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Last night the NFL world got some more surprising news – in what has been a crazy offseason FULL of surprising news – that Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians was stepping down as head coach and moving into the front office as a senior football consultant and that Todd Bowles would be the new head coach.
And just like that, Tom Brady has a new coach and he doesn’t seem to be all that bothered about it.
Which says a lot.
Brady posted a nice note on social media last night about Arians, praising him for all that he taught Brady during their two years together and all that they accomplished during their brief stint together.
I’m sure some of it was sincere but I also think a bunch of it was just PR stuff. Remember, not long ago Brady posted an emotional note about his football career and all that everyone who helped him out meant to him. Then 41 days later he came back to the NFL.
Arians, by the way, replied to Brady’s post with a simple “Thanks brotha” and an emoji of a glass a booze. Gotta love it when old people break out the emojis.
I’m not going to go full conspiracy theory here and say Brady forced Arians out. But I have to believe that there were things that Brady wasn’t a fan of about just the second coach he’s ever had in his NFL career and he’s more than happy to have Bowles as his new boss.
Brady was a big supporter of Antonio Brown and you’d have to think he didn’t like how that whole thing ended or how Arians handled it.
Also, under Arians the Bucs committed a ton of undisciplined penalties that often led to Brady yelling at his teammates.
Now with Arians out, Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich can get things done without having another voice jumping in the mix.
Bowles, who has been the Bucs’ defensive coordinator since 2019, is a perfect fit for this job and should have no problem keeping the Bucs in the mix for the Super Bowl this upcoming season.
The biggest sign that Brady probably likes this move is that the Tampa Bay Times reported that the QB found out about it either the day he announced his return or the day after. The fact that he didn’t blink at losing a coach who he won a Super Bowl seems to be a big tell about how he felt about Arians.
Brady and Bowles now get a chance to lead the Bucs back to a Super Bowl and you have to believe the GOAT likes his chances, especially with this change at the top.
The drama never stops in the NFL.
You gotta love it.
Quick hits: Eric Church fans furious because of UNC-Duke… College ump’s horrendous call… NFL version of Wordle… And more.
– Country star Eric Church canceled a concert this Saturday night so he can watch the UNC-Duke game and fans of his are furious.
– A college umpire enforced the dumbest rule to call a Florida batter out on strikes.
– Weddle is the NFL version of Wordle and it’s pretty great.
– You need to sign up for our new daily NBA newsletter Layup Lines. It gets you ready every afternoon for the big games coming up at night and more. Signing up for it is quick and easy to do right here. You’re going to want this in your basketball lives.
