Todd Bowles is a fucking fraud

[uscbucsfan]

The big difference, however, was that the Bengals lost due to lousy officiating at the end.

That was a bad call, but to say they lost due to it is a huge stretch.

The Rams would have had another down.

edit: Plus the Rams had 3 times outs.

[Tnbandwagoner]

The tale continues, Stafford vs the Bengals: 

vs the blitz:

Passer rating - 140.42
PFF grade - 81.2
TD - 1
INT - 0
CMP% - 100
YPA - 8.2

vs 4-man rush:

Passer rating - 75.78
PFF grade - 64.7
TD - 1
INT - 1
CMP% - 59.3
YPA - 6.4

Bengals made this a close game and only allowed 23 points because their DC isn't a fucking moron and only blitzed Stafford five times.

Wait - you mean a DC is allowed to watch tape of games the opposing team has played, study the tendencies and weaknesses of the quarterback, and then make a gameplan that actually takes those tendencies and weaknesses into account? Rather than just throwing shit against the wall because it's the same shit you do every week, and hope it sticks?

[MJW]

There's a choice in life that pops up when you're good at something: You can either respond to a challenge in a way that you're known for and comfortable with, even if it's not the most prudent option in this case, or you can swerve and go against your instincts because that's what the situation calls for.

We know which one Bowles picks. He's "the blitz" guy. At one point, he was calling blitzes at more than double the frequency of the next highest team (I saw this stat, I can try to find it again.) That's what he is. And even though Stafford destroys single-coverage, that's what he fell back on.

[Cheb]

The tale continues, Stafford vs the Bengals: 

vs the blitz:

Passer rating - 140.42
PFF grade - 81.2
TD - 1
INT - 0
CMP% - 100
YPA - 8.2

vs 4-man rush:

Passer rating - 75.78
PFF grade - 64.7
TD - 1
INT - 1
CMP% - 59.3
YPA - 6.4

Bengals made this a close game and only allowed 23 points because their DC isn't a fucking moron and only blitzed Stafford five times.

Wait - you mean a DC is allowed to watch tape of games the opposing team has played, study the tendencies and weaknesses of the quarterback, and then make a gameplan that actually takes those tendencies and weaknesses into account? Rather than just throwing shit against the wall because it's the same shit you do every week, and hope it sticks?

Both Bowles and Leftwich stated in press conferences during last season that they don't really gameplan for other team's tendencies, they instead gameplan to maximize what they want to do on their side of the ball. And at times, it showed.

[MJW]

Wait - you mean a DC is allowed to watch tape of games the opposing team has played, study the tendencies and weaknesses of the quarterback, and then make a gameplan that actually takes those tendencies and weaknesses into account? Rather than just throwing shit against the wall because it's the same shit you do every week, and hope it sticks?

Both Bowles and Leftwich stated in press conferences during last season that they don't really gameplan for other team's tendencies, they instead gameplan to maximize what they want to do on their side of the ball. And at times, it showed.

It's really tough to bag on this staff. They literally won the Superbowl. But there's also big "why not do both of these things?" energy here. Why make things more difficult for yourself just to prove a point that you're better in one specific aspect of the game? The point is to score more points, not show that your blitz can beat their blitz pickups.

[Tnbandwagoner]

Wait - you mean a DC is allowed to watch tape of games the opposing team has played, study the tendencies and weaknesses of the quarterback, and then make a gameplan that actually takes those tendencies and weaknesses into account? Rather than just throwing shit against the wall because it's the same shit you do every week, and hope it sticks?

Both Bowles and Leftwich stated in press conferences during last season that they don't really gameplan for other team's tendencies, they instead gameplan to maximize what they want to do on their side of the ball. And at times, it showed.

That is mind-numbingly incompetent.

[Tnbandwagoner]

There's an article on the Athletic that claims that Brady may have retired due to frustration with the Bucs' coaching staff, that he retired to make clear to them that he won't play for them again, and wants to play for the 49ers. I can imagine going from playing for the best coach of all time to playing for...the guys he played for the last two years...might be a wee bit galling.

[Snake]

Sounds about right. The coaching staff is terrible. Brady clearly knows a good staff from a bad staff after 20 years in New England.

[uscbucsfan]

Sounds about right. The coaching staff is terrible. Brady clearly knows a good staff from a bad staff after 20 years in New England.

It's illogical.

You don't think Brady understands that we own his rights? The only way he can go to the 49ers is if we trade or release him.

It holds as much weight as all of the rumors that Brady didn't think we had a good enough roster and retired...or that Giselle made him retire.

It's people guessing without any credible information.

[nybf]

It holds as much weight as all of the rumors... that Giselle made him retire.

You think Giselle had nothing to do with his decision?

[uscbucsfan]

It holds as much weight as all of the rumors... that Giselle made him retire.

You think Giselle had nothing to do with his decision?

I'm sure she had a say, but the rumor that she forced him to retire against his will is just fan speculation...just like these others.

[Snake]

Sounds about right. The coaching staff is terrible. Brady clearly knows a good staff from a bad staff after 20 years in New England.

It's illogical.

You don't think Brady understands that we own his rights? The only way he can go to the 49ers is if we trade or release him.

It holds as much weight as all of the rumors that Brady didn't think we had a good enough roster and retired...or that Giselle made him retire.

It's people guessing without any credible information.

I don’t disagree about the 49ers part. That part doesn’t make sense because it just won’t happen.

I could see it being a collection of factors. Kids getting older, Gisele pressure, Tom not thinking the staff is good enough to overcome a talent loss next season. Just too many hills to climb.

[uscbucsfan]

It's illogical.

You don't think Brady understands that we own his rights? The only way he can go to the 49ers is if we trade or release him.

It holds as much weight as all of the rumors that Brady didn't think we had a good enough roster and retired...or that Giselle made him retire.

It's people guessing without any credible information.

I don’t disagree about the 49ers part. That part doesn’t make sense because it just won’t happen.

I could see it being a collection of factors. Kids getting older, Gisele pressure, Tom not thinking the staff is good enough to overcome a talent loss next season. Just too many hills to climb.

Probably, but there's been nothing leaked nor reported from anyone. These articles assigning reasons are just people's opinions.

[Buc2]

Someone should post a link to this thread on the official TBB Facebook page.

[Snake]

Do it

[Tnbandwagoner]

Anyone who thinks that a trade of Brady to the 49ers is impossible is just in denial. On the scale of improbable trades, that one is way, way, way down the list. It would be different if he were 29 and the Bucs knew they would be losing out on several potential seasons of his play; he's not 29. It would be different if he hadn't already won a SB for the Bucs; he has. As at least one sportswriter has pointed out, it wouldn't reflect well on the Bucs to play hardball with the guy who delivered them only their second SB in franchise history, and who also just happens to be the GOAT. Beyond that, the 9ers just happen to have a QB who is significantly better than anyone on the Bucs roster at the moment, and better than most of their other FA options.

It's not like this is a deal requiring massive salary cap manipulations and a dozen draft picks changing hands. This is not, for example, Matthew Stafford getting traded to the Rams while still in his thirties, with the Lions never having won anything with him.

[Nobody]

It was the switch that got me talking about it (which Mike and a few other people recently confirmed).

I don't know if you guys recall me bringing it up with like 5 weeks remaining in the season or so (somewhere around there)?

He suddenly seemed a little less "locked in"...a hair more "checked out"...it was so stark because you had never seen this in the history of Brady.

It was a lot of little things:

* Facial expressions he would make on the sidelines, particularly during key moments.

* Not exalting with his teammates or coaches with the frequency or intensity that he had always done historically.

* Totally disengaging, but in a very particular way, in post game pressers or interviews.

* Then you had him sitting out of practices and even walk-throughs.

* You had the Antonio Brown thing (which seems to have been a bigger thing that was percolating behind the scenes).

* You had the Godwin and then Wirfs injuries.

* You had Gronk's play become suddenly extremely unreliable and uneven.

* You had Grayson going down with him just building chemistry (and clearly loving the kid's work and the kid's story).

* You had TJ not performing when he needed to perform.

* You had a lot of poor play and by key players (eg Devin White) on defense (and that included defensive calls in key moments that just weren't up to par...which also includes personnel groupings deployed).

* You had him taking a shit-ton of hits (and many of them quite dangerous) down the stretch when the gameplans could have trivially worked around that along with some very questionable play calls at key moments.

* Then there is the looming offseason of personnel loss (and people can apologize for this regime as they much as they want...it does ZERO to convince me) and the reality that out 2nd and 3rd round picks are basically projects that (a) didn't help this team when it desperately needed fortification this year and (b) likely wouldn't help this team next year along with a 4th round pick that looks like an absolute bust of a WR (as of right now, his play speed doesn't even come close to matching what was advertised...and that is all he can rely upon). If those 3 picks were different and they fortified this injury-wrecked 2021 and therefore showed that they would clearly bulwark the 2022 roster?...you can't tell me that isn't a parameter of the "what does this coming roster look like" calculus that Brady would be doing.


+++++++++++++++++++++++

There was just a lot of stuff piling up and his behavior shifted in a way that was unprecedented for him. So my guess is (a) Giselle was in his ear and they likely had a pretty significant conversation that triggered this behavior shift and (b) he was already amenable to the shift because of all the stuff happening around him and the mental model he was parameterizing and then executing (Brady is an enormously mentally intensive, detail-oriented guy...his mental models are almost surely robust and predictive).

My guess is he felt pretty alone out there toward the end. Guys were going down left and right...and enormously important guys. Guys weren't stepping up when they needed to. Coaches weren't stepping up. There was a lot of turmoil (more than we even know). It just took a stark turn from the happy-go-lucky, all-in club from last year to a much more grim ordeal this year. A 44 year old guy (even one as intense in his love and committment to the game and his teammates as Brady) just doesn't possess the mental wherewithall to endure all of that at some point.

[uscbucsfan]

No one said the trade is impossible. You've made a leap that Brady put his career on pause and put his trust that the Bucs will trade him to the exact team he wants to go for for a deal that won't hinder him from seeing improvement....All of that based on someone's opinion who has no relationship to Brady.

Brady could get traded, he could be released, he could be upset with the roster or coaching, he could be tired of playing. He took vet days all season, explained right before the season started how much more difficult it is being away from his family this year, told Mike Evans that he wasn't sure what he would do next year early this season.

This is just wild speculation. Brady could come back and play for the Bucs, could take a year off, may do exactly what is rumored, but no one has any insight at this point. At least that anyone has shared.

[Tnbandwagoner]

It was the switch that got me talking about it (which Mike and a few other people recently confirmed).

I don't know if you guys recall me bringing it up with like 5 weeks remaining in the season or so (somewhere around there)?

He suddenly seemed a little less "locked in"...a hair more "checked out"...it was so stark because you had never seen this in the history of Brady.

It was a lot of little things:

* Facial expressions he would make on the sidelines, particularly during key moments.

* Not exalting with his teammates or coaches with the frequency or intensity that he had always done historically.

* Totally disengaging, but in a very particular way, in post game pressers or interviews.

* Then you had him sitting out of practices and even walk-throughs.

* You had the Antonio Brown thing (which seems to have been a bigger thing that was percolating behind the scenes).

* You had the Godwin and then Wirfs injuries.

* You had Gronk's play become suddenly extremely unreliable and uneven.

* You had Grayson going down with him just building chemistry (and clearly loving the kid's work and the kid's story).

* You had TJ not performing when he needed to perform.

* You had a lot of poor play and by key players (eg Devin White) on defense (and that included defensive calls in key moments that just weren't up to par...which also includes personnel groupings deployed).

* You had him taking a shit-ton of hits (and many of them quite dangerous) down the stretch when the gameplans could have trivially worked around that along with some very questionable play calls at key moments.

* Then there is the looming offseason of personnel loss (and people can apologize for this regime as they much as they want...it does ZERO to convince me) and the reality that out 2nd and 3rd round picks are basically projects that (a) didn't help this team when it desperately needed fortification this year and (b) likely wouldn't help this team next year along with a 4th round pick that looks like an absolute bust of a WR (as of right now, his play speed doesn't even come close to matching what was advertised...and that is all he can rely upon). If those 3 picks were different and they fortified this injury-wrecked 2021 and therefore showed that they would clearly bulwark the 2022 roster?...you can't tell me that isn't a parameter of the "what does this coming roster look like" calculus that Brady would be doing.


+++++++++++++++++++++++

There was just a lot of stuff piling up and his behavior shifted in a way that was unprecedented for him. So my guess is (a) Giselle was in his ear and they likely had a pretty significant conversation that triggered this behavior shift and (b) he was already amenable to the shift because of all the stuff happening around him and the mental model he was parameterizing and then executing (Brady is an enormously mentally intensive, detail-oriented guy...his mental models are almost surely robust and predictive).

My guess is he felt pretty alone out there toward the end. Guys were going down left and right...and enormously important guys. Guys weren't stepping up when they needed to. Coaches weren't stepping up. There was a lot of turmoil (more than we even know). It just took a stark turn from the happy-go-lucky, all-in club from last year to a much more grim ordeal this year. A 44 year old guy (even one as intense in his love and committment to the game and his teammates as Brady) just doesn't possess the mental wherewithall to endure all of that at some point.

It's hard to argue with anything you wrote above. I would agree that the perfect storm of not-great coaching, a mountain of injuries, and poor drafting last year made this team not one that he was thrilled about returning to for another season.

Conversely, there's that team twenty minutes from where he grew up that is as loaded as any roster in the NFL, with the one glaring weakness being at the position he happens to play...with a HC that's as skilled at game-planning as anyone not named Bill Belichick...

[kaimaru]

It was the switch that got me talking about it (which Mike and a few other people recently confirmed).

I don't know if you guys recall me bringing it up with like 5 weeks remaining in the season or so (somewhere around there)?

He suddenly seemed a little less "locked in"...a hair more "checked out"...it was so stark because you had never seen this in the history of Brady.

It was a lot of little things:

* Facial expressions he would make on the sidelines, particularly during key moments.

* Not exalting with his teammates or coaches with the frequency or intensity that he had always done historically.

* Totally disengaging, but in a very particular way, in post game pressers or interviews.

* Then you had him sitting out of practices and even walk-throughs.

* You had the Antonio Brown thing (which seems to have been a bigger thing that was percolating behind the scenes).

* You had the Godwin and then Wirfs injuries.

* You had Gronk's play become suddenly extremely unreliable and uneven.

* You had Grayson going down with him just building chemistry (and clearly loving the kid's work and the kid's story).

* You had TJ not performing when he needed to perform.

* You had a lot of poor play and by key players (eg Devin White) on defense (and that included defensive calls in key moments that just weren't up to par...which also includes personnel groupings deployed).

* You had him taking a shit-ton of hits (and many of them quite dangerous) down the stretch when the gameplans could have trivially worked around that along with some very questionable play calls at key moments.

* Then there is the looming offseason of personnel loss (and people can apologize for this regime as they much as they want...it does ZERO to convince me) and the reality that out 2nd and 3rd round picks are basically projects that (a) didn't help this team when it desperately needed fortification this year and (b) likely wouldn't help this team next year along with a 4th round pick that looks like an absolute bust of a WR (as of right now, his play speed doesn't even come close to matching what was advertised...and that is all he can rely upon). If those 3 picks were different and they fortified this injury-wrecked 2021 and therefore showed that they would clearly bulwark the 2022 roster?...you can't tell me that isn't a parameter of the "what does this coming roster look like" calculus that Brady would be doing.


+++++++++++++++++++++++

There was just a lot of stuff piling up and his behavior shifted in a way that was unprecedented for him. So my guess is (a) Giselle was in his ear and they likely had a pretty significant conversation that triggered this behavior shift and (b) he was already amenable to the shift because of all the stuff happening around him and the mental model he was parameterizing and then executing (Brady is an enormously mentally intensive, detail-oriented guy...his mental models are almost surely robust and predictive).

My guess is he felt pretty alone out there toward the end. Guys were going down left and right...and enormously important guys. Guys weren't stepping up when they needed to. Coaches weren't stepping up. There was a lot of turmoil (more than we even know). It just took a stark turn from the happy-go-lucky, all-in club from last year to a much more grim ordeal this year. A 44 year old guy (even one as intense in his love and committment to the game and his teammates as Brady) just doesn't possess the mental wherewithall to endure all of that at some point.

It's hard to argue with anything you wrote above. I would agree that the perfect storm of not-great coaching, a mountain of injuries, and poor drafting last year made this team not one that he was thrilled about returning to for another season.

Conversely, there's that team twenty minutes from where he grew up that is as loaded as any roster in the NFL, with the one glaring weakness being at the position he happens to play...with a HC that's as skilled at game-planning as anyone not named Bill Belichick...

It's interesting that Evans said this:

“We were at a walkthrough practice that he didn’t participate in,” Evans said. “And I just asked him when I saw him. I said, ‘Big bro, what you thinking about doing after this year?’ He was like ‘Honestly bro I don’t know.’

“And I just looked into his eyes and said this is probably could be it.”

https://clutchpoints.com/buccaneers-new ... etirement/

The question is when did this conversation happen.

[Doctor]

3rd and 1 at the 50 with 12 seconds left and the Bengals again play coverage and get the stop.

It’s almost like having the ball near midfield with time running out isn’t a fait accompli that the Rams will get points.

It’s almost like you should play Coverage against Stafford rather than Blitzing.



Can we be done with this conversation now? This is the part where the avalanche of evidence should yield a “yup…shouldn’t have blitzed…hopefully we course correct in the future.”

Like.... y'all do know the Rams marched down and scored at the end right?

[Doctor]

Wait - you mean a DC is allowed to watch tape of games the opposing team has played, study the tendencies and weaknesses of the quarterback, and then make a gameplan that actually takes those tendencies and weaknesses into account? Rather than just throwing shit against the wall because it's the same shit you do every week, and hope it sticks?

Both Bowles and Leftwich stated in press conferences during last season that they don't really gameplan for other team's tendencies, they instead gameplan to maximize what they want to do on their side of the ball. And at times, it showed.

Said this many times

This is why I have little faith in another Lombardi under Arians - and to a greater degree, Bowles. Both coaches are incredibly devoted to their scheme, and rarely; if ever, gameplan to exploit. It's a strength and a weakness. When you've got the GOAT on one side of the ball, it masks a lot of mistakes. When the best player on the other side of the ball is a NT... well.... we all know.

I mean that just goes back to the usual "there are many ways to skin a cat" that is coaching.

You have coaches that are authoritarian, you have player coaches. You have "find players to fit the system" coaches and "fit the system to the players" coaches. You have "play to your strengths and do what you do best" coaches and "do everything well enough and go with the wind" coaches. You have coaches that lean on their stars and ones that make sure no one piece is too important.

In the end, all of these different kinds of coaching styles have won Super Bowls. There is no one "right" way, only what's trendy at the time.

There are many ways to skin a cat. Our two champion coaching staffs couldn't have been more different and both got it done.

Given we're 31-18 over the last three years and with a chip to show for it, I say our staff's way has been shown to work. Will it work every time, every game, every season? No. But it works. And I'll be damn if I'm going to let one play throw me off to the point I want to flip the table and call for a new staff. We've been down that road, we know where it leads, and it's not where we want to be.

[Snake]

And all it took was having the greatest player to ever play in the NFL.

[nybf]

Given we're 31-18 over the last three years and with a chip to show for it, I say our staff's way has been shown to work.

Yes, they put in a lot of work to lose as many games in the last two years as they did in that first. That's the only explanation for that kind of turnaround. Hard work.

[Doctor]

Also, what the hell is it with Buc fans and their need for conspiracy theories and backdoor drama?

Brady and the staff have stopped short of making love on camera, and people in here still want to weave all kinds of crazy theories about him hating the staff and wanting to force his way to SF with a retirement or what not because of facial expression he made on the sideline. Like, no. Just no.

[Tnbandwagoner]

Maybe work on reading comprehension. I specifically stated that an article on the Athletic - it's a national sports publication website, perhaps you have heard of it? - was claiming Brady was not happy with the staff here. It doesn't get more disingenuous than to imply that that notion came from nowhere other than on this message board when in fact it came from a national sports reporter who probably has a lot better sources than you do.

[Tnbandwagoner]

Also, if you can't grasp that not taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent when game-planning is just bad coaching, you're just rationalizing.

[nybf]

There's got to be a decent chance that doctor is Bowles burner account

[Heisenberg]

Both Bowles and Leftwich stated in press conferences during last season that they don't really gameplan for other team's tendencies, they instead gameplan to maximize what they want to do on their side of the ball. And at times, it showed.

Said this many times

I mean that just goes back to the usual "there are many ways to skin a cat" that is coaching.

You have coaches that are authoritarian, you have player coaches. You have "find players to fit the system" coaches and "fit the system to the players" coaches. You have "play to your strengths and do what you do best" coaches and "do everything well enough and go with the wind" coaches. You have coaches that lean on their stars and ones that make sure no one piece is too important.

In the end, all of these different kinds of coaching styles have won Super Bowls. There is no one "right" way, only what's trendy at the time.

There are many ways to skin a cat. Our two champion coaching staffs couldn't have been more different and both got it done.

Given we're 31-18 over the last three years and with a chip to show for it, I say our staff's way has been shown to work. Will it work every time, every game, every season? No. But it works. And I'll be damn if I'm going to let one play throw me off to the point I want to flip the table and call for a new staff. We've been down that road, we know where it leads, and it's not where we want to be.

Yep nothing to do with Brady coming to save us.

[Buc2]

Do it

For what it's worth, I just did. You can't initiate posts on their official FB page so I left the link under an existing post they titled, Looking back on 2021, with this comment...

Let's relive the final 3 plays of the 2021 season and some fans' reactions to them.
viewtopic.php?p=31699#p31699

Unfortunately, it will never see the light of day because it looks like they moderate posts before they can appear on their page. Oh well. It was a thought.

[King Bootz]

There's got to be a decent chance that doctor is Bowles burner account

Works out since we had Licht's burner posting over a BZ during Human Turnover Machine's last season.

Speaking of BZ, has the Titanic sank yet?

[kaimaru]

Maybe work on reading comprehension. I specifically stated that an article on the Athletic - it's a national sports publication website, perhaps you have heard of it? - was claiming Brady was not happy with the staff here. It doesn't get more disingenuous than to imply that that notion came from nowhere other than on this message board when in fact it came from a national sports reporter who probably has a lot better sources than you do.

I have theAthletic, can you send me the link as I didn't see that or maybe I missed it.

[uscbucsfan]

Maybe work on reading comprehension. I specifically stated that an article on the Athletic - it's a national sports publication website, perhaps you have heard of it? - was claiming Brady was not happy with the staff here. It doesn't get more disingenuous than to imply that that notion came from nowhere other than on this message board when in fact it came from a national sports reporter who probably has a lot better sources than you do.

There are plenty opinion pieces reported. That, if it's the same one I saw on Reddit, was from the TK Mailbag. It claimed no insider knowledge.

As I recall, you said that most of the reports about Brady from NE were BS in the Wickersham report. Only true if it's an exciting narrative?

There's a reason no one else is running with "Brady was upset with the coaches", because it doesn't have any substance. It may be true, but it's not verified.

If you have anything substantial from a reporter, please post it. It sounds like the Athletic's firewall is preventing all other insiders and reporters from getting this "scoop".

[King Bootz]

Speaking of BZ, has the Titanic sank yet?

Grownish posted the other day so one would think that you would know...... allegedly

You know how it goes. If 1 person says it's true, then it's true. Can't do anything about it.

I'll take your presence here as evidence that the ship has broken in half already

[kaimaru]

Maybe work on reading comprehension. I specifically stated that an article on the Athletic - it's a national sports publication website, perhaps you have heard of it? - was claiming Brady was not happy with the staff here. It doesn't get more disingenuous than to imply that that notion came from nowhere other than on this message board when in fact it came from a national sports reporter who probably has a lot better sources than you do.

There are plenty opinion pieces reported. That, if it's the same one I saw on Reddit, was from the TK Mailbag. It claimed no insider knowledge.

As I recall, you said that most of the reports about Brady from NE were BS in the Wickersham report. Only true if it's an exciting narrative?

There's a reason no one else is running with "Brady was upset with the coaches", because it doesn't have any substance. It may be true, but it's not verified.

If you have anything substantial from a reporter, please post it. It sounds like the Athletic's firewall is preventing all other insiders and reporters from getting this "scoop".

Funny, I re-read the latest TK insider and didn't see anything about that. Was that in a previous one?