Tom Brady Decision Could Spark Major Changes
January 28th, 2022
Yes, Joe knows Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians said he would return for 2022. Joe believes him but Joe also believes things change, and can change in a hurry.
Potentially, the Bucs’ football organization from Arians on down could be a house of cards. Arians said he would return when his quarterback was still Tom Brady, when his offensive coordinator was still Byron Leftwich, when his defensive coordinator was still Todd Bowles, when Arians still had his full coaching staff intact.
With Leftwich seemingly on the cusp of a head coaching job (Jags?), Bowles interviewing for four jobs (currently) and Brady non-committal, could Arians call it a career and head to his Georgia lakehouse for good and play golf daily with his neighbor and close pal, freshly retired Ben Roethlisberger?
Joe doesn’t think it is a far stretch to see these dominos fall. Michael Lombardi agrees.
The former coffee fetcher for Bill Walsh, Al Davis and Bill Belicheat took to his “GM Shuffle” podcast this week to suggest the Bucs may be entering a major transition period and the key domino is Brady.
And Lombardi has the perfect answer for it. He said Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht needs to make sure Bowles does not get out the door. If Bowles needs to be offered the head coaching job, then so be it.
“My question to you is, if Brady quits, does Arians come back?” Lombardi began. “If you are Bruce Arians, do you really want to coach Blaine Gabbert next year… and have to listen to everyone go, ‘Well, you only won because of Brady?’
“I think this has got potential ripple effects all over. Do you want to lose Todd Bowles to a head coaching job? If you are Jason Licht, do you want to lose Todd Bowles to another head coaching job? You know this guy isn’t going to be [around long].
“Bruce has maybe one, two more years at the most. He’s going in for Achilles surgery to get his Achilles fixed. I mean, if you are the Bucs do you do that or do you just say, ‘OK Bowles, don’t take any job. You stay here. You are the head coach. You are going to run this team.’
“And it all ties into Brady. I mean it all ties into Brady. If you are Brady, what are you going to do? If Brady doesn’t want to play, I mean I think that spells a hard, hard — to me, it really becomes difficult for the Bucs. I mean is Kyle Trask really going to be the guy you want to build the team around?”
Well, Joe would be flabbergasted if the Bucs removed Arians from his position right now to hire Bowles as the head coach.
Team Glazer likes to reward coaches for doing good jobs. Are we really to believe Team Glazer, months after Arians led the Bucs to their second playoff appearance since 2007 and a year removed from winning the Super Bowl, would shove Arians aside for Bowles, or any current Bucs assistant? That is some wild-arsed talk.
However, regular listeners of the “Ira Kaufman Podcast” know that one of the Joes for months has wondered aloud if Team Glazer had a handshake deal with Bowles to be the coach-in-waiting to take over after Arians.
So why would Bowles be interviewing for all of these jobs if that was the case? Well, he might be sniffing around to see if some team blows his doors off with an offer he can’t refuse. Bowles signed an extension last year and Bowles is on record saying how much he likes working for the Bucs and likes living in the area.
So Joe has to wonder, if Mark Davis offers Bowles the Raiders job, would Bowles think to himself, “Derek Carr or Kyle Trask?” and how many seconds would it take for Bowles to call U-Haul to start shipping his belongings to southern Nevada?
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January 28th, 2022 at 5:51 am
Brady won’t retire. He said he would play 3 years. He’s doing what he’s done every off season with the “idk I’ll talk with my family”
Plus you know he wants to be the first and only QB to take a snap at 45 years old. AND he said he would play as long as he could still compete. Dude is the MVP. F Uk RODGERS.!!!
My money is he comes back. Bank on it.
January 28th, 2022 at 5:52 am
I wonder is it possible Brady stays and all coaches are changed? We have a good chance to win our division and make playoffs next year no matter the coach as long as Brady is here.
January 28th, 2022 at 6:02 am
Arians had to know Bowles and Leftwich were likely gone when he said that. Brady leaving would be the only real concern I’d have for Arians employment, but if he does retire, then so should BA.
We supposedly have a deep bench of coaches. Why wouldn’t one of them step up?
I hope Bowles is gone, his game plan against the rams was garbage.
January 28th, 2022 at 6:26 am
It’s all speculation at this point. When haven’t we talked about Brady retiring?!
BA has changed the culture in Tampa Bay. Think about our defense 3 short years ago and the work that Bowles did to bring it to respectability.
I don’t think Brady is the deciding factor in BA’s retirement, though it can certainly influence it. There will be a ton of personnel turnover on the roster AND coaching staff, IMO. That’s even before Brady’s decision.
January 28th, 2022 at 6:29 am
There are plenty of good defensive coordinators out there. And if the recent history of the NFL taught us anything is that giving an energetic young coach a chance could spark life into a team.
January 28th, 2022 at 6:36 am
There’s nothing wrong with the defense. Injuries plagued us. Retool and promote from within
January 28th, 2022 at 6:57 am
What about a new GM for the rebuild? If not will we see more kickers and secondary picks?
January 28th, 2022 at 7:20 am
First of all: the heir apparent isn’t eithe coordinator. I’ve been saying it for months now. The Plan is for Goodwin to take over. Evidence you ask? Who was interim coach when. Arians caught the cold
January 28th, 2022 at 7:36 am
I know that this might be unrealistic, but can the Bucs bring back Rich Bisaccia as special teams coach? If the Raiders don’t retain him, the Bears seem to be first in line for his services. The Bucs can throw in a lot of Glazer loot and one of those made up, lofty titles like Special Teams Coach/Assistant Head Coach/Senior Chief Heir to the Throne. Plus, the weather is nicer in Tampa versus Chicago. Make it happen!
January 28th, 2022 at 7:38 am
There is no way in hell that Trask or Gabbert will start next year if that’s the case then this entire staff should be fired. I honestly see them trading a competent, proven QB.
January 28th, 2022 at 7:59 am
Bucs have promoted coordinators to keep them – see Dirk Koetter and Raheem Morris. If BA leaves, I’m OK with Goodwin or Bowles. At this point, I’m ready for BL to depart so we get two draft picks.
My biggest concern is TB12’s departures – this year or next. Gabbert is a backup. End of discussion. I don’t think the Bucs know what they have with Trask because he hasn’t played, but it bothers me he’s been inactive for a lot of games. Can’t believe Griffin is even still on this team. So who is the next QB?
January 28th, 2022 at 8:02 am
Bisaccia would be a good HC also, though I prefer promoting from within.
January 28th, 2022 at 8:07 am
This team is all Brady he returns we win if he don’t we lose. Your not going to find an unselfish leader like him out there. You may say Rodgers or Wilson but those guys are out for themselves. If he leaves you might as well try Trask to see what hes got but I think Brady will stay one more year.
January 28th, 2022 at 8:17 am
Changing coaches isn’t the worst thing; all four divisional weekend games were lost by terrible coaching lapses in the final minute–Arians, Vrabel, LaFleur, and McDermott, not to mention McCarthy’s previous fiasco.
January 28th, 2022 at 8:39 am
Why not talk to Sean Payton? And Jackwagon James is never par of the conversation.
Go Bucs!
January 28th, 2022 at 8:40 am
I can’t see Bowles as a head coach anywhere. Not only was his time with the Jets a disaster, he’s shown a radically inconsistent defense here with the Bucs and likely cost the team a chance to advance with a bonehead call. If he takes over for BA, at any point, I’m afraid we’ll see firsthand a rapid fall back to the level of the lost decade.
January 28th, 2022 at 8:53 am
I’m optimistic but personally I think Brady, Arians, & Bowles stay.
Bowles takes over next year.
I think Jensen and Godwin get deals. Gronk returns for one more.
Whitehead gets a deal. Not sure about Davis because I’m not sure how much he’ll be asking for but they need him. I think they target some DL in free agency because I don’t know what’s going on with SUH or JPP.
I also think Brady has a big say in a free agent receiver they target
January 28th, 2022 at 8:55 am
Doctor Stroud that’s exactly what I’ve always said either him or Joe Marciano if he’s still coaching. We had good STs with them. We need one of them because like everyone knows ours sucks. I wouldn’t be upset with Bowles being HC because he does have the experience , he knows the guys here, helped get us to the divisional round in spite of defensive guys dropping like flies and did a masterful job in the 2020 playoffs to help win our 2nd SB title. Contrary to you all’s popular belief Brady isn’t the only reason we’ve won so much the last two seasons. Bowles had a big hand in on it. Coaches coach players play. When you have so many players not doing their jobs properly or unable to do the plan the coach puts out how does it all fall on him when there’s no viable replacement?
January 28th, 2022 at 8:56 am
No one really knows squat. Speculation is all over the map, on everyone.
January 28th, 2022 at 9:24 am
Sean Peyton may be a jerk, but I would NOT object if he was our jerk in the future.
January 28th, 2022 at 10:12 am
1. Lombardi was an accident. Sewed the condom company.
2. Arians would coach Gabbert till he is 44 for a reason I don’t know.
3. Bucs would not have Gabbert as their starting QB.
4. Arians doesn’t seem to do much coaching with all the history he has with the coaches.
5. Bucs have had a terrible coaching squad from Gruden to Arians, which makes me shaky thinking of new coaching.
January 28th, 2022 at 10:48 am
Sign Byron as our head coach
January 28th, 2022 at 1:51 pm
Im sure of 2 things. 1# he wants Godwin back. Health a ?. 2# bucs ” d ” we all know for yrs our secondary is awful. Tom can live with a new o coordinator but the d coordinator has to go!!
January 29th, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Cobraboy Says:
January 28th, 2022 at 9:24 am
Sean Peyton may be a jerk, but I would NOT object if he was our jerk in the future.
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I would. He cheats and gets caught. Glazer Boyz have 2 SBs, and one was in their home stadium. Who needs Payton? Bucs don’t!
January 29th, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Brady retires. BA stays, promotes from within and brings in some people, he has a big Rolodex. We get another big name QB, Rogers, Wilson etc. we lose Suh, JPP, OJ and Gronk. Draft their replacements or sign free agents. It’s doable. Team will still be good. We will sign Jensen, Fournette and Godwin.