Todd Bowles Not Seen at Buccaneers Practice Wednesday
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In his second stint as an NFL head coach, Todd Bowles sits at 2-2 after four weeks of play in the 2022 season.
Although he inherited a roster in Tampa that is far superior to the one he took over in New York, the results – so far – have been equally as mediocre.
At least on the surface.
The fact is, although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off back-to-back losses at Raymond James Stadium, they have navigated the challenges of a brutal early season schedule.
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As discussed in his article for The Athletic, Bucs beat reporter, Greg Auman, made the point that as of right now, three of the four opponents the Buccaneers have faced have winning records, while none of their remaining 13 opponents currently do.
Of course, with it being so early in the season, it's tough to read too much into a team's record. For example, the Saints, who currently sit at 1-3 (last place in the NFC South), are a team that has a lot of talent, and could very well end up in the NFC playoff picture come season's end. And despite losing some important pieces to injury, the Saints were more or less at full strength when they squared off with the Bucs, in New Orleans, in week 2.
So although 2-2 doesn't sound spectacular, Tampa Bay is still sitting at the top of the NFC South standings, with their schedule looking much lighter in the weeks to come. Not to mention, the team has had to overcome a significant amount of injuries – most notably at the wide receiver position, and along the offensive line.
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With the exception of last week's performance vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, Todd Bowles' defense has looked like one of the strongest units in the NFL. And although 2-2 isn't technically a winning record, it's not hard to see why there is still plenty of optimism in Tampa regarding the team's outlook for this next stretch of games.
Unfortunately for Todd Bowles, it appears as though he has some personal issues to deal with, as the team is preparing to face off against an improved Atlanta Falcons team this week.
No information has been released regarding the nature of Bowles' absence, but key pieces missing from Buccaneers' practices have been a hot-button topic over these past few months.
Hopefully for Bowles, his family, and the Buccaneers, the head coach's absence from practice today isn't due to anything serious.
We'll continue to monitor this story.
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