Bucs fans seeking an overhaul after pathetic loss to Dolphins had better hope NFL insider isn’t right
A very well-connected NFL insider doesn’t see Todd Bowles leaving town any time soon.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once were near the top of the football totem pole early in the season, starting off 5-1 and entering their bye week at 6-2. However, the Bucs have fallen on hard times since, losing six of their last seven games coming into Sunday’s tilt at the Miami Dolphins.
And it’s not just that the Bucs have lost; they’ve also made head-shaking mistakes throughout the games. From defensive busts to special teams gaffes to crucial penalties to poor offensive game plans and execution, the fault lies across the board. Still, the blame lies on the head coach, particularly when his team looks as lifeless and mistake-prone as it has for weeks.
That free fall continued on Sunday in Miami Gardens, where the Bucs bumbled their way to a 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Yes, those same Dolphins who benched Tua Tagovailoa for rookie QB Quinn Ewers. And sadly, the Fins’ offensive operation looked like the far more finely tuned machine.
The Dolphins’ defense? Aggressive, physical, and all over the field. Heck, Jonathan Vilma praised its intensity during the broadcast and questioned where it was for the Bucs’ unit. Ouch.
Todd Bowles has been under fire for weeks for the Bucs’ slide. Would this be the straw that broke the camel’s back? According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, no. Rapoport went on Gameday morning on the NFL Network, and he believes Bowles’ job is safe this year.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport doesn’t believe Tampa Bay will fire Todd Bowles
“For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it has been a rough, rough couple of months,” Rapoport said. “They have lost six of their last seven games, face a must-win against the Miami Dolphins today to keep their playoff hopes alive. Yes, this has led to some questions about head coach Todd Bowles. So, let me answer some questions before they begin. Todd Bowles received a three-year contract extension before the season. He is under contract through 2028. They’ve won three straight division titles and still have a possibility of winning their fourth. Does that sound like someone who should be in trouble? I would say certainly not.”
It seems that Rapoport is talking more from opinion and what should be rather than making a sourced report. And for Bucs fans hoping for a change, that’s a rung you can perhaps hang your hat on. It appears as though Rapoport is providing reasons why Bowles shouldn’t be in the hot seat.
However, there’s a bit of smoke and mirrors during his tenure. The Bucs won the NFC South at 8-9 in his first season and got handled by Dallas in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The next two seasons saw Tampa Bay go 9-8 and 10-7, with one playoff win in that stretch.
Now, Tampa Bay sits at 7-9. That’s good for a regular season record of one game over .500 during his tenure through almost four complete seasons. That’s mediocrity defined. The fact that the NFC South has been an absolute dumpster fire disaster shouldn’t be a full cover for those failures.
Tampa Bay likely still has control of its own playoff destiny – it will if Los Angeles beats Atlanta on Monday night – but at this point, can anyone see anything but the underwhelming and underperforming entity this franchise has fallen into?
Like it or not, the time for a change has clearly arrived, and it’ll be time for the Glazer family to act immediately once the season ends next month.
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