Bruce Arians’ decision to retire and name Todd Bowles as the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came as a surprise to most. But not to one former Bucs player.
Appearing on The Zach Gelb Show, former Buccaneers defensive lineman Steve McLendon said he was unsurprised by the move. He said he felt that Bowles was the “coach in waiting” and that Arians was getting up there in age.
“Not really surprised because everybody knows Todd Bowles is a head coach and was the head coach in waiting,” McLendon said. “And everybody understands BA has been doing it a long time. It wasn’t a shock.”
McLendon has played all but 1.5 of the last six seasons under Bowles. He played three seasons under Bowles with the New York Jets and the last two under Bowles in Tampa Bay. Not as many people on the Bucs know Bowles’ abilities as a coach as he does.
Steve McLendon says Bruce Arians staying with the @Buccaneers & Todd Bowles becoming the head coach is a win-win.
Full @ZachGelb Show chat with Steve McLendon here: https://t.co/F1ilgmtRv8 pic.twitter.com/3UBkVvnJM9
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) April 1, 2022
Todd Bowles found no success in New York due to a combination of poor drafting, terrible free agent moves and inexperience at just about every position. Bowles had his struggles as a young head coach, but few coaches could have succeeded in that role at that time.
Now he’s the head coach of a team just 14 months removed from winning a Super Bowl and with many of those Super Bowl players still in place.
Things are looking good for Bowles to find a lot more success in Florida than in New Jersey.
Will Bowles be a good fit for the Buccaneers?
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