Todd Bowles Is Preparing His Team To Play The 'Redskins'
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is doing the Lord's work.
His team is preparing for its regular-season opener on Sunday against Washington. And that presents some issues, because that team has Jayden Daniels at quarterback and the prized rookie was the second player selected in the April NFL draft.
So is that a problem, coach?
Mar 26, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles speaks to the media during the NFL annual league meetings at the JW Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Bowles Repeats Team Playing Redskins
"I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you," Bowles warned on Monday. "We’re facing the Redskins, we’re not facing Jayden Daniels.
"They’ve got 10 other guys that we’ve got to worry about, as well. We don’t look at it as facing a rookie quarterback – we’re trying to beat the Redskins."
Wait, Redskins?
Bowles misspoke. We think.
It would be a much bigger story if he did this on purpose, so let's see if he repeats this in press conferences later this week.
Whatever the case, Bowles lifted the hearts of thousands of Redskins fans who, to this day, do not like, accept, or embrace the franchise's name change from Redskins to Football Team and then Commanders.
Nov 15, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins flag is run onto the field after a score against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Redskins Name Change History
That name change came in 2020, amid economic and social pressures that cried about "Redskins" being a racist term. This, despite the fact polls of Native Americans throughout the country showed they embraced "Redskins" as a source of pride.
(Other polls showed the exact opposite, of course, because polls are only as good as the opinion of the people taking them.)
Anyway, the retirement of "Redskins" was hasty and unplanned because then-owner Daniel Snyder was under fire for being a generally bad person, and the climate of 2020 was toxic all around amid riots and the election and the George Floyd murder.
So, after much thoughtful consideration that took about 12 whole seconds, the Redskins became the Washington Football Team.
In 2022, the Washington Football Team became the Commanders.
And very few people who grew up cheering for the Redskins as they won Super Bowls – plural – applauded the change to Commanders.
Aug 23, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on from the sideline against the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter during preseason at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Redskins On Todd Bowles Rings
Bowles may have been in that group of dissenters.
Bowles, 60, played for the Redskins in two stints during his eight-year NFL career. He was a starting safety on the team from 1986 to 1990, when the club won a Super Bowl. And he was a reserve player in 1992 and 1993 when the club won another Super Bowl.
Both of the Super Bowl rings Bowles got during his NFL career say "Redskins" on them.
So it's kind of understandable that while he is preparing the Buccaneers for their season-opener, deciding the team's defensive game plan because he is the defecto defensive coordinator, managing roster cutdowns and game day inactives, and managing the health of his squad, he might have slipped up in a press conference.
Does it make it any less awesome for the throng of latter-day Redskins fans that got a shout out? No.
And this: The Bucs play the Chargers on Dec. 15.
Shout out to the San Diego Chargers!