Todd Bowles: The reluctant coach who looks for football faces

Todd Bowles seems quiet and reserved and like an all-around nice guy in one of the more violent businesses around.

But judging from his conversation with Buccaneers Staff Writer and Senior Digital Content Coordinator, Carmen Vitali, there is much much more to him and something brewing behind the quiet demeanor.

“...I smile a lot, but I see everything and I know everything. I’m very observant. I can be very silly but I am extremely observant. And I have a good feel for people.”

This quote is towards the end of Vitali’s published conversation with the Bucs’ new defensive coordinator currently on the team’s home page.

In the conversation, Bowles discloses factoids about his past which help to shape an understanding of how he has developed from being the youngest of four growing up in New Jersey to an NFL head coach and now on to Tampa Bay.

One thing of interest I found was how Bowles first got into coaching.

A younger Bowles was on the recruiting trail with Doug Williams - yes, that Doug Williams - and when Williams became the head coach of Morehouse, he wanted Bowles to be his defensive coordinator.

According to Bowles, it took around five or six tries for Williams to wear him down before he eventually accepted the position. The rest - as they say - is history.

But it isn’t that simple, is it? And his experiences are much more complex than the cliche might suggest.

Along the way Bowles has influenced and been influenced by other schools, franchises, and notable names just about any committed football fan will recognize.

Somewhere along the line he got married and built a family. All while building a career which will hopefully have a Super Bowl victory in it’s newest chapter.

If you don’t know coach Bowles, take the time to check out his conversation with Vitali at Buccaneers.com.

I for one, came out of it much more interested in the coach, and really curious to find out which faces he sees as impact players for the defense in 2019.

And yes, she asked him about the scheme change.