Sad report: Todd Bowles’ shed tears as the Tampa Buccanners introduced a new coach to the team.
TAMPA — You think you know Todd Bowles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ new head coach.
You’ve been watching him on the sidelines of the NFL for years. The severe but stoic expression, arms folded, gaze strained and directed directly ahead.
Bowles is always in command, projecting calm amidst pandemonium, a steely assurance that is contagious.
You believe you know Bowles, but it turns out that you don’t.
Bowles’ biting sarcasm can tear a player apart. Winning a Super Bowl as a player, executive, or coach comes with some bragging rights.
“He’s got an unbelievable wit,” said Bruce Arians, who departed from coaching in March to become the general manager’s assistant and gave Bowles the head coaching job with Tom Brady as quarterback. “He cuts with a knife and it’s sharp, too.”
The unexpected part is that, despite his calm appearance, Bowles admits he has to focus on taming a fire of emotion burning within.
“I used to go off the handle quite a bit, especially when I was at Grambling,” recalled Bowles, who started his coaching career as Doug Williams’ assistant at Morehouse College, then Grambling State. “But when I lose my cool, it’s difficult to calm down, and the players react differently. They are more timid. And the calmer I am, the more relaxed they are about playing.
