“Gotta coach it better. Gotta play it better.”
Those words might as well be etched into the walls of One Buc Place, as they’ve become Todd Bowles’ response after every Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss.
The Bucs fell to 0-2 after Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns, and one player in particular, Alex Anzalone, is really hurting the team defensively. But true to his nature, Bowles refused to single out any one player for the team’s struggles.
Todd Bowles needs to make an example out of Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Alex Anzalone
Bowles preached accountability all offseason and prioritized bringing in leaders who would help hold players to the standard.
But Bowles himself seemingly doesn’t believe in holding his players accountable — at least not publicly. That’s an important distinction, because we truly don’t know how Bowles operates behind closed doors, and perhaps he prefers to keep things in-house rather than lambasting players in front of the media. But perhaps a departure from the status quo would be ideal with how badly this team is playing.
After Anzalone was graded as the team’s worst defensive player for the second consecutive week with missed tackles, blown coverage, and even an unnecessary roughness penalty, Bowles was asked about the possibility of benching him.
“If we put somebody on the bench for messing up, then everybody is on the bench,” Bowles said.
Well, if “everybody” is messing up, perhaps that becomes a reflection on the head coach.
Tampa Bay’s struggles are far from all on Bowles. Ultimately, it’s on the players to execute, and they’re not.
But when the team is playing as badly as it is, Bowles’ refusal to make difficult decisions becomes part of the problem. He consistently arrives at the podium with the same measured demeanor, rarely calls out players and continues to defend guys who repeatedly fail to meet the standard he spent the offseason preaching. At some point, accountability has to mean more than words.
Think back to Bruce Arians, who changed the culture for the better during his stint as Bucs head coach. Arians ripped players when they needed to get the message, even when it came to Tom Brady. When Vernon Hargreaves gave a noticeably poor effort, Arians benched him midgame and released him after the game.
That’s the kind of leadership the Bucs need right now as they’re now 3-10 since their 5-1 start last season. It’ll take something drastic to wake this team out of their slump.
What better way to put the team on notice and send ripple effects throughout the locker room than to bench a team captain and ensure the team knows that nobody’s job is guaranteed?
If Bowles isn’t willing to step up as a leader and make difficult moves, it will eventually be the Buccaneers that have to make a difficult decision on Bowles’ future as head coach.
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