Arians Should Know Arians
July 2nd, 2020
What does Bobby Knight have to do with Bruce Arians and Tom Brady? Details in the story.
Man, the Bucs are getting so much run this offseason Joe can barely keep up.
Radio, TV, podcasts, you name it. The Bucs are all over the place. So much so that in some cases, Joe is backed up for weeks getting to material.
Take Michael Lombardi, the former NFL general manager and coffee fetcher for Bill Walsh, Al Davis and Bill Belicheat. His podcast “GM Shuffle” is a really interesting listen, even if you aren’t sure if Lombardi is blowing smoke or not.
Hey, Lombardi has worked in NFL front offices a whole lot longer than Joe has. And you would hope working for three Hall of Fame guys, something about football may have rubbed off on him.
Lombardi is on a kick that he isn’t sure whether park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring Bucs quarterback Tom Brady is a good fit for Bucco Bruce Arians. Lombardi seems to think the two are oil and water when it comes to their offensive philosophies.
In fact, Lombardi, who has been a harsh critic of Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, wondered in a recent edition of his podcast if Arians should have kept Jameis.
“I don’t like it,” Lombardi said of the Bucs’ 9.5 season-win total via VSiN in Las Vegas. The Bucs “think because they are signing Tom Brady, that Brady will handle it.
“Basically, are we sure, our we 100 percent confident that Brady is good for Bruce Arians? Or is Jameis Winston better for Bruce Arians? How these two [Arians and Brady] work together, how these two [forces] collide, I just don’t see it.
“Arians did some great things for Jameis last year and he almost killed Jameis.”
Overall, Lombardi was discussing the NFC South (He’s also skittish about the slimy Saints at 10.5), Lombardi believes Jameis’ 30 picks were a product of both an aberration and the struggles first-year quarterbacks battle with Arians.
Here’s Joe’s thing: Joe’s favorite quote of all time comes from one of Joe’s all-time favorite coaches, Bobby Knight. “The General” said it when Dick Vitale told him he could win as an NBA coach. Knight sharply disagreed.
“Nobody knows me better than me,” Knight snapped. “I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do.”
Joe assumes Arians knows himself by now; what he can coach and what he can’t coach; what quarterback he can work with and what he can’t.
Arians openly drooled for Brady. He made no secret how much he wanted Brady to come to Tampa Bay. Joe is going to take a wild stab and guess that if Arians didn’t think he could work with Brady, he wouldn’t have stopped just short of sexting Brady to lure him.
July 2nd, 2020 at 8:12 am
Too much time on people’s hands right now. The uncertainty is making people lose focus.
July 2nd, 2020 at 8:25 am
Arians was drooling for anyone who would’ve turnover the ball over like giving away candy at Halloween like Jameis Winston did last year with the football.
No way Bobby Knight would’ve been successful in the NBA because he lacked the temperament and patience that is needed to coach grown spoiled pampered athletes in the NBA
Bobby Knight in the NBA as a HC would’ve been like another Greg Schiano………just a bad fit all-the-way-around
July 2nd, 2020 at 8:31 am
I’m beginning to wonder what sort of stats other Quarterbacks could have racked up if they were permitted to throw 30 ints…….
I think there is a lot of overthinking here……..you acquire Brady to manage the game without turnovers…..with an improved defense, it should be a playoff team.
July 2nd, 2020 at 9:10 am
Anthem…agree that BK wouldn’t have lasted in the NBA. Many older pro’s wouldn’t put up with his act/methods. But he was a great college coach… without a doubt.
July 2nd, 2020 at 9:17 am
Yeah Bobby Knight was good for college basketball for sure…if not just to watch all the “chucking the chairs across the hardtop”………………lol
….and I don’t think Arians said to Jameis to throw 30 picks either……….if that drove fans crazy……imagine what Arians and the other Bucs coaches were going through last season…..there’s only so much someone can take of a bad thing until they get fedup with it and move on and that’s exactly what they did with Jameis
July 2nd, 2020 at 10:18 am
That sweater is iconic.
July 2nd, 2020 at 10:27 am
The man is allowed an opinion, doesn’t mean it’s a good one.
Good to see Joe agrees.
Bobby Knight would be fired down damn fast in todays world he would’ve been as Joe likes to say ‘a bouncer or UPS driver’.
In BA I Trust!
July 2nd, 2020 at 10:34 am
I think Arians will drop back to just emphasizing the long ball as the number one play in the progression.
Take a look and see if it is there, if not…
That was probably what he wanted last year but he QB couldn’t count past one. I saw way too many receivers sitting out there, all alone, and waving their hands while a contested throw happened.
That won’t happen this year and Arians, at least his blood pressure, will be happy.
July 2nd, 2020 at 11:43 am
The Bucs will have a more balanced offense- that’s why they drafted Wirfs and Vaughn and signed Gronk. The Bucs should have a top 5 offense with 1/3 the turnovers. And the D is back plus a stud rookie safety.
Now Gay, c’mon now and show up.
July 2nd, 2020 at 11:54 am
What metric are you using that didn’t have a top 5 offense last year? Not points, yards per game or total yards.
July 2nd, 2020 at 12:02 pm
You know as well as I do that if Jameis only threw 10-12 interceptions, the Bucs are in the playoffs and Jameis is still here
July 2nd, 2020 at 12:46 pm
“Arians did some great things for Jameis last year and he almost killed Jameis.”
July 2nd, 2020 at 1:54 pm
Joe nailed it describing BA’s lust for Brady. He had clearly fantasized and imagined what it would be like coaching a Brady QB’d team.
Remember BA IS A QB. He has seen it all and clearly has some flexibility.
He freaking QB’s a wishbone offense at Va Tech and scored 8 RUNNING TD’S himself. He has seen EVERY way possible to move the football.
Perhaps this is actually a marriage made in heaven. BA needed a QB who could contain some of BA’s wilder impulses and Brady needed a coach who freed him to look downfield whenever HE thought it was worth it.
Let that tidbit about VA TECH sink in. BA ran a wishbone offense and scored 8 running TD’s himself. I’m thinking he’s very aware there’s more than one way to get the job done.
BA was playing to JW’s strengths last year. JW was never a “possession” QB or checkdown Charlie but he could wing the ball
July 2nd, 2020 at 4:54 pm
Arians didn’t cause Winston’s turnovers. Winston did.
That has always been Winston’s fatal flaw.
BA just does not put up with it.
One major reason Tom Brady is Tom Brady is because Tom Brady just doesn’t turn the ball over.
That alone may be why BA loves Brady.
July 2nd, 2020 at 7:10 pm
Cobra
Well now that is cutting to the chase. I agree!
July 2nd, 2020 at 7:47 pm
We are talking about 2 grown a$$ men with the same goal !!!!!!! This isn’t politics !!!!!!! They will work together to reach that goal !!!!!! #LOVEMESOMEBUCS
July 2nd, 2020 at 9:56 pm
Jameis averaged 14.5 interceptions in his first 4 seasons. 14 average interceptions in college. When a statistician sees an anomaly like Jameis having 30 his first year in BAs system they’d throw that one out or weigh it accordingly taking circumstances into consideration. BA did the opposite he only looked at last year and weighed the end of the season more heavily circumstances be dammed. I don’t think he did that with Brady who looked pretty average his last 5 games losing 3-5 games (W/ a Pick 6 last throw & loss to the dolphins) throwing 225 yards a game with about an 80 Qbr.
The Bucs have taken a huge risk giving up on Jameis for Tom’s last dance. Anything less than a SB win is losing this bet.
July 2nd, 2020 at 11:00 pm
Stan – JW is was a lost cause here. I wanted it to work as much as the next guy.
But he fired himself.
Interceptions
Lack of growth in protecting the ball late in the season
Posturing for $30M+
AND based on many players comments in the offseason he lost the room. Can’t have a $30M QB not respected by the team.
BA did the right and only thing for the betterment of the Bucs and JW. Exhibit A – see what the market gave JW.
In BA I Trust!
July 3rd, 2020 at 6:34 am
Making the same.mistake I did when they hired Arians, Lombardi is assuming ( as is everyone else) that Brady will.come in and run Arians offense. THE THING IS, Bruce isnt coaching anymore..Hes delgating. Hes letting his players and coaches work for him.He brought Brady in to run BRADYS offense with a sprinkle of hige chink.plays when defenses dont expect it. It genius on Arians part really, he pretty much demoted Letwich from playcaller without having the tell him. Like ” yeah you can call.whayever you want but Tom.is gonna do whats best”
As long as the defense continues doing what they finished the season doing pretty consistently,
July 3rd, 2020 at 7:06 am
Sport. Jameis never ask for 30 million. Unconfirmed reports from his agent is all I read. Please point to the quotes from all these players. The only thing I can recall was S. Barrett saying some stupid stuff he had to clean up the next day.
July 3rd, 2020 at 12:01 pm
@BucEmUp: it is Arian’s offense. He is just delegating others to implement it.
From what I have read there isn’t that much difference in offensive philosophies. NE also flung it deep when they had deep weapons… as the Bucs have.
It’s not like there is going to be a fundamental conflict between what Arians wants and what Brady wants. That’s a casual fan myth.
Both want just one thing: wins. End of discussion.