Bruce Arians advanced to a 2021 conference championship game.
Bill Belichick never.
Arians, who now has Belichick’s former fullback in this team, takes a winning round. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach fired an uncovered shot at his New England Patriots counterpart on Monday, letting the world know he thinks he’s doing a better job with Tom Brady.
“I allow him to coach”
Arians unleashed the opportunity in an interview with Peter King of NBC in a discussion praising Brady’s leadership qualities.
“Complete leader,” Arians told King. “Was all year. Has the air of confidence that permeates our team every day.
‘I allow him to be himself. Just like New England did not allow him to coach. I allow him to coach. I just sometimes sit back and watch. ”
So, yes. Much has been made about who would win the breakdown of Brady-Belichick after six-time Super Bowl full-back New England bit for Tampa Bay. If you believe in such a score, then Brady wins by a wide margin and puts two wins away from a seventh championship in a season that Belichick missed the playoffs without him.
Brady does not talk about it. Arians looks like he’s carrying the torch with a side of look-at-me. And more power for him. These deep rides are rare in the NFL unless you are, of course, Belichick. But Arians can just as well take advantage of most of it. And if that means extra chirping from his corner, then so be it.
Arians also take Chase Young at random
Monday was not even the first random shot of the week that the Tampa Bay coach fired. After his Bucs beat the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s division game, he made a turn at rookie Chase Young’s rookie in Washington.
In discussing Bucs newcomer Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. after the victory, Arians argued that he, not Young, deserves to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He throws a shot at Young’s stat line for a good match.
“Seven and a half bags is nothing he did,” Arians said about Young’s bag.
Perhaps Young Arians got annoyed with his respectful back-and-forth with Brady around Tampa’s wild card playoff game over Washington. Or maybe Arians, who are rarely shy, just feel it on the precipice of the NFC Championship game.
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