December 16, 2025 • 25 mins
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit a season-defining low after a brutal late collapse against the Atlanta Falcons, and head coach Todd Bowles made it clear he’s had enough. In an uncharacteristically fiery postgame locker room message, Bowles challenged his players to take accountability, calling the loss inexcusable and demanding they “look in the mirror.” After losing five of their last seven games and dropping winnable home matchups to struggling division rivals, the Bucs now sit at 7-7 with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield stepped up following the loss, taking full responsibility for critical fourth-quarter mistakes and refusing to shift blame to the defense. While Tampa Bay remains mathematically alive in the NFC South, the margin for error is gone. With roster flaws, inconsistent execution, and leadership being tested, the Buccaneers face a defining stretch that will determine whether this season is salvaged or remembered as one of missed opportunities and internal collapse.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield stepped up following the loss, taking full responsibility for critical fourth-quarter mistakes and refusing to shift blame to the defense. While Tampa Bay remains mathematically alive in the NFC South, the margin for error is gone. With roster flaws, inconsistent execution, and leadership being tested, the Buccaneers face a defining stretch that will determine whether this season is salvaged or remembered as one of missed opportunities and internal collapse.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
On today's show, the loss to the Falcons wasn't just
a loss. This was a merror moment for the Buccaneers
and Todd Bowles just shattered the glass and then then well, Hello, Endo,
(00:51):
welcome into this edition of the Box Report, part of
the Box Report podcast network. I'm so glad you decided
to join me today. As always, this podcast is free
and available on all the major platforms. My name is
Dan Homye. You can find me on Twitter. It's at
Dan caps two and eight. You can find us online
bucks Reports dot com. And the best way that you
(01:13):
can help grow this show is to subscribe to The
Bucks Report on YouTube, like the videos and comment anything
down below. So in this edition of the Bucks Report podcast,
things are not looking good for Todd Bowles. A very
measured coach at the end of the day. So when
(01:34):
you see him going into a press conference using four
letter f words, then I think that you know, not
everything is going super well in the world of Todd Bowles,
and you know the thing of it is. And I
don't want to disparage or besmirch Todd Bowles too much
(01:55):
other than to say that he was gifted with a
good roster at least initially when he found out that
he was going to be the head coach, when he
got called at a basketball in the game that hey,
you're the head coach. At the end of the day,
I still don't think the Buccaneers reached out and and
vetted and found the right next head coach post Bruce
(02:16):
Arians that, you know, Todd Bowles seemed like the easy thing.
He's already in the organization, so let's just kind of
move them over a little bit and great things will happen. Right.
But the part where I say I don't want to
disparage or the smirch or anything like that is because
he the results speak for himself. Right. The team has
(02:36):
done great things, winning multiple NFC self titles. But I
think that you know, if you watch this team, if
you cover this team, you know that sometimes you're like, wow,
you you know, a broken clock is right twice a
day and all of those things that I think that
there's at least a bit of that for Todd Bowles
(02:58):
is that you know, the season's past, the poor clock mismanagement,
the not going for it when it seemed like the
right thing to do, that has kind of put him
in the position that he's in now. Of course I'll
eat my words. I will I will eat my words
on the show. If somehow the Buccaneers make a deep
push or say something crazy happens and they win as
(03:19):
a Super Bowl, I don't think that's going to be
the case. And you know, Todd Bowles has put himself
in this position. Some people say, you know it was Grizzard,
Was he the right guy? You know that they like
to bring in a lot of guys without you know,
a hefty track record that the teams that do it well,
they bring in in great coaches, and that's kind to
(03:41):
put them in the position that they're in. So let's
dive into that. In the first segment of today's show,
is Todd Bowles finally said the quiet part out loud
and he wasn't wrong. So let's start here because this
is the moment that defines the entire season and maybe
even this era of Bucks football. Todd Bulls snapping, losing it,
(04:05):
mister measured, mister monotone, just losing it. Todd Bowles, the
calmest dude in the building, dropping f bombs like he's
a fan, sitting three rows up in section one point
thirty two at rayg That doesn't happen unless the situation
is completely broken. That it was just the game before
(04:26):
where you know, he said, you look on any given Sunday,
anything can happen in Stroud and verse. Nick let him
up on the podcast, and you got to know that that,
you know, just pushing aside that everything's going to be
okay when the building around you is engulfed in flames, like, hey,
we're fine. I'm sure the fire department's gonna come up,
or maybe someone with a wet blanket. Right, guys, there's
(04:48):
no wet blanket to put out this team. The Buccaneers
need to get themselves out of the mess that they
put themselves in. Todd Bowles and his staff that surrounds him,
they have to dig the Buccaneers out of the position
that they find themselves in. But when it comes to Bulls,
that wasn't just frustration. That was a head coach realizing
(05:11):
the message is no longer landing. You hear quite often that,
you know, coaches lose the locker room, and it happens
in all of professional sports. And when Bulls tells grown
men to look in the effing mirror, he's admitting something
huge without saying it directly, I think that if he
hadn't lost the locker room that maybe he did. Now
(05:33):
I think that maybe a lot of the players see
him as a little bit of a lame duck coach
just waiting for the season to end in them to
pull the plug on Bulls and probably the surrounding staff.
But you know, coaches can only do so much at
this point of the season, right Accountability has to come
from the locker room, and it has him And ultimately
(05:54):
why they reached for those vintage vibes. If you want
a litmus test or an indicator that your team has
straight up gotten off the rails, is that when you
bring back in Jpp JPP you know, and not again.
I don't want to disparage him because if they need
a leader, you know, he could be the guy. But anyway,
(06:15):
this is all too little, too late at the end
of the day. But think about what just happened. Back
to back home losses to a Saints team that was
two and ten. And I said it on the show
that if they lose that game, there is no reason,
there is no reason for them to lose. That it
was a trap game, and ultimately was it and a
Falcons team that was four and nine with Kirk Cousins
(06:37):
at the helm and still found a way to lose.
It's just kind of almost too much for me to
take in at times. And you're up two scores late
season on the line, the vision line still right there,
and you collapse again again. You know, it wasn't bad
enough losing to the Saints that were two and ten
(06:57):
at the time. That's not a scheme. That's not talent.
That's execution, effort and focus. And the thing I like
about it is that Bulls isn't absolving absolving himself of guilt.
He's been saying all year the coaches need to do better.
He needs to look in the effing mirror as well. Uh,
but this was different. This was him saying I've done
(07:20):
all I can do. I've pushed him in the right direction,
like you know, push, push, push, and let go. Okay,
keep peddling, keep peddling. Oh they fell. I feel like
Todd Bowles is pushing a kid learning to ride a
bike for the first time, like you got a kid,
you got it. I'm letting go now. Oh, And that's
what happened. He can only do so much and now
(07:42):
it's on the guys and what he says it it's
a small select few getting them the you know, getting
them beat. It's the defense, and you know it's Baker
not being Baker. And that's the scariest part because that
matters more because the problem is specific and everyone in
the locker room knows exactly who he's talking about. Out
This was a turning point either the team response or
(08:04):
the season is effectively over, even if the math says otherwise.
I talked about it in the last podcast, and it
remains true as well that the future is in their hands.
It's ultimately up to the Buccaneers to take grasp of
it and do the thing and win these games here
(08:25):
because you know, on paper, it seemed like this team
was really good, but then when you kind of look
at it under a microscope, you're like, wow, oh, it's
like finding something molding in the fridge and no, my
fridge was clean, but oh, there's molding here. There's a
little bit of mold in the Buccaneers locker room that
I think that needs some bleached treatment because if not now,
(08:45):
there's going to be changes between now the end of
this season and next season. So that's what we're hoping for. Buccaneers,
dig deep, do the things that got you in the
position that you were in earlier in the season, when
you were what five at one at the best point
of the season. That is what they have to do
if they want to have continued success. There's no really adds, ifs,
(09:08):
or butts about it. All right, So coming up here
after the break, biggest takeaway Baker Mayfield. Yes, people owning
what they've done wrong. Baker Mayfield own the loss, and
that actually matters why I'll discuss next. All right, Welcome
(09:33):
back into this edition of the Bucks Report podcast, part
of the Bucks Report podcast Network, also simulcast on the
Bucks Minticast podcast feed, a part of the Fans for
Sports Network. So let's talk about you know, players and
coaches owning their mistakes. And you know, when you take
a look at Baker Mayfield, a guy with happy feet,
and ultimately I think that we know that he's not
(09:57):
playing one hundred percent as evident out on the field.
You can still scramble. But you know, and I talked
about this, if you followed it along with me this
entire season on this podcast for one, thank you so much.
But I talked about that at some point the rubber
was going to meet the road, right that Baker Mayfield
and his happy feet and then not even diving anymore
when he's getting ready to get hitches, that all of
(10:20):
a sudden, you know he's he got injured, right, and
didn't miss a substantial amount of time. But I still
think is not playing one hundred percent. But let's talk
about Baker as he owns his mistakes as well. So
let's talk about Baker because I know some of you
already warming up the trade machine right that in a
league of what have you done for me lately? It
(10:42):
goes from a love fest to get the fuck out
of my house and take your dog with you. But
that matters. Baker didn't deflect, He didn't hide behind the
defense giving up lay drives. He did do the quarterback
thing where you say we instead of ie. He flat
out said the interception cannot happen. The demons, the ghosts
(11:04):
of Baker Mayfield past came back to haunt him, and
that miss too, a Mecca Abuca cannot happen, and this
one's gonna haunt me. He said, that's leadership, period. That
it was right there. The game was right there for
the taking, but ah, I lost it. And now we're
in the position that we're in that the Buccaneers really
(11:27):
need to heat up and like I said, find where
they were earlier in the season. But is Baker Mayfield perfect? No?
Is he streaky? Yeah? Has he regressed since the six
and two start? Absolutely? But here's the reality. Nobody wants
to admit. There is no better option walking through that
(11:48):
door next year because it's Teddy Bridgewater and it doesn't
get to much better after that. The draft isn't saving you.
Free agency sure as hell isn't saving you unless you
want Daniel Jones or a forty two year old Aaron Rodgers.
And no, just no, Baker is dealing with inconsistent play calling,
He's dealing with injuries, He's dealing with young receivers he
(12:11):
doesn't fully trust. Yet you know, I don't think he
had it on his Bengal card that Tess Johnson and
Kate Otten we're going to be targeted so many times.
And yeah, you know he made mistakes, But when the
head coach lights the building on fire and the quarterback
steps up and says, put it on me, that's not
the guy you move on from lightly. That is a
(12:33):
guy that's taken the sword and falling right on it.
Even though that sword should go in the chest of
every other player out there, he is the guy that
did just that. So what needs to happen is Baker
needs to be stabilized. He needs rhythm, he needs protection,
he needs weapons he trusts, and he has them now right.
(12:54):
I talked about in the last episode Evans, Godwin, McMillan, Abuka,
because when he's right, the offense can still move the ball.
The problem is they haven't been right in weeks and
that's what puts us in the position that we're in
right now. And if the locker room fractures, if players
stop believing the quarterback owning, it might be the only
(13:15):
thing keeping this thing from completely imploding. That there's a
lot at steak right now, guys, right, and they have
to dig deep. They have got to dig deep to
get themselves out of the mess that they're in. And
Baker Mayfield and his great play, his scrambling and like
I said to start the season, those late game heroics
(13:38):
is ultimately what put the Buccaneers in first place. Their
inability to fully put the boot down to their opponent's
neck and apply a little pressure is what let Carolina
sneak into this thing that that is the ugly thing
sitting in the corner. Carolina, Oh, are you going to fail?
(13:59):
Because I'm I'm gonna take it from you. That's what Carolina,
That's who they are. They're the ugly thing sitting in
the room waiting for you to make a mistake. Loose
to Carolina, make it two losses. It's over, and they
walk away in victory lane and the Buccaneers are left
scratching their head, going, how did we get ourself in
(14:20):
this position that Baker Mayfield and the love fest MVP
MVP has evaporated, Todd Bowles and his positive outlook on
this team has evaporated, and we find ourselves in damn
near must win territory right that we have got to
make Hay while the sunshine shines, as they say up
(14:41):
north here. So that is ultimately what the Buccaneers need
to do. They need to dig deep. The season counts
on it. Because you know, I'm glad that you started
really well. That means zero right now. They've got to
find a way to dig deep and pick up some
big wins against some opponents that shouldn't really be that difficult.
(15:03):
The Saints should have been a walk in the park,
the Falcons should have been a walk in the park.
And the damn Carolina Panthers, where the hell did they
come from? Anyway? That I definitely did not think that
Dave Canalis and that group was going to be able
to about face that team, but he did just that.
That Buckle up, Bucks fans, It is not going to
(15:25):
get any easier, all right. So coming up here after
the break, the biggest takeaway, the roster has fooled us,
and the cracks were always there straight ahead, all right,
Welcome back into this edition of the Bucks Report podcast.
(15:45):
So let's keep rolling here, and was this roster just
a bit of fools gold this entire season? Because let's
be honest with ourself for a second. What was it?
It was not the five and oil, was the six
and two start? It was smoking mirrors. Those close wins
early in the season weren't signs of toughs toughness, They
(16:05):
were warning signs that, okay, we bailed out, you know,
Baker bailed us out. But we cannot pat ourselves too
hard on the back thinking that we did that Falcons, Texans, Jets, Seahawks,
all wins by three points or less. Now fast forward Patriots, Saints, Falcons,
(16:30):
all losses by basically the same margin. Fools gold. At
the end of the day. The difference is the ball
isn't bouncing our way anymore. This team didn't sunly good bad.
They were always this close to falling apart. Can you
take a car with a donut spare on it across country? Maybe,
(16:54):
but I wouldn't count on it. So if the Buccaneers
are hoping that the donut that they have riding on
as a spare right now is going to get them
across country for their New York to La vacation, then
they're really living on a whole lot of more hope
than optimism than I have in my arsenal. And the
tight end room is the perfect example. I like Kitott
(17:16):
and he's fine, but fine does not cut it. He
doesn't scare anyone, he doesn't dominate in the red zone,
he doesn't change the game plan. And if your tight
end room is just a bunch of guys who are
kind of good at everything but great at nothing, defenses
don't respect it, you know. And I think that that
(17:38):
is why the Buccaneers are in the position that they're
in because it's not even just that edge rusher disaster
outside of ya Ya Dabi, who has not been that great.
It's a wasteland, one year rentals, no juice, no real
rear factor. I hate saying, but it's time. Levante David
(17:59):
is a legend, ring of honor, possibly hall of fame.
But football does not care about legacy. It cares about
now and right now that this unit cannot run, cannot cover,
and cannot close. Let me circle back to what I said,
and I've said this all season long about you know,
(18:19):
these late game heroics and is it sustainable? Falcons, Texans, Jets,
Seahawks all won by three points or less. So say
you lose Falcons Texans and take Jets Seahawks. Just that's
what I'm talking about, that when the Buccaneers were playing
their best football this season, that best was not really
(18:42):
that great in comparison, that they got lucky and you
can't say, hey, you got lucky. It win's a win
and a loss is a loss. Okay, then it is
then the last game the Patriots, Saints and Falcons. I
don't want to hear any excuses their losses if we're
going with that kind of logic, and I talk about
that on all the different podcasts that I do that
(19:02):
there are wins against certain teams that take you a
step or two further than what they do for you
in the standings. They're moral victories. They're like, yeah, we
beat those guys. Conversely, losing to the goddamn Saints and
Falcons that sets you back more than just a loss.
(19:23):
So I don't want any you know, people just living
in just this alternate reality that you know, I guess
when I talk about my life, glass half full, glass
half empty, you know, I guess, you know, to a
certain extent, sometimes I'm a glass half empty because the
shit that we see out there like this is ultimately
(19:44):
what I'm talking about, because you know, the mistakes and
the standings and the standings cannot lie about this team anymore.
They're a men football team right now. And to all
the people drinking the creamsicle kool aid, look yourself in
the mirror, that to this team is in twenty twenty five,
a team that got lucky because they're playing in a
(20:06):
deplorable NFC South. That's where we're at right now. And
that's the hard part is looking at the reality in
the face. You know that you think you're the beauty
queen because your mama told you so, and then you
go to school everyone's like, ugh, not so much that
that is ultimately who the Bucks are. That when you
listen to you know the people that surround them. Now,
(20:26):
you guys are the greatest. But the NFL has exposed
the Bucks for exactly the ugly person that they are.
And that's the tough thing right now is that the
Buccaneers need a facelift in a hurry. They need an
image change. They need the players that put them in
the position that they were earlier in the season to
(20:46):
do it because they got lucky. And I'm gonna say
lucky here that people say luck doesn't have any place
in sports, bs it does. Those losses that were won
by a margin of three points our last are lucky.
The luck ran out. That's why we're in the position
that we're in right now. How does it taste? Bucks Nation?
(21:09):
And that's the hard part right that There's gonna need
to be big changes that are made if they if
for some reason, this damn team, this is the NFC
self considering where they started. There needs to be a
come to Jesus moment and the Glazers need to be
bringing them everyone out there, come to us. We need
a change here. And you know what about what am
I saying? Big picture? That lights and with Jason light
(21:32):
and what he did look like a masterclass. Not enough
was done. When you reach for a rabbit and you
pull out a JPP, that's not good. That's reaching for
a cyanide capsule. So I think that the Buccaneers need
to do something in a hurry, but there's not enough runway, right.
They're in the position that they're in. There's, like I said,
when you're reaching for JPP, a guy that was really
(21:54):
great years ago, but you know, probably sitting at home
watching TV, eating Doritos, watching Jerry Springer going, you want
me to come practice and try out? All right, I'll
be their coach. That's where we're at. So it's a
tough position for the Bucks to be in, but it's
a position that they've put themselves in and ultimately up
to them to dig themselves out of it. All right,
(22:15):
So coming up here after the break, this season isn't
dead yet, but everything has to change immediately next all right,
welcome back into this edition of The Bucks Report, part
of the Bucks Report podcast network, also part of the
Bucks Minicast, part of the Fans for Sports Network. So
(22:39):
let's dive into the final segment of today's tirade. I'm
just gonna call it what it is. Dan's coming on
glued because how did we get here? How did we
get here? That is the question. And I think, ultimately
what has me the most pissed off? I guess you
could say so. Like I said, the season isn't dead yet,
(23:00):
but everything has got to change immediately. And here's the
wild part. The Bucks are still alive thanks to the Saints.
Yes that Saints. Thank you Saints. Two games against Carolina.
Win those, you probably win the division. That's insane considering
how this feels. But it only matters if something changes,
(23:22):
not talk, not meetings, not slogans, actual on field change,
players holding players accountable, missed assignments, getting called out, effort
being non negotiable, No more sleep walking through third quarters,
no more late game collapses. Tristan Wirf said he hopes
everybody lets this loss stew the question. The question is
(23:48):
can this team dig deep enough? That's the right mindset,
because if this team just flushes it and moves on
like it's business as usual, they're done and the legac
see that's left behind. You know what Levonte David last season,
You know, Mike Evans, who knows how much longer Godwin,
all these guys on the back nine. The legacy out
(24:09):
there is being tarnished by the poor play late in
the twenty five season. And Todd Bowles, he threw the grenade,
Baker took the ownership. Now we find out who's actually listening.
Baker Mayfield, you need to do the damn thing. We
brought you here for thurn touchdowns, right, but also the leadership,
(24:30):
and he's been that guy. He's been the big brother
to this team. That Tom Brady the dad never was
relatable younger and ultimately what put the Buccaneers in this
position because if they don't look in the mirror, this
offseason is going to do it for them. And what
kind of changes is that going to mean for this
(24:50):
Buccaneers team? Right, big changes and expect players to move on,
Expect potential GM head coach. They could tear it down
to the studs and rebuild the whole damn thing. It
really could happen. That's where we're at right now. I
didn't think this was going to be the case. I
worried that it might be. But here we are staring
(25:13):
us directly in the face, and it's the ugly face
that you don't want to look at, but it's the
one that's looking at you in the mirror. The question is, now,
how do the Buccaneers dig deep enough to dig themselves
out of the hole they've dug for themselves. Listen, I
want to thank you once again for chaining me on
this edition of The Bucks Report, part of the Bucks
(25:34):
Report podcast network, the Bucks Mintecast, and the Fans for
Sports Network. And I'll talk to again next time.
On today's show, the loss to the Falcons wasn't just
a loss. This was a merror moment for the Buccaneers
and Todd Bowles just shattered the glass and then then well, Hello, Endo,
(00:51):
welcome into this edition of the Box Report, part of
the Box Report podcast network. I'm so glad you decided
to join me today. As always, this podcast is free
and available on all the major platforms. My name is
Dan Homye. You can find me on Twitter. It's at
Dan caps two and eight. You can find us online
bucks Reports dot com. And the best way that you
(01:13):
can help grow this show is to subscribe to The
Bucks Report on YouTube, like the videos and comment anything
down below. So in this edition of the Bucks Report podcast,
things are not looking good for Todd Bowles. A very
measured coach at the end of the day. So when
(01:34):
you see him going into a press conference using four
letter f words, then I think that you know, not
everything is going super well in the world of Todd Bowles,
and you know the thing of it is. And I
don't want to disparage or besmirch Todd Bowles too much
(01:55):
other than to say that he was gifted with a
good roster at least initially when he found out that
he was going to be the head coach, when he
got called at a basketball in the game that hey,
you're the head coach. At the end of the day,
I still don't think the Buccaneers reached out and and
vetted and found the right next head coach post Bruce
(02:16):
Arians that, you know, Todd Bowles seemed like the easy thing.
He's already in the organization, so let's just kind of
move them over a little bit and great things will happen. Right.
But the part where I say I don't want to
disparage or the smirch or anything like that is because
he the results speak for himself. Right. The team has
(02:36):
done great things, winning multiple NFC self titles. But I
think that you know, if you watch this team, if
you cover this team, you know that sometimes you're like, wow,
you you know, a broken clock is right twice a
day and all of those things that I think that
there's at least a bit of that for Todd Bowles
(02:58):
is that you know, the season's past, the poor clock mismanagement,
the not going for it when it seemed like the
right thing to do, that has kind of put him
in the position that he's in now. Of course I'll
eat my words. I will I will eat my words
on the show. If somehow the Buccaneers make a deep
push or say something crazy happens and they win as
(03:19):
a Super Bowl, I don't think that's going to be
the case. And you know, Todd Bowles has put himself
in this position. Some people say, you know it was Grizzard,
Was he the right guy? You know that they like
to bring in a lot of guys without you know,
a hefty track record that the teams that do it well,
they bring in in great coaches, and that's kind to
(03:41):
put them in the position that they're in. So let's
dive into that. In the first segment of today's show,
is Todd Bowles finally said the quiet part out loud
and he wasn't wrong. So let's start here because this
is the moment that defines the entire season and maybe
even this era of Bucks football. Todd Bulls snapping, losing it,
(04:05):
mister measured, mister monotone, just losing it. Todd Bowles, the
calmest dude in the building, dropping f bombs like he's
a fan, sitting three rows up in section one point
thirty two at rayg That doesn't happen unless the situation
is completely broken. That it was just the game before
(04:26):
where you know, he said, you look on any given Sunday,
anything can happen in Stroud and verse. Nick let him
up on the podcast, and you got to know that that,
you know, just pushing aside that everything's going to be
okay when the building around you is engulfed in flames, like, hey,
we're fine. I'm sure the fire department's gonna come up,
or maybe someone with a wet blanket. Right, guys, there's
(04:48):
no wet blanket to put out this team. The Buccaneers
need to get themselves out of the mess that they
put themselves in. Todd Bowles and his staff that surrounds him,
they have to dig the Buccaneers out of the position
that they find themselves in. But when it comes to Bulls,
that wasn't just frustration. That was a head coach realizing
(05:11):
the message is no longer landing. You hear quite often that,
you know, coaches lose the locker room, and it happens
in all of professional sports. And when Bulls tells grown
men to look in the effing mirror, he's admitting something
huge without saying it directly, I think that if he
hadn't lost the locker room that maybe he did. Now
(05:33):
I think that maybe a lot of the players see
him as a little bit of a lame duck coach
just waiting for the season to end in them to
pull the plug on Bulls and probably the surrounding staff.
But you know, coaches can only do so much at
this point of the season, right Accountability has to come
from the locker room, and it has him And ultimately
(05:54):
why they reached for those vintage vibes. If you want
a litmus test or an indicator that your team has
straight up gotten off the rails, is that when you
bring back in Jpp JPP you know, and not again.
I don't want to disparage him because if they need
a leader, you know, he could be the guy. But anyway,
(06:15):
this is all too little, too late at the end
of the day. But think about what just happened. Back
to back home losses to a Saints team that was
two and ten. And I said it on the show
that if they lose that game, there is no reason,
there is no reason for them to lose. That it
was a trap game, and ultimately was it and a
Falcons team that was four and nine with Kirk Cousins
(06:37):
at the helm and still found a way to lose.
It's just kind of almost too much for me to
take in at times. And you're up two scores late
season on the line, the vision line still right there,
and you collapse again again. You know, it wasn't bad
enough losing to the Saints that were two and ten
(06:57):
at the time. That's not a scheme. That's not talent.
That's execution, effort and focus. And the thing I like
about it is that Bulls isn't absolving absolving himself of guilt.
He's been saying all year the coaches need to do better.
He needs to look in the effing mirror as well. Uh,
but this was different. This was him saying I've done
(07:20):
all I can do. I've pushed him in the right direction,
like you know, push, push, push, and let go. Okay,
keep peddling, keep peddling. Oh they fell. I feel like
Todd Bowles is pushing a kid learning to ride a
bike for the first time, like you got a kid,
you got it. I'm letting go now. Oh, And that's
what happened. He can only do so much and now
(07:42):
it's on the guys and what he says it it's
a small select few getting them the you know, getting
them beat. It's the defense, and you know it's Baker
not being Baker. And that's the scariest part because that
matters more because the problem is specific and everyone in
the locker room knows exactly who he's talking about. Out
This was a turning point either the team response or
(08:04):
the season is effectively over, even if the math says otherwise.
I talked about it in the last podcast, and it
remains true as well that the future is in their hands.
It's ultimately up to the Buccaneers to take grasp of
it and do the thing and win these games here
(08:25):
because you know, on paper, it seemed like this team
was really good, but then when you kind of look
at it under a microscope, you're like, wow, oh, it's
like finding something molding in the fridge and no, my
fridge was clean, but oh, there's molding here. There's a
little bit of mold in the Buccaneers locker room that
I think that needs some bleached treatment because if not now,
(08:45):
there's going to be changes between now the end of
this season and next season. So that's what we're hoping for. Buccaneers,
dig deep, do the things that got you in the
position that you were in earlier in the season, when
you were what five at one at the best point
of the season. That is what they have to do
if they want to have continued success. There's no really adds, ifs,
(09:08):
or butts about it. All right, So coming up here
after the break, biggest takeaway Baker Mayfield. Yes, people owning
what they've done wrong. Baker Mayfield own the loss, and
that actually matters why I'll discuss next. All right, Welcome
(09:33):
back into this edition of the Bucks Report podcast, part
of the Bucks Report podcast Network, also simulcast on the
Bucks Minticast podcast feed, a part of the Fans for
Sports Network. So let's talk about you know, players and
coaches owning their mistakes. And you know, when you take
a look at Baker Mayfield, a guy with happy feet,
and ultimately I think that we know that he's not
(09:57):
playing one hundred percent as evident out on the field.
You can still scramble. But you know, and I talked
about this, if you followed it along with me this
entire season on this podcast for one, thank you so much.
But I talked about that at some point the rubber
was going to meet the road, right that Baker Mayfield
and his happy feet and then not even diving anymore
when he's getting ready to get hitches, that all of
(10:20):
a sudden, you know he's he got injured, right, and
didn't miss a substantial amount of time. But I still
think is not playing one hundred percent. But let's talk
about Baker as he owns his mistakes as well. So
let's talk about Baker because I know some of you
already warming up the trade machine right that in a
league of what have you done for me lately? It
(10:42):
goes from a love fest to get the fuck out
of my house and take your dog with you. But
that matters. Baker didn't deflect, He didn't hide behind the
defense giving up lay drives. He did do the quarterback
thing where you say we instead of ie. He flat
out said the interception cannot happen. The demons, the ghosts
(11:04):
of Baker Mayfield past came back to haunt him, and
that miss too, a Mecca Abuca cannot happen, and this
one's gonna haunt me. He said, that's leadership, period. That
it was right there. The game was right there for
the taking, but ah, I lost it. And now we're
in the position that we're in that the Buccaneers really
(11:27):
need to heat up and like I said, find where
they were earlier in the season. But is Baker Mayfield perfect? No?
Is he streaky? Yeah? Has he regressed since the six
and two start? Absolutely? But here's the reality. Nobody wants
to admit. There is no better option walking through that
(11:48):
door next year because it's Teddy Bridgewater and it doesn't
get to much better after that. The draft isn't saving you.
Free agency sure as hell isn't saving you unless you
want Daniel Jones or a forty two year old Aaron Rodgers.
And no, just no, Baker is dealing with inconsistent play calling,
He's dealing with injuries, He's dealing with young receivers he
(12:11):
doesn't fully trust. Yet you know, I don't think he
had it on his Bengal card that Tess Johnson and
Kate Otten we're going to be targeted so many times.
And yeah, you know he made mistakes, But when the
head coach lights the building on fire and the quarterback
steps up and says, put it on me, that's not
the guy you move on from lightly. That is a
(12:33):
guy that's taken the sword and falling right on it.
Even though that sword should go in the chest of
every other player out there, he is the guy that
did just that. So what needs to happen is Baker
needs to be stabilized. He needs rhythm, he needs protection,
he needs weapons he trusts, and he has them now right.
(12:54):
I talked about in the last episode Evans, Godwin, McMillan, Abuka,
because when he's right, the offense can still move the ball.
The problem is they haven't been right in weeks and
that's what puts us in the position that we're in
right now. And if the locker room fractures, if players
stop believing the quarterback owning, it might be the only
(13:15):
thing keeping this thing from completely imploding. That there's a
lot at steak right now, guys, right, and they have
to dig deep. They have got to dig deep to
get themselves out of the mess that they're in. And
Baker Mayfield and his great play, his scrambling and like
I said to start the season, those late game heroics
(13:38):
is ultimately what put the Buccaneers in first place. Their
inability to fully put the boot down to their opponent's
neck and apply a little pressure is what let Carolina
sneak into this thing that that is the ugly thing
sitting in the corner. Carolina, Oh, are you going to fail?
(13:59):
Because I'm I'm gonna take it from you. That's what Carolina,
That's who they are. They're the ugly thing sitting in
the room waiting for you to make a mistake. Loose
to Carolina, make it two losses. It's over, and they
walk away in victory lane and the Buccaneers are left
scratching their head, going, how did we get ourself in
(14:20):
this position that Baker Mayfield and the love fest MVP
MVP has evaporated, Todd Bowles and his positive outlook on
this team has evaporated, and we find ourselves in damn
near must win territory right that we have got to
make Hay while the sunshine shines, as they say up
(14:41):
north here. So that is ultimately what the Buccaneers need
to do. They need to dig deep. The season counts
on it. Because you know, I'm glad that you started
really well. That means zero right now. They've got to
find a way to dig deep and pick up some
big wins against some opponents that shouldn't really be that difficult.
(15:03):
The Saints should have been a walk in the park,
the Falcons should have been a walk in the park.
And the damn Carolina Panthers, where the hell did they
come from? Anyway? That I definitely did not think that
Dave Canalis and that group was going to be able
to about face that team, but he did just that.
That Buckle up, Bucks fans, It is not going to
(15:25):
get any easier, all right. So coming up here after
the break, the biggest takeaway, the roster has fooled us,
and the cracks were always there straight ahead, all right,
Welcome back into this edition of the Bucks Report podcast.
(15:45):
So let's keep rolling here, and was this roster just
a bit of fools gold this entire season? Because let's
be honest with ourself for a second. What was it?
It was not the five and oil, was the six
and two start? It was smoking mirrors. Those close wins
early in the season weren't signs of toughs toughness, They
(16:05):
were warning signs that, okay, we bailed out, you know,
Baker bailed us out. But we cannot pat ourselves too
hard on the back thinking that we did that Falcons, Texans, Jets, Seahawks,
all wins by three points or less. Now fast forward Patriots, Saints, Falcons,
(16:30):
all losses by basically the same margin. Fools gold. At
the end of the day. The difference is the ball
isn't bouncing our way anymore. This team didn't sunly good bad.
They were always this close to falling apart. Can you
take a car with a donut spare on it across country? Maybe,
(16:54):
but I wouldn't count on it. So if the Buccaneers
are hoping that the donut that they have riding on
as a spare right now is going to get them
across country for their New York to La vacation, then
they're really living on a whole lot of more hope
than optimism than I have in my arsenal. And the
tight end room is the perfect example. I like Kitott
(17:16):
and he's fine, but fine does not cut it. He
doesn't scare anyone, he doesn't dominate in the red zone,
he doesn't change the game plan. And if your tight
end room is just a bunch of guys who are
kind of good at everything but great at nothing, defenses
don't respect it, you know. And I think that that
(17:38):
is why the Buccaneers are in the position that they're
in because it's not even just that edge rusher disaster
outside of ya Ya Dabi, who has not been that great.
It's a wasteland, one year rentals, no juice, no real
rear factor. I hate saying, but it's time. Levante David
(17:59):
is a legend, ring of honor, possibly hall of fame.
But football does not care about legacy. It cares about
now and right now that this unit cannot run, cannot cover,
and cannot close. Let me circle back to what I said,
and I've said this all season long about you know,
(18:19):
these late game heroics and is it sustainable? Falcons, Texans, Jets,
Seahawks all won by three points or less. So say
you lose Falcons Texans and take Jets Seahawks. Just that's
what I'm talking about, that when the Buccaneers were playing
their best football this season, that best was not really
(18:42):
that great in comparison, that they got lucky and you
can't say, hey, you got lucky. It win's a win
and a loss is a loss. Okay, then it is
then the last game the Patriots, Saints and Falcons. I
don't want to hear any excuses their losses if we're
going with that kind of logic, and I talk about
that on all the different podcasts that I do that
(19:02):
there are wins against certain teams that take you a
step or two further than what they do for you
in the standings. They're moral victories. They're like, yeah, we
beat those guys. Conversely, losing to the goddamn Saints and
Falcons that sets you back more than just a loss.
(19:23):
So I don't want any you know, people just living
in just this alternate reality that you know, I guess
when I talk about my life, glass half full, glass
half empty, you know, I guess, you know, to a
certain extent, sometimes I'm a glass half empty because the
shit that we see out there like this is ultimately
(19:44):
what I'm talking about, because you know, the mistakes and
the standings and the standings cannot lie about this team anymore.
They're a men football team right now. And to all
the people drinking the creamsicle kool aid, look yourself in
the mirror, that to this team is in twenty twenty five,
a team that got lucky because they're playing in a
(20:06):
deplorable NFC South. That's where we're at right now. And
that's the hard part is looking at the reality in
the face. You know that you think you're the beauty
queen because your mama told you so, and then you
go to school everyone's like, ugh, not so much that
that is ultimately who the Bucks are. That when you
listen to you know the people that surround them. Now,
(20:26):
you guys are the greatest. But the NFL has exposed
the Bucks for exactly the ugly person that they are.
And that's the tough thing right now is that the
Buccaneers need a facelift in a hurry. They need an
image change. They need the players that put them in
the position that they were earlier in the season to
(20:46):
do it because they got lucky. And I'm gonna say
lucky here that people say luck doesn't have any place
in sports, bs it does. Those losses that were won
by a margin of three points our last are lucky.
The luck ran out. That's why we're in the position
that we're in right now. How does it taste? Bucks Nation?
(21:09):
And that's the hard part right that There's gonna need
to be big changes that are made if they if
for some reason, this damn team, this is the NFC
self considering where they started. There needs to be a
come to Jesus moment and the Glazers need to be
bringing them everyone out there, come to us. We need
a change here. And you know what about what am
I saying? Big picture? That lights and with Jason light
(21:32):
and what he did look like a masterclass. Not enough
was done. When you reach for a rabbit and you
pull out a JPP, that's not good. That's reaching for
a cyanide capsule. So I think that the Buccaneers need
to do something in a hurry, but there's not enough runway, right.
They're in the position that they're in. There's, like I said,
when you're reaching for JPP, a guy that was really
(21:54):
great years ago, but you know, probably sitting at home
watching TV, eating Doritos, watching Jerry Springer going, you want
me to come practice and try out? All right, I'll
be their coach. That's where we're at. So it's a
tough position for the Bucks to be in, but it's
a position that they've put themselves in and ultimately up
to them to dig themselves out of it. All right,
(22:15):
So coming up here after the break, this season isn't
dead yet, but everything has to change immediately next all right,
welcome back into this edition of The Bucks Report, part
of the Bucks Report podcast network, also part of the
Bucks Minicast, part of the Fans for Sports Network. So
(22:39):
let's dive into the final segment of today's tirade. I'm
just gonna call it what it is. Dan's coming on
glued because how did we get here? How did we
get here? That is the question. And I think, ultimately
what has me the most pissed off? I guess you
could say so. Like I said, the season isn't dead yet,
(23:00):
but everything has got to change immediately. And here's the
wild part. The Bucks are still alive thanks to the Saints.
Yes that Saints. Thank you Saints. Two games against Carolina.
Win those, you probably win the division. That's insane considering
how this feels. But it only matters if something changes,
(23:22):
not talk, not meetings, not slogans, actual on field change,
players holding players accountable, missed assignments, getting called out, effort
being non negotiable, No more sleep walking through third quarters,
no more late game collapses. Tristan Wirf said he hopes
everybody lets this loss stew the question. The question is
(23:48):
can this team dig deep enough? That's the right mindset,
because if this team just flushes it and moves on
like it's business as usual, they're done and the legac
see that's left behind. You know what Levonte David last season,
You know, Mike Evans, who knows how much longer Godwin,
all these guys on the back nine. The legacy out
(24:09):
there is being tarnished by the poor play late in
the twenty five season. And Todd Bowles, he threw the grenade,
Baker took the ownership. Now we find out who's actually listening.
Baker Mayfield, you need to do the damn thing. We
brought you here for thurn touchdowns, right, but also the leadership,
(24:30):
and he's been that guy. He's been the big brother
to this team. That Tom Brady the dad never was
relatable younger and ultimately what put the Buccaneers in this
position because if they don't look in the mirror, this
offseason is going to do it for them. And what
kind of changes is that going to mean for this
(24:50):
Buccaneers team? Right, big changes and expect players to move on,
Expect potential GM head coach. They could tear it down
to the studs and rebuild the whole damn thing. It
really could happen. That's where we're at right now. I
didn't think this was going to be the case. I
worried that it might be. But here we are staring
(25:13):
us directly in the face, and it's the ugly face
that you don't want to look at, but it's the
one that's looking at you in the mirror. The question is, now,
how do the Buccaneers dig deep enough to dig themselves
out of the hole they've dug for themselves. Listen, I
want to thank you once again for chaining me on
this edition of The Bucks Report, part of the Bucks
(25:34):
Report podcast network, the Bucks Mintecast, and the Fans for
Sports Network. And I'll talk to again next time.
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