Bruce Arians On Trial
April 6th, 2020
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
One Buc Place will serve as a posh proving ground for all concerned this fall. Some, more than others.
Expectations are uncommonly high for a franchise weighed down by the NFC’s longest playoff drought. Everyone in the organization is excited for what lies ahead, but there is accompanying pressure — from the executive suite to the trainer’s room — to turn hope into glory.
Who has the most to prove?
Let’s start with O.J. Howard, an athletic freak who somehow managed to score all of one touchdown in 2019, despite playing 14 games. The Bucs didn’t select Howard in the opening round of the 2017 draft to average 33 receiving yards per game. His production is expected to soar with the addition of Tom Brady, who has been known to direct a few passes in the vicinity of his tight ends.
A true prove-it year for Bruce Arians, writes Ira Kaufman.
Then there’s second-year inside linebacker Devin White, who showed flashes of brilliance last season after recovering from a knee injury. White boasts elite speed, but he needs to work on his pre-snap reads after posting only one interception, four tackles for loss and three passes defended.
Some members of the media have been slobbering over Jason Licht and the job he has done this offseason, but let’s not forget the Bucs are 34-62 since his arrival in 2014. If Bill Parcells is correct and you are what your record says you are, Licht has been an abject failure as a GM, despite working with three head coaches.
If Tampa Bay makes the postseason, Licht’s resume would look a lot better.
You would think Tom Brady has a lot to prove in his first pro season away from Bill Belichick, but let’s be honest: does a quarterback sporting six Super Bowl rings really need to do more?
No, the guy with the most need for validation is the man in the golf cart.
“Bruce Arians is a confident, proven leader and he has a clear vision and plan for getting our franchise back to playing winning football,” Bryan Glazer said in introducing Tampa Bay’s new coach on Jan. 10, 2019.
Unmistakable Streak
But the facts are that Arians has not produced a winning team in his last three seasons on the sidelines. That’s galling for a two-time NFL Coach of the Year who expected a rapid turnaround in Tampa.
“I think we have the core here to win quickly,” he said upon taking the helm. “I’m not about building, I’m about reloading.”
Arians, who turns 68 in October, boasts an impressive 56-39-1 overall mark as head coach. He averaged 10 wins during his five years in Arizona, but he has registered only one playoff victory and success has been fleeting since the 2015 Cardinals suffered a 49-15 drubbing in the NFC title game at Carolina, undermined by seven giveaways.
In 2016, the Cardinals needed wins in their final two games to finish 7-8-1, although David Johnson led the league with 2,118 yards from scrimmage. In 2017, his final year in the desert, Arians needed to close with a 2-game winning streak to salvage an 8-8 record as injuries to Johnson and Carson Palmer proved devastating.
It’s beyond a stretch to consider Arians successful in his first season with the Bucs. A 3-7 getaway doomed any playoff aspirations and the Jameis Winston project failed to result in a second contract for the former face of the franchise.
Instead of whispering encouragement to Winston, Arians is now busy crafting an offense around Brady, who stood behind Door No. 2, contemplating life with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the receiving end.
On the surface, Brady’s skill set may not mesh with a deep-ball approach that has defined Arians as a head coach, but let’s dive below the surface.
“People want to know what’s your system?” Arians said during his introductory news conference at One Buc Place. “Your system’s your players. The coaching staff will build a system based on what our players can do.”
Despite all his accomplishments, Bruce Arians finds himself on trial. He landed Brady, his defense is back virtually intact and he’s working for an organization that is admittedly all in.
Arians is a prideful man with a legacy of success, but his last three coaching seasons have not been kind.
Welcome to 2020, his personal proving grounds.
Ira with his good friend Sean Sullivan, general manager of Bill Currie Ford, Tampa’s first family of Ford. Sean will help you personally in any way he can. It’s the Bill Currie way.
April 6th, 2020 at 8:58 am
Great observations, Ira — let’s hope training camp can open in July!!
April 6th, 2020 at 9:00 am
Thanks Ira.. for keeping it honest
April 6th, 2020 at 9:21 am
Pretty accurate Ira, as usual…….
On OJ Howard situation, he is not a great blocker and he was not drafted for that purpose, When Koetter was on command he was extraordinay because he drafted him to be a catching machine, what he did pretty good, When BA came to the bucs his function was completely different…..I hope BA and TB 12 target him more, he can be really important, because defensive coaches will be focus on Evans and Goodwin…..I expect him to have a sensational season……We all know he can!!!
April 6th, 2020 at 9:30 am
I can’t disagree with anything, Ira…..
I would add that I have absolutely no worries whatsoever when it comes to Devin White….
April 6th, 2020 at 9:33 am
Just too bad a global pandemic will interfere with preparation. The way things look, training camp will be subject to delays or cancellations. So I personally, unlike the media, who want to either crucify him or just hold his feet to the fire, expect Brady and Arians to find their stride well into the new scheduled season. But I suspect the usual characters will be full throated with nothing but criticism until they prove them all wrong. These same people of course are the butt hurt Winston apologist. We know who you are.
April 6th, 2020 at 10:07 am
Agree with Ira and all the posters.
A great many “prove it” seasons are ahead for us and for Belicheat…who has won only once in his six years before Brady. A defensive genius who totally failed as HC until Brady.
Sadly I also agree with Jean…the Covid is the wild card in all of this for every team on both the pro and college levels. Unti we know how that unfolds it’s an uncertain “immediate” future.
April 6th, 2020 at 10:09 am
BTW I’m curious as to what you guys think. If shelter in place rules remain do we suppose an organization…either college or pro will be caught violating the rules in order to gain an edge.
Right now in MO they have no rules…so the Chiefs can do as they please although I believe…somebody feel free to confirm or deny for me…that the NFL rules will supersede the MO rules for the Chiefs.
April 6th, 2020 at 10:17 am
Only someone used to covering a losing team would think something like that. Dude expects playoffs every and has one everywhere he went and immediately, only place he’s had a losing season here. Not sure why every time a new coach in here people think they feel the weight of a double digit losing season like they were here.
Only pressure point for him is he has a Super Bowl in different roles except head coach. He will have a winning season so really the sticking point is how far in the playoffs his team will go. The last 3 losing seasons won’t define his career as much as a Super Bowl would just ask tony dungy. You taking about wins and they are taking about super bowl which is the mentality gruden brought in.
Having said all that if Brady get injured because of say Donovan Smith, Licht or Arians nah both should take the blame for it and yea could be fired if they don’t make playoffs regardless
April 6th, 2020 at 10:18 am
Let’s be real here, Brady wasn’t door number 2, he was one and JW was a distant 3rd.
BA has reloaded by taking out the empty shells of 3 first rounders (VHiII, GMC and JW) and other high draftees).
His coaching staff showed promise for those who are coachable and can produce. Not only Vet additions, but rookie and second year guys.
Give this coaching staff time to reload and coach. The positive results will come.
In BA I Trust!
April 6th, 2020 at 10:50 am
Great piece Sage, but I fear Joe has gotten to you in several areas, starting with Devin White. He was a ROOKIE for heaven’s sake, in THE key position on defense (calling the defenses on the field). Of course there’s gonna be a learning curve. Interesting too that you mentioned he ONLY had 1 INT, but not a word about his THREE forced fumbles, his FOUR fumble recoveries, or his TWO TDs. Not bad … for a ROOKIE.
And Tom Brady DOES have a lot to prove … to himself more than anyone else. Which is exactly what I anticipate from great leaders. Brady didn’t come here for the money; he came here to PROVE SOMETHING. GOATs don’t go down quietly.
I suspect it’s exactly the same thing with BA. As you said in your very last line Sage, 2020 is BA’s “PERSONAL PROVING GROUND”. Like every great leader I’ve ever known, he wants to go out on top.
April 6th, 2020 at 12:10 pm
Todd Bowles — the next Buccaneers head coach.
April 6th, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Thanks Ira for giving the..nice version of the real story. Buc fans have been sayin No Excuses for the last 3 years. Well, we supposedly got the GOAT, hella receivers, a RB coming, an improved O line and our D intact. Now whats the excuse? I was not elated with the Brady move. But he is here. We sure had better improve 2-fold with the O line this year. Its no secret Beady cannot scamper 5 yrds. To his credit, he does move well in the pocket. But how much gas is left in the 43 yr old tank? Arians cashed in his whisperer chip for Brady. If we don’t get at least 2 games into the playoffs, I think he has failed. Roll them dice baby..here we go.
April 6th, 2020 at 1:46 pm
Why does it happen? Because it happens roll the bones, roll the bones. Why are we here? Because were are here roll the bones, roll the bones.
April 6th, 2020 at 3:29 pm
Lets get Bucco Bruce back on the helmets!! As for the other Bruce his record will always be as good as his Qbs are. Wins are a comin
April 6th, 2020 at 7:03 pm
I would counter this column by stating that any coach who’s worth his salt considers every single season to be the next Proving Ground and the next trial and the next massive pressure cooker. They know it and they want it.
In a way this column just dramatizes the obvious. But you write it well, Ira, so it does make for a nice read. The point about OJ Howard is perhaps the most salient of all. The point about Devin White might be the silliest. Defense Rules covered why already.
If you think Bruce Arians or Tom Brady either one is going to feel any more pressure because of what you’re writing in this column, I guess you’d better think again. Guys at their level put far more pressure on themselves than your column ever can.
Arians is not Dirk. Brady is not Jameis.
Pewter Power pretty much nailed my response in his first sentence, though, so I guess everything I just wrote is pretty much nothing more than an embellishment of that.
April 6th, 2020 at 7:31 pm
Great article as always Ira. I think that every time I read one, but rarely thank you. Thanks Ira for what you do!
April 6th, 2020 at 9:53 pm
Barbosa – nice Rush pull!
The Trees were all kept equal by hatchet, ax, and saw.