Bruce Arians Will Miss The Bucs’ “Rock”
February 27th, 2022
Reacts to Ali Marpet retirement.
Joe will never forget the play. It may have sealed the Bucs’ Super Bowl win a year ago. And Ali Marpet was a big player in it.
It was midway through the third quarter. The Bucs led the Chiefs 21-9. An 11-point difference with a 23 minutes left to play is nothing for Pat Mahomes. So the game was very much undecided.
The Bucs were marching. With the ball on the Chiefs-27, Bucco Bruce Arians, Byron Leftwich and Tom Brady called for a run by Playoff Lenny off right tackle just to the outside of Tristan Wirfs. On the play Marpet was to pull and lead the convoy through the hole to ensure Playoff Lenny scored.
And score he did as Marpet was trucking around the right side. You can tell by the body langiage of the Chiefs they wanted no part of Marpet moving that fast.
To call a play like that in a game like that in a situation like that, the team had to trust Marpet. And Arians did. Arians referred to Marpet as the team’s “rock” ever since Arians arrived before the 2019 season.
You can read Arians’ full statement on Marpet’s shocking retirement below.
Statement from Head Coach Bruce Arians pic.twitter.com/hSDCyQgUUY
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 27, 2022
February 27th, 2022 at 4:52 pm
I can’t believe it… first Putin threatens nuclear war… now this? What a terrible Sunday.
February 27th, 2022 at 5:01 pm
I hope Donovan Smiths not next!
February 27th, 2022 at 5:04 pm
And with the departure of Marpet, my “Tom Brady is going to come back to the Bucs” dreams died.
February 27th, 2022 at 6:05 pm
I hate Tom Brady
February 27th, 2022 at 8:04 pm
Now we rebuild. Go Bucs!
February 27th, 2022 at 8:07 pm
Start by drafting o line. Fortify the fronts then go QB in 2023!
February 27th, 2022 at 9:59 pm
If Arians does not get a vet QB, he will stay one yr and out the door. All of a sudden, a 600 season is starting to look good.
February 27th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Big blow but y’all are drama queens. Jason will find another lineman in the draft. He’s the one who found marpet n cappa oh wait he built the whole dam line. He might not have drafted jenson but he saw what he liked and made him the highest paid center and Brady loved jenson. Calm down y’all. Do you hear yourselfs lol let the rebuild begin lol Jason’s got this. Let’s go Bucs
February 28th, 2022 at 8:58 am
That play that Joe describes is a good example of the imaginative play-calling that was front-and-center during our Super Bowl run. I kept looking for it during this post season, and that question mark is still hanging in its thought bubble over my head.