Jeff Darlington: No Power Struggle Between Bruce Arians And Tom Brady
April 1st, 2022
“Tommy, your man Jeff Darlington knows his sh!t”
There may be no reporter who consistently gets Tom Brady news correct more than BSPN’s Jeff Darlington. Sometimes, Joe thinks Darlington is the only reporter Brady communicates with away from football facilities.
Remember, Darlington was the first man (or woman, provided you can define “woman”) to report on national airwaves two years ago that Brady playing for the Bucs wasn’t exactly science fiction. NFL fans scoffed and chortled at the suggestion. Sure enough, Brady signed with the Bucs.
And Darlington was the man (along with co-author Adam Schefter) to break the news that Brady was seriously considering retiring after the 2021 season. Darlington was right again.
In the ensuing days and the circus that followed, with highly respected reporters such as Peter King claiming they were tipped off that Brady retired, in part, because he had a hang-up with Arians, Joe noticed through the following weeks that Darlington stayed fairly silent on the matter.
Hey, maybe there was a reason ? Can’t report something that never happened.
In the BSPN video below, Darlington broke his silence on Brady unretiring and Arians retiring. The pride of Seminole High School, Darlington said he went through all his league sources and he cannot find any evidence that Brady was so peeved at Arians that Brady may have told Team Glazer, “It’s that old man or me.”
Yes, the timing is weird, awkward and really, really, really invites speculation. Joe cannot think of another healthy coach who walked away from his job with a star quarterback less than a month before the draft. Yeah, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had a divorce in the spring of 1995, but that was because the two butted heads so much and so publicly that neither could tolerate each other. They had to split up. Whether Johnson was fired or he quit, Joe isn’t sure.
It is easy to jump to a conspiracy theory to try to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense, Darlington said there is no conspiracy here.
You can see and hear Darlington explain in the BSPN video below.
.@JeffDarlington says that Tom Brady’s return did not cause Bruce Arians to step down as head coach.
“[Arians] said that ‘Tom coming back made this decision easier.’ … Tom coming back means that now this team is better off for his successor in Todd Bowles.” pic.twitter.com/WAaKqJKY7M
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 31, 2022
April 1st, 2022 at 4:24 am
AGREED 100%
April 1st, 2022 at 4:30 am
(Corn)Florio will dismiss this report as a planted (story)favor.
April 1st, 2022 at 4:45 am
Finally, real news! I understand outsiders making up stuff about our Bucs, but can’t understand why Joe wants to amplify their nonsense.
April 1st, 2022 at 6:23 am
There was never any reason to think they did not get along. The speculation was along the lines of the junk you hear on talk radio: Intentionally provocative to get you to listen.
April 1st, 2022 at 6:32 am
I guess the usual conspiracy theorists are still in bed right now.
April 1st, 2022 at 6:41 am
All you have to do is watch yesterdays presser to know Arains truely did this for Todd Bowles. He probably wanted out after last season, but when Brady retired he couldn’t do it to the organization. Losing Tom, and Arains would’ve been a big blow. So Tom didn’t force Arains out, he enabled him to leave is more like it.
April 1st, 2022 at 6:50 am
The coach took care of his coaches, players, Glazers and Bucs fans by leaving at this time. He belongs in the Ring of Honor without a doubt.
The only one suffering by this decision is the one host of this website that enjoys antagonizing readers during the lost decade in his den of depression.
He can now go cry with the Ice Scream man. Lol
LFG!!!!
April 1st, 2022 at 6:57 am
“There weren’t any demands from Brady because he knows he’s going to San Francisco or Miami!” —- Mike Florio
April 1st, 2022 at 6:59 am
Nobody knows but Brady end of story.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:16 am
When is this $hit going to end?…..Like a bad soap opera…..we will probably never know for sure….unless Brady speaks out. It’s in Brady’s best interest to have the daily publicity so I doubt he will….Even if he does he won’t be believed.
A famous quote from Hillary is appropriate: “What difference, at this point, does it make?”
April 1st, 2022 at 7:22 am
Wait. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Joe said Brady returning meant there was no rift with Arians. But now we know Brady was told Arians would retire before he decided to return. Now why would Brady be told that? To lure him back. There was a rift.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:33 am
Florio (love the “CornFlorio” above) is peeved that his lack-of-any-proof story cannot be backed up. He was on Pat and Aaron, and they tore him a new one.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:44 am
I think it’s very possible that Brady was mad about how AB was handled and maybe some of the lack of detail, but it’s also possible he needed some time to cool off and Arians decided it was time to move on
April 1st, 2022 at 7:48 am
Bruce is 70 years old!!! That’s five years past retirement age for most people. And Bruce wasn’t in the greatest shape his shape is like me….round.
I’m 53 I know how I feel every morning when I wake up. The stress the travel the hours he probably couldn’t wait to step down.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:49 am
The Jerry Jones/ Jimmy Johnson split was entirely Jerry Jones’ egos fault.
Cowboy fans were already angry with Jones with the classless way he fired Tom Landry. Although both Jones and Johnson built the team together through draft and trades (Herschel Walker), Jones resented Johnson getting most of credit and felt Johnson was being disloyal ( not kissing his Ass). Johnson was getting tired of Jones’ ego and publicity stunts (Arabian prince being brought to sidelines and post game lockerroom). Jones years later admitted it was mostly his fault for the split.
Arians retirement is a circumstance and timing issue. Has nothing to do with bad feelings.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:49 am
The timing isn’t weird he is 69 not hard to believe someone that age would retire from the stressful job that comes with being a head coach.
April 1st, 2022 at 7:52 am
Arians doesn’t seem to be the type of person who if he was pushed out like some people desperately want to believe would have handled himself in the media the way he has just watch the press conference. You can see this rift narrative that is getting beat to death doesn’t have any merrit at all.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:00 am
Delusional Intelligence Says:
April 1st, 2022 at 4:30 am
“(Corn)Florio will dismiss this report as a planted (story)favor.”
“Corn-Florio!” – Best post of the morning. Well done, Sir.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:11 am
Willie G those two 2023 firsts weren’t enough Miami is gonna have to throw in a 2024 2 nd and 3 rd and I understand the TE Goseki was also a sticking point ……. San Fran will make a hard play as the draft approaches , multiple firsts , a d lineman and multiple later round picks are what Licht is willing to listen to !!
April 1st, 2022 at 8:25 am
You’re not a biologist, Joe! Only scientists can confirm if Darlington is actually a man.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:27 am
Hmmm, I don’t know about this. Should I believe some ultra plugged in journalist who has the inside scoop on all things Brady or a handful of hateful posters who hated the old coach? Damn, that’s a hard one.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:30 am
Suffering, that’s a good one. Don’t you worry, they’ll chime in later with their thoughtful nuggets of utter crapola.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:32 am
On to the draft….4 weeks…LFG …wheres the Beef?
April 1st, 2022 at 8:35 am
I don’t buy it. Doesn’t necessarily mean they hate each other. It doesn’t have to be sinister and dramatic. Could have been something as simple as Brady saying here are my concerns and the three of them worked out a plan that would work for Licht, Arians, and Brady
April 1st, 2022 at 8:37 am
Can we please just move on from this garbage!!! It’s toxic!!!!
April 1st, 2022 at 8:38 am
Once again the only people perpetuating this FAKE NEWS comes from the talking heads in LA and NY.
Not a single local reporter who sees this team every single day concurred with the garbage they’re selling.
Florio makes me sick. He’s one of the worst offenders out there. Add to their collective psychosis the Brady going to the Dolphins. There goes the media MAKING the news again.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:46 am
It is kind of satisfying to see the outside media catching up with what we knew all of the time.
Thanks to Joe for having the patience to sift through the national media and give us the distillation. I would have to spend 20 hours per day on the Internet to keep up otherwise. I have a hard enough time keeping up with JBF as it is.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:49 am
You hit the nail on the head, Alanbucsfan. I know because I lived in Dallas at the time.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:49 am
Talk more about the draft and less about soap opera BS.
April 1st, 2022 at 8:52 am
Lets just close this so called rift between Brady and Arians. Nobody really knows. Everything is speculations. Anyways.. Congratulations to Coach Bowles, wish him the best, make Bucs Superbowl winner again, Goodluck to Coach Bruce Arians, for whatever roles he will be doing in the organization and may God bless Brady and the BUCS for the new season…. GO BUCS!!!
April 1st, 2022 at 8:58 am
Joe, has anyone verified if the Bucs get 3rd rounders yet?
I read the rule on the interwebs, and didnt see anything that eliminates things just because the Bucs hired from within. Fact is, they hired a minority coach.
April 1st, 2022 at 9:10 am
Only Peter Schrager and Colin Coowherd have dared to state the obvious–Brady is a workaholic who obsessively sudies film to find advantages to inform game-planning, who pays compulsive attention to detail, and like Belichick demands that from those around him; clearly he tired of being overruled by someone who didn’t do the homework.
April 1st, 2022 at 9:20 am
Jeez!
April 1st, 2022 at 9:28 am
Wow, bruce arrogance still trying to steal and take credit even while getting thrown out the door! What a clown.
April 1st, 2022 at 9:41 am
This whole Brady-Arians story of friction is made up, because that’s what sports writers want to speculate about. There is not a single shred of evidence that Arians and Brady had a falling out. A lot of hooey about something that is non-existent. Nothing to see here. Move along. Go Bucs. Go Canes.
April 1st, 2022 at 10:00 am
So all the actual participants, primarily Brady and BA deny this.
Brady came back BEFORE he knew BA was stepping down.
Is it projection on our part to believe the worst in everybody. Doesn’t anybody here EVER do the freaking right thing.
BA has more $$$ than he can ever spend. BA has an awesome rep in the NFL.
BA has been part of SB Champs and finally BA got to coach a SB champ. And as RealMainer pointed out when you get older you lose some of your drive. I’m five years older than BA and I don’t now how he made it this far.
BA and Bowles relationship goes back to Temple!!! These guys have shared more than one football foxhole. They are brothers! BA has DONE the right thing repeatedly throughout his career. He not only brought in more blacks to the coaching ranks he added women!!! The latter possibly disturbing Joe who has trouble defining woman.\
BA said he was concerned about leaving the franchise in good shape with a solid succession plan. NOW IS the obvious time from EVERYBODY’s perspective. DUH
BA gets to go out on top. He leaves his brother with the best opportunity he might ever have with the Bucs in good shape after an amazing offseason.
He leaves the Glazers in good shape. He leaves the fan base in good shape.
JEEBUS!!! I’ve never seen a situation where people just NEED to trash somebody who CLEARLY has done the RIGHT THING!!!
April 1st, 2022 at 1:59 pm
Well said SPBF
I watched Skip and Shannon discussing this – both (allegedly) 100% convinced that Brady ousted Arians. Why? Because they are too jaded to believe that an NFL head coach would walk away from the opportunity that this year presents – and do it for unselfish reasons…
April 1st, 2022 at 5:16 pm
VERY well said, SPBF and Pickgrin! I can not imagine people who don’t see the beauty in all of this and just keep digging for grubs.
April 1st, 2022 at 6:58 pm
So everyone believes Brady came back not knowing who the future head coach would be. He just plays for anyone. This is all PR cover up crap to give the illusion all was well in Bucs land even though Brady has of yet denied the rumor. Other than the Atlanta SB the man stages an epic comeback against the Rams and loses to coaching incompetence. Retires two weeks later, he’s in England the same time as the Glazers, they never meet (right), Brady unretires and BA retires after free agency. Seriously? I agree no rift but no synergy either. BA had to go for Brady to play. And yes it doesn’t matter but open your eyes people.
April 1st, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Florio is a joke.
April 2nd, 2022 at 8:09 am
Listnfrmafar . Well this will be Brady last year playing football or with the bucs anyway. And guess what this is not a superbowl roster this year. And as for the Rams game that game was over the Rams let us back in that game. Every time we played a good team Brady played bad and everyone blame every body else on why we lost . I guess Todd Bowles will be the new scapegoat on this site !! Lol 😆 🤣
April 2nd, 2022 at 8:43 am
Oneilbucyall, so I guess Josh Allen played bad when Toilet Bowls D let the Bill’s back in it? You’re are a prejudice idiot, your idol Winsten is gone and you hate he was replaced by a white man. The offense had 1 starting receiver, a banged up center, a tackle on one leg and Donavan Smith played like he was a rookie and yet Brady tied the game. Turnovers are part if the game as well as momentum swings, Bucs had all the momentum. Oh, I guess you missed the Jets and Indy game to where he had to once again bale the D out. Dude you are clueless.
April 4th, 2022 at 1:54 am
LISTNFRMAFAR- You’re opinion doesn’t matter to us real Buc fans !! Your the same guy that wanted the Bucs to Free Brady to play for the 49ers because you actually believe that was going to happen !! Your the idiot and not a Buc fan so go f 📴 and please don’t come back with your garbage opinion.. The only thing I agree with you on is that O’Neal is a bigger dummy then you are.. Go Bucs
April 4th, 2022 at 3:40 am
I don’t believe that TB12 doesn’t like BA or wanted him out. I DO, however, think Brady may have not wanted to play under the “No Risk It, No Biscuit” philosophy. Tom’s style is the antithesis of that style. Todd Bowles is more in keeping with TB12’s approach.