Rocio Robles
Bruce Arians, who just stepped down as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has commented that his decision was impacted by the veteran quarterback’s decision. He also took the chance to compliment his staff during his time with the team.
After announcing in late March that he would be leaving his position with the team to be filled by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Bruce Arians said Brady’s return after announcing his retirementwas key in making his decision. “I was waiting for Tom to see what he was going to do. Once he came back, the decision was easy for me.”
As a result, it appears that Tom Brady’s return to the team after announcing his retirement had a significant impact on the coach’s choice, who claimed that his position is well-covered now that Bowles has been named as his replacement. When allegations surfaced that Bruce Arians and Tom Brady had a strained relationship, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach was ready to quash them. “Todd Bowles is in a great spot. The organization is in a great place,” said the 69-year-old veteran, who will remain with the Tampa Bay franchise, although he will be working as a youth soccer consultant.
This was Bruce Arians’ second retirement: he had previously announced his retirement in 2017 while working with the Arizona Cardinals, a team he coached from 2013 to 2017 and that watched him leave his position as the winningest head coach in franchise history with a 49-30-1 record. On January 8, he announced he would return to action: this time as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the team to win the SuperBowl title in 2020 as well as an NFC South division title in 2021: a campaign that would see him fall out of the postseason in the divisional round in a 30-27 loss to the eventual champion Rams.
Bruce Arians: “They give Brady and me too much credit.”
The coach did not forget about all of the staff that was part of his team during his time in Tampa Bay, and stated that the great work done by the team’s offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, is not fully recognized.
“I get credit and Brady gets a lot of credit for what Byron does with our offense.” mentioned Arians. “One of the reasons I hope he gets all the credit he deserves this year is so that he gets a coaching position. He had about four or five teams really interested last year.”
Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich have been working together since the former’s time with the Arizona Cardinals, and the offensive coordinator didn’t hesitate to reunite with his old friend in Tampa Bay in 2019. Since Leftwich took office, theBuccaneers have finished each season as one of the top three teams in points per game.With Brady’s arrival in 2020, as well as the addition of other key offensive weapons, Leftwich was able to assemble one of the most feared offenses in recent NFL seasons.
