“I Don’t Have To Say Sh!t”
August 23rd, 2021
Bucs are self-motivated.
To read and hear Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians talk, the only thing missing from Bucs training camp practices for him is a clean glass and a bottle of Eagle Rare.
In a sitdown Arians did with Peter King of NBC Sports, he scoffed that he gets way too much credit for the Bucs’ success and it is more the work of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Then this morning, Albert Breer of SI.com typed up his take on the Bucs after doing his drive-by hit with the team last week. Here too, Arians pushes the notion he’s just riding shotgun on the bus and Google Maps is doing all the navigation.
Of course, complacency came up with Breer. Arians suggested there’s no need to worry when he has motivated players like he has with Tampa Bay.
The first is just the general tone here. Very early in camp, Arians saw, and not just from Brady, a certain level of urgency that told him any issues would be nipped in the bud—and quickly—by the players. He probably knew that anyway, but confirmation came during a two-minute period before the guys were even in pads.
“This was like two weeks ago—[Brady] got pissed, slammed his helmet, kicked the ball across the field. It was a fourth-and-4, we didn’t make it. Defense was all fired up. So it’s good,” Arians said. “And the other day, he takes them down and scores, [Jason Pierre-Paul] goes off—What the f— are we doing back there? I don’t have to say s—.”
Sometimes Joe thinks that Arians just says stuff like this so he can build up his assistants and players. Joe’s been to every Bucs training camp practice this summer. Trust Joe, if something isn’t right, you can clearly hear Arians holler.
And what comes out of his mouth generally isn’t fit for a church service on Sunday mornings.
Yeah, the players and the assistant coaches may be self-motivated. Trust Joe, Arians is doing more than hanging out in his golf cart watching Ryan Succop kick field goals and dreaming of top-shelf bourbon on the rocks.
August 23rd, 2021 at 10:26 am
Take responsibility for the failures & losses…..give credit to others for the wins….that is the key to great management…..and BA has it.
August 23rd, 2021 at 10:38 am
It helps to have a 7 ringed super bowl quartetback that is basically a player coach also.
August 23rd, 2021 at 11:05 am
I wonder if TB would consider being a GM or coach when his playing days are done. He’s basically a player coach now. He’s forgotten more than Lefty will ever know.
August 23rd, 2021 at 11:38 am
Zero chance. He’s said many times no. Way too much work for him.
August 23rd, 2021 at 11:54 am
Eagle Rare is nice, but it’s no Weller antique!
August 23rd, 2021 at 12:02 pm
JPP, Suh, LVD, White … we hear about the leadership in the defensive side of the ball a lot.
TB12 seems to be the only real leader on the offense. It may be because he casts a huge shadow but it would be nice to hear about the other guys stepping up.
August 23rd, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Tom.. I’m thinking at best he might be more of a “QB consultant”, where he can share his knowledge with a teams QB’s, help with their development, and have a minimal day in and out responsibility. He has too many interests and other “irons in the fire”.
August 23rd, 2021 at 12:56 pm
BA is a great teacher. I am using the same strategy to teach hundreds students doing research. I develop instructors and leaders who actually guide new students step by step.
August 23rd, 2021 at 5:06 pm
I disagree that TB12 is the only influence on the offense. Joe has written many pieces about Gronk and AB and how discipline they are and o how they influence others on the offensive side. What seems strange to me is how you don’t hear about Evans, you would think he would share in a leader role with the senority he has on the team.
August 24th, 2021 at 12:38 am
If Arians has to try and motivate the players, then there is a huge problem. It has to come from within the players themselves. Like BA talks about to the players, “it is your team, you determine how it will be” You can scream and holler all day, but if the players do not want to, they will not do it.
How many coaches are so frustrated right now on different NFL teams because the players do not buy in, and they do not really go after it as a whole. Yeah some players have the “Want to” but not all.
That is what it was like during the “Lost Decade” in Tampa Bay. Swaggy-Deshaun comes to mind, but that is only the tip of the iceberg that we as fans heard about publically.
Gruden was tuned out, and fired… The Beginning of the lost decade.
Raheem’s youngry boys tuned him out.
The Schiano men tuned him out.
Lovie lost many after the 1st game “The Tennessee ready debacle game” then the ongoing misery of his 2 seasons.
Dirk had all kinds of infighting, and bad loyalty to M Smith, causing players to tune him out also.
BA has already won with the Bucs, and being tuned out is not happening. At least during the Brady era with the Bucs.
GO BUCS!!!
August 24th, 2021 at 9:47 am
Joe, that would be Canadian blended whiskey (Crown Royal) for BA, not Bourbon, fwiw. GO BUCS!