The potential negative impact of Tom Brady’s extended time away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers probably has been greatly exaggerated by NFL media members and fans alike.
Bruce Arians certainly isn’t worried about the future Hall of Fame quarterback and his team. In fact, the former Bucs head coach believes Brady’s week-plus sabbatical actually was beneficial for the Bucs.
During an interview with USA Today’s Jori Epstein on Wednesday, Arians, now a senior football consultant with Tampa Bay, explained why Brady not being with the Buccaneers for 11 days was “a really good move for everybody.”
“It’s a matter of when you’re 45 and you have way, way more things in your life going on than a 25-year-old does,” Arians told Epstein. “Tom needed the time.
“It was great for us because we got to work with our backup quarterbacks, especially (quarterback) Kyle Trask for all that time getting valuable reps. Tom didn’t need the reps. He came back, looks great as ever. Energy in the building shot back up 100%.”
Arians probably is spot-on with his analysis, and seemingly the only thing the Bucs have to worry about now is if any off-field issues will continue to take a toll on Brady. However, history suggests the seven-time Super Bowl champion will have no problem compartmentalizing and will put together yet another great season.
