The calls for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to fire head coach Todd Bowles have gotten louder as his team continues its downward spiral dating back to last season.
Many in the fan base have grown frustrated with the Buccaneers’ mediocrity under Bowles’ leadership, and the media has also joined in advocating for his firing.
But it’s no longer just the media and fanbase scrutinizing Bowles. A former Buccaneer who played for Bowles is now joining the calls for a coaching change.
Leonard Fournette says Tampa Bay Buccaneers should fire Todd Bowles
On the latest episode of his 4th And South podcast, Fournette discussed the Buccaneers’ current struggles and the mounting pressure on Bowles.
“The Bucs are 0-2 and 2-9 in their last 11 games under Todd Bowles… Man listen, the standard has been set there. In the short three years I played there, the standard was to win. To me, I just feel like maybe the time is up. Maybe it’s time for Coach Bowles to wrap it up. Now if they go 0-3, ring the alarm.”
That’s a telling statement for a player to make about his former coach. Fournette isn’t just an outside observer, he was once inside that locker room, and some of his former teammates are still on the roster. He has a unique perspective on the standards of the organization and when they’re not being met, as is the case now.
It’s fair to question whether Bowles’ message has gone stale. Tampa Bay is 35-35 in the regular season, and 1-3 in the postseason under Bowles, and the team has yet to make a deep playoff run under his leadership. This season is shaping up to be more of the same.
Unless something drastically changes, Bowles’ days in Tampa Bay are numbered. The Buccaneers are already 0-2, including an inexcusable loss to the lowly Cleveland Browns. They also had a brutal collapse last season, going from 6-2 to 8-9, and the negative momentum seems to have carried over. If the Buccaneers miss the playoffs for the second season in a row, the organization will simply be unable to justify employing him for another year.
The dial has been turned all the way up on Bowles. It’s time to determine how hard this Bucs team will play for their coach, but the way things currently stand, anything other than a coaching change at the end of this season would be a surprise.
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