Too Many Yes Men For Tom Brady?
November 15th, 2022
Bucco Bruce Arians
Bucco Bruce Arians opened up on Tom Brady and the Bucs offense yesterday over a bagel and coffee.
And a few interesting things came out and they weren’t crumbs off the chin of JoeBucsFan.com columnist and podcaster Ira Kaufman.
You can read Ira’s write-up here. Joe particularly was intrigued by Arians noting that “Nobody is going to say that Brady was playing bad, but he was playing bad.”
Prior to late in the fourth quarter against the Rams nine days ago and Sunday’s breakout game against the Seahawks in Germany, the Bucs offense had been struggling mightily. No NFL team had a bigger dropoff in points production from the previous season.
The daggers came out for playcaller Byron Leftwich, and they sure appeared justified. But Arians disagreed.
So to whom was Arians referring when it came to Brady not being called out for his play? Was he talking about media and fans, or was referring to Leftwich, Todd Bowles and other coaches for not calling out Brady internally and/or publicly?
Keep in mind that Arians is a regular on this site and Joe is confident Arians saw Chris Simms take to the NBC airwaves and say Brady “is not very good anymore.”
Or maybe Arians was poking Brady for not stepping up to take a bunch of blame of Leftwich’s plate as he was skewered across Tampa Bay?
Arians said he was talking daily to Leftwich during those many lean weeks. So it’s not like he’s out of touch.
There’s a reason Arians wanted to call out Brady with the offense on an upswing. Only crafty and cagey Arians knows the truth.
Also, if you hit the link above, you’ll see how Arians essentially is saying that Rachaad White is better than Leonard Fournette. That could be Arians stepping up to motivate Fournette like he did about this time two years ago.
November 15th, 2022 at 1:50 pm
Arians knows what he’s doing 😎 (w these comments)
November 15th, 2022 at 1:54 pm
If you don’t think Brady has been off or playing poorly this season, you haven’t been watching the games or you don’t know ball
November 15th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
Our receivers have more dropped balls than anyone in the league thus far.
How the F is that Brady’s fault?
November 15th, 2022 at 1:55 pm
Don’t worry BL, it was all Brady’s fault. You’re an excellent play caller, and a better coach.
November 15th, 2022 at 1:56 pm
All true, agree 100%. Been saying the same re Brady & White for months. Also suggested the 45 sec comeback against the Rams was a season saver capable of galvanizing the team. Bucs are primed to go on a run. Rest up and come back with a sense of urgency.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:02 pm
BA speaks the truth & BA bull$hits…….just like every NFL coach…..and just like you and me.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:02 pm
BA
Is
CYA
November 15th, 2022 at 2:03 pm
You know who you are…..let’s see who the “bit dogs” are….
November 15th, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Denial, is a river Egypt?
November 15th, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Stoke the fire Joe. Anything for clicks. Same article twice in a row. Only thing Bruce was wiping off his chin was drool from drinking too much. Who’s been giving Brady a pass ? Media has killed him for weeks.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:09 pm
My Dad always told me. “To keep things civil, never discus Politics, Religion, or Tom Brady” He was very wise.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:14 pm
Wow, Bruce finally talks after we win a game. Where was he when we were sucking? Evan Bowles said something had to change. Ask Bruce why Brady had to be the one yelling at players to play harder. Why did Brady have to call out the team to give more effort? Bruce had to wait for a good win before he could brag up his pets again.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:18 pm
A Bruce Arians that likes a cocktail is a way better coach than the stooges he turned the team over to. Bowels can run a defense, not a team. Mboron be who he be. Miss ya BA.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:19 pm
All valid points. This team definitely misses BA’s influence. If the coaching cannot communicate with the players for fear of ruffling feathers, noone is going to enjoy success. Also weird that TB12 puts up with Bellicheat for 20 seasons, then has a hissy fit over BA’s pen. Hoping this team has turned a corner.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
There’s been bad play from everyone, including Brady.
But he definitely has not been the main reason. The worst stuff from Brady has really been him throwing the ball away too quickly b/c he doesn’t trust his o-line. He’s also had a couple bad misses. But the dropped balls amount to more than the bad throws, IMHO.
November 15th, 2022 at 2:31 pm
Maybe Bowles is like every other coach in the NFL and calls out his players behind the scenes during meetings. Brady’s not above criticism. The talking heads have been killing him. We are on a nice streak, and here is BA causing a distraction. What is he trying to accomplish?
November 15th, 2022 at 2:37 pm
This teams missing someone to tell them the truth
November 15th, 2022 at 2:37 pm
White reminds me of warrick dunn
November 15th, 2022 at 2:44 pm
If BA is talking to the OC everyday ; I guess Bowles is what ? , ,still the DC, or maybe a HC in training ?
Neither Licht , BA as HC, Leftworst as OC, & Bowles as DC would have a SB ring if Brady didn’t call them .
November 15th, 2022 at 2:50 pm
I guess it was Brady’s idea to send Bruce upstairs. Bruceys feelings seem hurt still. Brady hasn’t played as well as normal but let’s not pretend he’s a problem. Leftwich be who he be and it ain’t pwetty. Can’t wait to see the trick play he comes up with during the bye. Whew he might even run it twice in the same quarter again. Yay
November 15th, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Brady carried BA and know BA is trying to protect his friend blaming him. Ungratefull
November 15th, 2022 at 3:01 pm
I can see Brady getting nervous about the O-line (at his age, being hit by a 275 pound lineman has to hurt SO much more than when he was a young man) which might have made him shorten the field, perhaps throw away balls a bit bit too early… But that’s about it
November 15th, 2022 at 3:08 pm
Multiple things can be right at the same time. The offense has been poorly coached, the run game has been non-existent, the pass protection has been inconsistent at best, the offensive weaponry has lacked speed and separation ability, the play calling has been predictable and non-imaginative, and Brady has been playing bad. What I do not like at all with Arians comments is singling out Brady as an underperformer and Arians defending his assistant coaches. One criticism does not have to negate the other.
It took 10 games for Bucs coaching staff to give Rachaad White increased workload on offense. This blind allegiance to underperforming veterans has been another issue. Winning only temporarily masks these issues, but these deficiencies are still here and not to be overlooked.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:09 pm
The whole damn team was just “off” somehow.
Was it Brady taking off ten days in the middle of camp? Was it the divorce? Was it the loss of Jensan, Cappa, and Market? Was it BA moving aside?
Probably all of the above.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:10 pm
Where was BA during the slide ? Invisible man.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:10 pm
Loss of Suh and JPP too.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:11 pm
Hey BA …. It’s 5 O’Clock somewhere…. Fire BL
November 15th, 2022 at 3:13 pm
Jonny,
Spot on and well said. Go Bucs!
November 15th, 2022 at 3:16 pm
I miss uncle BA
November 15th, 2022 at 3:18 pm
Off this particular topic, but Akiem Hicks mic’d up in Germany is gold
November 15th, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Brady already quit on this team once; combined with his personal problems, and all the stories about moving on from this team, people still defend him to the hilt. You know, next season when he is in the booth, or another team, hes going to tell everyone how his mind just wasnt right in 2022? He is the GOAT, the general on the field, and although he didnt drop all the passes, or make the line play poorly, he did overthrow Evans in the red zone, throw late on routes, and put a lot of throws in ground. Not impressed with TD/INT ratio as I can recall a few times where defenders have dropped his errant throws.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:25 pm
Gonna re-post here so none of you miss my point:
I really am sick and tired of these threads. So many people pointing fingers at Brady who woulda given him a BJ to come win them a Super bowl a few years ago. So disrespectful.
Redeemer has it dead on with stats. He did not run around and win 7 Super Bowls and he won’t win one this year if the line doesn’t keep improving. However, he is still as good as any QB in the league when the TEAM is prepared. And now he’s coming into the November December stretch where he always amps it up (also divorce behind him). If the coaches and teammates match his intensity we can all go out on top. Oh and by the way… how did Mahomes do in the Super Bowl when his offensive line was trash? Thats right suckas, he had a hard time making plays. Does he suck too?
And Redeemer, don’t forget Brady has had the most dropped passes in the league. 19 before last Sunday.
Redeemer Says:
November 15th, 2022 at 2:55 pm
Capt. Here’s some more for ya bud. Brady has faced 7 or more defenders in coverage more than any QB in the league. The Bucs line has a 53.5% pass block win rate, ranking 26th in the league. So, he’s throwing into coverage, and has bad pass pro. Still, he’s not turning it over. If you dig inside the numbers, it all points to a herculean effort by Brady, with very little help. I’ve said this many times. Brady isn’t capable of carrying a team anymore. He’s 45 freaking years old. If you give him a halfway decent run game, and protect him, he’s still elite.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Where are the deep shots coach (I would love to see the ’21/’22 comparison)? Why are there so many 1st down runs coach? This offense looks very different and don’t give me “the online” excuse! This team is filled with superstars and future HOF’rs…the difference is the main play caller and no red pen!!!
You’re boy BL is just not that guy, just like he wasn’t a franchise QB. Sorry…
November 15th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Brady needs time in the pocket, he wasn’t getting that. Also at 45,its not a good suggestion to take on qb hits. Which leads to why he was rushing the pass before the reciever could run the route. Also why the recievers have more dropped passes.
Leftwich taught by Arians offensive scheme is for the qb to not to be afraid to take the hit while throwing the ball… Which is why Brady is playing bad in Arians eyes…so for this scheme in which Brady has no time, is understandable why he would play bad.
1+1 is 2 not 11
November 15th, 2022 at 3:41 pm
It’s a long season my mindless minions. One certainly wants to peak at the rite time. Who knows this more than the goat?
Peaking too soon is like having a rim fire and an air burst.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:56 pm
Striong leadership is needed and Arians is playing that game but what is going to happen when leadership is needed on the field. BL has to perform on gameday and take solid decisions. Brady will take it and do his part.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:57 pm
Brady was playing scared due to a make shift line and decimated wide receiver room.
I’m just honestly show we don’t have many more turn overs.
I think the ship is righting it self but let’s put in the start work during this break n come back stronger and healthy.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:57 pm
The only reason Arians has a ring is that he was a passenger on the Brady, suh and JPP bus. All those years of head coaching and you never even got to a superbowl with Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald. Ungratefulness is not a good look, but then Arians has never looked good.
Now that the team had a game where it looks like they are starting to gel, BA has to come in and say “LOOK AT ME, I’M OVERHERE”. Did Brady have a bad game in one of the losses? absolutely! But that’s not the reason for our consistent predictable poor play calling. That’s not the reason coaching hasn’t been holding players accountable. And, that’s definitely not the reason receivers have been dropping balls that were thrown on a dime.
Bruce, go back in your hole because everyone knows you are trying to cya on your pisss poor reccommendations for Head Coach and OC.
November 15th, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Should Brady improve? Yes
Is Brady responsible for the atrocious predictable play calling on 1st downs and
3rd and short? No
Did BA ever “X” out those calls with his red marker when he was HC? No
Did Brady have anything to do with the hiring of BL? No
Is BA concerned about his legacy?
Is BA possibly still smarting from his being relegated to the front (back) office?
November 15th, 2022 at 4:02 pm
I will side with Tom, he has 7 rings to show for it. As for Arians, he only got a ring because of TB12. Otherwise, Bucs will be stuck with Jay-miss and bucs record probably sitting in a 1-8 right now. I know Arians wants to protect his minions Bowles and Leftwich, those 2 are his legacy.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:03 pm
Somebody stick that bagel in his mouth and keep it there.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:13 pm
BA taking up for his coaching tree err shrub.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Brady begged Bucs to let him leave. Bruce said they wouldnt trade him for 5 first rd picks. If they would have just let Brady leave Arians would still be the coach. Bucs would have a young qb they could build around. Brady will is gone after this year. Bucs will be irrelevant again and Brady will start his 10 year 375 million contract with Fox
November 15th, 2022 at 4:21 pm
Damn I miss Arians.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:23 pm
Greatest coach in Bucs history! Brady had two excellent coaches for 22 years. Bowles is mediocre and we see what the product is
November 15th, 2022 at 4:27 pm
A couple weeks ago, either Teddy Bruschi or Willie McGinest talked about how in N.E. Brady had not only Belichick but multiple players that would hold him accountable when needed. Thought was, after Gronk and Arians left, is there anyone in that locker room to do that now. Not that Brady was playing terrible, but everyone needs someone in their ear from time to time. What Bruce said lends some credence to that thought.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:29 pm
On the Bucs site, they detailed 3 plays using NextGen stats, all 3 critical throws in the game. Each throw was ~35% chance of completion, and all 3 were less than 1 yard of separation. Epic, elite throws. Brady was good this game. He was good in that last drive of the Rams game.
Just imagine if Brady had been “bad” on that first Julio TD? That throw, catch, and TD set the tone for the game.
Brady has had to deal with a ton this year, and he’s made some bad throws, yes. Some happy feet and some footwork that isn’t ideal, likely due to injuries to his throwing hand and shoulder. He overcame those injuries and still suited up each game.
He’s still good/elite, and he’s still a winner.
I wouldn’t say Brady was “bad” given the circumstances. If anything, I’d say he’s been “good” by elevating his teammates.
Mostly disagree with BA’s opinions, but it hasn’t been vintage Brady ever single game this year – but except for maybe what Brady did in 2007 – has Brady ever been “perfect” each game??? Naw, he makes a few mistakes here and there.
I’d ride or die with Brady, unequivocally.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:37 pm
I plan to work with Brady, during this bye-week. Get his footwork right, and help build his confidence. He’ll be alright, again.
November 15th, 2022 at 4:46 pm
its noon somewhere bruce🍻
November 15th, 2022 at 4:52 pm
Arians knows psychology. That is such an under rated quality in a coach.
November 15th, 2022 at 5:20 pm
D-Rok boiled it down. When the money is on the line, no other QB I’d rather have. That includes Allen and Mahomes. I’ve said it many times. Brady will have the ball in his hands, with a chance to go to yet another title game. Mark my words.
November 15th, 2022 at 5:45 pm
Someone please give us an update on Jensen !
November 15th, 2022 at 5:59 pm
Oh Beer, I’d take a week off work to come from NC to Tampa to watch you work with Brady. As long as I can shake his hand and say “Hi!” I’d be happy and it’d be worth it to me.
Just gotta convince my Wifey this would be epic. SIGH.
November 15th, 2022 at 6:03 pm
See, this is why the Bucs can never have nice things. We win a dogfight of a game against a very good team, Brady completes 22-of-30 (73.3%) for 258 yards & 2 TDs, we go 10-of-15 on 3rd down conversions. But instead of moving forward, what happens … the big news becomes BA drinking his coffee & downing a bagel while muttering “Nobody is going to say that Brady was playing bad, but he was playing bad.”
I love BA; he added flair to an otherwise dull affair (of course, that’s what the Army used to say about artillery). I was actually surprised that we hadn’t heard a peep out of him for several weeks. And now this. Ira, I’ve got a hunch that it was Irish coffee not Starbucks.
November 15th, 2022 at 6:07 pm
Hey D-Rok, me and Tom are really tight, he just don’t know it, lol
November 15th, 2022 at 6:11 pm
Beer,
I’ve only seen Brady once in person, during a pre-season game in Charlotte, if my memory serves, somewhere around 2017. I was in the nosebleed seats, of course, and Brady threw an absolute dime, a rainbow, to Chris Hogan when he was the Pats.
I don’t go to many NFL games, but that was awesome. Yeah, I’d love to see Brady in person. Too bad I live in NC.
November 15th, 2022 at 6:12 pm
@Defense Rules! Thank you! His comments were so unnecessary. We’re on a nice roll and here he comes causing distractions. It was an unproductive interview. Now everyone is arguing over Leftwich vs Brady. Bowles and Leftwich will have to clean up BA’s drunken tirade.
November 15th, 2022 at 6:22 pm
Of course Arians is going to stand up for Leftwich, he’s the one that installed him there. It’s a lot easier to blame Brady than to point out that Leftwich is an idiot, and has always been idiot, because if you accept that, then you wonder why Arians has kept him around for so long. Meanwhile if you say Brady wasn’t playing well, who cares? Brady is the GOAT, he can handle that.
November 15th, 2022 at 6:24 pm
This justifies what I have been saying. A couple of weeks ago Brady said “we need to play better.” He knew it.
It’s not like there was no zip lost on his passes. It’s not like he just lost his ability to throw the ball. It’s where he was throwing the ball to.
TB12 was going through a tough time. Most of the problem was mental. Yes. Brady was not mentally sharp as he usually is.
He had been taking too many check downs which were gaining short yardage instead of hitting open receivers 10 plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage. To me, that’s on Brady.
Now he is on the other side of that tough time and I can see him starting to play better and with more confidence. He has his mental sharpness back. That laser focus is something that make TB12 special.
LFG! GO BUGS!
November 15th, 2022 at 6:25 pm
GO BUGS?
Ack! Ack!
GO BUCS!
November 15th, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Rod,
Nobody has ever said Brady has been awesome this season. He’s had his ups and downs as a QB and a leader of men.
But he’s been down this road before, quite a few seasons actually, and I believe he’s our best chance to right this team and steer the ship in the right direction.
In my 40 years of watching/playing football, I gravitate towards Brady and the team he’s on. A few games, yeah, not great – see this year. But who you gonna count on in the end? He’s the GOAT for a reason, and I’m not discounting the Bucs chances for a few playoff wins at the least, a title game appearance, and even a SB appearance for this team.
Whether the Bucs win these hypothetical games or not, depends on their team identity. At this moment, with the win over the Hawks, it seems our identity is to be physical. We’ll see if this carries over into the next few games.
Always,
GO BUCS!!!
November 15th, 2022 at 6:53 pm
The quality of play in this league is mediocre at best. TB-12 and this Tampa team have a great chance in the run for another championship.
November 15th, 2022 at 7:08 pm
Tone-Deaf comment…!
Give Brady some break already!!!
AB still nagging him, now the ex-wife turned out to be the cheater of that relationship. Everyone is entitled to criticize any player for their performance on the field. But come on, time it well!!! He played great the last game. And now is the time to bad mouth him for his past performance while he is going through tough times?
Let him be!
November 15th, 2022 at 7:17 pm
Just look at the horrific stretches this team has had between 2020 and now. There were times in which we didn’t even have pre-snap motion or misdirections. Arians and Leftwich are outdated football minds stuck in the late 2000’s. Their entire playbook was an offshoot of that Roethlisberger-Holmes-Sanders-Brown Steeler team. If we want to become successfull in this decade, we have to resort to names like Mike McDaniel, Bienemy maybe even Shanahan. Pittsburgh dinosaurs won’t get us nowhere.
November 15th, 2022 at 7:18 pm
bruce is cutting loose
#TakeThatTommyBeeIveStillGotAyeRedPenInPocket
November 15th, 2022 at 7:21 pm
All of these Brady bashers are gonna miss him when he’s not he QB and the lost years return. SMH
November 15th, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Besides Mahomes, tell me a QB who is having a better year then Brady. And remember they are all 20 Years younger than him.
November 15th, 2022 at 8:09 pm
BA can’t help himself. Of course he’s not going to be critical of BL. It’s his guy. Arians has always been an ardent defender of Big Ben. Why? Because Ben went to the Rooney’s and asked them to keep him. I’m currently agnostic on the whole Brady got BA “promoted” idea. But, these comments make it hard to believe it didn’t happen. One undeniable trait of BA, is his undying loyalty to guys that were loyal to him. Remember, BA himself leaked reports that he’d be fired in Pittsburgh. If Brady had gone to the Glaziers and asked to keep BA, He’d be the HC. Either that or BA would have told everyone how Brady wanted him to stay. It’s clear BA isn’t a Brady guy, and vice versa. Somehow in his mind, Brady gets too much credit, and that diminishes his importance. I could be way off, but it’s how I see it.
November 15th, 2022 at 8:49 pm
Jensen is like Big Foot, heard about him just nobody has seen him, I even looked on the back of my milk carton to see if he was missing, hu.
Where oh where can Ryan Jensen be oh where or where can he be
November 15th, 2022 at 8:54 pm
Bring Back Bruce!
November 15th, 2022 at 9:04 pm
Eric is right Joe. What the he’ll, does anyone of you reporters even ask about Jensen during any of these press conferences? Do we have to bring Mike Florio to Tampa to find out?
November 15th, 2022 at 9:13 pm
No matter what, Arians will never criticize or say anything bad or negative about Bowles or Leftwich
November 15th, 2022 at 9:55 pm
Bowles has been asked periodically.
November 15th, 2022 at 10:45 pm
@Redeemer. BA thinks he’s humbling Brady. It’s so dumb because Brady always been humble. Pitt dumped him. He also wore out his welcome in AZ and IND. Tom’s biggest problem is that he’s coachable and such a company man. He needs to go rouge like Rodgers. Take control of the offense and then dump on his coaches on his podcast the next day. Brady was under the thumb of the GOAT coach for 20 years. Whatever BA says, Brady has heard worst behind closed doors from Belichick. Brady misses Belichick. That’s why he’s been lamenting about his days in NE. He always so reverential toward Belichick. Tom respects BA, but he looks at him like the embarrassing drunk uncle.
November 15th, 2022 at 11:28 pm
If you haven’t realized this yet…
Brady will be the most pissed off and laser focused of his entire life after the sh!t he has endured from traitor fans, blind mouth running media and his ex-wife already bangin her long time rasslin’ coach.
If this coaching staff and team don’t get in his way, he will carry this team to the super bowl.
And yes BA didn’t run his mouth when Leftwich was getting creamed in the media because it WAS SO OBVIOUS HOW POORLY equipped he is for this role. He flaps his yap now because he can act like leftover sandwich got TB12 right. Old fool. Like him as a coach but his loyalty to a subpar OC who is harming more than helping is not what is needed at this time. Licht needs to shut him up. at least publicly. And yes, Belichick has said things that would humble anyone, BA has not earned that right this year.
November 15th, 2022 at 11:53 pm
Co defensive coordinator s
Todd Bowles
Are You a HEAD MF in CHARGE or an appeasement specialist!!
November 16th, 2022 at 7:02 am
The Brady worshipers is out in full effect lol 🤣🤣🤣 . He will be held accountable on this site. BA is right Brady has a bunch of yes man’s in the media and on this site lol 🤣🤣🤣 . Brady has been having good protection all year long to throw the ball and now he don’t trust his o line man yall are a joke !! I want to see the next quarterback get this many excuses lol 🤣🤣 can’t wait until Brady is gone .
November 16th, 2022 at 7:03 am
He will never be held accountable on this site
November 16th, 2022 at 7:35 am
BA is right but I have to point out something. Brady did something very classy (and sincere, I hope). As the final seconds ticked off, Brady reached out and hugged every one of his offensive teammates. It was a total team win (which it was), and he was letting them know he knew that. I had it on Radio, and the BR guys were touched by it. I was, too. I will never be a Brady fan, but classy is what it is.
November 16th, 2022 at 8:40 am
Bucsfan13 Says: “Tom respects BA, but he looks at him like the embarrassing drunk uncle.”
I love it!!! :):):)
November 16th, 2022 at 10:03 am
BA just showed us all he and AB are the same person. Not ONE word during the Biwles/BL coaching debacles but after two straight wins the cockroach appears looking for the limelight. Brady will flick BA’s comments off his shoulder like a piece of bird turd. Brady got this team riding high and BA has to attempt to take them out at the knees. It was Brady that called himself and teammates out, he uses words like we & us, BA uses I, You, them.
November 20th, 2022 at 4:11 am
Has anyone ever confirmed this rumor that Brady got Arians Kicked upstairs? People make up alot of scenarios about Brady and BA that to me just don’t add up.
November 20th, 2022 at 4:22 am
My speculation is it went more like this.
OK Tom, here’s what we’ll do ….we’ll play good cop bad cop…this week you criticize the team and next week I criticize you and that way everybody wins and the team gets motivated both ways! And most importantly my buddies Lefty and Bowles get the heat off them!