Expect more from Todd Bowles.
Sometimes, Joe thinks Todd Bowles has become a punching bag and the guy still has the sword of Cooper Kupp hanging over his head.
Fair? Maybe, maybe not. Reality? Oh, yes.
Bowles, since taking over as Bucs coach in the middle of the offseason three years ago, has done nothing but guide his team to a division crown in three straight seasons and has improved the team’s regular season record each year.
Take away Bowles’ name and ask a Bucs fan or NFL fan if a coach wins three straight divisions and improves his win total each season, if he’s doing a good job, and hardly anyone would say no.
But then, invoke Bowles’ name and it triggers people.
Take Bradley Locker of the PFF tribe. He seems to think if the Bucs can’t win a playoff game this winter, Bowles easily [could be toast](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-head-coaches-hot-seat-entering-2025-season).
> As is the case with Mike Tomlin, it would be tough to rationally part ways with Bowles, given what the Buccaneers have accomplished over the past few seasons. Still, there’s a case to be made that Tampa Bay could go a different direction.
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> Since Bowles replaced Bruce Arians, the Buccaneers have posted a 27-24 record, albeit with a 1-3 playoff mark. Baker Mayfield has steadied into an above-average quarterback since 2023, powering Tampa Bay’s offense to sit seventh in EPA per play in that span. But Bowles, a defensive-oriented coach, has benefited from two elite offensive coordinators-turned-head coaches in Dave Canales and Liam Coen.
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> Speaking of, the Buccaneers’ defense hasn’t been stingy under Bowles of late. Last year, Tampa ranked 18th in EPA per play, 21st in pass-rushing and 18th in coverage. Critics also point to Bowles’ poor game management, not to mention his inability to retain the aforementioned offensive masterminds.
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> The Buccaneers have quietly become one of the NFL’s more stable and well-run organizations in the past five years, which raises questions about the odds of Bowles no longer being the team’s head coach. If he can’t produce a postseason victory for another year, then ownership could look somewhere else.
Before Joe goes after Locker, comparing Bowles and Tomlin is unfair to Tomlin. The long-time Steelers coach has done an awful job the past few years. Sure, they’ve made the playoffs. Barely.
Look how that offense has been a joke for years in Pittsburgh. Tomlin has morphed into Father Dungy thinking you can win in the NFL playing 1960s smashmouth football. His offensive coordinator hires have been _turrible_.
Bowles, on the other hand, has done a solid if not excellent job hiring offensive coordinators. Both of his hires have become head coaches after one season. That’s batting 1.000 in Joe’s book.
Let’s be real: There aren’t two many coaches who could have gone from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield and still not missed a playoff season. Bowles has.
And it’s not like the Bucs have been blown out of the playoffs the past two years. Two one-score games doomed the Bucs.
Is it frustrating that the Bucs have been bounced out of the postseason in close games the past two seasons? Yes.
To Locker’s point about offensive coaches leaving, what the hell does he expect, Bowles to hire slugs like Tomlin has to ensure they don’t leave because no one would want their sorry arses? That’s a stupid comment by Locker.
Yeah, both Dave Canales and Liam Coen have been good. Who does Locker think hired them, Lovie Smith?
There is a vocal split decision at JoeBucsFan.com headquarters. One Joe very much thinks Bowles is on thin ice if the Bucs miss the playoffs. The other Joe thinks Bowles has built up enough street cred with the powers that be at One Buc Palace where he wouldn’t be in danger unless the Bucs fully collapse and only win, say, four games
Make no mistake, though, there should be pressure on Bowles to make a playoff run. He has the talent capable of winning some playoff games.