Ex-GM Says Bucs “Should Take A Step Back”
June 8th, 2026
Team Glazer.
One of Joe’s heroes was talking Bucs today on The GM Shuffle podcast.
Joe is referring to former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney, who began his career as a sportswriter before getting hired by the Redskins in a non-football role in the late 1980s. Somehow, Hurney found his way to become Panthers general manager in 2002.
That’s right, from media guy to team GM. Hurney holds a place in Joe’s heart. (No, Joe does not expect to replace Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.)
Hurney was talking NFC South with co-host and former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz. Hurney sees a Tampa Bay team on a downward swing with a polarizing coach primed for a hot seat.
“It just feels like the Buccaneers have reached a point where they’re going to start to plateau,” Hurney said. “And if they get off to a slow start, now they’re going to have to deal with all the rhetoric, all the talk about, ‘Is Todd on the hot seat?’ and all that. It’s going to be interesting but it does feel like the Bucs should take a step back this year.”
The Joe typing here does not expect the Bucs to take a step back, but Hurney is dead on with his take on Bowles taking a ton of heat if the Bucs start slow, something the team has never done in four seasons under Bowles.
However, Team Glazer signed up for this. They kept Bowles in the face of serious fan backlash.
Joe expects/hopes/prays the Bucs have a detailed plan to counter all the “rhetoric” and “hot seat” talk Hurney references. It’s coming in strong if the Bucs find their way to, say, a 2-3 record.