Super Bowl 2021: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Tampa's Defensive Coach Todd Bowles:

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Everything is meticulously planned on the day of the Super Bowl.

The hymns before the game, the famous halftime show.

Also the award ceremony.

Everything follows a protocol.

This also determines the order of those who get their hands on the Vince Lombardi trophy, the Super Bowl trophy, first.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers owned Malcolm Glazer, head coach Bruce Arians and of course quarterback Tom Brady.

Todd Bowles had to be patient.

He's the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator, and the night's secret winner.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs, he let the NFL's best offensive crumble.

The defensive coach's outstanding tactics were one of the main reasons for winning the title.

Against the defensive line of the Chiefs weakened by failures, the defense of the Bucs managed to put great pressure on the quarterback and at the same time cover the field for deep passes.

Against Patrick Mahomes it will be the most difficult combination ever.

The Chiefs quarterback is quick on his feet and inimitable on his arm.

Mahomes under control

They wanted Mahomes to think, said Bowles.

This was achieved through an excellent pass defense, which was added to the already best running defense of the regular season.

The Chiefs' star wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, only came in for 73 yards.

With at least eight catches, he didn't have bad stats all season.

Mahomes saw that his favorite pass points were covered, only then could he be chased by the strong defensive line.

Mahomes was only knocked to the ground once with the ball, which is called a sack. In fact, the offensive line that was supposed to protect Mahomes collapsed every minute.

Again and again, the Super Bowl MVP of the previous year had to accept hard clashes.

He didn't manage a single touchdown in the end.

The first time since September 2019.

Bowles was celebrated for his defensive plan on social networks and among US experts.

During the award ceremony he stayed in the background.

Bowles is not a first line coach.

The black US citizen is representative of a problem in the world's best football league: the most important positions in US football have so far been held exclusively by white men.

It looks similar on the field: 70 percent of the players are black, but the key positions are mostly white.

That starts with the quarterback position.

This season there were more blacks as regular playmakers than ever before, but the ten black quarterbacks are not even a third in the league. According to studies, this is also due to the racist stereotypes that exist in the NFL.

The lack of diversity is even more evident in the leadership positions of the clubs.

Only three current head coaches are black, and there are only two of the general managers.

With 32 available places in total.

The NFL knows about the problem

The boss of the league, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, knows about the problem, as he says.

It reached him at the latest as a result of the "Black Lives Matter" protests.

Goodell said he was in talks the week before the Super Bowl.

With the candidates who successfully or unsuccessfully apply for a coaching position.

And with the owners, among whom there is not a single black, but who decide.

There was no other topic that the NFL bosses talked about with the team owners, Goodell said.

The appointment of a black as head coach has so far failed to materialize.

Bowles was considered a head coach candidate even before the season.

The Chiefs' offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, also received nothing.

Buccaneers' offensive coach Byron Leftwich didn't even get an interview, despite making it from the curb to the skyline with Tom Brady.

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One of the minds behind Mahomes: Eric Bieniemy (second from left)

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"It frustrates the players," Wesley Woodyard said at a players' union press conference.

Woodyard is the linebacker for the Tennessee Titans.

After his active career, he wanted to pursue a career as head coach or general manager.

But if even a legend like Bieniemy didn't succeed, who could?

Head coach once before

Bowles already had a chance as head coach.

Between the beginning of 2015 and the end of 2018 he was the head coach of the New York Jets, a chronic loser team for years.

In the first year, Bowles had led the Jets to a 6-6 season.

After that, he did not make a positive balance.

During his time, there were discussions about whether the team was trained incorrectly or was put together incorrectly.

"In the first year he was one of the best coaches in the NFL," said Bucs defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.

"One of the worst in the end." The decision was against Bowles, he had to go.

With the Buccaneers he moved back into the second tier, and in Tampa he now built one of the youngest and best defensives in the league.

With Bowles they have a "mastermind" on the sidelines, as linebacker Lavonte David says.

The mastermind's ideas now got an audience of millions.

In any case, Todd Bowles has a new letter of recommendation with the Super Bowl.

For applying for the post of head coach.

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