Improving Tampa Bay’s struggling defense won’t mean major lineup changes, and Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles will continue to call the plays himself.
“We review personnel changes every week to find what works best for us,” Bowles said Monday. He noted that the Bucs have lost three out of their last four games, allowing 27 or more points in each one. In their first four games, no opponent scored more than 26 points, which helped them to a 3-1 record.
“Sometimes we can’t do anything, but we’re doing everything this week to try to put the guys on the field who can help us improve,” Bowles added. “If we don’t have them, we don’t have them, but if they’re on the team, we’ll definitely try to use them.”
When asked about the defense’s struggles and whether he might consider having someone else call the defensive plays, Bowles emphasized that Tampa Bay’s defense has been very effective since he became the coordinator in 2019. While injuries have affected this season’s performance, he refuses to blame them.
“What’s happening is that we have about four or five plays a game where we either miss a tackle or don’t drop back where we’re supposed to, leading to big plays,” Bowles said. “I’ll keep calling the plays.”
He is counting on his players to fix their mistakes, communicate better, and perform well, no matter who is on the field.
