Todd Bowles turns up heat on Tom Brady, Buccaneers

Is there a rift in Tampa?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles called out some of his players ahead of his team’s “Monday Night Football” matchup against the NFC South rival Saints.

“The leaders lead and everybody else follows,” Bowles told Buccaneers Radio Network via Joe Bucs Fan.

“So it’s time for our leaders to lead and step up. And everybody else has to follow, and make plays. Not just lead but make plays. And show them by example, show them by being vocal, show them by how they practice. And they’ve been doing that for the most part but, you know, we can’t piss away any more ball games sort of speak. So it’s time for us to step up and make plays. We got six games left until we’ve got to get in the tournament.”

The Buccaneers are coming off an overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns in which many questioned the team’s handling of time outs. It marked the first time lost when leading in the final minute of a game. He was previously 218-0 in those situations.

Brady is likely one of the leaders Bowles was referencing on Thursday, after all he is a captain of the team, and Tom Brady.

The Saints have given Brady trouble in his time at Tampa. In five regular season games against the Saints as a member of the Buccaneers, Brady has thrown eight interceptions to seven touchdowns and has a 1-4 record. However, he did lead the Bucs to a playoff victory in New Orleans on the way to a Super Bowl championship two years ago.

The Buccaneers, and the NFC South as a whole, have had a rocky season. Even though they are 5-6 the Buccaneers lead the NFC South, half a game ahead of the Falcons, who play the Steelers this week.