The restrictive order has been made Bucs law, and The Sage of Tampa Bay Sports likes it.

BY IRA KAUFMAN
@IKaufman76

You go, coach.

Bruce Arians has decided to walk a hard line regarding America’s Covid crisis … and it’s easy to see why.

While he has few concerns about the talent and leadership dotting Tampa Bay’s roster, Arians harbors major concerns about keeping players and staff healthy for at least the next five months.

The delta variant raging across the country is a game changer, so Arians is wisely adjusting his game plan. Any player, whether vaccinated or not, will be prohibited from straying outside the team hotel during road trips.

House rules. Get over it.

There are certain dangers the Bucs can control, or at least mitigate.

Lots of bonding on the way as Bucco Bruce Arians will not let players and staff out of the road-game hotel.

If Brady throws another 600 passes this fall, he risks injury from onrushing defenders who can impact his knee or twist his ankle. Hey, that’s football. Quarterbacks get hit every week in the NFL and some of them get carted off.

That’s the nature of a violent sport.

Arians wants to avoid injuries, but he can live with them because every team faces those challenges. In the end, you’re counting on good fortune to keep the bulk of your depth chart intact.

Trying to manage your way through a pandemic is a different matter.

The Bucs were masterful in handling Covid during their championship season, even while other franchises were laid low. Arians could care less about being politically correct — he just wants to be smart.

To that end, he’s going to remain a giant pain in the ass when it comes to exercising caution. He hasn’t forgotten the football lessons of 2020 — before anyone was even paying attention to a delta variant.

Let’s remember that the Saints basically played the Panthers in Week 17 without a viable backfield. Covid wiped out Baker Mayfield’s targets when Cleveland played the Jets in Week 16.

And who can forget that the Broncos were forced to play a practice squad wide receiver under center in Week 12 against the Saints? Poor Kendall Hinton completed all of one pass in a 31-3 setback as Covid sidelined the rest of Denver’s quarterback options.

On the same weekend, the 49ers learned they would be making the ultimate road trip — moving their entire operation to Arizona after Santa Clara County prohibited contact sports to curb the virus.

Can you imagine Tampa Bay closing up shop at One Buc Place and relocating to a Jacksonville Marriott?

Last season, 22 games, or 8.6 percent of the schedule, had to be moved from their originally slated day or time. None were cancelled, but there are no guarantees for 2021.

Arians would never forgive himself if Covid wrecked Tampa Bay’s chances to run it back because the organization was lax in its protocols. That would be the ultimate giveaway, and we know Arians can’t stomach turnovers.

Given the state of the virus, sacrifice and discipline off the field are equally critical to Tampa Bay’s championship hopes. If Arians comes off as a nag, so be it. If he dwells on Covid protocols before every team meeting, good for him.

This guy’s not fooling around when it comes to Covid common sense.

By this point, Buc players have surely gotten the message. On the road, hit the playbook, hit room service or hit the lights.

You ain’t hitting the streets.

Sage Ira Kaufman drives a 2020 Ford Escape, cherry red, from Bill Currie Ford. Ira loves that ride as much as he adores tater tots. Shop now at BillCurrieFord.com and demand the Ira Kaufman discount.