More Than Game-Changers
April 23rd, 2023
The impact of Bucco Bruce Arians and Tom Brady.
Last year about this time, former Dixie Chicks general manager Thomas Dimitroff bounced from NFL city to NFL city in an RV and talked ball for a series of podcasts with various teams’ shot-callers.
One stop was in Tampa to interview Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
A sponsor of the show last week began loading some clips to YouTube. One with Licht offered an interesting take from him.
It was in the closing weeks of the 2018 season, Licht’s fifth with the Bucs. Few, maybe no one, had an inkling Licht was in the process of building a Super Bowl-winning roster. But results were not showing up in the win-loss record.
And from the outside, it seemed Licht may have been very much on the hot seat.
At that time, Licht coaxed his old pal, former long-time NFL coach Bucco Bruce Arians out of retirement. Licht in the same podcast had referred to that transaction as, in Dimitroff’s words, Licht’s “quintessential baller move.”
Because hiring Arians directly led to Licht’s second home run in a little over a year: getting Tom Brady to come to Tampa Bay.
Licht readily admitted that likely doesn’t happen without Arians on board.
Dimitroff asked Licht about what it was like to get Brady to sign on the dotted line.
“It was very gratifying that he chose Tampa when he was a free agent,” Licht said. “It told us that we had been building it the right way. We had done the right things. Had the right pieces.
“I had hired the right coach. All of those things were draws for him. So that was a win in itself.
“Getting him, along with [Arians], to have a head coach and a quarterback, extremely important pieces to the puzzle — two most important pieces … every facet of the organization changed because of those two.”
Licht said it was because of Arians and Brady that the Bucs, almost overnights, went from being a long-time laughing stock of the league to morphing into winners.
Joe doesn’t know when or if Team Glazer will unveil the next player or coach inducted into the Ring of Honor.
Last year it was Arians.
This year it ought to be Brady.
April 23rd, 2023 at 8:49 am
The choices he makes next Thursday are just as important to this franchise because both of them are gone.
April 23rd, 2023 at 8:52 am
The question is who was more responsible for our success BA or TB? I think if BA had not been forced out by TB we could have made another run at the ring.
April 23rd, 2023 at 9:39 am
Is it morphing into winners Joe?
April 23rd, 2023 at 10:21 am
Tom Brady was the reason for success, if having Arians helped Brady choose the Bucs because they gave Brady total control and signed off on Brady’s free agents wish list, then in that regard, I guess arians had some impact as Brady dragged arians to playoff games and his only Superbowl as Head Coach.
April 23rd, 2023 at 10:48 am
Apparently BA’s play calling was a huge factor in our Super Bowl run. Last year I think Brady had too much control over Leftwich. Although Brady was great at changing plays at the line and deciphering defenses, how much experience in game planning could he actually have had under Bellicheat, who certainly didn’t defer to Brady. In my opinion BA was just as important as Brady in our SB run.
April 23rd, 2023 at 11:23 am
Karen Rogers for Devon white? Just sayin……
If
Stranger shotgun weddings have happened before, I surely don’t remember ….when.
April 23rd, 2023 at 11:45 am
Brady doesn’t sign to be a Buc if Bloweszo is head coich. He doesn’t sign if Koetter is head coich. He became a Buc because Licht talked BA out of the booth and the bar and watched as JaMiss racked up 5000+ yards passing and 33 TDs.
So, huzzahs to JL and BA. Just need to be patient through the final year of Bloweszo’s head coiching “career” and JL will find the next cornerstone head coach, although this time hopefully a little younger.
April 23rd, 2023 at 11:48 am
The question is could Arians have won the superbowl with another quarterback other than Brady probably not. Could Brady have won the superbowl with another head coach not named Bowles or Arians probably so. Theres your answer.
April 23rd, 2023 at 11:59 am
When Licht hired Arians I thought well at least we finally got a good head coach more relieved than ecstatic. When they signed Tom Brady I was completely ecstatic probably more than anytime during my 45 years as a fan. The trade for now excommunicated Jon Gruden was a distant second with the Dungy hire a close third.
April 23rd, 2023 at 12:11 pm
I keep reading how Brady forced BA out. What evidence is there that this took place? I haven’t seen it. If he did, it was a dumb move on his part.
April 23rd, 2023 at 12:57 pm
I don’t know if Brady forced Ariens out or not. That said Brady sure as heck seemed to make a tremendous difference both in stellar play and free agent magnetism.
April 23rd, 2023 at 1:12 pm
Brady was a tremendous factor but apparently BA also was instrumental in the SB run. Without Arians the offense was terrible and the reason we had such a meh season.
April 23rd, 2023 at 1:16 pm
TB12 will be up on the wall, he brought a lot of excitement to Dale Mabry including a Superbowl Win! He is the GOAT!
April 23rd, 2023 at 1:24 pm
IMO, Brady did not force BA out. Look at the number of wins, the combination brought! Brady came to Tampa to play in BA’s “no risk it no biscuit” offense! This helped his legacy because of the numbers he produced!
April 23rd, 2023 at 1:45 pm
As Allbuccedup said, getting BA and then getting Brady causes me to actually expect the Bucs to succeed, something that had been drummed out of me by Dumbonik, Lovie and the other failures.
April 23rd, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Light built the team, BA tee’d it up, and Brady smacked the homer. Still find myself shocked that it actually happened. We’ve got 2 Lombardy trophies, and many teams have zilch. Boom.
April 23rd, 2023 at 3:04 pm
If it weren’t for Bowleszo being unable to contain Rams for 40 seconds;; we wuld have had back-to-back rings..
we don’t have Brady or BA anymore ..– But we do have bowleszo !!!! who in 4 yrs as HC – got to playoffs once because we still had Brady
April 23rd, 2023 at 4:12 pm
Only 4 teams have won every Super Bowl that they’ve been to. Not even the Patriots can say that they’re one of them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in that tiny cluster. That is truly fantastic.
April 23rd, 2023 at 4:36 pm
and now we have loser head coach Todd Bowles, nothing good will come of that. It is true, Todd Bowles does not inspire confidence and his way of communicating with sarcasm is not effective. I suggest we draft carefully and plan to get either first pick in 2024 or move up in next years draft. We should trade are oldies but goodies like Mike Evans, we are in a rebuild whether we like it or not. next get a new coach also.
April 23rd, 2023 at 6:49 pm
Toad Bowels, a legend in his own mind, tried to develop Devin White to be a disciplined defender. Having failed, under Lee’s logic Bucs should not waste a draft pick on a LB since Toad can’t develop LBs it would be a wasted pick.
Then who are some free agent options to replace soon to be traded Devin White?
April 24th, 2023 at 12:02 am
Don’t care about this debate. We won a superbowl with the trio.
But there were alot of other players and coaches who all played there rolls.
April 24th, 2023 at 10:24 am
Brady definitely belongs up there in the ROH, but I’m sure the Bucs will take into account the Patriots plan for his entry into whatever lifetime award they have.