“It’s Appreciated … Maybe Not At The Time He’s Doing It”
July 6th, 2019
A no-surprise message about life under Bucco Bruce Arians was delivered last week by a Bucs player.
For Joe, the surprise was who said it.
During a chat with NFL Network in jolly old England, part of a league promotional tour, Cameron Brate was asked about life change under Arians.
Brate said there’s been real change felt at One Buc Palace, including players getting hard truths from Arians himself.
“It’s appreciated,” Brate said. “Maybe not at the time he’s doing it.”
Yeah, yeah, Bucs fans have all heard about how Arians is known for ripping his players for their bad football and then making sure they know it’s not personal later. But Brate didn’t practice all spring; he’s recovering from hip surgery and didn’t take a snap. Yet players hearing it from Arians is the first thing Brate talked about during the interview?
Certainly Brate himself couldn’t have come under Arians’ wrath.
The actual question posed to Brate was, “What are you looking forward to this season?
He talked about Arians putting his stamp on the team and rolled into the stuff about about Arians being tough on players.
That tells Joe there were real intense accountability moments delivered by the head coach this spring. Thank goodness!
July 6th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
Getting the team mentality tough. Something that has been missing since Schiano. Like Suh said, it’s a mentality!!!!
Maybe now they won’t fold after giving up a TD on the first possession. Better yet, maybe they don’t give up a TD on the first possession, there’s a thought, but wtfdik.
July 6th, 2019 at 4:16 pm
Everyone seems to be able to handle BA except Geraldine
Schiano teams were mentally tough? Lol wow DB55 I seem to remember the bucs getting beatdown under him too. Because a couple of our good players had one good season under doesn’t mean schiano was actually a good coach.
July 6th, 2019 at 4:17 pm
Just be careful how you speak to the children. These are the Bucs and we have seen this type of story before.
July 6th, 2019 at 4:33 pm
20 days and counting before so many questions will be addressed.
July 6th, 2019 at 5:02 pm
Real Change.
Top to bottom.
Looooong past due.
2019 could be a special year.
July 6th, 2019 at 5:15 pm
Fingers crossed. Haven’t seen or heard a coach (and there are many) put out a single off note this offseason. When was the last time we could say that? Who was going to call plays for the offense? Was Buckner the answer for the D-line? Would we lose Smitty to the Jaguars? Would continuity with Koetter benefit Jameis? Who the heck were the position coaches Lovie hired? Was the problem on defense Frazier? Ugh, what a wake of mediocrity we have in our coaching rear view mirror. We have some player questions but none o. Coaching. This staff looks like it might have 2-4 future head coaches on it. Pinch me. :). None of it matters if it doesn’t show up on the field, but all good so far.
July 6th, 2019 at 5:38 pm
What this simply tells us is what we already thought, there was no accountability with the last coaching staff. This alone should make this team much better cause players like DJax, Grimes and McCoy now cannot do whatever they want, this is a HUGE difference.
July 6th, 2019 at 5:44 pm
WestChap … Agree 100%. “None of it matters if it doesn’t show up on the field, but all good so far.”
I remember when Busch Gardens used to have the Clydesdales. They’d hook 8 of those gorgeous horses up to the beer wagon and pull it in various parades around town sometimes and in the park. Having owned horses, I knew that ‘driver’ had to really have his act together to keep the eight of them pulling in unison.
Not unlike great football teams in a way. You need a great ‘driver’ to keep the team all pulling in unison, but without those Clydesdales that beer wagon’s not going anywhere.
July 6th, 2019 at 6:13 pm
Amen.
July 6th, 2019 at 7:53 pm
Wonder what MJ Stewart has heard…
July 6th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Ndog good point and the lack of accountability has pretty much been reported or seen on the field. If you piese together all the little tidbits we see and what we hear you can see proof.
-Players staying in games despite mental lapses. Baker was a prime example & it took the players to run him off. That action needs to be handled by the boss………Also remember last year on Special Teams Bond(I think it was Bond) had a presnap pentalty on a critical punt. Instead of holding him accountable and replacing him he stays in the game and on the rekick gets beat & gives up a blocked punt.
-DeSean Jackson given the freedom to pick and choose when he wants to return kicks. That is absurd.
-Gruden reporting that he never saw so many balls on the ground in a NFL practice before. It’s a no wonder we had so many fumbles from our QBs WRs & TEs lately.
-Lazy play on the field. This may be subjective by it is well documented for specific players like D.Smith& B.Grimes. I also remember Joe posted numerous videos after several games of various players loafing(Appreciated that Joe).
-General poor play being accepted. Doug Martin is peferct example. Doesn’t do squat yet doesn’t get replaced…….And when he finally becomes so awful that he had to be replaced of course our RBs finally play better.
These are just a few examples I can remember. There are dozens more and they happened every Sunday in Tampa Bay……….We have gather all the facts and the verdict is in. Dirk did not hold the players accountable………..Not the the level a NFL coach needs to.
If everything I’ve heard about Bruce is true his team will finally hold itself accountable. They will start to demand more from themselves and from each other. If we get this team will play solid football in all phases.
Don’t know if we will at great football but it will be solid. We won’t be done at halftime and we won’t be done by Halloween. Don’t know how good we can actually be but I’ll predict 11-5 for now. Either way if they give me solid football I’ll know this franchise is building to something that could be real special…………I’m might wanna check out Bruce’s
7-8-1 season in Arizona. It may have not been great but I bet is was pretty fun……..Not like the mess and comedy errors we get down here.
July 6th, 2019 at 11:09 pm
Great coach going to lead to great play by our team.
July 7th, 2019 at 4:45 am
Great post Jimmyjack. The last paragraph sums up my thoughts exactly.
July 7th, 2019 at 8:04 am
Agreed which is why I have maintained for the past few years that the 9-7 season under Inept Irk Koetter was a fluke.
July 7th, 2019 at 8:09 am
That is easy to say and do when the head coach has just walked thru the door!!!!!!!!! Just wait until next year, after a failed season, and the sheep lowering expectations and giving many excuses and coaches and players are playing the blame game and ole coach stale biscuit has one foot out the door!!!!!!!!!! Then we will see what kind of accountability is around one buc!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 7th, 2019 at 9:13 am
When a new Coach starts with the Bucs there is an advantage for us because our opponents are not sure what to expect. But by the second year they knew what our weaknesses were in order to exploit us. For instance if you altered your cadence you could always count on someone to jump offsides. They are not going to find such weaknesses with BA at the helm. There will be new plays for each opponent and that includes the defense too.
July 7th, 2019 at 10:24 am
I will say “Thank goodness”! when we have a winning season and make the playoffs, the rest of it is just noise!!
July 7th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
One of the best things about BA is his connection with Bear Bryant. That being said, players today are much, much different. Millennially different…Not a lot of “Junction Boys” in today’s NFL.
I think Joe put up an article about the Dolphins coaches saying just that…that you have to treat players today in a totally different way,
If you know or work with millennials, you know exactly what he means..
Good Luck to BA. Let’s just hope his tough love is accepted by today’s tender, sensitive players.
July 7th, 2019 at 3:17 pm
Jmark I know exactly what you mean. Those dam participation trophies have ruined their generation haha
July 7th, 2019 at 3:32 pm
That is a possibility Realist. I hope it dosent get that bad. If everything goes right I think we go 9-7. But we could end up 5-11 too. This team has been bad a long time. Injuries suspensions and locker room distractions are not for seen. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they go 13-3 either and win home field advantage.