Pressure is on.
Joe has been fortunate over the years to have many interactions with KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles. And he has people conned.
His public demeanor portrays a man with slightly more personality than a houseplant. That’s not the Bowles that Joe knows. Far from it.
In fact, away from cameras, Bowles is borderline gregarious. Joe tells that to people and they think Joe is out of his mind. Fans cannot believe it. But people can only see what they see.
(If anyone caught Bowles trying to hum “ Hail to the Victors ” at Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield a week ago as Mayfield (Oklahoma grad) lost a bet to Bowles (whose son Troy is a starting linebacker at Michigan), that’s more like the Bowles that Joe knows.)
But the Bowles that most fans see is the guy who is (mostly) as wooden as an oak tree at the podium and a guy who stands on the sidelines looking like he’s in a trance.
For most fans, the word “urgency” never applies to Bowles, not even remotely. Because the public personality of Bowles doesn’t suggest he puts urgency on anything.
But that is exactly the word Bowles used for tomorrow’s game against the Vikings.
“There is definitely a sense of urgency,” Bowles said....