By Devin Sanguinett – Bucs Report Special to Sports Talk Florida
So I, like many may have been incorrect in my assessment of Todd Bowles. I didn’t think this would happen, but I am so unbelievably happy it did. I thought Bowles was on his way out of the door. That the team would move on from him after the playoffs since he hadn’t looked great. And, there were definitely points in the season where he was really bad (Texans probably the best example). But that Eagles game was so masterful and that winning streak to end the season have gotten me on his side.
We need to talk more about the defensive plan against the Eagles. A lot of people have said it, but this was the best defensive game plan since the SB. One big play for the Eagles’ offense and that was all she wrote. Bowles said in his press conference that he used a 6 man front to stop the run since they were so awful at it the first time. It worked. The Eagles attempted 15 rushes for 42 yards for 2.8 ypc. I thought that the box score mixed up the Eagles and Bucs stats for a second.
The way he used Zyon McCollum was masterful as well. He was FS, he was slot corner, he was offsides. He was everywhere. And, to give credit to Bowles, he learned from his earlier mistakes. K.J. Britt outsnapped Devin White (who actually had a decent game to give him credit), Ryan Neal never saw the field thankfully. One of the things he was criticized for was taking a long time to adjust. Well, this game seems to have been the epitome of that growth. He showed that he had learned something during his coaching tenure.
But, the one thing that he finally showed improvement in was his aggression. He knew exactly when to go for it and when to just take the points. But, again going back to the defense, he knew he could be aggressive with the blitz because the Eagles had nothing. This wasn’t the 2021 Divisional round where he was blitzing ineffectively against a QB known for being good against the blitz. He knew the Eagles had no answers and he went sicko mode.
It was also nice to see him show excitement. That had been a criticism which I never really cared about, but it was something others really didn’t like. Well, the Bucs PR department has gone a long way to show his passion for the team. It has become very clear that the players want Bowles. The way they played on Monday was proof they were ready to run through a wall for Bowles.
I’m on record as calling Bowles an idiot. So, I will be the first to admit that he has completely turned it around in a way that I didn’t think was possible. After the way he ended the season, he fully deserves another year. While I would not call him the best head coach, what he has done with this roster is amazing. Regardless of next Sunday, I look forward to him returning for another year.
Make sure you check out Devin’s blog at cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.
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