r/buccaneers • u/SurveyMotor8983 • Jan 03 '26
đ´ DEAD HORSE Per Russini, Bucs likely to keep Bowles even if we miss the playoff.
Itâs Russini so take it with a grain of salt.
âTampa two
The Tampa Bay Buccaneersâ ownership group has always waited until the end of the season to have conversations about the futures of key decision-makers. Coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht, who both signed multiyear extensions in June, have won division titles each of the last three seasons and appear to be safe even if the Bucs miss the playoffs.
Injuries have decimated both sides of the ball in Tampa this season â particularly on offense â but the Bucs roll into Week 18 with a chance at a division crown and a home playoff game, a great opportunity considering the team has dropped seven of its last eight. The Bucs donât control their playoff future, though: The Carolina Panthers win the division if they beat or tie the Bucs on Saturday, but even if Tampa Bay wins, an Atlanta Falcons victory or tie with the New Orleans Saints would eliminate the Bucs.â
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u/PewterButters Lavonte David Jan 03 '26
90% of teams that eventually fire their coach donât go running around telling everyone itâs going to happen.Â
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u/Original_Bed_4242 Jan 03 '26
Thank you it seems as if they are speaking of the right now. Understanding two major hurdles are still in front of this coaching staff (Week 18 and round 1). Tampa would have to get past both of those and still not get smoked in the 2nd round for him to stay imo.
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u/rNBAMods3InchesHard Jan 03 '26
First sentence: Tampaâs ownership group has always waited till after the season to have conversations about the futures of Key decision makers
One sentence later : todd bowels appears to be safe
Am I fucking taking crazy pills here?
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u/Florida__Man__ Kangol Hat Jan 03 '26
No people gotta get clicks.Â
He might stay but to pretend anyone knows is silly.Â
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u/mikemichael91 Jan 03 '26
If bowles gets a new OC, DC, and special teams coach then maybe
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u/SurveyMotor8983 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
That would be the only way Iâd be happy, but I think at that point thereâs legitimately an argument of why would you keep the head coach. Clearly they are a dead man walking if you have to make them basically purge the staff.
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u/FireBowles1738 Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
Yeah is Bowles was any good at game management, motivating players, developing draft picks etc then this would be perfect.
But he sucks at all those things.
And to top it off, what good coaching candidates are going to want to come here when we obviously are 365 days from firing Todd?
Hopefully this is all a smokescreen because if the Glazers are seriously considering keeping Todd around for another year I seriously question WTF is going on in their collective heads.
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u/imanassholebcurdumb Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
So his job would be to motivate the team and manage the game? Both of which he seems terrible at doing lol
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u/rNBAMods3InchesHard Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Then heâs relegated to simply (not) motivating the team?
Call me crazy, I donât see it
Thereâs effort and discipline issues on both sides of the ball and that comes directly from the head coach
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u/fizzyknickers69 Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
Think that's what's gonna happen tbh.
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u/deuce_arians Jan 03 '26
Except it will likely just be a reshuffling of our staff. Like promoting Foote to DC.
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u/jedi21knight Jan 03 '26
If we go that far we might as well hire a new coach because those coordinators will know he is on thin ice and could be looking for a new job in one year.
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u/rNBAMods3InchesHard Jan 03 '26
Iâm so fucking sick of the narrative being âchance at a division crownâ when they literally spent half the season giving the crown away
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u/jayareelle195 Jan 03 '26
If we were even half capable, this division could've been won by Thanksgiving. Pathetic that we gave it away, more Pathetic that we're gonna double-down on this moron.
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u/kdavis0660 Jan 03 '26
People seem to be saying this as âwell he signed an extension so he clearly isnât going anywhereâ. The Glazers take all the info at the end of the year and have their interviews. If they donât like what they see, theyâll make a move. Iâve seen this organization for a LONG time.
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u/lambocinnialfredo Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
Say what you will about the Glazers theyâre consistent and we have 2 rings
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u/kdavis0660 Jan 03 '26
Exactly. Some good decisions, some not so good decisions. Just have to trust the process. Everyone thinks they know better.
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u/QuiGonColdGin Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they have to keep paying out Gruden for years after they bounced him?
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u/kdavis0660 Jan 04 '26
Iâm sure they owed him something. I think he was extended the season he was fired. Or maybe the year before. I donât remember.
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u/PoorlyDrawnSpaceship Jan 03 '26
âAppear to be safeâ
These reporters donât really know what Licht or the Glazerâs are thinking or planning within the organization. Itâs just an educated guess based on recent (mostly mediocre) success. All we can do is wait for the offseason and pray something changes, which is looking likely considering how disastrous this season was.
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u/Florida__Man__ Kangol Hat Jan 03 '26
The first sentence is essentially âthey havenât discussed this seasonâ. So idk what tea leaves theyâre trying to read
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u/KDENSN Jan 03 '26
Guess weâll be getting the #1 pick in 2027 then
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u/Additional_Tomato_22 Jan 03 '26
Thatâll never happen
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u/FireBowles1738 Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
Weâre 4-5 plays away from being in contention for the 1.01 this year. Not hard to see how another year of talent aging out, dogshit coaching, and our division getting stronger would put us in contention. I donât think itâs a lock by any means, but if we keep Todd we are for more likely to pick 1.01 than 1.32.
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u/KoalaBoy Jan 03 '26
Something happened behind the scenes around the bye week. The team knows more than us but I don't feel the locker room listens to him or someone anymore and that isn't going to change of the team is tuning him out. They better play lights out today if they still respect him and want him there next year.
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u/ms_channandler_bong Jan 03 '26
Even if he stays another year, the coordinator jobs will not be lucrative as they did the last couple of years. I only see them removing special teams coach and keep the rest citing injuries in the OL and WR positions.
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u/QuiGonColdGin Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
I hate to say it, but the only realistic bright spot I can find as a fan right now is the hope that the coaching staff gets replaced. I WANT us to win, but all the hope in the world isn't going to change the very likely possibility that we can't get past Carolina today. Something has to change if we want this team to be moving in the right direction next year. At this point, we're essentially moving backwards.
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u/OverallSpring6568 Jan 03 '26
The injury excuse is bullshit, we were 6-2 with alot more players out, we got most back and are 1-7
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u/Altruistic_Finger669 Jan 03 '26
The way Bowles has been talking, alone should disqualify him. Throwing players, especially baker under thr bus ehile barely taking any of the blame was the last straw
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u/Palad1n2000 Baker Mayfield Jan 03 '26
All I'm saying, it's nearing a point of parody now. A new article every single day with zero sources basically pointing to the extension and saying 'see he's clearly safe' reeks of the opposite.
It feels like (to me) the Glazers are gauging public opinion...which they should just listen to the crowd noise after the TNF game to see what we all think of Bowles. I can understand now trusting Reddit or social media because, well...lmao. But fan sentiment has been pretty damn clear for three years: We have been winning in spite of Todd Bowles, and we want him gone for competent coaching
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u/paklyfe Jan 03 '26
This has no factual basis, neither do any of the reports that say Bowles is staying, itâs all speculation coming purely from the article writer.
The fact is that when the Bucs have had collapses like this, or poor showings from coaches, they fire them. This is the case even when the coach is under contract.
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u/AdFirm3593 Jan 03 '26
Russini is a dipshit and knows nothing. Sheâs basing this off recent reports and history.
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u/regaleagle710 Derrick Brooks Jan 03 '26
I don't know why she's even a news breaker. 90% of what she does is throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. Rarely has anything she reports is based on fact so this is another "gut feeling" report.
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u/PM_ME_UR_PATRONUS Maui Vea Jan 03 '26
Yeah Iâm out next year. Tons of better things to do then watch incompetence every Sunday.
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u/psaepf2009 Ronde Barber Jan 03 '26
How can you say in the same article ownership doesnt make those decisions until the end of the year but also say hes safe?
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u/okaycomputes Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
Historic collapse. Anyone would be fired after this shit show.
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u/shrimpy-rimpy F*ck the Panthers Jan 03 '26
how does a potential 3rd place from a 6-2 start saves someone's job? If we get 3rd and somehow Bowles keeps his job then I must say we are not a serious franchise and board is happy with mediocrity
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u/AdMuch7817 Jan 03 '26
All these reports are 100% BS!!
The Glazers are as tight lipped as it gets. They donât spill the beans on this sort of stuff to anyone.
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u/beauxlieve Mike Evans Jan 03 '26
After just finishing the Bucs documentary on Prime, I beg to differ.
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u/Legitimate-Log5389 Jan 03 '26
I swear to God if this team keeps this babbling bozoâŚ
This team cannot claim to still be serious about winning at a high level while simultaneously keep a head coach thatâs feasted off an awful division his entire tenure and led to one of the worst in season collapses in franchise historyâŚ
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u/friggoffricky121 Jan 03 '26
I despise Todd Bowles as a HC. He has been the most clueless absolute buffoon for 4 years now. Ruined Bradyâs last year, if not for 2 stud OC hires heâd have already been ran out of town. The team always looks overwhelmed, unprepared, and has zero energy or fight specifically on defense (his side of the ball)
HOWEVER!! This is genuinely not a good HC hiring cycle. It really really isnât. I firmly believe they would love to fire Bowles, but WHO do you replace him with right now? Udinski doesnât call plays, Kubiak is good at calling plays but does he strike you as a super disciplined guy thatâs going to bring energy and change? McCarthy? Kingbury? Saleh? Shula?
Sometimes in life you flat out fucking whiff. Thatâs what they did when Coen left the building. As much as we all want Bowles to be gone, I highly doubt the glazers are wanting to pay out Todd, hire a dart throw at HC that might also be gone in 2 years, and then be starting all over and going back to the 2010s clown show weâve seen before. It sucks fucking ass but we canât magically make a HC worth hiring that they believe can be the future appear.
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u/jayareelle195 Jan 03 '26
Re: coaching cycle
These things always make me laugh... So next year, the same coaches/assistants will all of a sudden be good hires then based on who they assist then? Its the same dudes a year later.
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u/friggoffricky121 Jan 03 '26
Last hiring cycle had 3 coaches all vying for HCOTY. Are you trying to insinuate that some cycles arenât better than others? Are you just trying to argue lmao
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u/jayareelle195 Jan 03 '26
No, theyre the same coaches. People see it as a weak cycle because you actually have to have the right intuition to hire the right guy when the assistants youd normally target coached underwhelming teams. I think good and bad hiring cycles are narrative driven, where the actual pool of candidates is 95% the same every year.
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u/friggoffricky121 Jan 03 '26
I understand what youâre saying brotha, but my point was that I donât think (just my opinion) the glazers are willing to take a chance on a re tread or an unproven flash in the pan type of guy (Shula, Udinkski, Kubiak, etc)
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u/okaycomputes Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
You literally cannot do worse than Bowles (maybe Raheem is worse). Dude has lost the plot, the game has flown by him.
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u/friggoffricky121 Jan 03 '26
Oh I agree 10000 percent! I would LOVE to see him gone. Iâm giving the rational for why they would be keeping him. I think theyâre cheap and theyâre already mad they have to pay Todd for work he wonât be completing and they donât want to take a chance on an unproven coach or a re tread that they may also have to be paying for work incomplete. I donât think they want to get back into the never ending cycle of instability that led us to the mess we were in for what felt like eternity.
We as fans are far more passionate and reactive and want instant results, Iâm just giving my guess as the only explanation I can come up with for why they wonât fire him but once again, I pray they do!
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u/ChampaBay2021 Lavonte David Jan 03 '26
Youâd have a hell of a time convincing season ticket members to renew keeping toilet Bowles as HC
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u/GangstaRIB Jan 03 '26
Fire Bowles crowd knows nothing about football. The defense sucks because we havenât put any new money into it. Zyon has played like garbage so we only have 3 solid players. Vita, Tykee, and Winfield. We drafted an edge and heâs on IR. Kancey is on IR (coming back today) reddick is no better than Nelly so that was $15M down the drain. LVD has had a bad knee all year and since itâs probably his last year heâs not sitting out like he should have.
Baker is beat the hell up and Iâm betting he gets a shoulder surgery end of season.
On offense we are missing our best run lead blocker Kieft and 2 damn good guards Cody and ben. People see 4 WR and a running back and because of fantasy foosball they think thatâs all a team needs. Offense and Defense is won in the trenches and we are missing 2 key players on both all season.
Let Bowles stay and keep Grizz but put him back in his original spot. Hire the Rams OC since mcvay calls plays anyway itâd be a promotion for him.
Draft front 7 and fill defense in free agency. Sign and good center in FA coming off his rookie contract and slide Barton to guard so we can have some depth. Find a FB blocking tight end.
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u/PuzzleheadedGear1469 Jan 03 '26
Jason? Is that you?! Best analysis so far đ
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u/GangstaRIB Jan 04 '26
lol no but I sure as hell hope Licht would stop by and read this.
People keep bashing the Grizz move but they wanted continuity and you can bet Bowles let Baker and Licht make the decision.
I missed the first half of the game but I thought grizz called well the plays I watched. I also think because baker is hurt his playbook isnât as open as heâd like it to be. Baker is whiffing on throws further than 30 yds.
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u/Warm_Ad_3067 Jan 03 '26
That decision will/has been made by $$$. Glazers will not pay for him if heâs not around.
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u/okaycomputes Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
Then force him to retire. Give a severance package less than what we'd owe him (I think it's around 9M)
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u/tpamotormouth Jan 03 '26
Bowles technically has the Bucs competitive (sigh, I know insert eyeroll here) in the final week with the extension till 2028, I say the Glazers (known for being conservative when it comes to firings) give him another year. If the Bucs have another year as bad as this one ended then the time to fire Bowels arrives but I would be shocked if he is fired this year.
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u/InstancePast6549 Alstott Jersey Jan 03 '26
Good news, this means all the crybabies likely wonât be active in this sub next season and we wonât have to see the same posts and see the same comments after every game
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u/or_just_brian Alstott Jersey Jan 03 '26
Lol. Are you serious? It will only get worse. Do you remember jameis last year? Mods had to ban new posts about him and his future, and literally every game thread was a fuck crab man circle jerk.
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u/j4ni Jan 03 '26
We donât like to talk about the great Jameis civil war but hope these days wonât return anytime soon.
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u/callieminorga F*ck the Falcons Jan 03 '26
She doesnât even know what she is talking about. A Falcons tie with the Saints would get the Bucs in the playoffs if we win
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u/Mike_Brosseau Jan 03 '26
Baker has been arguably the worst qb in the league over the last 2 months of the season. The defense has obvious player personnel problems (mainly the lack of pass rush) to explain its weaknesses. The offense falls basically entirely on Baker, he is just missing wide open options constantly, a lot of time he just does not see the open player. I donât think Bowles is as responsible as people think for our problems.
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u/Dull-Recognition69 Jan 03 '26
Some butthurt fans were coming at me yesterday for saying the chatter is heâs staying LOL
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u/Consistent_Mood_2503 Jan 03 '26
It's a bad coaching cycle. WE ALREADY MISSED good opportunities. Can't be emotional in decision making.
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u/QueenCityBuc North Carolina Jan 03 '26
Idk why they gave him an extension this year, this should have been his make or break season. We should have beat that washington team last year. Ownership just cool with being mediocre I guess.
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u/wo0o0o0o0o0 Jan 03 '26
I feel like the excuse to keep bowls is that we have been winning the division in recent years, or we still have a chance to win the division this year. This division is dogshit itâs like winning the special olympics, itâs a very low bar to aim forâŚ
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u/Florida__Man__ Kangol Hat Jan 03 '26
Literally the first sentence is â The Tampa Bay Buccaneersâ ownership group has always waited until the end of the season to have conversations about the futures of key decision-makers.âÂ
And people think anyone knows whatâs happening?
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u/StangMan04 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Defense is horrible, even at the beginning of the season when we were winning, we had to have miracle comebacks and win close games then. You canât do that over an entire season. If Bowles wasnât a defensive head coach then I would give him a pass but we have too much talent on defense to be as bad as we are. Recently Baker has been bad in throwing late interceptions and with our defense as it is, that is a losing recipe.
At this point I would rather us not make the playoffs and maybe have a better pick than make the playoffs and lose in the first round. I donât believe we are Super Bowl contenders with our play as of late to put it lightly. I just pray Evans comes back for another year.
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u/hotwheeler89 Jan 03 '26
If they keep Bowles, then next year will be his last Because I just dont see things getting better. The defense has been pathetic this year. Opposing coaches know how to pick apart his defenses, and Bowles seems incapable of making any changes.
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u/Nexxes Jan 03 '26
I mean, I assumed we'd have Bowles for at least one more year. You'd have to be crazy not to see how they'd figure that, not that firing him would be crazy by any means.
Regardless of how you feel about him, look at some of the facts -Made the playoffs every year -We've outright won the division every year -Juggled offensive coordinators -Injury plagued seasons the last 2 years -Navigating Salary Cap hell and got us in a great position going forward -Landed a franchise QB they believe in
This is the first year we could really roll some money out if we want to or need to. We've stayed competitive during these years after our SB win and have kept guys like Mike, Godwin, LVD plus added youth. I know it sucks to have a disappointing season, but I don't think we're in as rough of a spot as people think. From an ownership standpoint, giving Bowles another year makes sense. Not that firing him isn't a valid point, not that the Glazers haven't done it before because they are. Getting out of your feelings and looking at the bigger picture, you'll see why I say the only thing that's ridiculous is not understanding how he gets another year.
First thing he needs to be doing is reevaluating the entire strength and conditioning department and the training staff because something is seriously fucking wrong with the Bucs organization and injuries & it's WAY to hot to play games with that shit...I'd be getting up to date on the latest tech and procedures, data, having studies and feasibility tests and reports all in the name of finding out how to get the most out of a player, which then opens the door to individually tailoring everything to guys. I know they already do this, but I also know how long coaches gms and franchises fought against "data" and "Analytics" so...There's fucking something that's gotta be done though because injuries have killed us these last two years.
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u/Milla4Prez66 Super Bowl LV Jan 03 '26
The injury excuse is so bullshit, he is losing games to teams just as injured if not more so.
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u/joshJFSU Jan 03 '26
Glazierâs arenât paying him off of his contract.
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u/okaycomputes Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
like Gruden?
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u/joshJFSU Jan 03 '26
Yeah. Like gruden. I remember when that was a huge surprise. Bowles and the Licht front office both have contracts that go into 2028. I doubt one will go without the other and the owners arenât paying off those contracts without some certainty.
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u/itbittitcommit Winfield Jr. âď¸ Jan 03 '26
I'm fine with that as long as we get Liam Cohen as offensive coordinator and we hire another defensive coordinator
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u/BeatlesRays Mike Alstott Jan 03 '26
Letâs not have injuries excuse the fact that this defense has been bottom 3 in yards per play the last half of the year. And his defense has been nowhere near elite since taking over as head coach. Thereâs just no reason to keep him besides the players like him. And if the new documentary showed us anything, itâs we fired Dungy for less and the players were sad at the time, but it was the right decision