Sunk by misguided philosophy.
The Bucs had two quarterback hits yesterday. That was the extent of their pass rush.
But that’s been the issue with KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles. Since he took over as head coach, he has never valued an edge rush. When an edge rusher starts getting to the quarterback, he vanishes.
When asked why the guy was pulled off the field, Bowles almost always answers with an explanation that an outside linebacker “has to do other things” or a similar variation of that.
Joe remembers the late NFL Hall of Fame personnel man Gil Brandt on SiriusXM NFL Radio once rank the three most important positions on a football teams.
1. Quarterback.
2. Edge rusher.
3. Left tackle.
Brandt knew a thing or two about how to build championship-winning teams.
Every defensive guy worth his salt Joe has ever read about or come across mentions getting after the quarterback as a critical priority for a defense.
That is, except for Bowles. Well, sadly, the chickens are coming home to roost. The Bucs have now sunk as a team to an embarrassing level of dysfunction. Does anyone really believe Bowles is the Bucs of the Bucs in 2027?
The Bucs are in trouble, said prickly Pete Prisco of CBS on Sunday. And why is that? Invisible pass rush.
“They’re not a good football team right now,” Prisco said on CBS Sports HQ. “And it’s not just offensively where they had the backup quarterback.
“Defensively, they’ve had issues all year long. You go down their list of sacks, they get any today? NONE!
“That’s always a concern when you don’t rush the quarterback.”
How many first-, second-, third-round picks does Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht have to burn, how much Team Glazer loot has to be sacrificed on free agents, for all to come to Tampa Bay under Bowles and every one of them sees their production diminish under Bowles before, sadly, Bowles has to pay the ultimate price as an NFL head coach?
Al-Quadin Muhammad, A’Shawn Robinson and Rueben Bain were all big-name new additions to the roster this year to beef up the pass rush and try to put fear in opposing quarterbacks. Guess how many sacks these three have combined through the first four games of the season?
ONE!
This madness must end. The Joe typing this here article believes it will end in January. It didn’t have to be this way. But when you try to reinvent the wheel and the wheel never moves, someone has to pay.