Separating From The Pack
January 18th, 2022
Bucco Bruce Arians
Buccaneers trivia time!
First, combine the postseason victories of legendary Bucs head coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden through their 13 totals seasons in Tampa.
Then compare that to the resumé of Bucco Bruce Arians.
On which side of the aisle resides more postseason wins? The answer is, it’s a tie. Arians now has five postseason victories in his three Bucs seasons while the other guys also have five. Dungy was 2-4 and Gruden was 3-2. Arians is a perfect 5-0.
It’s why Joe often calls Arians the greatest head coach in Bucs history.
One could argue that Father Dungy turned around a garbage franchise in a hurry, but that exact same argument could be made for Arians.
Sure, it’s easy to discount Arians by saying he is riding the wave of Tom Brady, but one could say Dungy and Gruden benefitted from having four or five Hall of Fame players in their primes on defense, a truly rare occurrence in NFL history.
The Bucs have won 22 of their last 26 games, one of the great runs in NFL history. If they rip off three more in a row, they might be considered the greatest team of all-time.
This is why Joe says put Arians in the Buccaneers Ring of Honor next preseason. No reason to wait. Be bold, Team Glazer. Slap Arians’ name up there now because he deserves it and because he’s turning 70 this year.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:07 am
70 is the new 50.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:14 am
One could say Licht(Dungy) was the one who built this team and Bruce(Gruden) was the one who got us over the top……… For this experiment I think Brady would be Kiffen. Bowles wouldbe Brooks and Byron would be Brad Johnson.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:03 am
Yeah Dungy made the playoffs 4 times
Gruden 3 times with a super bowl title
Only BAs second time with one title so far, with TB12 at the helm
Win Sunday and I’m convinced.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:31 am
Why must we always be getting ahead of ourselves on this website or being preoccupied with statistics other than finals scores?
Let’s not talk about greatest teams just yet.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:31 am
Wilder first. His continued omission is a slap in the face.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:33 am
No matter what happens it has been a great 2 years for us Bucs fans.
If you think different then you haven’t been a ‘fan’ for very long. I am ‘all in’ for us as usual but I am a realist as well. And no not the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! type.
January 18th, 2022 at 1:36 am
Tampa History seems to forget a few key buc defensive draft picks happened during the Sam wyche regime. And that he still gets no credit to this day. I would be remiss to not mention this….
January 18th, 2022 at 1:51 am
John lynch, warren sapp, and Derrick brooks all future hall of gamers… not a bad set up for the next coach to inherit… were all drafted on the wyche watch.
January 18th, 2022 at 3:38 am
Stone crab you could not be more right ,Wyche was the one who brought hope to a perennial 2-14 team
January 18th, 2022 at 3:45 am
Cleanhouse Says:
Yeah Dungy made the playoffs 4 times
Gruden 3 times with a super bowl title
Only BAs second time with one title so far, with TB12 at the helm
Win Sunday and I’m convinced.”
BA is on track for 100 wins in 10 years with a Super Bowl win also, that combined is the ticket to the Hall of Fame.
So wether they win next week or not, BA is already on the way to the Hall Of Fame.
That settles it for me as far as who is the Best Head Coach of the Bucs has been.
The only question is, whether BA will be alive when he gets in the HOF or or receives the Honor posthumously, most likely BA will be gone. Look how long it took Madden and J Johnson to get in the Hall of Fame.
GO BUCS!!!
January 18th, 2022 at 4:05 am
Since ya put it that way, Joe, yeah, put him in while he can still chew his own tobacco.
January 18th, 2022 at 4:07 am
Old boy has had enough soup on his noodle to float a battleship
January 18th, 2022 at 4:17 am
Cleanhouse, I am not convinced that you will be convinced.
There are always some fans that complain about kneeling for -2 to finish a blowout win in the Super Bowl when kneeling for -1 would have done the job, too.
January 18th, 2022 at 4:38 am
Bellingham Bucs Fan Says:
January 18th, 2022 at 1:31 am
Wilder first. His continued omission is a slap in the face.
I do not know if it is a slap by the Glazers, they bought the team 10 years after Wilder was the best all purpose back in the NFL while on the Bucs.
So maybe if Ira, and others could generate some love for Wilder amongst the Bucs Brass, maybe he would get up in the ROH.
You ask any fan of the Bucs back in Wilders era and they will tell very quickly how good he was.
Lawrence Taylor called Wilder the best Running Back he had ever seen. Yes Hall of Fame Lawrence Taylor said that.
As a franchise long fan I would say Wilder by far and away was the best RB in the history of the Bucs, it’s long over due for him to get in the Ring of Honor.
James Wilder was as John McKay called him, “The Ultimate weapon”, and in Missouri he is known as the “Sikeston Train” James being from Sikeston Missouri.
Tom Landry called him the Bucs best player when they played Dallas in the Playoffs in 1982
So Joe, Wilder first next year and then BA. Either one deserves to get up there.
GO BUCS!!!!!!
January 18th, 2022 at 4:57 am
ModHairKen … Agree with your comment but this is what Joe does; he stirs the pot. It’s his pot; he can do that.
During a playoff week, with the Bucs hurting AND playing an opponent who whooped us pretty good in our 1st meeting, it’s probably not all that consequential who the best Bucs’ HC of all time is. As Al Davis used to say ‘Just win baby’. Then the bragging rights can come flying out.
January 18th, 2022 at 4:58 am
Nickerson and Wilder first.
January 18th, 2022 at 6:12 am
You can say all you want about Tom Brady. The culture of this team changed when Bruce Arians arrived. There’s no denying it.
This will be the biggest coaching challenge to date this Sunday. The Rams looked good last night and have owned the Bucs in previous meetings. ‘Good enough’ won’t cut it.
Go Bucs!
January 18th, 2022 at 6:49 am
If bucs win 3 more , tampa bay should be renamed Tompa Bay
Arians in first year had the former guy …how did that make arians elite at 7-9 right? We had no chance at a super bowl until the goat arrived and brought all his buddies.
Of course arians and coaches and licht get credit. No doubt about it
But then brady showed up …bottom of the ninth ….tied game and blasts one out of the park into the Bay…
Brady wont be scared sunday…i hope others feel the same way…
January 18th, 2022 at 6:53 am
Joe is not putting the Horse before the cart, The point of Joes post is about honoring BA nothing wrong with that during a playoff week or any week on a Blog about the Bucs.
Seems kind of like a wide open area for all things Bucs, so why not post something good about a Bucs Coach.
Thanks Joe, for keeping the good content flowing.
GO BUCS!!!!
January 18th, 2022 at 7:06 am
The Arians argument is fair….people forget Sam Wyche drafted Brooks, Sapp and Lynch. Dungy transformed the culture but so did Arians and Arians did what Dungy couldn’t do which is deliver a SB…in probably THE most chaotic year in NFL history and did so as the first team to ever win a SB they were hosting.
January 18th, 2022 at 8:36 am
Did Wyche draft Alstott too?
January 18th, 2022 at 9:09 am
I love the Bucs and have been a season ticket holder for 16 years, but no matter what happens this year, the greatest team of all time will still be the team that beat everyone they played and finished #1 on both offense and defense.
January 18th, 2022 at 12:20 pm
Can you believe there are still Bucs “fans” out there who hate on BA constantly?! Who find reasons to dislike the guy and/or diminish what he’s done instead of doing the opposite… 🤯
January 20th, 2022 at 5:45 pm
Instead of “Bucco” Bruce Arians, he should be called “Brawlin’ ” Bruce Arians! His beat-down on Adams (i.e. tap on the helmet) earned him a $50K fine. Can’t deny that the man coaches with passion! Put him in the ring of honor in the vacant Gruden spot….Arrrrrrgh Matey!