Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles was the real MVP of Super Bowl LV
Tom Brady won Super Bowl MVP after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ big victory but it was defensive coordinator Todd Bowles who truly starred in the win over the Chiefs.
Super Bowl LV headlines will be dominated by Tom Brady and the offense. Yet, the real star was Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. That’s right, the brilliant mastermind behind stopping the dominant force that was the Kanas City Chiefs was Bowles. A man who was passed over for head coaching opportunities, a man who struggled with an unfair situation as a head coach in New York, was the real hero of this Super Bowl.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians noted that he believed Bowles “was a little tired of hearing how unstoppable the Chiefs were.” How could he not be? The talk leading up to the big game was centered around how Patrick Mahomes and the defending champions were unambiguously too strong for the opposition.
Furthermore, the last time that Kansas City faced Tampa Bay, Bowles’ defense allowed Tyreek Hill to dominate the game and pick up the phone on the sideline and impersonate Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.
This time, Bowles did what opposing defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did more than a decade ago to Brady and a powerful New England offense. No, it wasn’t the same NASCAR package of a pass rush with Michael Strahan that denied perfection, but Bowles’ unit instigated pressure all night and held Mahomes and co. to three Harrison Butker field goals.
Todd Bowles deserves another chance to be a head coach in the NFL after what he pulled off in the Super Bowl.
The lack of minorities having the opportunity to be head coaches is beyond disrespectful. There are only three African American head coaches in the NFL right now: Mike Tomlin, David Culley and Brian Flores. After what took place in Super Bowl LV, Todd Bowles needs to have such distinction, and it would be a travesty if it doesn’t occur soon.
In a day where offenses are given a luxurious advantage, having a defense play at a lights-out level is the biggest honor a defensive coordinator can receive outside of becoming a head coach. Bowles did that with a defense that played with aggression very similar to the 2002 unit that won the franchise’s first championship over the then-Oakland Raiders.
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Todd Bowles did himself a great service with a great coaching performance. He needs to be a head coach in the NFL again. His résume warrants it. For now, he will be able to enjoy that he won a Super Bowl not only as a player in Washington but now a defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.