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Shortly after Tom Brady announced he was coming out of retirement and would return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, something else happened. The team announced that head coach Bruce Arians was stepping down and assuming a role in the front office. There’s been much speculation about the link between the two events.
Many believe Arians’ departure was a condition of Brady’s return. Mike Florio, host of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports, implored Brady to come out and clarify the situation.
"Sometimes you just want. I'm serious. I know. Sometimes you just want the guy to say, 'Okay, here's what happened. I'd had enough of Bruce Arians because he is not Bill Belichick. And I wanted to play with a coach who was more like Bill Belichick, an offensive mastermind whose teams were 4 and 0 against us in the regular season'."
Florio went on to suggest that Arians had a tendency to change aspects of the gameplan at the last minute.
"And one of those games happened when he was out with COVID. That's how good of a coach he is. So I wanted to partner up with him because Bruce Arians is kind of semi-retired and he just swoops in and tries to change aspects of the game playing late in the week."
Brady has taken a lot of criticism for his tendency to keep things close to the vest. He’s as masterful at dodging tough questions as his old coach and mentor Bill Belichick.
Of course, he has no obligation to make his dealings behind the scenes public. And as deflategate showed, there’s a secretive side to the otherwise highly visible quarterback.
Despite Tom Brady's attempted move to Miami, he's back with the Buccaneers and focused on Week 1
Whatever went on between Tom Brady and Bruce Arians, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is back with his team. Now, with the signing of veteran wide receiver Julio Jones, it’s clear Brady has his heart set on an eighth ring before he rides off into the sunset for good.
Although the AFC is so loaded with talented rosters that it’s hard to predict who will come out on top, the NFC comes down to three clear teams that are ahead of the rest.
The Buccaneers are one of those teams, along with the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers and the defending champions, the Los Angeles Rams.
It's not going to be easy but a challenge is what drives champions forward. Tom Brady will undoubtedly be hoping to go out on a high note with another Super Bowl ring.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda
