Tampa Bay regressed in Bowles’ first year as the team’s head coach, and that’s putting it nicely. A team that went 13-4 a year ago went on to go 8-9, though they won another NFC South crown. That alone says a lot about the division – which was weak – and the team’s discipline Bowleswhich did not seem to exist.
Tom Brady took training camp off and then came in and had one of his worst years on the field. Bowles’ calling card is defense. This year, D could not stop traffic disguised as stop signs. The Bucs defense finished in the bottom third of the league in most major defensive categories. Even with injuries, a defensive coach should be able to get more out of his guys.