Getty Bruce Arians may be looking for a new quarterback.
No one is safe from the wrath of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians, not even Tom Brady during their recent losing streak. Arians did not hold back on Brady or any of the Buccaneers after the team was upset by Washington in Week 10. Arians placed the blame for Brady’s interceptions squarely on the quarterback on two separate occasions during his postgame press conference.
“He just overthrew Mike [Evans],” Arians responded when asked about one of Brady’s turnovers.
Later during Arians’ media session, the Bucs coach was more direct with his criticism of Brady. When asked about Brady’s second straight game with multiple interceptions, Arians made it clear it was not the receivers’ fault.
“Had nothing to do with receivers, it was him [Brady],” Arians added when discussing Brady’s interceptions.
Brady threw for 220 yards, two interceptions and added two late touchdowns. It was too little too late for Brady as the Bucs suffered a 10-point loss to Washington.
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Brady on Bucs’ Loss to Washington: ‘We Just Never Really Played on Our Terms’
Brady’s postgame press conference was nearly over before it started as the quarterback lived up to his own request to “make it quick” as he approached the microphone. Brady abruptly exited his media session after answering a few questions about the Bucs’ loss. The Buccaneers quarterback had few answers for how Washington was able to pull off the upset.
“We just never really played on our terms, so played from behind the whole game and they played a good game out [there],” Brady told reporters. “They they had a good plan.”
Arians on Criticizing Brady in 2020: ‘I Just Answered the Questions’
This is not the first time Arians has publicly criticized Brady, but the Bucs quarterback did not appear to take issue with the other instances during his first season in Tampa. Brady brushed off Arians’ comments during the 2020 season.
“You know, he’s a coach, so I’m a player just trying to win a game,” Brady responded when asked about Arians’ criticism in a September 2020 press conference.
During the Buccaneers’ documentary “In the Current” that debuted on June 16, 2021, Arians explained why he has no problem critiquing Brady despite his standing among the NFL greats.
“I just answered the question, they asked what happened,” Arians said, explaining his comments on Brady. “I told them what happened. If that’s criticism, people have really, really thin skin because the truth never hurts. So, if it was different for the quarterback than where he had been in the past and his friends in the media, then tough s***.”
Arians Admitted to Treating Brady Differently Than Other Players
Lars Anderson, author of A Season in the Sun documenting the Bucs’ recent Super Bowl run, discussed Arians’ relationship with Brady during an interview on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. Arians admitted that he treats Brady differently, but the Bucs coach still has no problem critiquing the quarterback’s flaws.
“When I was talking to Bruce about Tom like, ‘hey, do you treat Tom different.’ He’s like, ‘hell yeah, I treat him different. He can take any days off he wants, and if he wants to come into my office and tell me that that we need to change the game plan I’m going to listen and most likely, I’m going to do it,'” Anderson recounted during the November 3 interview.
“Of course, Bruce, he’s a very strong, very strong personality and so it’s not gonna be just like, okay Tom gets whatever he wants. I mean, Bruce will light him up right and not afraid to do that, either behind closed doors or in front of the media when he thinks that Tom’s made a mistake, but I think Tom appreciates that honesty and he appreciates the relationship that they have and the open communication and they just like sitting around bull******* with each other. They really enjoy each other’s company.”