It’s hard to distinguish between real and fake tension amongst NFL players and coaches.
Speculation constantly stirs up and the only ones to really know the frustrations between a team is the people in the locker room. There was reported drama between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for nearly a decade, but they still worked together on a daily basis. Rumors are coming out that Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians have some issues, but those are just rumors.
The Buccaneers are 7-5 and trending downward after losing three of the last four games they played. It’s been directly pinned on Brady and Arians — one has to be in the wrong, right?
Former Buccaneers three-time Pro Bowler tight end Jimmie Giles stepped in and gave his opinion. He believes Arians is taking the brunt of the attention and keeping it off his players.
“Everybody’s getting on Coach about getting on Tom Brady, right?” Giles said on ‘The Eye Test for Two’ podcast. “Ever thought that Coach might be doing that for a reason?
“He’s taking the heat off Tom Brady,” Giles said, “because if he didn’t take the heat they would go after Tom Brady. And he’s the kind of coach who’s going to get on whoever to make his team better. If everybody sees that Coach can get on Tom Brady, that means if you don’t do your job, he’s going to get on you, too.”
Arians oftentimes used Brady as the scapegoat during this rough stretch, but Giles believes it’s just strategic.
“He’s taking the heat off Tom and putting it on himself,” he said. “That’s a mark of a good coach. (He) knows exactly what he’s doing: Taking the heat off his team and putting it on himself.”
Whatever it is, the Buccaneers have high expectations and a Super Bowl run isn’t looking too optimistic at the moment.
