Former Buccaneers Six-Time Pro Bowler Comes to the Defense of Todd Bowles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ late-season collapse has turned into a full-blown blame game, and head coach Todd Bowles has been at the center of it. 

With losses piling up in crunch time and the defense getting torched weekly, fans have zeroed in on Bowles as the main problem. 

As Sports Illustrated noted, former Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy stepped into that debate with a blunt message that didn’t sit well with everyone. 

“Y’all keep saying defense, defense, defense… how the offense look?” McCoy wrote on social media. 

“It’s more than just the coach calling the defense. We are not a good football team right now. Period.” 

The comment drew quick backlash, but it also echoed what many around the league are seeing. 

This is a Buccaneers team that just isn’t playing good football on either side of the ball.

McCoy Says Bowles Isn’t the Only Problem

McCoy’s point wasn’t that Bowles is above criticism. 

It was that turning him into the lone scapegoat ignores what’s happening everywhere else.  

The former Pro Bowler pushed back on the idea that the defense alone is costing Tampa Bay games, calling out the offense and overall execution as well.

That’s where a lot of fans fired back. 

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has struggled to protect the football, the offense has gone cold for long stretches, and OC Josh Grizzard hasn’t found consistent answers. 

Many fans responded to McCoy by saying that when all three phases look broken, that responsibility lands on the head coach by default. 

McCoy later clarified that he was including Bowles in the blame. 

But he made it clear he doesn’t believe the blame should fall entirely on Bowles.

Bucs Spiraling at the Worst Possible Time

There’s no arguing how bad things have looked for Tampa Bay. 

Since midseason, the Buccaneers have ranked near the bottom of the league in points per game, total offense, and efficiency. 

The defense has allowed big plays almost weekly and key turnovers at the end of games have proven costly. 

After starting 6-2, the Bucs have now lost seven of their last eight games, including their last four games by a combined 11 points. 

Despite the recent struggles, the Bucs somehow are still alive.

As long as the Rams beat the Falcons on Monday Night Football, all the Bucs have to do is beat the Carolina Panthers on Saturday and they are in. 

But if the Buccaneers lose again, it’s hard to imagine Bowles surviving the fallout of this disastrous stretch. 

McCoy may be right that this isn’t entirely on the coaching staff, but when a season unravels like this, the head coach is usually the one who pays for it.

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