_ quarter and Bowles decides to pull the ol’ ESPN Analytics nonsense and go for it.
In the second quarter. From the Bucs-29.
Now remember it was just last week that, with his running attack bowling over Buffalo halfway through the fourth quarter and trailing by five points, Bowles punted from the Bucs-39 instead of going for it on fourth-and-two. That basically lost the game because his defense couldn’t stop a cool breeze.
Yes, the defense wasn’t playing much better tonight than last week in Buffalo. And Bowles waved the white flag in the second quarter, which Joe found irresponsible.
The Rams got only a field goal out of that debacle. But still, in the second quarter, you panic/give up like that?
And if you are waving the white flag, then why keep your banged up quarterback in the game. Sure enough after Baker Mayfield threw a desperation pass on the final play of the half, he landed on his hurt left shoulder and hurt it worse.
Good job Todd.
Bad enough his defense is puking all over NFL football fields since the bye. Then he makes calls that bad high school coaches wouldn’t do.
Bowles in the first half went from coaching irresponsibility within two minutes to coaching malpractice.