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New Buccaneers' Safety Ryan Neal on Todd Bowles: "He's a Mastermind"

The newest member of the Buccaneers' defense hopes to thrive under the guidance and tutelage of his new head coach, Todd Bowles.

Collin Haalboom

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' newest acquisition, Ryan Neal, is excited about the opportunity that lies ahead.

First of all, he has a great opportunity to start for a team that — despite losing their franchise quarterback — still has plenty of talent on the roster, and in the rebuilding NFC South, legitimate playoff aspirations. 

On Thursday, Neal spoke with the Tampa media, and it immediately became clear how excited he is to join a team that contains so many talented and experienced defensive players. 

It wasn't just the roster that Neal was gushing about, though. He took some time to outline one of the most attractive features of his new NFL situation, and that was the opportunity to play for his new head coach and defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles.

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"One thing about [Todd Bowles] is he's a mastermind. He never ran the same thing so it was kind of hard trying to figure out what was going on. It was like, who's doing what? You don't know who's doing what, who's going where. I think it'll be really cool for me." 

He continued. 

"I've done a lot of things in our defense for the past four years - been in multiple positions. It'll be cool to see how [versatile] I can be. I'm looking forward to the challenge, man. I'm always looking to see if I can affect the game anywhere - that's always been a goal of mine. I'm excited to play for Coach [Bowles] - it'll definitely be exciting."

Despite some local frustration aimed in the direction of Todd Bowles following what was a disappointing 2022 campaign overall, there's no doubt that as a defensive play caller, Bowles remains one of the most respected in the league. 

Not to mention, this will be Bowles' first year leading a coaching staff that he himself assembled.

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It's completely reasonable for fans to expect Todd Bowles to show improvement as a head coach next season. But there are no guarantees. And let's be real, if he doesn't, he'll be feeling the pressure. 

But there's one thing that is guaranteed. And that is Todd Bowles' ability to design, scheme, and call an effective defense. Hopefully, the newest member of that group, Ryan Neal, will be a big part of it, and ultimately flourish under the tutelage of the "mastermind" defensive coach that he is so excited to play for. 

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.