Professional athletes and coaches often claim they pay little or even no attention to what’s said about them or their teams by media members and fans.

Todd Bowles went a different route during an appearance on the “Ira Kaufman Podcast” when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach acknowledged he knew what was said and written about his squad last offseason following the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady.

“My whole thing was, you know, a lot of people didn’t even come down and see what we had,” Bowles explained, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. “They just said, ‘Tom’s gone. They suck.’ If you came down to training camp and you actually saw what you saw, you figure we have a chance.”

Shortly after the Buccaneers signed former Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers starter Baker Mayfield to replace Brady atop the depth chart, individuals such as NBC Sports’ Peter King placed Tampa Bay at or near the bottom of league power rankings. Mayfield, cornerback Carlton Davis and other Buccaneers players insisted ahead of Week 1 that they were motivated by such takes, and those inside the locker room didn’t lose that confidence even when the club entered December at 4-7.

Of course, the Buccaneers ultimately won five of their final six games to claim the NFC South division crown before they smashed the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Some may once again doubt Tampa Bay even if the club holds onto potential free agents such as Mayfield, star wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., but Bowles challenged skeptics to first watch the team work this summer.

“… But if you make a decision without even looking at it, you know, I don’t agree with that,” Bowles continued during his comments. “If you come down and say, ‘Ehhh,’ I can respect that decision. But that’s just part of it. It motivates you. It motivates the players. It motivates the coaches to get going. So, I understand everybody has a job to do. I just wish some people would do it — instead of just hear it and then say it.”

At this time last year, some assumed the Buccaneers were embracing a “soft tank” that would be followed by Bowles’ dismissal. Depending on who leaves and joins Tampa Bay over the next couple of months, Bowles’ team may once again begin the summer listed in the bottom third of power rankings.