Bruce Arians shouldn’t give up control to Tom Brady
By John Buhler
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be open to give Tom Brady a Godfather offer in free agency, but this doesn’t mean Bruce Arians should cede control to him.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Bruce Arians’ team and not Tom Brady‘s.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini said on Tuesday’s episode of Get Up the Buccaneers may be willing to meet many of Brady’s demands as an impending free agent, such as control over the roster and a strong voice in offensive play-calling. In the past, Arians has allowed quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger to have a big voice in play-calling, but should Arians give up total control to Brady?
It’s a tricky proposition, but one that reeks of desperation from a self-conscious NFL team. The last time the Buccaneers reached the postseason, Brady’s 2007 Patriots came up one game short of a perfect season. Many of the players on the 2020 Buccaneers were still in grade school. Brady may help elevate the Buccaneers’ profile, but Tampa Bay needs to have more pride than this.
We’ve seen Arians’ passing attack succeed all over the NFL. Whether it’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Arizona Cardinals or now with the Buccaneers, starting quarterbacks put up numbers in this system by throwing the football deep downfield. Brady is still a good quarterback, but he’ll be 43 years old with rapidly depleting arm talent. It’s not a good fit.
Though the Buccaneers can vie for a playoff spot in 2020, why would Brady want to enter a division with two former NFL MVPs and the most prolific passer in NFL history in it? The NFC South doesn’t have Josh Allens, Sam Darnolds or Ryan Fitzpatricks to take advantage of. We’re talking about Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton.
Even though Arians may have grown tired of the Jameis Winston interceptions, he needs a quarterback who can make all the deep throws in his offense. At one point in his career, Brady could have done that, but not now.
This feels like a Hail Mary attempt to be relevant by one of the most irrelevant franchises in the NFL.
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Arians came out of retirement to win a Super Bowl. It’s driving him and he may coach into his 70s for all we know. He may have a ton of respect for Brady and vice versa, but he shouldn’t bend over backwards to meet Brady’s demands because the Buccaneers organization has poor sports self-esteem.
You’re a decent team, Tampa Bay. You don’t need to be a pawn in Brady’s free agency.