Buccaneers' Coach Todd Bowles is 'More Ron Rivera than Mike Tomlin'
Buccaneers' Coach Todd Bowles is 'More Ron Rivera than Mike Tomlin' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on an incredible run of five straight postseason appearances that include a record-tying four consecutive NFC South division wins.
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A lot of the credit for that can be attributed head coach Todd Bowles.
But is Bowles the coach who can get them over the top for the franchise's third Super Bowl title?
NFL Trade Rumors' Logan Ulrich doesn't think so.
"The Bucs are talented, deep and experienced on both sides of the ball, and made steps to address weaknesses at pass rusher and cornerback this offseason by bringing in OLB Haason Reddick and double-dipping on cornerbacks in the draft," Ulrich wrote. "All told, the Buccaneers are getting some hype as a potential breakout team in 2025 that can jump into the fray with the top teams in the conference.
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"I'm not sure I can get on that bandwagon. Bowles has proven himself to be a competent coach, but I think he has more in common with former Panthers and Commanders HC Ron Rivera than he does with someone like Steelers HC Mike Tomlin. Rivera is a first-class person, but as a coach, his record of 102-103-2 does a pretty good job of encapsulating how he stacks up against his peers, even if he did make a Super Bowl appearance with Carolina."
Bowles has his shortcomings, but it's mostly as the defensive coordinator. His clock management and use of timeouts has been called into question too. And his critics credit the poor division with his success.
But with a revamped defense and an improved offense, 2025 could be the season for Bowles and the Bucs.
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Related: Buccaneers' Draft Pick Among Rookies With Most To Prove
Related: Buccaneers' Ryan Jensen Replacement Needs a Breakout 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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