Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has been ripped by fans online following comments made about the team’s chances without Tom Brady leading the way.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2022 season was certainly a very weird one, as they were able to win the NFC South for the second year in a row, although it came with a record of 8-9 (which probably says more about the division than it does about the Bucs).

The one bright spot through all of it though, and the only reason they were able to stay somewhat competitive during the season, was quarterback Tom Brady, who despite playing at age 45, still managed to end the year 3rd in passing yards and 9th in pass completion rate (via Pro Football Reference).

However, following Brady’s retirement this offseason, the Buccaneers’ future doesn’t look all that promising (at least it doesn’t from the outside), especially with Baker Mayfield looking as if he is going to be the team’s starter next season following his arrival in free agency.

Head coach Todd Bowles though, doesn’t seem too concerned with his team’s chances this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t need Tampa Tom

Speaking during the recent NFL owners meeting (quoted by NFL.com), Bowles claimed that the team didn’t need Brady in order to be successful, stating:

When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don't replace him. You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn't mean you can't be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn't.

We have a lot of good players on our team on both sides of the ball. We have some pieces to fill, but we have a lot of good football players on our team. And we just have to understand that and not go with the so-called outside narrative and do what we have to do to win ball games.

Fans online aren’t as high on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Todd Bowles

His comments though have not gone down well with people on social media, as they couldn’t help themselves but laugh when the comments were relayed to them by ProFootballTalk on Twitter, with many believing that the Bucs are in for an even worse year:

If we’re honest, we’re going to lean with the fans on this one, it’s hard to see how the Buccaneers are going to be able to bounce back with the team that they have, and more importantly after the main player that they lost. It might not be as bad as some above are predicting, but we’ll be stunned if they make it to the playoffs.