The Tom Brady Effect
January 20th, 2022
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians
Joe has already typed that folks think so much of Tom Brady, some don’t give Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians the credit he deserves because folks think none of this happens without Brady.
Joe doesn’t fully disagree. But to easily dismiss how Arians — with zero 2020 offseason workouts with Brady and no preseason — worked out the kinks to incorporate Brady into both his offense and Brady’s new Bucs teammates, is unfair to Arians. As Jimbo Fisher once famously said of football, “This ain’t PlayStation.”
So follically-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN — he *hates* Joe — tried to put together a list of the best NFL coaches who have been hired the past five seasons. Barnwell, like the rest of his state geek brethren, tends to get lost in the weeds when wandering from his spreadsheets.
Barnwell has Arians ranked as the No, 4 coach hired in the past five years.
4. Bruce Arians, Buccaneers
Previous job: Head coach, Cardinals
Record as coach: 31-18 (.633)
Playoffs: 5-0, won the Super Bowl
Team record, prior three seasons: 19-29 (.396)
QB inherited: Jameis WinstonThere’s an easy case for naming Arians as the No. 1 coach on this list: He’s the only one hired over the past five years to win a Super Bowl. The Buccaneers hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007 or won a playoff game since their last championship run in 2002 before Arians arrived, so it’s hardly like he inherited a winning hand from Dirk Koetter & Co. The Bucs have gone from being an afterthought to taking over as Super Bowl champs, and it would hardly be shocking if they repeated the feat again in 2021.
So let Joe get this straight: Arians within two years took one of the worst franchises in the NFL, a team that had the worst home record in the NFC in the post-Chucky era, and won a Super Bowl. No other coach hired in the past five years accomplished that. And Arians did it with a brand new quarterback, no preseason or offseason, and he’s No. 4???
If you are not coaching to win a Super Bowl and not trying to win a Super Bowl and not playing to win a Super Bowl, why the hell are you wasting everyone’s time?
This is just ridiculous.
Arians is the best coach this franchise ever had, that’s all there is to it. And he sure as hell isn’t the fourth-best coach hired the past five years unless you are a stat nerd who thinks numbers mean more than a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sometimes Joe thinks Arians or someone needs to pull an Andrew Adams on these guys. Wake the hell up!
January 20th, 2022 at 10:26 am
Arians is a great coach, but ask yourself honestly, would he be where he is now, if he didn’t have Tom Brady ?
Does anyone think we would have won the Super Bowl, or even made it there with Winston ?
January 20th, 2022 at 10:28 am
I’m with you Joe …Slap that boy upside his head!!! But harder this time…that AA slap was a soft door knock not a $50,000 fine kind!!
January 20th, 2022 at 10:28 am
you’re right joe…… you can’t give all the credit to Brady. I’d give Brady 65% of the credit. I’d give winston 25% of the credit for leaving and the stink that went with him and give BA the other 10%
January 20th, 2022 at 10:40 am
Take Brady and Gronk out, we will still be the bottom dwellers in the NFC South. Just like Bill Belichik, without Brady and Gronk, he is human.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:48 am
So sure Brady is a big part of it, but that still favors credit to Arians and JL to get the players to make this happen. BA #1 for the complete body of work. They figured out how to make Tampa Bay relevant and champions.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:54 am
Lesko_Brandon Says:
January 20th, 2022 at 10:40 am
Take Brady and Gronk out, we will still be the bottom dwellers in the NFC South. Just like Bill Belichik, without Brady and Gronk, he is human.
Take Brady and Gronk from NE and Billy boy, who got humbled by Buffalo, and it does not look so good either this last decade, Take Brady away in the first decade and Billy Boy just does not look great either.
WHY PENALIZE SOMEONE FOR HAVING GREAT PLAYERS???
Not only is Bruce the Best Bucs coach, but he is on track next year to have 100 wins in 10 years, that is a ticket to being in the Hall of Fame. Most of that was not with the Bucs.
BA has a proven track record of winning with 3 different teams, Colts, Cardinals and Bucs.
GO BUCS!!!!!!!
January 20th, 2022 at 10:56 am
I think it’s fair to ask, what team Brady would be on right now if BA hadn’t been our coach and hadn’t assembled the rest of this team. I suspect he’s be playing elsewhere. BA was a big part of why Brady came here.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:56 am
Chris, your looking at it backwards.
Does anyone think the Bucs would have won the Super Bowl with Dirk Koetter & Brady? Lovie Smith & Brady?
Obvious answer is no. It takes two to tango.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:04 am
Bill Belichick lost 3 Super Bowls WITH Brady,
The Bucs defense put a beatdown on KC not just Brady leading the offense.
And the GOAT threw 3 picks in the 2nd half against Green Bay in the title tilt.
So just having Brady does not mean automatic success, as we can see so easily.
Yes Brady is the GOAT, but it takes a team to win a championship with Good Coaching.
GO BA GO BUCS!!!!!!!
January 20th, 2022 at 11:08 am
Chris, before BA ever landed in Tampa he was considered a very good coach. Two-time winner of coach of the year. That doesn’t happen to bad coaches. Had a good run in AZ. Had a good year under very trying circumstances with the colts. Success as an assistant in Pittsburgh and other spots. And obviously has given Brady free reign here to be a successful as he has been. What’s not to like about any of that?
January 20th, 2022 at 11:15 am
BA had the foresight to know that his current QB wasn’t going to get it done. He had the good sense to entice Brady to come here when other teams like the 49ers and Pats didn’t want him because he was over the hill.
I think BA deserves a ton of credit, he’s doing exactly what the head coach is supposed to do.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:22 am
Why does Barnwell *hate* Joe? Did you guys steal his fire friend in high school or something?
January 20th, 2022 at 11:23 am
*girlfriend
January 20th, 2022 at 11:24 am
Absurd
January 20th, 2022 at 11:36 am
BA gets no credit for winning with backups and backups’ backups. Hell, even Ira said Mike Vrable is his pick for coach of the year because he overcame the loss of Henry. Gee, Tennessee lost a starter.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:38 am
yeah, but do you think Brady comes to Bucs if Arians isn’t here? I don’t, his reputation was stellar and that attracted Brady. They are tied at the hip.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:50 am
The “numbers” say he is undisputably the # one hire. The fact that he is discredited because of the presence of Tom Brady has nothing to do with the numbers. This is the problem with “numbers guys” they try to use their numbers to legitimize their flawed hypothesis! Nothing wrong with his numbers, his problem is that he added his opinion!
January 20th, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Would Arians win without Brady?
Would Reed win without Mahomes?
Would McCarthy win without Rodgers?
Would Carroll win without Wilson?
And so on …
The answer is, No. Coaches don’t win Super Bowls without great players, typically great QBs?
January 20th, 2022 at 12:47 pm
Coaching matters, which is why the Cowboys are sitting home; unfortunately,
it is widely accepted that the Rams have the best coach left in the playoffs and the Bucs the worst–who the hell would put Wirfs back in the Eagles game?
January 20th, 2022 at 1:22 pm
Arians is our best coach ever. He had enough sense to get rid of Mr. 30-30, 7 and 9 who should be second string QB. He had the good luck to get Brady. Gruden got us one SB but could never get back and could not develop players. Look at us now, this is the best era for the Bucs ever, enjoy it.
January 20th, 2022 at 1:28 pm
I can’t resist. BA was 7-9 before Brady. Don’t give me the Winsten excuse because he was 5 & 2 with the Saints before he got injured with a less talented receiving core. It’s ALL Brady when it comes to offense. He recruited Gronk, Lenny, AB (after seeing BA’s outburst Sunday, I find it hard to believe he is without blame) & Sherman. Bowles does get credit for the D, good & bad. Everyone would be hanging by the beach or golfing by now if not for Brady. BA is a burnt out old man that does very little work but loves to reap the benefits when they win. His old school methods are just that old and archaic. He is horrible with time management, he plays severely injured players and apparently doesn’t know how to control his temper. Damn their some on this site that think his striking Adam’s as an act if racism. ( over the top IMO). It’s the fact he didn’t have self control enough to hold back his temper and did that on national TV should tell you all the game has passed him by. Open YOUR eyes, this team would of been 15-2 or 16-1 with a better HC.
January 20th, 2022 at 1:36 pm
Brady won’t play another season for Bruce arians. He knows how poorly coached this team is. Babble on about records and playoff wins all you like. The fact remains that once they started doing things Tommy’s way, the team took off and never looked back. Brady doesn’t want to be coach, QB, and GM for another season. It’s taken a toll on him, and made it difficult to enjoy the season. Arians is far past his prime, if he ever had one. Ben told y’all that Arians and Brady don’t appear to be on the same page. It’s coming to a head now, because Brady has a newfound appreciation for how bill made his job easier. Arians makes it harder for him. He doesn’t respect BA as a football coach. Scrapping his offense after the bye last season is just the tip of the iceberg. Go on now, tell Ben how this is all made up, and what a great coach Arians is. Even national media is picking up on this story, making the sleuths in Tampa, look like homerish fools
January 20th, 2022 at 1:52 pm
Absolutely agree with Ben.
January 20th, 2022 at 1:54 pm
Anyone who believes Arians would’ve won six Superbowls with Tom Brady is being disingenuous, or is just plain stupid. Of course players are vastly more responsible for wins than coaches. But the NFL is different than the NBA, or MLB. Coaching matters in the NFL. All Brady had to worry about in NE, was playing QB. Bill took care of everything else. Case in point, the Seattle Superbowl. Bill didn’t panic. He just sat back calmly, and let the Seahawks panic. The butler interception was gone over again and again in practice, until they got the jam, and the drive on the football correct. They don’t win that game without a great head coach
January 20th, 2022 at 2:07 pm
Lambeau, when he put wirfs back into the game, I almost spat out my beer.
January 20th, 2022 at 2:15 pm
Arians is a great coach. Definitely deserves to be #1 on the list. You can say it’s all Brady, but who got Brady here? That’s all that matters.
January 20th, 2022 at 2:21 pm
To win Sunday, the Bucs need to use hurry-up, play-action, first down passes, and passing to TE’s and RB’s–all of which are disapproved of by Bruce. You might say victory will have to be achieved despite Bruce.
January 20th, 2022 at 2:43 pm
Lambeau, you couldn’t be more correct. For whatever the reason, people can’t swallow the truth. Arians is a detriment to this team, and they’ve won despite him since post bye last season. BA will be allowed to retire, and save face. Brady would rather retire than play for him, and the bucs decision makers aren’t stupid enough to pick BA over TB12
January 20th, 2022 at 2:51 pm
Yes, Bruce needs a golden parachute; he’s losing it–see Adams, Andrew.
Word is Brady’s floating his own retirement rumors to make it happen.
January 20th, 2022 at 3:03 pm
lambeau, we need to party together. Ben just bought a beautiful place in culbreath isles. Ben will be in town for the game
January 20th, 2022 at 3:23 pm
I find it amusing that a lot of people give the BUCS improvement credit all to TB12, but TB12 would have had to have thrown 6000 yards and 60 TDs to be the MVP and since he hasn’t Rodgers is instead!!!!!!!! TB12 is clearly MVP and the BUCS turnaround clearly starts with BA!! Hey he dumped JW for TB12 and added Gronk too!!
The continued improvement of the BUCS is about a collaboration of talent and coaches!! Everyone, players and coaches, working hard to be their very best!!!! The BUCS have as good a coaching staff as any NFL team!!!!! BA’s coaches!!!!! The BUCS also have players as talented as any NFL team!!! And there is no NFL QB more talented then TB12!!!!
Enjoy the run… GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 20th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
Ben, unfortunately I am stuck in snowy New England.
January 20th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
What people don’t realize is that when you have a great team, it’s not automatic Super Bowl win. You still need a coach and staff to make the most of what you have. Go Bruce! GOBUCS!
January 20th, 2022 at 7:42 pm
Any coach that is willing to give Brady the slack he needed with the talent the Bucs have would of succeeded the same last season and probably better this season. What great move or strategy did BA come up with this season thT helped this teams success? He’s 70 yrs old, you can see it with all the old timers they can’t adjust to today’s game, Belichick, Carol , Cully all the old timers are cooked.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:35 pm
You guy’s are ridiculous, you can’t just enjoy winning, winning superbowl’s, playoff games and all,this conversation on who gets the credit is what split jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones after b2b superbowl wins, and Brady and Billechick after 6 championships, ok go ahead and ruin the ride, in a couple of years when you don’t even make the playoffs again, remember what you’re big concerns were when you were winning, who gets the credit? People always find away to take away from the fun!
January 21st, 2022 at 3:44 pm
Much to the chagrin of most Buccaneers fans, Arians stuck solidly with Winston that entire year and gave him a fighting chance. There was no improvement so a tough decision had to be made. Cutting ties with Winston was a difficult move and landing Brady was HUGE! Sure, Brady has made all the difference on the field and even attracted many excellent players to come in and join the team, but Arians (and Licht) has had to put all the pieces in place and implement his system. The man is intense and has held nothing back to win and bring pride to this long-time maligned franchise. I give credit to Brawlin’ Bruce Arians! Should be #1 on the list.
January 21st, 2022 at 10:36 pm
Arians does deserve credit for getting him here. Brady doesn’t come up with all the offensive plays and defensive. Coaches all work together and veterans like Brady will probably give an idea or 2 but game planning comes down to the coaches. All the coaches did great and having the best quarterback ever just makes the schemes that much simpler. Also I don’t see Tommy retiring till after next season after his contact is up. Then he will sign a 1 day contract and retire as a Patriot which I totally understand. Then Aaron Rodgers will come here once Brady leaves and Rodgers contract is up even tho he can leaves when he wants he’d rather play here.. Just wishful thinking. 😁
January 23rd, 2022 at 9:26 am
Interesting how everyone assumes Winston would have continued on as Bucs QB after his contract expired. It was made clear that he was not being considered after his 30/30. Brady only came to Tampa because of the level of Super Bowl ready level talent on both sides of the ball. He would have gone elsewhere if Bucs were not Super Bowl ready. Yes… the team needed a leader. Winston was not ready. I can see the team shaking up once Tom retires. Let’s see who comes in as QB. Hopefully the organization keeps it at a high level.