Bruce Arians shares blunt criticism of Tom Brady

Sep 19, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Arians shared some blunt criticism of Tom Brady during a recent interview.

Arians spoke with Joe Bucs Fan’s Ira Kaufman for an interview that was published on Tuesday. In the interview, Arians bluntly stated that Brady was not playing well during the team’s poor stretch in October. Arians said any criticism of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was unfair.

“I don’t think it was fair to Byron,” Arians said of the criticism, via Joe Bucs Fan. “Nobody is going to say that Brady was playing bad, but he was playing bad. We also had growing pains on a young offensive front and we weren’t running well. There comes a time as a play-caller when you’re losing yards running the ball and you say, ‘Forget this, I’m putting the ball in Tom’s hands.’”

The Bucs began the season 2-0 but went 1-5 over their next six games. They were 3-5 before rallying for a comeback win over the Rams, and then beating the Seahawks in Germany to get back to .500.

Nobody was playing well for the Bucs during their losing streak, and that includes Brady. Tampa Bay also had injuries to many wide receivers, and their running game was horrendous.

Arians was never scared to call out Brady during his time as head coach of the Bucs. It’s no surprise he’s continued to do the same when he’s no longer the team’s head coach.