Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed some marked enchancment final yr from his first season as a head coach in 2022.
After abruptly being promoted to move coach following Bruce Arians’ sudden retirement on March 30, 2022, Bowles’ first yr was a tumultous one, as Tampa Bay completed 8-9 in Tom Brady’s remaining season within the NFL but nonetheless gained the division. However after a disappointing, 31-14 blowout loss at house within the playoffs to Dallas, Bowles was below the gun to get the crew to carry out higher in 2023.
Brady’s retirement paved the best way for Baker Mayfield’s reclamation season in Tampa Bay as Bowles guided a a lot youthful, wage cap-strapped crew to a 9-8 report and one other NFC South championship. Extra importantly, the crew beat the Eagles within the Wild Card playoff recreation and superior to the Divisional spherical of the postseason earlier than dropping at Detroit.
Whereas Bowles’ common season report in Tampa Bay is simply 17-17 after two years with a 1-2 mark within the playoffs, the crew completed with 6-2 mark down the stretch, together with the postseason. That has some nationwide media shops shifting Bowles up the teaching rankings this offseason after most shops had him close to the underside, with many NFL reporters believing the Bucs could be one of many worst groups within the league and a projected High 10 draft choose.
So the place does Bowles, a two-time NFC South champion head coach, rank amongst his NFL friends? And the place does Bowles rank amongst different head coaches within the division? Let’s see what others are saying.
Todd Bowles Is Atop Different NFC South Head Coaches
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photograph by: USA At this time
Professional Soccer Community’s Dallas Robinson has Todd Bowles ranked because the No. 21 head coach. Right here’s what Robinson needed to say about him.
“The post-Tom Brady Buccaneers have been an afterthought heading into 2023. Todd Bowles employed Dave Canales to repair Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield-led offense and stored the membership’s protection above water regardless of a number of crucial accidents. Heading into 12 months 3 of a five-year contract, Bowles appears practically entrenched for the Bucs.”
Bowles ranked forward of Atlanta’s Raheem Morris (No. 23) and New Orleans’ Dennis Allen (No. 28), who was the lowest-ranked coach on the listing. Carolina’s Dave Canales is a first-year head coach and no first-year head coach was ranked.
NBC Sports activities’ Patrick Daughtery has moved Bowles up from No. 23 in his head teaching rankings a yr in the past to No. 18 this yr.
“How onerous has Todd Bowles’ NFL luck been? The person obtained a dropping season out of Tom Brady. After all, when you find yourself as conservative as Bowles, “unhealthy luck” tends to comply with. That’s why it was so shocking to see Bowles permit wiz child OC Dave Canales to let it rip with Baker Mayfield in 2023. The consequence was Bowles’ first-ever division title with a profitable report and some of the genuinely shocking NFL campaigns in ages.
“Now comes the onerous half. Canales is gone and working it again with outlier quarterback campaigns has a approach of failing immediately. It’s going to take one other robust effort on Bowles’ facet of the ball after the Bucs permitted the seventh fewest factors in 2023. A laconic chief, Bowles gained’t have to say a lot if he takes care of defensive enterprise and lets new Sean McVay-disciple, OC Liam Coen, function with the same diploma of autonomy to Canales.”
Whereas Bowles gained some floor with PFN, CBS Sports activities desires to see extra from him and the Bucs in 2024.
Todd Bowles Wants One other Large Season
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photograph by: Matt Matera/PR
In CBS Sports activities’ teaching rankings – which encompasses the complete employees, not simply the top coach – Bowles and Tampa Bay have been put into a specific class that was a bit questionable contemplating the crew’s robust end final yr. CBS Sports activities’ Jordan Dejani had Bowles and the Tampa Bay employees within the “2024 To Be A Defining Season” class with the tag line: “What occurs this upcoming season will instantly result in how we view these staffs.”
“Bowles went 8-9 in 2022 and 9-8 in 2023. With Mayfield and Mike Evans, Tampa Bay gained the NFC South, and even upset the Eagles in Tremendous Wild Card Weekend. The Bucs misplaced to the Lions within the divisional spherical, and in that recreation, Bowles didn’t even use his remaining timeout late within the fourth quarter of that loss in what was a baffling resolution.”
“The Bucs gained the division and a playoff recreation in 2023, however is Bowles the long-term reply? Perhaps we’ve got extra readability after this upcoming season. Coen is an attention-grabbing rent at offensive coordinator, as he’s labored with McVay in quite a lot of completely different roles, and helped Will Levis put collectively a dominant season at Kentucky.”
Dejani naturally had Atlanta’s Raheem Morris and and Carolina’s Dave Canales within the “New With A lot To Show” class. New Orleans’ Dennis Allen and Chicago’s Matt Eberflus have been the one ones within the remaining class, which was “Final Likelihood Earlier than Adjustments,” noting that “each of those head coaches have been on sizzling seat in 2023, however stored their jobs.”
