Bruce Arians Says Tom Brady Gets Way Too Much Credit For The Bucs Offense

Bruce Arians recently appeared on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and spoke with Wolf and Luke about multiple things, including his attempt to recruit veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald following Chris Godwin’s injury last season. But Fitzgerald said that he couldn’t even run two plays and thanked Bruce Arians anyway. The Bucs former head coach also went on to praise Byron Leftwich for his hand in the team’s offense and said that he isn’t given enough credit for its success. He also noted that quarterback tom Brady got way too much credit for the team’s offensive success over the past two seasons.

“I get credit, and Brady gets way too much credit for what Byron does with our offense,” Arians said. But he also mentioned that he was waiting for Tom Brady to unretire before announcing his retirement.

“I was waiting for Tom and see what he was going to do,” Arians said. “Once he decided, and he came back, it was a no-brainer. Todd’s in great shape, and the organization’s in great shape. Probably wouldn’t have done it had Tom not been unretired. There was always a possibility, (that Brady would unretire), so we were going to wait until the last minute. We were making plans— in case he didn’t, but thank goodness he did.”

Things being said like this do help to fuel those ugly little rumors. The recent news that Arians had told Brady that he was retiring before telling his coaching staff and then Brady getting too much credit for the offense adds to the rumors that Brady and Arians had a rift and that Brady forced Arians out. I guess “people have to write some sh** every day.” This is nothing more than praising Leftwich for a job well done and shedding light on those that think it’s only Tom Brady’s presence that makes the offense work. As for Brady forcing Arians out, Arians flat out said that he was waiting for Brady to return so he could retire and leave the team in good shape.

Arians went on to say that he hopes Leftwich gets all the credit he deserves for the offense this year because he hopes he gets a head coaching job. Arians also said that he thought Leftwich was going to end up the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and that the rising start coordinator had about four or five teams interested in Leftwich as a head coach.

“I really thought he was going to be the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars this year,” Arians said. “Got so, so close. Yeah, it’s on the horizon for him. He’s the star.”

“One of the reasons I hope he gets all the credit he deserves this year is to get a coaching gig; you know, he had about four or five teams real interested last year. I would anticipate him to be a head coach real fast.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into the 2022 NFL season with one of the hardest schedules in the league. The team faces some of the most talented teams from the 2021 season and has one game on the schedule that takes them across the pond to Germany.

If the Buccaneers have success this season, it certainly bodes well for Bowles and Leftwich, especially with Leftwich seeking a head coaching job — something that has been in Bruce Arians’ plans since he arrived in Tampa three years ago.