The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a shocking 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints yesterday. After the game, fans immediately began pointing fingers as they searched for the cause of the Bucs’ recent struggles, having lost four of their last five. Most notably, many now believe it’s time for head coach Todd Bowles to go at the end of the season because of this collapse.
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That’s right, after the loss to the Saints, Bucs fans have had enough of the mediocrity. They want Bowles out. Tampa Bay whalloped New Orleans in their first meeting, 23-3, on the road. But yesterday, rookie QB Tyler Shough showed out with two rushing TDs, including one late that pushed the Saints over the top.
Bucs fans took to Reddit to discuss their feelings following the loss. One fan talked about Bowles reaching the Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden category. It’s a category of great coaches who were inevitably fired because they reached their ceiling.
“His playoff failures are equal to Dungy’s, which got him fired. This collapse is equal to Gruden’s in 2008, which got him fired. It’s time,” one fan shared.
Another fan pointed to the front office for the Bucs’ failures and questioned why Bowles was even hired in the first place.
“I genuinely want to know how in the f**k did BA thought Bowles was the man for the job… if the board doesn’t fire him at the end of the season then I must say we are a fraud of a franchise,” they penned.
Others simply took note of the state of the team that they watched underperform yesterday.
“There were a lot of moments where a Saints player made a play, and a lot of moments the Bucs player(s) didn’t. But the Saints hitting us in the middle of the field over and over, that’s all Bowles,” they criticized.
“The team just doesn’t seem like they have any fire or heart right now,” someone else concluded.
All in all, it was a vehement comment section that had already made up its mind about Bowles’ future. And while Tampa Bay is 7-6, they’re still tied for first place in the division. Not to mention they will play the team they’re tied with, the Carolina Panthers, twice in three weeks down the stretch.
So, while we appreciate the passion from the fanbase, this feels a bit like jumping the gun. All Bowles has done since arriving in Tampa Bay is bring them to the playoffs yearly. Sure, it’s been muddled by a 1-3 playoff record and a slightly above-average 34-30 overall record. But at the end of the day, he’s won the NFC South division in every season he’s coached.
If Bowles and the Bucs stumble down the stretch and miss the playoffs, then we can reopen this conversation.
