Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.

He had to admit defeat before he could triumph at the news conference. Todd Bowles nailed it with candor and conciseness.

The new head coach said he blew it.

Both Todd Robert Bowles and Bruce Arians have the same blunt genes. It is a trait that is appreciated by a fan base.

The married dad of three boys likely won points his first day on the job by readily acknowledging the failure of the Bucs in the final defensive play of the 2021 season.

Instead of dancing around or dodging the question of why he called for a Cover-Zero, all-out blitz of Matthew Stafford, he called for a 44-yard completion to Cooper Kupp.

Los Angeles kicker Matt Gay kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Dodgers to a 30-27 victory.

I will never apologize for trying to win. If I didn't call zone, you'll say I should have. You have to learn to live with peace.

In a way, the introduction as the franchise's 13th head coach and its fourth Black head coach perpetuated the most bizarre offseason in team history. He was the scapegoat for one of the most painful losses this town had experienced.

He was still processing the fact that he had been given a rare second act as an NFL head coach, with a five-year contract to boot.

A lot of people had to be in agreement for this to happen. It is not a one-man show, according to the coach who has known the New Jersey native since 1983, when he was at Temple.

I feel very honored, I feel very excited. We'll try to get this thing rolling, I'm ready to go.

If nothing else, he will roll his own way.

Bowles doesn't drink or do cigars and he doesn't have a half-serious slogan. Bowles is more likely to point out player deficiencies with sarcasm.

If I tried to grow a goatee, you guys would look at me like I was crazy. I'm not going to try.

This succession plan was not planned by Arians, but by Bowles, who didn't learn about it until Monday. He knew that he had a unique style and that he had learned a lot from his first head coaching gig with the Jets.

Tom Brady's un-retirement and the re-signing of several key free agents improved the chances of the Bucs.

He's been the best coach I've ever had. You knew they had it.

The factor is endearing.

He is a great family man and talks about his family all the time.

He is a mentor to a lot of people. Not just the players, but other people as well. He offers advice on how to be a better person in his office.

Because he has to answer for the offense in practice, Bowles said defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers and outside linebackers coach Larry Foote will serve as co-coordinators, though he still will call things on Sundays.

He won't disrupt the dynamic fostered by Leftwich and Tom Brady, but he will add where he sees fit.

I'm the head coach, I get to do what I want.

The blunt gene is being worked on.

My way is not rocket science. He said that it was like every other coach: You coach hard, you understand players, you try to put them in the best position to play football.

I'm not trying to change the program, but you have to be yourself. It doesn't go well when you try to imitate someone else.

Joey Knight can be reached at jknight@tampabay.com. You can follow theTBTimes_Bulls.

The latest team news and analysis from Joey Knight can be found in the Bucs RedZone newsletter.

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