The NFL is very much about moments.
They stick with fans. They stick with coaches. They stick with owners. And in the case of Thursday night, they stick in the craw of everyone who cares about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith, arguably the most popular voice in all of sports, says he’s a Todd Bowles fan and has a ton of respect for Bowles and got to know him during Bowles’ days in New York.
During Smith’s Friday’s edition of First Dump Take on ESPN TV, Smith spoke with calm and reserved tones about Bowles’ demise and what he called “an incredible reason to be alarmed” if you care about the Bucs and Bowles.
He said Bowles’ profanity-laced tirade was so out of character, it revealed the pressure Bowles is feeling as his Bucs are freefalling after blowing a 14-point lead and failing to stop the Falcons on 3rd-and-28 and 4th-and-14 to close the game.
“It’s moments like that when a coach loses his job,” Smith said of the Bucs’ defensive failures.
“I hate that we’re talking about Todd Bowles in that fashion. Because the way he sounded with the players like, ‘Look in the mirror and understand this ain’t your job, it’s how you pay your bills. Have so more pride, etc. etc.’ Those are direct shots.
“So even outside of the cussing, outside of the profanity, the kinds of things that he said was an attack against their manhood, which means they’re showing they ain’t being the men they supposed to be as professionals. Because Todd Bowles would never, ever talk about them like that. He would never do that unless it was warranted.”
Joe gets asked all the time whether Bowles will be fired. Joe responsds the same way. “Maybe.”
Team Glazer wants to win and Team Glazer believes a path to winning includes stability. Team Glazer also had preseason expectations and goals unbeknownst to the general public and media, and those are the key pieces to the mystery.
If Bowles can’t reach the postseason, Joe suspects Bowles and his staff should be very concerned about their employment.