Bucs head coach Todd Bowles talks to safety JJ Roberts on the sideline after Roberts nearly intercepted a pass during last week's preseason game against the Titans. Receiver Mike Evans calls Bowles "the definition of a players' coach."
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles talks to safety JJ Roberts on the sideline after Roberts nearly intercepted a pass during last week's preseason game against the Titans. Receiver Mike Evans calls Bowles "the definition of a players' coach."
TAMPA — Talent wins in the NFL. Coaching and continuity also are paramount.
But despite three straight NFC South titles, head coach Todd Bowles still hasn’t fully connected with some fans who may not recognize they’re living in the golden age of Bucs football.
As the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary, we can only speculate about where Bowles will rank in the hierarchy of its coaching history. Certainly, as defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl 55 championship squad, he made his mark by holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to three field goals.
Bowles also is the only Bucs head coach to win the NFC South or any division each of his first three seasons. Tampa Bay has made five consecutive playoff trips, the longest active streak in the NFC. The Glazer family was impressed enough to sign Bowles to a three-year contract extension that will run through the 2028 season.
While calm and composed on the sideline and in news conference, Bowles is not very stoic in team meetings.
“We love Coach Bowles,” receiver Mike Evans said. “That’s another reason we’re trying to win it. I don’t think he gets the respect he deserves. Just because he’s too calm? No, he ain’t ... calm. They don’t see everything.
“No, he gets fired up, and he’s a really good coach. Really, the definition of a players’ coach is him. He lets us take control. Obviously, he has to put his foot down when he does, but he talks to us — the captains, the leadership. And we come together and figure things out.”
The best things Bowles has done is keep a steady hand on the wheel. After 3-1 starts each of the past two years, the Bucs overcame midseason swoons that typically are hard for a team to recover from.
Bowles puts culture above coaching when it comes to building a consistent winner.
As much as anything, players are empowered to take ownership of the team.
“Always,” Evans said. “The scheme is going to be the scheme. It’s our job to make it the best possible it can be.”
Ultimately, however, Bowles will be judged the same as any other NFL head coach: Did he win a Super Bowl?
Wirfs, Winfield, Godwin updates
![Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr., shown during training camp earlier this month, felt a slight hamstring strain earlier this week and stopped practicing to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr., shown during training camp earlier this month, felt a slight hamstring strain earlier this week and stopped practicing to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem.
Don’t be shocked if left tackle Tristan Wirfs returns earlier than expected from surgery to repair a torn medical collateral ligament in his right kne.
Wirfs looks like a guy ready to throw down his crutches. He’s always been known as a fast healer, and the Bucs are careful not to put more on his plate than necessary.
Wirfs will almost certainly miss the first two games — Sept. 7 at Atlanta and Sept. 15 at Houston.
Depending on the outcomes, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a possible return in Week 3, the home opener Sept. 21 against the Jets.
We’ll know shortly, because if Wirfs is placed on the physically unable to perform list, he will have to miss the first four games.
In Wirfs’ absence, the Bucs will pay lip service to how well Charlie Heck is playing at left tackle. But the fact is, they’ll have to deploy other players such as tight ends and running backs to help Heck protect quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Meanwhile, take a breath before you worry too much about safety Antoine Winfield Jr. He felt a slight hamstring strain earlier this week and stopped practicing to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem.
Finally, receiver Chris Godwin would appear to be going the other way. He hasn’t been on the field during minicamp, which leads to speculation he will go on the physically unable to perform list to start the season and not return until October.
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