Much of the football world believes Tom Brady forced Bruce Arians out as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that notion tickles Arians’ funny bone.
Brady retired in February, and returned 40 days later. About two and a half weeks later, Arians announced an abrupt retirement from coaching, stepping aside into the front office so Todd Bowles could replace him on the sidelines. Arians denied at the time that his retirement was a precondition of Brady’s un-retirement.
Arians appeared on “The Cook and Joe Show” on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and was asked to describe what it was like working with Brady, and the “alleged controversy” with how it ended.
“People love to talk about it,” Arians said. “Tom is fantastic. He’s one of those guys who wants everything answered before he takes the field. You don’t leave a stone unturned on his preparation. He comes to practice like a little 12-year-old kid. He has a big smile on his face. He’s joking. He’s competing nonstop.”
Brady’s competitive streak was unlike anyone Arians had ever seen.
“I remember a two-minute drill [in practice] when I saw a pass [of his], he threw his helmet and kicked the ball across the field,” he said. “He loves to compete, just like everybody. There’s not a bigger competitor than Ben [Roethlisberger], same with Peyton. They all learn differently and want to play the games differently, but Tom is a unique cat, and I loved the interactions watching the rookies come up to him, especially young receivers, and to see him take them under his wing and make them better.”
The coach and QB fostered a relationship in their two years in Tampa, but Arians continued to assert it was not contention — and Brady did not play a role in changing roles.
“We had a lot of laughs about it. Yes we did — for sure,” Arians said. “Still do.”
This shall remain a story where belief is in the eye of the beholder.
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