Bruce Arians Explains Why He Smacked Bucs Player During Pile-Up

Bruce Arians wanted to make sure his team didn’t take a foolish penalty Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium.

So, the Buccaneers head coach quite literally took matters into his own hands.

As a swarm of Tampa Bay and Philadelphia players came together in the second half of the teams’ NFC wild-card game, Arians was spotted smacking the helmet of Bucs safety Andrew Adams. After the reigning Super Bowl champions’ 31-15 victory, the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud asked Arians about the slap.

“I asked Bruce Arians why he briefly swiped his hand at Andrew Adams’ helmet after the Eagles’ muffed punt,” Stroud tweeted. “Adams was trying to pull Eagles players off the pile, which could be a penalty. ‘Yeah, that was it,’ Arians said.”

The Bucs operate with a fair amount of discipline and it’s once again serving them well this season. That said, Arians can guide his players in the right direction without smacking them.