Buccaneers get obvious response from the NFL after questionable remarks
It seems like Todd Bowles just likes being on the hot seat. After getting his job seemingly back under control with a string of wins that put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in the top spot for the NFC South, Bowles has put his job back into question with a very strange Devin White story. […]
It seems like Todd Bowles just likes being on the hot seat.
After getting his job seemingly back under control with a string of wins that put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in the top spot for the NFC South, Bowles has put his job back into question with a very strange Devin White story.
After contradictory reports and quotes from Bowles and White, the NFL had no choice but to investigate what looks like a growing problem in the NFL (but isn't actually what is happening here).
Anyone who has watched the Buccaneers for the past few years could tell you that there is no bigger cheerleader for Devin White than Todd Bowles.
The two came to prominence around the same time, White was the face of the defense when it became dominant under Bowles, and Bowles is a defensive head coach. It makes sense that Bowles is going to defend his guys.
However, many within the Buccaneers community over the past year in particular have taken issue with how Bowles has handled declining play from White.
Perhaps it has more to do with an obvious switch between how Bruce Arians handled poor play and Bowles' quiet demeanor, but Bowles has gone to some extreme lengths to place blame in many areas other than in White's corner, and that even leads some to wonder if Bowles sees what the rest of us do.
This has all been exemplified by the current situation for White. Despite playing all last week, the Bucs made the strange (but not so) decision to place White on the healthy inactive list Sunday morning.
After the game, Bowles muddied the water even more with one of the most confusing quotes of all time:
That, alongside now-confirmed reports from Bowles himself that White would play in a rotational role on Sunday, led many to believe that White refused to play based on a long-foreseen demotion.
However, even that wouldn't be enough to properly paint the picture of just how poorly Bowles has handled this situation.
Now, it appears that Bowles and White are saying that this decision was due to a lingering injury-an injury that wasn't bad enough to keep White from practicing last week.
That is where this starts to get messy. White claiming an injury means he should've been on the injury list Sunday morning, not the healthy inactive list.
The NFL has been extremely clear about this being an expectation, especially in a league that has tried to making gambling one of its focal points for its fans. As a defensive player, White doesn't impact the betting world too much, but this behavior still runs counter to what is fair for the rest of the league and the gambling community the league caters to.
Bowles and White changing their story in a very obvious and public way not only makes the head coach look weak, but it looks like he knowingly violated NFL rules. The NFL isn't going to put up with that.
Instead of having the team focus only on winning out and earning a spot in the playoffs, the Buccaneers now have an NFL investigation to distract them, their fans, and the media, and rightfully so.
The cowardly approach from the head coach never pays off. Bowles should've made his decision (the right one) and stuck by it. Now, he has just made life more difficult for a team that doesn't need any distractions right now.
The seat has just started heating up again.
Buccaneers drama with former starter will actually work out for the best
The Buccaneers aren’t in the worst spot.
