Todd Bowles shrugs off eye-opening comment from Bucs’ starter, and it shows why they continue to have the same problems
Bowles could’ve handled this a lot better.
It will take a while to get over the stench that remains from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2025 season.
And right now, Buccaneers fans are tormented with the idea of another Todd Bowles-led squad in 2026. He wasn’t fired Monday, but he’s also yet to speak with the Glazers.
Sometimes, those meetings can end with a decision that may have been different beforehand. For instance, Mike Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, the day after the end of the 2023 season (not Monday), after speaking with ownership and not seeing eye to eye on future strategies.
Regardless, it’s hard to rid oneself of a bad taste without a complete cleanse. Meaning, it’s nearly impossible to have faith in the Bucs with Bowles at the helm. Sure, he’s created a decent floor, but the ceiling is limited, and that shouldn’t be the case for this roster. Without major change, how will things be any different?
Bowles made it clear during his end-of-season presser that he’s taking a long, hard look in the mirror and will contemplate and enact changes to avoid another disaster — there will be a trickle-down effect afterward.
One comment stood out and made one wonder just how much change the Bucs — and fans — will see in 2026.
Todd Bowles shrugs off Jamel Dean’s curious comment about game prep
Jamel Dean had an eye-opening comment during his final interview of the 2025 season. He told reporters a lot of times the Buccaneers understood the game plan after a week of practice, but that would change once the bullets started flying on game day.
The Bucs have to be as honest with themselves as possible, and that’s as honest as they can get. It totally matches up with Bowles’ comments about having a good week of practice, but then things fall apart on the field. He mentioned that numerous times over the back half of the season, yet he couldn’t put a finger on why or how it was happening.
Well, that comment from Dean tells him all he needs to know, or at least that’s what you’d think.
Sure enough, Bowles didn’t make much of it at all and even shrugged it off when asked about the statement on Monday.
“I don’t worry about how guys feel. I worry about how guys play,” Bowles told reporters. “You know, they’re prepared during the week. You have to be prepared on Sunday. So I’m sure he was just talking, and whatever that was, I didn’t see it, so I don’t really have a comment on that.”
Bowles’ response is an indictment of his process as head coach
I get not wanting to delve into that topic in a public setting, but there’s a much better response to give than the one Bowles gave.
All he had to do was say something along the lines of: “That’s certainly news to me, but if that’s the perception from one of our key players, I’ll certainly look into it.” Or something of that nature. He’s not creating any kind of stir with that response.
In fact, he twists his own words by stating he’s not worried about how they feel, but instead how they play. With all due respect, the level of the Bucs’ play is exactly what Dean is referring to. It’s not about feelings — it’s about execution. Apparently, that got lost on Bowles, somehow.
It literally looks like he’s not listening to one of his best players. If that’s the case, it’s a major problem and for obvious reasons.
Maybe he’ll handle it differently in private, but we won’t see that, and we won’t know what the entire process, conversation, or whatever is. Therefore, how can he expect anyone to think differently if he isn’t pulling back the curtain to some extent?
For a coach whose every move is under the microscope, a little transparency can go a long way.
It’s easy to see Bowles isn’t trying to dial up the heat or start any speculation, literally one day after the 2025 season ended. At the same time, he could’ve handled this way better, and plenty will point back at this if he sticks around and the 2026 season ends like most already believe it will.
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