Getty Bruce Arians had some interesting things to say about the Patriots.
Bruce Arians is never one to hold back his thoughts, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach recently took a jab at the New England Patriots. During an interview with NBC Sports’ Peter King, Arians praised Brady’s leadership since joining the Bucs adding that, “New England didn’t allow him to coach.”
“Consummate leader,” Arians noted. “Has been all year. Got the air of confidence that permeates through our team every day. I allow him to be himself. Like, New England didn’t allow him to coach. I allow him to coach. I just sit back sometimes and watch.”
Arians is clearly implying that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did not give Brady the same kind of freedom he has with the Buccaneers. Only Brady knows if this statement is true, but the Patriots had a lot of success with their approach leading to six Super Bowl victories with Brady under center.
Brady on the Patriots: ‘They Have Their Own Thing Going’
Brady is one win away from playing in another Super Bowl while the Patriots struggled in his absence. The Cam Newton experiment did not go as planned, but the bigger issue for the Patriots is the lack of firepower on the roster. Brady clearly saw the number of offensive weapons in Tampa as appealing compared to who remained in New England.
The Buccaneers quarterback has avoided talking about the Patriots’ season since arriving in Tampa. After the Patriots were officially eliminated from playoff contention, Brady took the high road when asked about their lack of success this season.
“As far as the Patriots go, they have their own thing going and I’ve really been focused on how my play needs to be at quarterback, the execution I need,” Brady noted in his Week 15 postgame press conference. “They’re not really an opponent of mine. Obviously, I have a lot of friends there, a lot of great relationships, but they’ve been focused on what they need to do, and I’ve been trying to focus on what my job is.”
Brady referred to the Patriots as having “their own thing going,” but it is unclear what the team will look like moving forward, especially at quarterback. Jarrett Stidham is under contract through 2022, while Newton will once again be a free agent. Neither player did much in the way of cementing their status as the Patriots quarterback of the future.
White on Brady: ‘He’s Always Teaching’
Brady and the Buccaneers offense had some struggles early in the season, but the team is playing their best football when it matters most. It remains to be seen whether their play will be enough to sweep the Packers this season. Aside from Arians’ slight criticism of the Patriots, King’s article also included a telling Brady story from Bucs star linebacker Devin White who admitted to being disappointed about missing the Pro Bowl.
“Thing I love about Tom is he’s always teaching,” White noted. “Teaching me how to be a great leader. Every single day, every single practice, he puts the team before himself. First few days he’s in the locker room, we’re all like, We’re in the locker room with the greatest quarterback of all time! Like, I wanna talk to him, I wanna get a picture with him. But then, he’s your teammate. You’re here for a reason.”
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