Tag: Todd Bowles

Baker Mayfield says he didn’t push for a two-point conversion against the Chiefs

On Wednesday, Baker Mayfield told the media that he was not pushing for them to go for two either.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. The game made it to overtime because of the final drive, which was led by Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense.

Coach Todd Bowles’s decision to go for two was controversial. On Wednesday, Baker Mayfield told the media that he was not pushing for them to go for two either.

“I didn’t lobby for it. Hindsight is 20/20 when you look at it. [We] had a little momentum there on the long drive, they were gassed a little bit but yeah, hindsight is 20/20. You’re hoping to win the coin toss. I’m not a fan of the overtime rules. Obviously it’s gotten us twice now so yeah, overtime rules – not the best.”

Fans and players alike have long disdained the overtime rules. While a change is likely, the Bucs’ approach to them could be tweaked much more easily.

Darren Rizzi spoke with Dan Campbell after being named Saints interim coach

Darren Rizzi spoke with Dan Campbell after being named Saints interim coach. He had a front-row seat when Campbell was the Dolphins’ interim coach:

Did you know Darren Rizzi coached with Dan Campbell? Both men were on staff with the Miami Dolphins way back in 2015. Before he rose to  prominence as the Detroit Lions’ biggest personality, Campbell was raising eyebrows by running Oklahoma drills to set the tone in his first practice as the Dolphins’ interim coach.

After getting a laugh at that — of course the kneecap-biter ran physical one-on-one Oklahoma drills — Rizzi confirmed that he had spoken with Campbell after being named Saints interim coach. That’s an experience he felt he could draw from.

“I did speak with him, had a nice, long conversation with him,” Rizzi began, speaking Wednesday. “Dan’s a close friend. Dan’s quite frankly, if not the biggest reason I’m here, certainly one of them. One of the first things he said to me the other morning was, ‘Rizz, when we did this we did it together. Remember we did A, B, and C, we did X, Y, and Z.’ And I thought those were great things we did.”

Campbell wasn’t the only resource he pulled from. Rizzi also spoke with Todd Bowles (another former coworker with interim coach experience, now a head coach like Campbell), and Chris Tabor, another special teams coach who led the Carolina Panthers last year as their interim head coach. He said he also sought advice from legendary coach Bill Parcells, Sean Payton’s famous mentor.

“Dan, all those guys had some great advice, I certainly took it in,” Rizzi added.

We’ll see if it made a difference. Rizzi said in clear terms that the Saints are not throwing in the towel on this season. They have a tense rivalry game to win this weekend with an Atlanta Falcons team that’s already beaten them once this season, and then the back half of their schedule laid out through January. He’ll have every opportunity to put those lessons learned from Campbell, Bowles, Tabor and Parcellls to good use.

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Bucs sign former Bengals DB Troy Hill to practice squad

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a move that could bolster the secondary in the coming weeks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a move that could bolster the secondary in the coming weeks. The team has signed former Bengals defensive back Troy Hill to their practice squad.

Since 2015, Hill has appeared in 119 career games for the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers. He has made 60 starts and has 406 tackles, 41 passes defended, nine interceptions, five quarterback hits, three sacks, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.

Hill’s best season came in 2020 when he posted career highs in tackles (77), passes breakups (10) and interceptions (three), while leading the NFL in defensive touchdowns, with three.

They may have some hope if he can bring that type of playmaking to the Bucs secondary. The secondary is going to make or break this season, more than the issues presently facing the wide receiver room. Todd Bowles could do well to bring him up to the active roster sooner rather than later.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles discusses potential for giving up defensive play calling

Defense has been costing the Bucs several games this season, while the offense has put up impressive numbers in just about every category.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has been under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks due to his defense’s performance. The defense has been costing the Bucs several games this season, while the offense has put up impressive numbers in just about every category.

On Monday, during his media availability, Todd Bowles was asked about the potential for his play-calling duties to be handed over.

“What’s not happening is we have about four or five plays a game where we either miss a tackle or we’re not dropping where we’re supposed to and we give up a big play. I’ll continue to call plays.”

The defense showed against the Saints that it can make play after play when it is healthy. Against the Ravens and Falcons, the Bucs have looked lost and, at times, disorganized. The play calling has been a factor; look at what Minnesota and Brian Flores have done with a depleted Vikings secondary.

Something has to give for the Bucs. If they can’t turn things around against the Chiefs in Week 9, then the rumblings will only get louder.

Bucs WR Mike Evans expected to be out until Week 12

Soft tissue injuries have always been a tricky thing to deal with and typically come with an injury designation for a couple of weeks.

Soft tissue injuries have always been a tricky thing to deal with and typically come with an injury designation for a couple of weeks.

For Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who was on the injury report all week with a hamstring- noticeably and severely reaggravated his hamstring injury on a layout attempt to haul in his second receiving touchdown of the night in the Bucs 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Evans was able to walk off the field under his own power, but he went straight to the locker room to be evaluated and never returned to the game. Speaking to the media Monday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles announced that Evans suffered a “moderate” hamstring injury that will likely keep him out through the team’s bye week in Week 11.

With Chris Godwin likely done for the season and Evans now slated to miss key games against the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver becomes a troublesome position. It may force GM Jason Licht to move some of his coveted draft stock to acquire someone to help fill the gap and avoid further derailing the Buccaneers’ 2024 season.

5 key takeaways from the Bucs pivotal win over the Saints in Week 6

An ever-important bounce-back game was on the docket for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints on the road.

An ever-important bounce-back game was on the docket for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints following their Week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Not only would the Bucs fall to .500 with a loss, but they would have been 0-2 in the NFC South, a place you do not want to be.

With a commanding 51-27 win over their division rivals, this was more of a giant leap forward for the Bucs team, who improved to 4-2 on the season. Here are 5 key takeaways from Sunday’s pivotal win over the Saints.

The offense once again showed glimpses of explosiveness

For the fourth time in six games, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs have put up more than 30 points, three of those being in winning efforts. Despite three interceptions from Mayfield, two of which should have been catches, Liam Coen never let off the gas in his playcalling. Three fourth-quarter touchdowns were a much different -and welcomed- feeling for Bucs fans as the offense was able to truly shut the door on the Saints in their blowout win.

The Buccaneers have the luxury of two superstar wide receivers and a revolving door of capable running backs. A balanced offensive attack proved the recipe for success against the Saints, as there was a 36-to-35 passing attempt to 35-to-35 rushing attempt split.

Rachaad White might be the odd man out

There will likely continue to be a theme when it comes to figuring out the running back room, and the theme will be uncertainty. A couple of times this season, it appeared that Rachaad White and Bucky Irving could be in the discussion for one of the top duos in the league until they weren’t. That conversation spun off into Irving potentially taking over RB1 duties from White. With White being inactive for Sunday’s matchup against the Saints, insert Sean Tucker into the conversation. Tucker carried the ball 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Irving also logged 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.

A saving grace for White has been his ability to catch passes and create out of the backfield. However, Tucker finished the day as the team’s second-leading receiver, with 56 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

The coaching staff will need to figure this out, and with arguably the toughest four-game stretch in the league looming, it might be time to roll the dice and stick with what worked so well against the Saints.

Defense still needs to tighten up

Don’t let the score fool you. Typically a 30+ point effort puts your team into prevent defense and clock-eating mode, that just simply hasn’t been the case for this team more often than not this season. Once up 17-0 early over the Saints, quickly turned into a 3-point 20-17 deficit. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler was sacked five times and threw two interceptions on the day, but he never truly looked uncomfortable in the backfield in his first career start.

Only one time throughout their six games have the Buccaneers given up less than 250 yards, and that was to an A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith-less Eagles offense that generated 227 yards of offense. Leaving your offense to win in a shootout is going to be a difficult task, especially with the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers coming up. Yes, a crucial game against the Atlanta Falcons should be on the radar as the defense allowed Kirk Cousins to have a career day in Week 5.

Cade Otton isn’t the tight end the Bucs need

As legendary pro wrestling commentator Jim Ross would say, “he’s a good hand.” What that means is that he can be dependable, but there is nothing that truly stands out. It’s not a knock on Otton, but he is incapable of the athletic playmaking that the Buccaneers offense needs. GM Jason Licht is not one to make in-season trades, however, a dynamic playmaking tight end could prove to push this offense into the upper echelon of the consistently elite offenses in the NFL- emphasis on consistently.

Tykee Smith is developing into a solid starter

It’s too early in his career to talk about a budding superstar. After yesterday’s performance, it’s understandable why emotions are high, but let’s bring it back down to earth and talk about what Tykee Smith truly is, and that is a very solid developing star in this Buccaneers defense. Allowing just a 3.5 passer rating -yes, you read that right, 3.5- to Rattler while seeing six targets (second most behind Zyon McCollum’s 7) cannot be ignored. As Jamel Dean has struggled in the first quarter of the 2024 season, and the continued need for Todd Bowles to tighten up the defense, Smith should continue to see more snaps- especially with the return of Antoine Winfield Jr. looming over the top.

 

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum says he isn’t changing his approach in coverage

The Falcons and Kirk Cousins exposed the Bucs secondary as it continues to miss Antoine Winfield Jr. while he recovers from his injury.

The Atlanta Falcons and Kirk Cousins exposed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary as it continues to miss Antoine Winfield Jr. while he recovers from his injury. The Falcons were expected to have a dynamic passing attack but it never showed itself until it faced the Bucs in Week 5.

Despite their breakout performance that saw Cousins pass for over 500 yards, Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum says he is not changing his style of play.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, McCollum says he is going to continue playing aggressively. He went on to explain it “motivates” him to be able to find success in that play style and has to learn from it.

McCollum has played well this year despite his performance in Week 5. Many believe that he has a chance to earn a long-term, meaningful role with Todd Bowles directing him. The return of Antoine Winfield Jr. will help his development and make the workload more manageable.

Until then, he has to be able to handle these more significant assignments and learn as he says.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles points to team’s ‘fight’ moving forward

Following their crushing loss to the Falcons in Week 5, Todd Bowles commends the fight the Bucs showed all season.

Week 5 was one the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would like to forget quickly and move on from. In a shootout with the division rival Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs came close to victory but ultimately fell short of a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

The Bucs are now 3-2 and surrendered the division lead to the Falcons with their loss. No reason to panic, as this team has shown resiliency so far this year and won’t go down without a fight. Fight is what head coach Todd Bowled alluded to when taking positives away from their heartbreaking loss on Thursday night.

“I mean, we have fight. We knew we had to fight, and we thought we were a very good football team. We’re capable of being a good football team if we eliminate mistakes. We had plenty of chances at the end, either side of the ball, to win the ball game, to put it away on the 28, to get the fourth down stop, not let them get the ball off at the end of the game and get to 0:01. We had plenty of chances to win that [and] we understand that. We’ll go back to work, we’ll get better at that as a team and we’ll move forward, so that’s positive.”

The Bucs will need to regroup fast, as they’ll face another division rival this week, the New Orleans Saints. This game will determine an NFC South winner later in the season.

5 key takeaways from the Bucs overtime loss to the Falcons in Week 5

Here are five key takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Now and then, Thursday Night Football puts on a fun and energetic game, and tonight was nothing short of a barnburner. Combining for nearly 800 yards of offense in a game that came down to the last second of regulation as Younghoe Koo hit a game-tying 54-yard FG- if you had no skin in the game, this was one of those games.

Unfortunately for Bucs fans, the Falcons successfully defended their home field, scoring a touchdown on the first drive in overtime. Here are five key takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Offense can score with the best in the league

Scoring 30 points in three-of-five games this season, it’s a safe bet that this Buccaneers offense not only can score but also keep up with the league’s best. Ironically, as potent as they have looked, the Bucs offense is in the middle of the pack due to their inability to run the ball effectively. Fast starts in the last two weeks have shown flashes of how easily the Bucs offense can move the ball down the field, and worst case scenario, have the most account long-range kicker in NFL history put three points on the board.

Baker Mayfield is a Top 10 quarterback

Mayfield’s name is all over the place regarding a quarterback power ranking. However, it’s rarely in the Top 10- and it’s time to discuss Mayfield being a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Mayfield plays with just the right amount of recklessness, but you can still trust him with the ball during crucial moments. The quarterback has displayed a do-it-all ability to scramble out of the pocket with 42 yards on the ground. Entering Thursday’s game, Mayfield had the fourth-highest passer rating, was second in TD passes, and top six in passing yards.

Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are a severely underrated duo

Running back duos with similar play styles is becoming more popular. In the past, it was a workhorse, a powerful back for early downs, with a pass-catching change-of-pace back for passing downs. As Liam Coen and the Bucs figure out how best to utilize Rachaad White and Bucky Irving, it’s becoming apparent that this tandem fits the mold of what the backfields are becoming in the NFL. As versatile as both White and Irving are, the way they have played the last two weeks, this duo needs to be discussed among the league’s best running back duos.

Defense still needs work

This is a banged-up Buccaneers defense playing against a rival team that game plans for them twice a year and with the importance of divisional games- arguably plans stricter than 11 of the other games they will play this season. The Bucs defense allowed 36 points and a whopping 550 yards. Shootouts will happen, however, since Week 1, opposing offenses have out-gained the Bucs offense because the defense has been unable to play a complete game. Bend but don’t break defense works to keep teams out of the endzone, but it gives up a lot of yards and, in turn, keeps the defense on the field much longer than any of them would like. Not even being one of the top pressure-generating defenses in the league can save them

Todd Bowles needs to step up play-calling

This goes hand-in-hand with the above takeaway. There is no reason for the amount of cushion the secondary gave the Falcons receivers. This aligns with the loss to the Denver Broncos that left many wondering why the defense was playing so soft, especially coming off of a game where they made Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles almost look like a team amid a rebuild. For a defensive mastermind like Bowles, Bucs fans should expect better.

Bucs defense among the leagues best in a critical category

Through the first four weeks, the Bucs have generated 77 pressures, earning a top-five spot in the league.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has largely been talked about due to the play of the secondary, with the emergence of CB Zyon McCollum and the play of S Christian Izien while Antoine Winfield Jr. remains sidelined with a foot injury. Through the first four weeks, the Bucs have generated 77 pressures, earning a top-five spot in the league.

Yaya Diaby’s 21 pressures not only lead the Bucs but also tie him with Micah Parsons for fourth-most in the NFL. While registering a sack is the ultimate goal, it doesn’t tell the full story. Pressuring opposing quarterbacks into moving around the pocket only creates more opportunities for mistakes. As fans saw during Sunday’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts was never able to get comfortable in the backfield, as the Bucs generated 26 pressures on the day.

Through four games this season, the Atlanta Falcons’ 26th-ranked pass-blocking offensive line has allowed 45 pressures on Kirk Cousins. For context, the Bucs’ offensive line has allowed eight fewer pressures, with 37. Expect Todd Bowles to exploit matchups on Thursday as the Falcons’ running game has a setback with RB Bijan Robinson not playing at 100% with a hamstring injury.