Todd Bowles is rumored to be in the hot seat as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ playoff hopes have been slipping away. They have now lost five of their past six games after being upset in Week 15 by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. While many have blamed the head coach, a former All-Pro has turned the blame to their players instead.
Buccaneers Players Called Out in Defense of Todd Bowles
Bowles had his Buccaneers playing excellent football to open the 2025 NFL season. They won six of their first eight games and appeared to be contenders, but their TNF loss to the Falcons has now dropped them to just a 7-7 record with three weeks to go.
Many around the league, especially Buccaneers fans, have been calling out Bowles for their failures, but franchise legend Gerald McCoy offered a different perspective.
He recently shared his reasons for believing the players have not done their part in this concerning situation.
“I already know y’all gonna be upset with me, and that’s fine, but remember I’m a fan just like y’all at this point. I’m frustrated too, but I’ll say this we can’t just say Todd Bowles, Todd Bowles. I know for a fact personally, not just from film, TB press conference last night was brewing. At some point we have to say, ‘OK, when do we look at the players?’ People ain’t doing what they are supposed to during the week and it’s showing in the game,” shared McCoy.
Good morning Bucs fans. I already know yall gonna be upset with me and that’s fine but remember im a fan just like yall at this point. Im frustrated too. But I’ll say this we can’t just say Todd Bowles Todd Bowles. I know for a fact personally…….. Not just from film, TB press…
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) December 12, 2025
The star defensive lineman is referencing a profanity-filled press conference delivered by the head coach after the game, in which he clearly expressed his frustrations with his team’s recent failures. Their commanding lead in the NFC South has disappeared at this point, with the Carolina Panthers now leading the standings with a 7-6 record.
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McCoy is reminding Buccaneers fans that while Bowles surely deserves some of the blame, his outburst likely indicates that his players have not been doing their part in game preparations throughout the practice week. One could argue that this is also a reflection of the head coach.
It’s also worth mentioning that defense is his specialty, and they have struggled severely on that side of the ball this year. They currently rank 20th in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for this season. He is listed as their defensive coordinator and calls the defensive plays during their games, in addition to serving as the head coach.