The makeover of Todd Bowles’ reputation is one win from completion
TAMPA — He walked off the field at a leisurely pace, almost as if he had all the time in the world.
He shook hands with an emaciated Santa Claus, pointed to a familiar face in the first row, waved to the people shouting his name in the tunnel leading to the locker room at Raymond James Stadium. Fifteen games into an NFL season, this might be what grace looks like.
Who would have guessed it?
Four weeks ago, the NFL world was anticipating the demise of Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay. His team was 4-7 and his future as a head coach was in critical condition. And now, after Sunday’s 30-12 victory against Jacksonville put the Bucs one win from clinching the NFC South?
Bowles’ career expectancy has been upgraded to stable.
“I love Coach Bowles to death, I have never lost faith in him,” left tackle Tristan Wirfs said when asked about past speculation regarding Bowles’ future. “I understand that’s the kind of league we’re in, but I think Coach Bowles is an incredible coach.”
With a record of 40-56 between his six seasons with the Jets and Bucs, that may not be a universal opinion. And there are those who would still complain about his steady-as-she-goes approach and stoic demeanor.
But, as it turns out, that may be exactly what this team needed.
Look, this is a flawed roster. Too many rookies, not enough difference-makers. That’s the penalty you pay after going all-in for several seasons with a bevy of high-priced veterans. So the greatest thing Bowles may have done was give these Bucs the time and space to grow and evolve.
“He never wavered, he never changed things,” said receiver David Moore, who has played for a half-dozen head coaches in his NFL career. “He kept making us believe. Believe in the process, believe in everything we were doing, believe in ourselves. ‘Yeah, you fell down. What are you going to do now? Are you going to get back up?’
“It was him having the confidence in us even when we weren’t doing so well. He would say, ‘Man, we have everything we need. We just need to pull it all together. Sooner or later, we’re going to get there.’ And now, stuff is happening.”
The offense that was averaging 15.4 points a game while losing six of seven at midseason has torn off three consecutive games of 29 points or more. The defense that had three turnovers in a particularly unimpressive four-game span, produced four turnovers against the Jaguars.
The Bucs are in control of their destiny and can clinch a second straight division title with a win against either the Saints or the Panthers.
Suddenly, stoic is cool. Low-key is smart.
“It was just blocking out the outside noise. None of that talk mattered, nothing anybody writes or says matters,” said veteran safety Ryan Neal. “The beauty of a football season is the beginning doesn’t matter. October, November don’t matter. It’s all about December football. And as you can see, we hit our stride at the right time. He did a great job keeping up on task and keeping the big picture in perspective.”
Incredible as it seems, there’s a plausible case for Bowles as Coach of the Year.
You want to talk expectations? The over/under for wins this season in Tampa Bay was 6.5. The Bucs are already 8-7 with two games remaining. If they win the NFC South, it would not be a stretch to say the Bucs were the biggest surprise of the 2023 season.
You want to talk shortcomings? Tampa Bay has more dead money against the salary cap than any team in the league. To put that in perspective, the team that has led the NFL in dead money in each season since 2015 has averaged 4.5 wins.
You want to talk bad juju? The Patriots went 7-9 in their first season without Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick has gone 28-36 while searching for a replacement for TB12.
The Bucs may be one of the NFL’s smarter, more disciplined teams. And that’s an incredible compliment to the head coach when you consider how many rookies (13) were on the roster when the season began, not to mention a first-time offensive coordinator.
The Bucs are tied for third in the league in fewest turnovers. They are better than average when it comes to penalty yards. And they are a top-10 team when it comes to third-down conversions (42.4%), after finishing in the bottom third of the NFL last season.
“He deserves a ton of credit,” said receiver Chris Godwin. “That’s a testament to him, to his staff and also the players. He kept us all united internally.”
The Bucs have gone from overlooked to ridiculed to the top of the division all in the same season.
No wonder Bowles can walk with the relaxed pace of a man who knows where he’s going.
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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