Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was deep in his feelings after they suffered a one-point defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, 29-28, on Thursday.
The Buccaneers held a comfortable 14-point advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons, who are already out of playoff contention, mounted a furious rally. Kyle Pitts caught a late touchdown, while Zane Gonzalez delivered the game-winning field goal, stunning everyone at Raymond James Stadium.
After the game, Bowles seemingly pinned the blame on his players.
“The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You've got to execute. They've got to hold each other accountable,” said Bowles, as reported by Fox Sports' Greg Auman.
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“As a coach, you can sit there until you're blue in the face. Until they (players) start holding each other accountable and doing the little things right, and that's not everybody, we're talking about a small, select few. But a small, select few is what's getting us beat. Until that happens, it's not going to get right.”
It will be intersting to find out how the players will receive the blunt remarks. The 62-year-old Bowles also had a NSFW rant about the team's supposed lack of care.
It's almost a mortal sin for a coach to publicly shame his players, but at this point, Bowles must be feeling desperate in trying to light a fire under his squad.
The Buccaneers have dropped five of their last six assignments, falling a half a game behind the Carolina Panthers for the top spot in the NFC South.
