Bruce Arians Says “There Would Be A Really Good Chance” That He Calls Plays In 2022
January 24th, 2022
The question had to be asked of Bucco Bruce Arians, so Joe asked it.
“Coach, if [Byron] Leftwich were to move on, would you consider calling plays next season? Or is that completely off your coaching plate at this point?
Arians replied: “There would be a really good chance [of me calling plays], yes.”
The head coach went on to explain that his 2022 playcalling preparation during game weeks would be lightened by staff, so it wouldn’t be the same burden he took on — and said he could no longer handle — as a head coach/playcaller in Arizona.
Joe considers this a potential selling point to Tom Brady as The Goat considers returning for his third Bucs season.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:48 am
Hey, Joe. I just saw the report that Bowles is actually DEFENDING the blitz call on the Kupp pass, and blaming the players for bad execution and communication. Can you believe this?!
January 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
Bruce gets pretty volatile sometimes. Can he last, and endure the game in and game out emotions along with the play calling.
Yeah I think he wanted to help BL grow and be able to be hired one day as a Head Coach, but I have always thought this was very much about Bruces health also.
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
bucs4life…..it’s ARIANS defending the blitz call, and calling out the players.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
@bucs4life Says:
If that’s true then Bowles ur more of a idiot then I thought.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:51 am
“Some guys didn’t blitz,” Arians told reporters. “I don’t know if we didn’t get the call — it was an all-out blitz. We should have gotten a ton of pressure.”
January 24th, 2022 at 10:53 am
bucs4life Says:
January 24th, 2022 at 10:48 am
Hey, Joe. I just saw the report that Bowles is actually DEFENDING the blitz call on the Kupp pass, and blaming the players for bad execution and communication. Can you believe this?!
Why was LVD sitting in no mans land? The rush lane was open, and he just sat there, whats up with that? LVD just watched the play like the fans did from where he was on the play.
Jeff Saturday and Ryan Clark were talking about this after the game.
Busted play by the defense. At the worst time.
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 24th, 2022 at 10:54 am
That is no selling point. The no discipline, sloppy coach calling plays? What happened the last time that the out of touch coach called plays! The only selling point of the lack of discipline coaching clawing plays is that he will be exposed and out of the league by this time next year.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:54 am
What about the blown coverage in the second QT was that another “I don’t know if we didn’t get the call” play.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:54 am
Let Brady call all the plays and we score 50 pts.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:55 am
Just wanted to say thank you Joe for all the great & funny articles again this season. Plus I want to say I’m disappointed we couldn’t make it back to the Super Bowl but it was a great season. & awesome comeback yesterday. I’m very thankful.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:55 am
Arians did not mention any names, but maybe go watch the play, and ask yourself why is a vet linebacker like LVD just sitting there? and not filling the Rush lane that was wife open?
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 24th, 2022 at 10:55 am
Joe- Great Season. I love reading your site every morning, it’s the first thing I do. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. You make being be a buc fan year round possible.
January 24th, 2022 at 10:58 am
LVMYBUCS Says:
January 24th, 2022 at 10:54 am
What about the blown coverage in the second QT was that another “I don’t know if we didn’t get the call” play.
Maybe you can personally ask Mike Edwards what he was doing on that play in the 2nd qtr. Carlton Davis sure was asking him why he did not give help, after that disaster play.
GO BUCS!!!!
January 24th, 2022 at 11:01 am
Arians is not going to throw Bowles under the bus publicly. Obviously. And it may be true that the players didn’t execute the blitz properly. Sure they can get some blame.
But even Dungy publicly roasted the coaching staff for making that call. Most football minds would agree it was the wrong call.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:03 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the players thought they were in zone, while others thought they were in man coverage.
At this point, it is obvious that the communication problems between the defensive players were on full display yesterday. For example, on that Cooper Kupp TD, the CB Davis stopped covering Kupp as he thought the Bucs were in zone coverage, and he was handing Kupp off to the Safety. No Safety help came, the Safety responsible to busy reading Stafford’s eyes which were fixed on the middle of the field. Yet there were no Rams receivers in the middle of the field (duh). As a result, Safety help never arrived which left Kupp wide open for the TD.
Execution? Poor
Communication? Poor
Who is responsible for that? Bowles and Arians.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:04 am
I just want to say that I’m proud of my guys for fighting and not giving up. All I can ask is that we give it our all and never say die. Eff the coaching staff and Tom Brady for president
January 24th, 2022 at 11:06 am
Tony Dungy had it right! “I didn’t understand that last defensive call by the Bucs. All out blitz??? Why not just sit back let them complete a 15 yd pass in bounds and the game would go to overtime. I don’t understand???!”
A Fish stinks, from the head down!
January 24th, 2022 at 11:06 am
Morgus the Magnificent, oh god, someone please kill me already. I can’t take this.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:10 am
I wonder if MN still wants to bring Bowles in for a 2nd interview?
January 24th, 2022 at 11:10 am
The Bucs and Bills and Titans all lost the same way, maybe just have a big bon fire and roast everyone, and then actually look at the play and be honest, before spewing more crap.
Has anyone seen the all 22 yet?
Or just going by what commentators are saying.
Did Tony ask LVD what he was doing on the play, why LVD just sat there and did not fill the rush lane. Most likely not, and is guessing like so many others. Kind of lazy analysis by Tony at that moment on TV.
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 24th, 2022 at 11:16 am
Thisisouryear!!:
Ha! Thank you very much. Joe understands he gets cranky and maybe a wee bit out of line at times. But there is not a day that goes by that Joe is not thankful for readers like you. If not for Bucs fans and readers such as yourself, this site would not exist.
Thanks for reading and Joe is glad you enjoy coming here year-round. 👍
January 24th, 2022 at 11:35 am
Let’s hope there’s a good chance of him calling defensive plays… my guess is he wouldn’t call two blitzes when the other team needed 60 yards.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:36 am
Feels strange not discussing next week’s game……I guess I’ve gotten a bit spoiled…..
Time to talk about FA & the draft……
I think Brady will decide soon….he knows how much his decision matters to the team….and he’s definitely a team guy.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:50 am
The goal is for Tom to find a bright young playcaller; let Bruce worry about finding a kick returner, a slot corner, a swing tackle, and a wideout.
January 24th, 2022 at 11:58 am
Bowles called a good game. Players were not on same page. All this guys on defense been here last year and this year. Shouldnt have this communication or assignment errors.
Dean. Dean was the best defender yesterday. Where was davis. Shaq. Smb. Whitehead. ?
January 24th, 2022 at 12:09 pm
No pressure blitzing no pressure no blitz poor coverage during both. Burnt Toast let Kupp hoodwink him blazing right by and Winfield was not deep enough at the snap and then hesitated before running with him. Our MLB who is the qb of the defense knew he was to blitz but didn’t. He also obviously didn’t tell our safety to run with Kupp on his 70 yard td either and you all blame Bowles for this. If he didn’t blitz on that last play Kupp still would’ve gotten open because Winfield wasn’t deep enough and you all would be crying WHY DIDN’T HE BLITZ???
January 24th, 2022 at 12:11 pm
How quickly we forget the masterpiece that Bowles called in the Superbowl. Yeah I hated the call, but the amount of disrespect for the man who designed a plan and shut down the Chiefs is sad.
January 24th, 2022 at 12:17 pm
The fact remains, whether the players executed correctly or not, it was the absolute wrong play at that point in the game. There was no need for a all or nothing play. It was obvious Rams D was exhausted and Brady had.them on their heels. Even if there was confusion, doesn’t that stem from lack of preparation? This guy had interviews Friday and Saturday right before the game. Please stop with the Bowles defending. This secondary rarely executes and that’s on him, so is Whites undiscipline play. Good coaching fixes that.
January 24th, 2022 at 12:18 pm
Hopefully a new defensive coordinator Toliet Bowles did a horrible job preparing his defense for this game. Lefty leaving would be know great loss Brady is the only reason this team is going to the playoffs. He goes the real Arians will raise its ugly head. Realistically how many QBs could consistently bring the bucs back again again and again. Brady leaves back to top 5 draft picks.
January 24th, 2022 at 12:24 pm
Sounds like BL is gone. Don’t see Arians even answering this question if there was a possibility of Leftwich returning. Looks like BL moves on. Bowles stays while BA/Brady chase one more ring. I think the ideal situation for us Bucs fans and the franchise is a swan song season. One where BA and Brady let it be known it is there last. Licht pulls the strings to keep most of the band together and there’s extreme motivation to make another run. Go Bucs!
January 24th, 2022 at 12:26 pm
Hope your right BigPoppaBuc!
January 24th, 2022 at 1:13 pm
Joe I think you nailed it. That sounds like a selling point for Brady to come back. Letting him know we’re not gonna have a new OC changing everything. The office is in theory staying the same.
Personally I like BL and I think he would be a fool to not stick around for another year. I think he’s like Raheem Morris several years ago, too young and inexperienced to try to be a head coach already
January 24th, 2022 at 1:22 pm
Yeah Joe’s: thanks for the entertainment and Bucs coverage.
January 24th, 2022 at 1:36 pm
BA calling plays as a selling point to keep Brady?
Brady is better off calling his own plays.
January 24th, 2022 at 2:21 pm
When you have a guy like Brady who has more actual hands on experience and more super bowl experience than a fat old guy coach past his prime, then he’ll ya he should call the plays on offense. It was the defense that lost this game. If they had played some form of deep prevent the game would have gone to overtime. No risk it no biscuit was a stupid call. If they had gotten a sack it would have been called genius. But it was an unnecessary risk. Play it conservative and give Brady a chance in overtime.
January 24th, 2022 at 2:31 pm
I really think Brady will retire. I sure would if I had everything he has. He does not need another season of 250lb linebackers and 300lb line men trying to bury him. Count your blessings Tom and leave the game healthy. You don’t owe anybody anything now. You and Gronky go fishing or cruising on the yacht. You made the playoffs 2 years in a row with the Bucs and we were lucky to have you!
January 24th, 2022 at 4:19 pm
My first thought is that Tawmy Boy wants to call the plays if he comes back and BA has just thrown T12 a carrot.
If Brady opts out for family life, BA will find some reason to retire shortly thereafter.