Buccaneers' Todd Bowles sent a simple but strong message to his OC after loss to Saints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' improving offense and typically sound defense over recent weeks took giant steps backwards on Sunday in the Bucs' 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Todd Bowles answered the first question of the press conference by pointing the blame at himself. But it wasn't just himself that he was […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' improving offense and typically sound defense over recent weeks took giant steps backwards on Sunday in the Bucs' 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Head coach Todd Bowles answered the first question of the press conference by pointing the blame at himself. But it wasn't just himself that he was calling out.
"Coaches have to come up with a better game plan on both sides of the ball," Bowles said. "Players have got to play it better. We were off kilter from the start. They did a good job manufacturing a drive down the field and keeping us off balance. They did a good job of getting turnovers. They did what they were supposed to do and came into here to do and we didn't."
It's the first line from Bowles that really sticks out. There are three phases to every football team. Offense, defense, and special teams. The Buccaneers' special teams have been mostly fine this year, even though they performed relatively poorly on Sunday. The defense is Bowles' baby, so he's obviously pointing to himself as well.
The remaining blame sticks out for the reason the Buccaneers were booed off the field as they headed to the locker room down 17-0 at halftime. The zero on the scoreboard. And that number of Bowles' worlds should hit offensive coordinator Dave Canales right between the eyes.
The game plan on Sunday by Canales, whose offense had been making steady strides in the team's four-game winning streak, was very odd. Despite cornerback Marshon Lattimore being out for the Saints and the Bucs having two top-notch wide receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and an excellent pass catching back in Rachaad White, Canales chose to pound the Bucs' proverbial head into a brick wall repeatedly, early and often. The Bucs ran 15 times for only 57 yards for the game, which led to too many second and thirds and long.
Even the broadcast team was surprised at the stubbornness with sticking on the ground. In the third quarter down 17-0 and facing second-and-thirteen, Baker Mayfield handed off to White for a gain of four. FOX commentator Greg Olsen agreed with the audible frustration from the Buccaneer fans, noting, "at some point you can't keep hitting your head against the wall."
Make no mistake. This team's strengths are at wide receiver. And while it's good to have offensive balance and mix in the run, you have to be able to lean on your strengths and count on your best playmakers to make plays. Mike Evans had two- TWO – targets in the first half. Which he, by the way, turned into two catches for 35 yards. Evans finished the game with three catches on just four targets. Chris Godwin got involved late in the fourth quarter with a 47-yard touchdown when the Bucs went tempo against admittedly soft coverage.
However, the Bucs showed very little willingness to change tempo or philosophy in earlier in the game when nothing was working. And that unwillingness to change can often be as bad as taking risks too aggressively.
It certainly was on Sunday as the Bucs trotted to the locker room amid a chorus of boos. Now, they must find a way to come up with a far better gameplan for the finale at Carolina.
Otherwise, boos might be the last thing that Bowles and Canales have to worry about the following Monday.
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