Is there a chance the Tom Brady-Bruce Arians partnership in Tampa Bay only lasts one season?
Probably not, but former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum believes the Buccaneers should consider a head coaching change if they bungle their opportunity this season.
Tampa Bay now sits at 7-5 on the season after dropping three of its last four games. The Bucs currently hold the NFC’s second Wild Card spot, but a playoff berth is no guarantee with pesky teams like the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers lingering not far behind in the standings.
Should Tampa bottom out over the stretch run and miss the postseason, Tannenbaum thinks the franchise should cut ties with Arians.
“… It’s a big if, but if they don’t make the playoffs, I would move on from Bruce Arians,” Tannenbaum said Monday on ESPN. “Let him go retire. I would promote a really talented coach on that staff in Todd Bowles, someone that’s had some success as a head coach with the Jets, someone that’s really well-regarded by the players on that team.”
It’s been a grind for the Bucs this season despite their wealth of talent on both sides of the ball. We’ve heard Arians publicly criticize Brady on multiple occasions over the course of the up-and-down campaign, though the veteran quarterback has suggested there’s no tension between the two.
That said, missing out on the playoffs would be a colossal failure for Tampa Bay, and such a scenario possibly could motivate the organization to consider major changes.
