Todd Bowles: We're not trying to win the offseason
Though the Buccaneers won their third consecutive division title in 2023 and beat the Eagles in the playoffs to advance to the divisional round, at this point the Falcons are the betting favorites to win the NFC South in 2024.
That's no matter to Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, who addressed the topic at the annual league meeting this week.
"It’s no different. You’re talking about respect,” Bowles said Tuesday, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Aretha Franklin is probably the only one who gets that. Everybody else you just kind of go with the flow.
“We’re not trying to win the offseason, we’re trying to win the season. So, our focus will be the same. It fuels a lot of us. It fuels a lot of the players, and we get ready to come back and try to defend our title like we did and just go further in the playoffs. That’s all we worry about this time of the year.”
The Buccaneers have plenty of continuity to build on, with key offensive players like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans re-signing with the club. Though former offensive coordinator Dave Canales departed to become the Panthers head coach, new OC Liam Coen is familiar with Mayfield given their shared time with the Rams in 2022.
“It’s just the offensive coaching staff jelling so quickly with the guys we kept and the guys that [G.M. Jason Licht] has brought in,” Bowles said. “It’s been a real joy to see. Those guys, when they go in and lock the door, I’ve got to get on Liam to give them a bathroom break because he doesn’t let them out of the meeting room. But they have a real good feel for each other and the chemistry is coming together how you want.”
After finishing 9-8 in the year after Tom Brady's retirement, the club will now try to be even stronger in 2024.
