Bruce Arians turned a few heads Sunday with his honest assessment of Tom Brady’s performance in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The Bucs coach said he expected Brady to show “a little more grit” and “a little more determination” heading into Tampa Bay’s Week 2 matchup with the Carolina Panthers after a 34-23 defeat in Week 1, and some — including NFL legend Brett Favre — saw the public criticism as an unnecessary shot at the 43-year-old quarterback.
So, where do things currently stand between Arians and Brady?
“Tom and I are fine, so I don’t really care what other people think,” Arians told reporters Wednesday during a video conference. “It’s just what he and I think. We left the stadium fine, we showed up today fine, so there ain’t nothing to talk about.”
Fair enough.
Brady himself acknowledged after Sunday’s loss, during which he threw two interceptions, including a pick six, that he needs to be better moving forward.
Still, it was somewhat surprising to see Arians question the six-time Super Bowl champion in the manner in which he did, especially with it being Brady’s first game with the Bucs after two decades with the New England Patriots.
Obviously, it’ll be fascinating to see how the relationship develops over the course of the 2020 NFL season. For now, Arians can’t help but chuckle at those overreacting to Tampa Bay’s loss after an offseason of Super Bowl hype.
“I was amused when they handed us the Lombardi Trophy in July,” Arians said. “It’s part of the business. You go with it, and it’s one week at a time, one day at a time. We win a few games in a row and everybody will be back on the bandwagon, happy. It’s just part of the game. If we lose this week, the world will come to an end.”
It probably doesn’t help the national narrative that Cam Newton — Brady’s replacement in New England — seems to be adjusting to life just fine as the Patriots’ starting quarterback under Bill Belichick.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
