Getty Tom Brady has backed Bruce Arians on multiple occasions.
It feels like an eternity ago since Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians’ relationship with Tom Brady was being dissected after the legendary quarterback’s move south. In case a Super Bowl victory was not enough of an indication of their close relationship, Brady recently took to social media to give his coach a special shoutout. Heading into Week 3, Brady posted a photo with Arians to his Instagram Story along with a short caption.
“I got your back,” Brady noted on Instagram. “You got mine.”
Brady’s relationship with Arians tends to spark discussion about the quarterback’s current status with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and what may have sparked his exit from New England. It has been particularly noteworthy as the Bucs face the Patriots in Week 4, but Brady has taken the high road despite those around him going public with their frustration over the breakup.
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“I have great respect and admiration for my time there,” Brady said of his time with the Patriots, per Buccaneers.com. “I had 20 great years there. I’ve kind of spoke that the last 18 months. It was a great time in my life, but I’m really happy to be here and I think we’ve done some great things in a short period of time. I really love the teammates that I have, that I’m playing with here. I love the coaches. The organization has been amazing.
“From my standpoint, I had a great time, but really my focus has been on trying to be the best I can be for this team and trying to go out and be a winning quarterback, be a championship-level quarterback, for this team and for this organization because they certainly deserve it. I made a commitment to them and I want to live up to it.”
Arians Has No Problem Being Critical of Brady
Arians received his fair share of skepticism early in the 2020 season for, at times, criticizing Brady’s performance. During the Bucs docuseries “In the Current,” Arians explained why he has no problem telling Brady hard truths when he feels it is necessary.
“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***.”
Brady Has Thrown for 655 Yards & 9 Touchdowns in the Bucs’ First 2 Games
Brady looks even sharper with the Bucs in his second season in Tampa. Through two games, Brady has thrown for 655 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bucs quarterback faces two challenging defenses in the coming weeks as Brady squares off against the Rams and Patriots.
“This week is really challenging because they’ve [Rams] got good players in the secondary, they have a good front and we lost to them last year,” Brady noted, per Buccaneers.com. “They’re one of the top-rated defenses in the league. They have one of the greatest defensive players of all-time. Everything about this week is challenging – really good defense, really good offense, we’ve got a long way to travel. It’s a big game for both of us.”