Youngbuc

The Bucs are moving up the ranks of the NFC South. After week five, the Bucs are currently in 3rd place in the NFC South. They are tied with the Saints with each team owning a 1-4 record.  The Panthers had their bye week early this season and did not play this week. They currently own the top spot with a 2-2 record.   With the Bucs' first in-division game coming week seven against the Panthers, the Bucs can make up some serious ground in the standings if they can handle the Steelers at home next week. 

An 0-4 start does not happen by accident. It is the product of a cumulative series of choices, miscalculations, and stubborn decisions made months before a single meaningful snap was played. When you look at where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit right now, the writing was already on the wall back in the spring. The Retaining of Todd Bowles and the Zac Robinson Gamble It starts at the very top. Deciding to run it back with Todd Bowles after an 8-9 finish last year sent a loud and clear message that mediocrity was acceptable as long as it came with past division titles. Bowles got to keep his job while the rest of the staff absorbed the blame, and the franchise followed up that head-scratching retention by hiring Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator. If you saw what Atlanta fans had to say about Robinson, the offensive performance this year should not be a surprise to you. Instead of opening up an expansive, modern passing attack, the front office handed the keys to an offense ...

Will Todd Bowles be the first Bucs head coach to be fired in-season? According to a composite of league betting sites, Bowles is the current top choice to be canned.  Does the Youngbuc agree with this sentiment? Not necessarily. I know fan hatred has reached an all-time high recently but generally stems from the failed zero coverage blitz Bowles sent towards Matthew Stafford during the 2021 playoffs. And honestly, the Youngbuc still has nightmares about that game.  But the Glazers are steady owners, and Bowles is a steady coach. The Youngbuc appreciates that, honestly. Constant turnover in a franchise is rarely a good thing. Changing coaches every few years during the decade of dormancy was an exercise in futility.  Now, if the Bucs continue to lose games this season and miss out on the playoffs once again, you can expect big changes to the coaching staff. Maybe even the front office. You can see the entire list of coaches on the hot seat here .

Are there still reasons to hope for a quick turnaround after an 0-3 start? There actually might be.  Todd Bowles has enjoyed fast starts during his tenure as head coach of the Bucs. Those fast starts were always accompanied by a mid season lull, however. With that being said, maybe this season will be different.  Perhaps being behind the 8ball at the beginning of the season will prevent the complacency that accompanied those mid season drop offs. Maybe it will ignite a fire within some of the highest paid stars that have failed to produce so far.  Many fans were angered when Bowles mentioned they are only one game out of first place in the NFC South. As angry as they might be, it is the truth. The season is still young. We have no idea what will shake out as the season progresses. What we do know is that the Bucs have not played a divisional game yet. If the Bucs are able to beat their division rivals starting in week 7 against the Panthers, things can turn ar...

Gerald McCoy has spoken. During an interview with Kevin Clark, McCoy dropped a bomb and placed blame for the Bucs' slow start on the coaching staff.  "I don't know if it's schematic or what, but we've got to find a way to generate a pass rush. I know there are certain things that are being coached that I wouldn't coach," he said. "Rueben Bain . . . he's dropping a lot. You drafted him in the top 15 to generate a pass rush. A lot of people thought he was a steal, and you haven't established him at what he does best yet."  This is a damning accusation by a seemingly always optimistic former Buc. He is speaking not only based on what he sees on tape, but also, what current players are telling him.  We have heard this refrain before about Bucs outsider linebackers dropping into coverage far too often. With Bain having only played two games thus far, I think it's too early to make sweeping assumptions about the type of player h...