“Tom Really Was The Lead On It”
April 24th, 2020
Bucco Bruce Arians was talking to NBC Sports today.
He didn’t say much new about new right tackle Tristan Wirfs, but he did give his first public comments about how the Bucs went about acquiring All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“You know, I kept talking to Tom [Brady] about it, and he brought it up,” Arians said. “[Gronkowski was] deciding whether he wanted to play and the fire was lit. You know, Tom really was the lead on it and having the friendship that they have. You know, just sure we wanted to get him, and then it was just working out the compensation with New England.”
(The above quote is exact in the final sentence. While it’s clunky, Joe doesn’t want to put words in Arians’ mouth.)
Pretty cool to hear directly from the head coach about Brady driving the bus on the Gronkowski deal.
As for Brady himself, Arians said when he first talked to Brady, “he knew as much about us as we knew about him.” That jibes with what general manager Jason Licht previously said about Brady doing his homework on the Bucs roster.
Arians lamented the lost spring practices; “This is the time of year you do all your team-building stuff.” And he noted that getting to know Brady has let him know he’s a lot like the other superstar quarterbacks he’s been around.
“They want to win at all costs,” Arians said. “I mean, no matter if they’re playing golf or they’re playing football. They want to win.”
In a moment when Arians’ voice changed its tone, he flashed a little frustration with his first year wearing pewter and red.
“It was a pretty disappointing season for me. I thought we were a playoff team. And we should have been in the playoffs ,” Arians said. “And I think our guys know that we should have been in the playoffs, when they come back.”
April 24th, 2020 at 3:19 pm
damn right we were a playoff team….30INTs dashed those dreams….
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 3:21 pm
“I thought we were a playoff team.” And that is why Jameis is gone.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:24 pm
BA says:It was a pretty disappointing season for me. I thought we were a playoff team. And we should have been in the playoffs ,” Arians said. “And I think our guys know that we should have been in the playoffs, when they come back.”
Jameis lost us the last 2 games–no doubt about it
he paid the price
walked da plank
April 24th, 2020 at 3:26 pm
Last season is over and so is the losing crap! New era and new expectations!
New QB and new mindset!
Draft more talent and let’s prepare!
April 24th, 2020 at 3:29 pm
Yep ignore leading the league in penalties, horrific kicking, history worst defense first half of the year, no run game, ignore that, all that is irrelevant it was on the quarterback, yeah correct Bruce you worthless piece of ……..
April 24th, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Of course Brady was the lead because we know you’re not going to lead anything but excuses to cover up your own useless self.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:31 pm
@Bruce Arians … “It was a pretty disappointing season for me. I thought we were a playoff team. And we should have been in the playoffs”.
Oh wow. It’s pretty clear now who BA blames for us NOT making the playoffs. Not the defense (we re-signed all but Nassib, who we couldn’t afford to keep). Not kicker Matt Gay (he’s still on the team too). Probably not Perriman or Barber either. And not the coaching staff (they’re all still here).
Come on down Jameis, you just won the prize.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:34 pm
That’s right defense rules you are 100% correct and all I know is karma is a biatch.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:39 pm
Funny how Bruce didn’t mention jameis yet puppy is over here barking personal attacks at Bruce. Sad sad sad
April 24th, 2020 at 3:40 pm
I guess Arians hasn’t learned to appreciate yards. Silly coach.
(The previous comment was brought to you by sarcasm. Sarcasm. It’s what’s for breakfast.)
30 picks and the 6 losses they directly caused will kill playoffs any year.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:44 pm
A playoff team don’t start 2-6 losing to back up Qbs
A playoff team don’t need to blame anything on why you lose
A playoff team plays in the playoffs BA
April 24th, 2020 at 3:45 pm
He really is then again we could literally win the next two super bowls and Ndog would still be complaining about getting rid of winston.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:46 pm
Practicing OC had lot to do with losing!
April 24th, 2020 at 3:46 pm
I can’t wait for Jameis to sign with a new team so we don’t have to hear from npup anymore. I kinda feel bad for whichever teams fans that’ll be though. You know all they’ll be hearing from the pupster is ‘Jameis should be starting’, ‘we would be doing so much better if Jameis was the starter’. ‘All those int’s and fumbles last year weren’t his fault, it was the defense’. Blah blah f’n blah… lol
April 24th, 2020 at 3:50 pm
@813, while those 30ints doomed some games for sure. But lets’ not forget about your boy Hargreaves getting beat l like a drum for 8 weeks till the bucs finally canned him. NO surprise our defense got significantly better when he was given the boot.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:50 pm
CLUELESS PUPPY.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:50 pm
All this is fine and good,better win.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Teams drafting QB’s. Yet an alternate Pro Bowler still unemployed? Even Miami took a QB that is an injury waiting to happen.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Remember the good ole days when jameis was still here
Life was better
He would win like 4 out of 10 games. God he was hot!
And oh the eating Ws speech where he was licking his fingers
I used to watch that over and over again . So hot
April 24th, 2020 at 3:56 pm
I can’t wait until the season to start so we can finally move on to winning football games. It feels nice to finally have a proven winner behind center. I know for a fact he will command nothing but excellence from his fellow teammates. We finally have a leader on the offensive side of the ball!
It’s a great time to be a true bucs fan! I’m not talking about one of those fans who only cares about a certain player and says he’s not excited to go to home games. A TRUE BUCS FAN!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 3:58 pm
Yep, and we all know who kept the Bucs out of the playoffs, Mr. Pick 6
April 24th, 2020 at 4:02 pm
Ndog you must be related to James. Or got fired by Bruce Arians.
What’s up. I wouldn’t have been upset if they kept James. But dog you got a let it go we just got a lot better. Is that the job of a GM and a coach the win games get better players. What did you expect in one year with a new coach new offense no defense.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:05 pm
NDOG,
You still on your James Grief Tour? It’s been 34 DAYS. Get over it.
And stop posting like you actually know something about the NFL. You clearly don’t but your posts…
Take last night for example… you were crying and whining and moaning like you have for the past 34 days on your Jameis Grief Tour…
You made this post, as if calling out other Bucs fans on this site as “clueless” as you love to do…
“Tell me… how are we going to replace these guys within 2-3 years… Brady, Gronk, Jensen, Suh, JPP, LVD?”
Aside from LVD (and we can easily draft other LBs) *ALL* of those guys you mentioned and cried about were SIGNED AS FREE AGENTS. The Gronk deal was somewhere in between with how it happened.
How do you not realize that the NFL has FREE AGENCY? That teams can fill spots with the checkbook? And the very fact that the guys you listed as players we’ll be screwed and can’t replace, were nearly ALL simply signed as free agents.
Man… you really are ‘clueless’ yourself.
That ranks right up there with your other classic posts like…
“Mike Evans is a highly overrated WR.”
AND who will ever forget…
“I went back and did analysis on the games this season. Most of Winston’s INTs were because Defenses were disguises their coverages.”
LOLZ.
Give it a rest, dude. Quit your negative, constant whining. It’s an exciting time to be a Bucs fan (finally in a long time). Why can’t you just enjoy the ride and see how it all plays out like the rest of us?
Such a crybaby.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:07 pm
Is it me or were a lot of people trying to call us a 9-10 win game team after. We got an under weight Gronk out of retirement and we’re not Super Bowl winners says now.
Hopefully Johnathan Taylor is still on the board at 45.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:08 pm
Ndog is a loser point blank
April 24th, 2020 at 4:09 pm
*Is it me or were a lot of people trying to call us a 9-10 win game team after we got Brady.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:10 pm
Article is about Brady and Gronk, and the first comment is from some triggered idiot who is still obsessed with Winston. Pitiful.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:11 pm
🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱Winston Winston he got a job yet????????
April 24th, 2020 at 4:17 pm
the sorry kicker missed 3 field goals in that final game. Not to mention the botched kick against the Giants. He alone lead to two losses. Why is he still on the team.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:17 pm
cg27
yet as bad as VHG was, texans(a playoff team) wanted him back…lol….
but, JW…lol..no one wants that trash!!!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 4:20 pm
Ivan The Insider Says:
April 24th, 2020 at 4:05 pm
NDOG,
You still on your James Grief Tour? It’s been 34 DAYS. Get over it.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 4:24 pm
LOL, so many posters claim you can’t blame the kicker for losses and claim you are what your record says you are. Yet, they jump all over it when BA insinuates JW lost games that pounce on it.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:34 pm
Ndog you must be related to Jamess. Either that or you got fired by Bruce Arians. I mean I would’ve been OK with James coming back. but dog we just got a lot better. Isn’t that what a GM and a coach are supposed to do? You got To let it go man.You just want to bash The organization because you got butt hurt somewhere down the line. Most of us Already know what Jamison can do he’s been doing the same thing for five years. And we know that if he had a better defense and a better running game blah blah blah. if “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas. Time to start changing things up. Otherwise he would’ve been old stale bisquet. Moving on bro you should too.
April 24th, 2020 at 4:50 pm
Ndog craves nads Says:
April 24th, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Remember the good ole days when jameis was still here
Life was better
He would win like 4 out of 10 games. God he was hot!
And oh the eating Ws speech where he was licking his fingjers
I used to watch that over and over again . So hot
Hahaha
April 24th, 2020 at 4:52 pm
Brady bunch nobody ever said the kicker didn’t lose gms. But a few questions is said kicker in a contract year?? Is said kicker a 5th year vet???? Is said kicker asking 30mil a year after missing multiple fgs gm winners and such?????????? Beat it
April 24th, 2020 at 5:14 pm
813bucboi Says:
April 24th, 2020 at 4:20 pm
Ivan The Insider Says:
April 24th, 2020 at 4:05 pm
NDOG,
You still on your James Grief Tour? It’s been 34 DAYS. Get over it.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
GO BUCS!!!!!!
OMG THATS FUNNY …. JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED…James Grief Tour?
…. BAHAHAHAHA!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 5:17 pm
The resident turd in the punch bowl of JBF always brings up JW. Move over Trump Derangement Syndrome, Jameis Derangement Syndrome is in the house!
April 24th, 2020 at 5:19 pm
Kickers lose games all the time. Sometimes the kickers also win games. Like the opposing teams kicker making the extra point after another pick six.
April 24th, 2020 at 5:25 pm
NDog is about to lose it. Dog, maybe you can let all of us know when you’ll be back to reality, accepting the fact that Mr 5k is no longer the QB of this team. I love football and the Bucs, but whatever your hang up is with JW doesn’t seem healthy. Every post is about Jameis. You know this franchise moved on from much better players right? Sapp, Brooks, numerous QBs that succeeded elsewhere. You should buy a team and you can have JW and Kaepernick fight it out for the starting job. And take Haynes with you. He loves him some CK.
April 24th, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Hey Joe, JDS is just as unhealthy as TDS. That post was informative and insightful. You should have left it up as a PSA for your loyal JBF’ers.
April 24th, 2020 at 5:43 pm
Ints aside…the season came down to the final two home games. A chance to finally win at home…a chance to post a winning record…a chance to see if our defense had indeed matured into the real deal and if “Blameless” could keep putting the points on the board.
So the defense played well…ROJO had two good games and our offense put up a total of THREE points in the final four quarters in the second halves of those two final games. THREE POINTS. That just doesn’t cut it under pressure.
April 24th, 2020 at 6:42 pm
Without Tom Brady there is NO Gronk
April 25th, 2020 at 2:33 pm
Bruce Arians was the wrong coach . He came not to develop any players and when this is over rather we win or lose we will be the Cardinals . I hope we win but Bruce Arians got to go . We don’t have nothing for the future of this team . We have to draft a quarterback because if Brady goes down this season is over . A 43 year old quarterback lol lol