Is Buccaneers Coach Todd Bowles Lacking in Accountability?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has been the biggest culprit in recent struggles, but it appears things may not be changing any time soon.

Oct 27, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles talks to referee Shawn Hochuli (83) after a call against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The concern around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason was all about the offense.

With questions about whether or not Liam Coen would prove capable of maintaining and building on the momentum the Dave Canales Buccaneers offense built last season combined with doubts that quarterback Baker Mayfield could stack another successful season on top of 2023 infected just about any conversation had about the defending NFC South Division champions.

Now, however, eight weeks and four losses into the 2024 campaign, the questions surrounding Tampa Bay are much more about the defensive failures than anything. And that's really saying something considering this team just lost star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

READ MORE: Bucs' Answers Are 'In the Locker Room' Amid Recent Skid

Oct 27, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles talks to referee Shawn Hochuli (83) after a call against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“What’s not happening is we have about four or five plays a game where we either miss a tackle or we’re not dropping where we’re supposed to and we give up a big play," head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles responded when questioned about the struggles and whether or not he'll continue running the team's worst unit. "I’ll continue to call plays.”

If you're thinking that sounds like a lack of accountability by the coach toward himself, you're not alone. However, it is important to remember that true accountability will be demonstrated in actions, not just words. So even if Bowles were to stand in front of the media and fall on his sword, it doesn't matter unless actionable solutions come of it.

Bowles was asked how he's going to change things if the personnel packages and the play-calling isn't going to.

“We look at personnel changes every week and see what’s best for us," Bowles says. "Sometimes we can’t do anything, but we’re doing everything this week to try to put the guys out on the field that will hopefully help us get better and kind of go from there. If we don’t have them, we don’t have them, but if we have them on the team, we’ll definitely try to put them in there.”

The coach has a point. There's a limited amount of players Bowles and his staff can lean on, and not an endless supply of talent to pull from week to week. Simply changing players who are struggling out for others is not always as simple as it sounds.

Specifically, there have been several questions dating back weeks now to why there hasn't been a change made in the inside linebacker group.

“There’s probably only one [player] that can do it and he has to get caught up to speed. At the time, he wasn’t caught up to speed," Bowles said. "Everybody else was more of a MIKE linebacker or pretty much the same from an athletic standpoint and K.J. [Britt] was the smartest of the bunch.”

That linebacker Bowles is referring to is Vi Jones, the 6'2" linebacker who has yet to make an appearance for the Bucs this season.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

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