Todd Bowles weathered the storm of a topsy-turvy 2023 NFL season and one more offensive coordinator search to stay the person accountable for the Bucs for subsequent season, which shall be his third as head coach in Tampa Bay. After Bowles and the workforce had misplaced six of seven video games, there was a lot chatter about Bowles being on the recent seat.
Nevertheless, the Bucs made it by way of and obtained all the way in which to the divisional spherical, giving him the inexperienced mild for subsequent 12 months.
Although Bowles deserves credit score for righting the Bucs’ ship, he nonetheless receives a lot criticism for a few of his teaching selections. The principle detractors embody his late responses to creating crucial personnel modifications, reminiscent of subbing out Ryan Neal at security or taking method to lengthy to place in YaYa Diaby within the beginning lineup at outdoors linebacker as an alternative of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
One other gripe is his in-game managements of timeouts or vital selections. There was a giant one on the finish of the Bucs vs. Lions playoff recreation when Bowles didn’t name a timeout on the finish when the Lions took a knee too early. That will have pressured Detroit to do one thing on fourth down – go for it, kick a subject purpose or punt. As a substitute, the clock ran out with the timeout Bowles ought to have used.
Rachaad White Speaks Up For Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles
Whereas critics can level to Todd Bowles’ positives and negatives, crucial opinions are these of Bucs gamers that work with him each day. We all know how most of the defensive gamers really feel about Bowles contemplating he calls the performs on their aspect of the ball, however the feeling can also be mutual concerning the guys on offense.
Sitting down with SiriusXM Radio through the Tremendous Bowl week, Bucs working again Rachaad White gave his help for Todd Bowles.
“He leads us the best approach,” White stated. “I say the most important factor about him is he all the time has poise. He’s very, like, poised. He’s very in-the-moment. He’s certainly one of them guys that, they all the time say, ‘by no means get too excessive, by no means get too low.’ That’s the easiest way I can describe him.”
It’s apparent that there’s two sides of Bowles. The one which doesn’t give a lot away to the media throughout his press conferences, and understandably so. The opposite is a coach that may all the time go to bat for his gamers and throw in a way of sarcasm as effectively. That’s the one of many the reason why gamers gravitate to him.
“He talks. He has ardour concerning the recreation,” White stated. “Enthusiasm concerning the recreation. I like Coach Bowles quite a bit. He’s a fantastic chief for us.”
What The Bucs Coaches Assume Of Rachaad White Heading Into 2024
Rachaad White shall be heading into his third season with the Bucs and presumably his second because the beginning working again. He got here very near 1,000 dashing yards on the season, but in addition emerged as an enormous risk within the passing recreation, as White was fourth amongst NFL working backs in all-purpose yards from scrimmage.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the Bucs view the working again room this 12 months. Chase Edmonds was on a one-year deal. He was okay as a backup, however usually isn’t wholesome for a full season. Sean Tucker was an undrafted free agent that hardly ever noticed enjoying time. Will the Bucs draft a running back this year or elect for an additional cheap possibility with White main the way in which?
Bowles spoke of White after the season and raved about how he grew in many alternative areas.
“It was nice to see him develop from a psychological standpoint,” Bowles stated. “He was all the time gifted, bodily. Being a working again isn’t just carrying the soccer and working and looking for daylight. He’s obtained to know the place the opening is earlier than the opening opens. He’s obtained to know the place the blocking is, he’s obtained to know methods to choose up pressures. He runs move routes, he does a number of issues. From a development standpoint and a psychological standpoint the place he was annoyed early within the first few weeks, he sort of eased into it and figured it out.
“Skip [Peete] did a heck of a job teaching him and Rachaad goes to be a heck of a soccer participant – he already is, however mentally, simply understanding the place the holes are and enjoying sooner and enjoying smarter. He obtained quite a bit higher at defending the soccer the place he let just a few go early within the season. You’ll be able to’t say sufficient about his development. You possibly can see it because the weeks went on, because the months went on. I’m very happy with the place he’s.”
One other caveat into all of that is that Rachaad White is working with a brand new offensive coordinator Liam Coen this season. By the sounds of it, Coen has massive plans for the gifted working again.
“Fairly dynamic dude,” Coen stated. “I evaluated him popping out of Arizona State. We have been enthusiastic about him in L.A. as effectively. The flexibility to have the ability to movement him out of the backfield. To line him up in empty. Free launch him out of the backfield. He’s proven that he can do a few of these issues. And that’s not straightforward to deal with as a younger again.
“To have the ability to do each the run and the move at a reasonably excessive stage. Now, hey how can we get higher at sticking our foot within the floor and getting vertical. Being violent with our shoulder pads down and getting downhill on folks. However man, he’s keen. I simply met him within the wait room and he’s an keen dude. He’s excited and desires to get again to work and run soccer. However he looks as if he generally is a good all-purpose again.”