Bowles says it's time Buccaneers decide who they want to be
The first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers canโt afford to take anything for granted in the weak NFC South. The Bucs, at least on paper, appear talented and skilled enough to hold off Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans in a tight division race in which all four teams have losing records with a month left in the regular season. In the aftermath of Sundayโs humbling 35-7 road loss at San Francisco, coach Todd Bowles declared itโs time for his players to โdecide what kind of team we want to be.โ
news.yahoo.comBucs, Seahawks praise 'electric' atmosphere at Munich game
Even in defeat, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll could recognize the special experience of participating in the NFL's first regular-season game in Germany. Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a Bavarian welcome both in the days leading up to the game and during it, highlighted by an energetic capacity crowd of 69,811 at Allianz Arena singing together in the final minutes of the game and afterward. The Buccaneers beat the Seahawks 21-16, but both sides seemed to appreciate the historic nature of the event.
news.yahoo.comBrady: Struggling Bucs need to look in mirror, play better
Itโs not difficult to see why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a disappointing 3-3 start. Tom Brady and a talented but struggling offense have not performed at a consistently high level, particularly in the red zone. A normally reliable defense hasnโt played well, either, during a stretch in which the Bucs have lost three of four games.
news.yahoo.comBucs' Evans suspended for dust-up with Saints' Lattimore
Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans has been suspended without pay for one game for his role in a scuffle that resulted in him and New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore being ejected from the Buccaneers-Saints game. The NFL said Monday that Evans violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules by knocking Lattimore to the ground when the Buccaneers star intervened in a confrontation that initially involved Lattimore and Bucs teammates Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette.
news.yahoo.comBuccaneers defense rises to occasion again in Super Bowl win
Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Devin White (45) breaks up a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs running back Darrel Williams, right, during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)TAMPA, Fla. โ Tampa Bayโs defense finished its redemption tour with a Super Bowl championship. Brees and the Saints beat Tampa Bay twice during the regular season. By taking down Mahomes in the Super Bowl, the Bucs (15-5) avenged three of their five losses. He also took exception with Tampa Bay having only one Pro Bowl selection on its roster, linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. โOne Pro Bowl player and the team goes on to win the Super Bowl?
Bucs' Arians scoffs at rumors, says he's returning 'for 2'
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)TAMPA, Fla. โ Seconds after linebacker Devin White intercepted a pass in the end zone, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians started doling out hugs. Arians unplugged his headset, slipped on a Super Bowl championship hat and braced for the traditional Gatorade shower. Together, Arians and the 43-year-old Brady helped Tampa Bay win its first championship in 18 years and cemented their spot in the franchise history books. He took a year off and worked in television before returning to the NFL with Tampa Bay โ joining a young team he saw as full of potential. His biggest coup was landing Brady, who engineered yet another masterpiece and won his seventh Super Bowl after six titles with the Patriots.
Buccaneers batter Mahomes in 31-9 Super Bowl rout of Chiefs
The Buccaneers didn't even give him time to skim their defense in the Super Bowl. He was 26 of 49 for 270 yards and two interceptions in a 31-9 blowout that denied the Chiefs back-to-back titles. โThey had a good game plan,โ said Mahomes, whose quarterback rating of 52.3 was by far the worst of his career. The first-half numbers were striking: Mahomes was 9 of 19 for 67 yards, while Tampa Bay counterpart Tom Brady had dominated the Chiefs defense for 140 yards passing and three TDs in staking the Buccaneers to a 21-6 lead. โTo the last snap,โ Reid said, โhe was trying to win that football game.โIt was just that kind of night for Mahomes.
Brady, improved defense keys to Bucs winning Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during NFL football practice, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. (Kyle Zedaker/Tampa Bay Buccaneers via AP)TAMPA, Fla. โ Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wonโt be denied. The 43-year-old six-time Super Bowl champion may no longer be the best quarterback in the NFL, however, heโs shown in his first season with the Bucs that heโs still good enough to lead a team to the NFL title game. You want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl.
Young Bucs secondary braces for another dose of Tyreek Hill
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)TAMPA, Fla. โ Like most NFL cornerbacks, Carlton Davis plays with a short-term memory but never forgets a bad performance. The third-year pro and the rest of Tampa Bayโs young secondary was dominated by Tyreek Hill during the regular season and are eager to redeem themselves against the speedy Kansas City Chiefs receiver in the Super Bowl. Hill had 13 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 victory over the Bucs on Nov. 29. โI play defensive back in the NFL, so youโre going to have your share of losses. Iโm going to continue to be a dog and go out there and give it my all,โ Davis said.
Chiefs' success big reason why fans will be at Super Bowl
(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)There will be about 25,000 fans inside Raymond James Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Even when COVID-19 numbers were spiking around the country, the Chiefs never experienced an outbreak traced back to their fans. AdThursday marked the final time talking to the media for the Bucs and Chiefs until after the Super Bowl. BRADYโS PORTUGUESETom Brady's six Super Bowl rings don't protect him from being trash talked in his own home. The fact that it will happen in the Super Bowl?
Check downs? More like checkmate as Chiefs take what's given
Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) between drills during NFL football practice Wednesday February 2, 2021 in Kansas City, Mo. (Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP)KANSAS CITY, Mo. โ The casual football fan is likely to describe the Kansas City Chiefs offense this way: a go-for-broke, throw-it-deep highlight reel built around a quarterback with record-setting arm strength and wide receivers boasting Olympic-caliber speed. Some might call all those dink-and-dunk throws โcheck downs.โAdGiven the Chiefs are playing for a second straight Super Bowl tile Sunday? AdโThat starts with Pat getting the ball out of his hand and allowing us to get upfield and make those moves,โ Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins said.
Bieniemy doesn't ask to be 'poster boy' for Black coaches
Bieniemy has become the cause celebre when it comes to minority assistants who have been denied the opportunity to become head coaches in the NFL. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)Eric Bieniemy has become the cause celebre when it comes to minority assistants who have been denied the opportunity to become NFL head coaches. โI did not ask be the poster boy of this particular situation that I have experienced,โ Bieniemy said Tuesday. โI donโt understand everything, I am not an owner, I donโt sit in those meetings to interview head coaches,โ Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. Bieniemy isnโt alone when it comes to minority coordinators in the Super Bowl who didnโt get a head coaching offer this offseason.
Out of Miller's shadow, Barrett aims to follow his footsteps
โHe was determined to get it by any means, wouldnโt let failure be an option,โ Barrett recounted. Barrett will have a starting โ and maybe starring โ role in Super Bowl 55 when the Buccaneers (14-5) face Mahomes and the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs (16-2) Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Barrett had a monster debut in Tampa, collecting an NFL-best 19ยฝ sacks, forcing six fumbles and earning his first Pro Bowl nod in 2019. Mahomes remembers Barrett in Denver as a player who never let quarterbacks exhale whenever Miller or Chubb tapped out for a breather. Heโs got great speed, heโs got great power, heโs got a ton of moves,โ Remmers said.
Super rematch: Hill burned Bucs repeatedly in 1st meeting
Tampa Bay gets another shot at Hill and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. It was the second and most impressive of three scores for Hill, who was the star of Kansas Cityโs 27-24 victory at Tampa Bay in Week 12. Tampa Bay gets another shot at Hill and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl next Sunday, the first rematch in the NFL finale in nearly a decade. Davis was burned repeatedly, including on consecutive TD passes from Patrick Mahomes to Hill (75 and 44 yards) in the first quarter. Down three with 4:10 to play, Tampa turned to its defense to get a stop and get Brady the ball back.
More interviews didnโt equal more minority hirings in NFL
(AP Photo)The NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them. The Houston Texans hired David Culley this week, making the 65-year-old longtime assistant the leagueโs third Black head coach hired. Culley and Saleh join Pittsburghโs Mike Tomlin, Miamiโs Brian Flores and Washingtonโs Ron Rivera as the leagueโs only minority head coaches. โWe didnโt make as much progress on the head coaching side as we would have liked,โ Rooney said. AdPerhaps an increase in minority executives will lead to more minority head coaches.
D-coordinators bring head coaching chops to NFL title games
But all are credited with providing a steady helping hand, a sturdy shoulder and a willing ear to their teamโs current head coach. PETTINEPettine went 10-22 (.313) as head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014-15, before joining Matt LaFleur, who was named Packers head coach in 2018 after just two seasons as an offensive coordinator, a year each with the Rams and Titans. Arians brought along Bowles, whom he coached at Temple in the mid-1980s and who had been his defensive coordinator in Arizona from 2013-14. It began with Frazier saying he didnโt want McDermott to make the same mistakes he did as a first-time head coach. Itโs a business with a lot of egos, a lot of people concerned with who gets the credit.โSPAGNUOLOSpagnuolo, 61, compiled an 11-41 record (.212) as head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009-11 and as interim head coach of the New York Giants in 2017, when he went 1-3.