There is no less endearing head coach in the NFL right now than Todd Bowles, who is the architect of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demise. Considering he is the coach who led Tom Brady to a losing season, it maybe should not be all that surprsing to see that Bowles is undoing the Buccaneers winning culture and creating a culture that lacks accountability and discipline. Bowles is coming off like a complacent coward, and, now, he is not even hiding it any more.
The Buccaneers are clearly at a crisis point. They have gone from Super Bowl contenders to below .500 and have now fallen behind the Carolina Panthers in the playoff race, losing their third straight NFC South battle.
And all Bowles can do is throw his own players under the bus, including some of the best players in the NFL. One of the pivotal plays of the loss to the Panthers on Sunday was the 22 yard touchdown pass from Panthers breakout quarterback Bryce Young to elite rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan with 12 seconds left on second and 2.
Todd Bowles is making it all worse
Buccaneers reporters asked Bowles why he decided to call a cover zero play, as it is one of the most controversial plays to call and something most defensive play callers would not go with on a second and two with 22 yards left to go and only a couple of plays feasibly left to happen in the half.
What did Bowles say to that reasonable question? Per ESPN's Jenna Laine, who provided video evidence of both the press conference quote and the play itself, he blamed cornerback Jamel Dean and said he played the wrong technique.
That is beyond ridiculous. Dean did not cause that touchdown. Bowles did by calling that play. And even if Bowles wants to argue that Dean messed up that play from a technical stand point, which sounds like obvious bunk anyway, there is absolutely no need to say that out loud at a press conference and throw your player under the whole entire bus. Because let's be honest, the Bucs players should be the one throwing Bowles under the bus; he is supposed to be the leader, yet he is the least accountable of anyone.
The worst part of this all is that Dean has been incredible this season and is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He is allowing a completion percentage below 50, a QB Rating in the low 50s, and has missed just one tackle on one of the most ill disciplined defensive teams. For shame, Todd.