Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever to play the game. There is no Jordan/LeBron debate here. Tom Brady is the GOAT.
However, that doesn’t mean everyone in the NFL universally loves him. Brady has been known to be prickly and stubborn and has clashed with coaches from time to time.
One such coach is Bruce Arians. It was rumored that Arians and Brady didn’t exactly see eye to eye despite winning a Super Bowl. In fact, Arians resigned after Brady announced he was un-retiring before the Super Bowl in 2022.
Whatever the reason, now it appears Arians has taken a veiled jab at Tom Brady. Brady, who has finally retired, bought a minority share in the Los Vegas Raiders, owns a share of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and has a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox waiting for him in 2024.
Arians, who is still a senior football consultant for the Bucs, was talking about the new Buc quarterback, former Brown and Panther Baker Mayfield, and he made some interesting comments: “A little fire, I think we needed a little bit of fire on offense. But you gotta go back and look at Kyle Trask [on May 23]; He had a great end of practice. So it’s a nice battle. So it’s a nice battle. You got two young guys who I think are extremely talented and they’re doing a great job.
Bruce Arians Gives Baker Mayfield Early Edge In Buccaneers Quarterback Battle #BucsFootball #GoBucs #TampaBayBucs #BucsNation #TBBucs https://t.co/8jd2lzNva0
— Buccaneers Fans (@BuccaneersViews) June 8, 2023
Arians is talking about adding a ‘little fire” to an offense that Tom Brady guided last season. The inference is obvious, if not subtle. It appeared at times last season that Tom had indeed lost it. However, he also suffered horrific injuries to his receivers and his offensive line. For a 45-year-old quarterback, protection is at a premium.
Arians continued: “Baker has been there and done it, and has I think a little bit of an edge just because of that leadership and having been in the huddle with pro guys a lot. But the guys really respect Kyle also. I love [Baker]. I think he just brings a charisma and a fire to your offense.”
It is somewhat comical that Arians is praising Baker Mayfield. After being the first overall player taken by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield proceeded to struggle with accuracy, decision-making, and ball security. There is a reason this is his fourth team since entering the league.
In the case of Kyle Trask, Arians is simply trying to create the appearance of a quarterback competition. The team’s second-round pick in 2021, Trask simply isn’t ready to be a starter and might never be.
Granted, Brady’s last Buc team only averaged 18 points a game and won a very bad division with a losing record before being bounced by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs.
It was an ignominious end to a Hall-Of-Fame career for Tom Brady, but it wasn’t all his fault. It remains to be seen if Baker Mayfield will do any better. While he may bring more fire to the huddle, he probably won’t bring more wins.
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