Late in regulation of an eventual overtime loss to the Browns, the Buccaneers had the ball at their own 25. The clock showed 32 seconds. Tampa Bay had all three timeouts.
After the first play, a pass play that gained only one yard, coach Todd Bowles didn’t call a time out. The next play, which began with 15 seconds remaining, gained 26. At that point, a timeout was called. At that point, only eight seconds remained.
Bowles defended the failure to use a timeout after the first play by saying the team was playing for overtime. The next play, of course, suggests otherwise.
On Friday, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and quarterback Tom Brady met with reporters. They shed no light on the situation.
Said Brady, via Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times, “I’m on to the Saints. I’m not thinking about last week.” (Brady also had nothing to say about the situation during his latest Let’s Go! podcast, at a time when he wasn’t yet “on to the Saints.”)
Leftwich likewise punted on the clock-management inquiry.
“Ultimately, to say why, I think that’s more of a head-coach question,” Leftwich said. “That’s something that Todd would answer.”
Leftwich also was asked whether Brady lobbied for a timeout.
“Communication between us three, I’ll leave between us three,” Leftwich said. (In other words, “Yes, he did.”)
Bowles was concerned something could go wrong when the Buccaneers had the ball deep in their own end. But the quarterback is Tom Brady. If the GOAT throws a pick in that spot, so be it.
