A terrible 0-2 start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sees head coach Todd Bowles under pressure with his job on the line. Many NFL fans are already calling for his job since the team had division winning goals that are already meeting struggles. Losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns have put Tampa Bay in a bad spot needing to end the negative momentum.
Former Bucs Super Bowl winner Leonard Fournette had the following message about why Bowles should get fired via his podcast:
“We all know the standard. To me, I just feel like maybe the time is up. Just being real. It’s time for Coach Bowles to wrap it up and move on. Now if they go, 0-3, bring the alarm because we all know, even despite when Tom Brady left and Baker came in, you still had a hell of a good season. Man, I don’t know what to say at this point.”
Bowles was the defensive coordinator when Fournette won his only Super Bowl in 2021 as the lead running back. Despite working on opposite sides of the field, Fournette has shown a lot of respect to Bowles as a coach. The poor start sees Fournette believing that the time may be for change and a new head coach to steer the franchise with quarterback Baker Mayfield locked up for years.
Week 3 Becoming Must Win For Todd Bowles
The Buccaneers would have already fired Bowles if he was going to lose his job before Week 3. However, that may just mean more pressure is on Bowles to win a home game against the Minnesota Vikings to avoid falling to 0-3.
Minnesota is having the opposite start with a dream 2-0 opening to boost their NFC North chances. The offense was dominant in a Week 1 victory over the Green Bay Packers, and Week 2 featured the defense outperforming the Chicago Bears.
Tampa Bay will require a strong effort on both sides of the field to turn the season around. Bowles must prove he’s still a great defensive mind to slow down wide receiver Justin Jefferson during his hot start to the season.
Why Leonard Fournette Has Lost Faith In Todd Bowles
Any coach lasting a long time in one job is risking losing the locker room at some point. Bowles has now been the Bucs head since 2022 and has been a coach since 2019 in the Brady era. The Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs made Bowles more respected in the NFL.
Tampa Bay completely shut down Patrick Mahomes for his worst Super Bowl performance thanks to a defense led by Bowles. However, so much time has passed to see the roster changing and Bowles risking growing stagnant.
Losing to the formidable Bengals was one thing, but the Browns loss came as a massive favorite to truly create concern. Fournette is saying what most believe when saying that Week 3 could be the final nail in Bowles’ job. A third straight loss confirms that the season is falling apart, and Bowles can’t get the team on track.
Buccaneers Super Bowl Winner Calls For Todd Bowles Firing