Zyon McCollum defends Todd Bowles as Bucs fans call for him to be fired

If there's been one common thread throughout this season for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, it's been a constant frustration with coaching. Specifically, Todd Bowles has come under fire for some of his decision making and is bearing the brunt of the criticism being directed at Tampa Bay's struggling defense.

A lot of the criticism is warranted, as Bowles is the architect of the Bucs' defense and when things go wrong on that side of the ball he's the first to blame. That's really true of everything, though, as the 1-3 skid the team is on now is being thrown back at Bowles as a reason why he shouldn't be head coach.

That's a tremendously foolish take, one that peaked with misplaced outrage over alleged coaching malpractice following the Chris Godwin injury. The way some Bucs fans described it, you'd think Bowles had run onto the field with a crowbar and attacked Godwin, with fans bizarrely questioning why he was trying to win a game that wasn't yet out of reach.

Bowles has been a target since Day 1, and the more the team struggles the uglier the criticism becomes. Not everyone is against him, though, as Zyon McCollum not-so-subtly defended his coach this week.

Zyon McCollum says Buccaneers are being 'coached up the right way'

Among the many criticisms of Bowles is how badly his defense has struggled with simple stuff. It's something he's even pointed out, going as far as to call the team out after Week 8's loss to the Falcons.

McCollum doesn't disagree. While speaking with the media this week, he made sure to note that they players are well-coached, but how they're playing on the field isn't holding up their end of the bargain.

"I think, for the most part, it comes down to being on the same page and communicating and bringing that film study onto the field," McCollum said. "It's being coached up the right way and we're seeing it and we're talking about it throughout the week, and we have to be able to carry that for 100% of the plays on Sundays.

He's not wrong. Bowles isn't free of blame for how things are going, but things like Kaevon Merriweather falling down in coverage on a Kyle Pitts touchdown, or Jordan Whitehead pulling up early on a tackle against Derrick Henry aren't coaching mistakes.

There's a fair amount of things to criticise Bowles over, but the way he treats his players is not among them. In fact, everyone calling for his head is overlooking a the key factor that the locker room loves Bowles, and McCollum's comments cement that sentiment.

If Bowles was truly a bad coach, or as bad as he's being portrayed, then his players wouldn't go to bat for him during tough times. Good teams stick together and they do that because of the man in charge. That doesn't mean a losing streak or a lost season shouldn't -- or won't -- result in consequences, but right now is not the time to jump ship.

Bowles' players aren't, and neither should fans.

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