Byron Leftwich denies Bruce Arians changing his and Tom Brady's gameplan
Byron Leftwich has been a hot name this off-season, regarding head coaching openings. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who were looking for a new skipper following the absolute dumpster fire that was the Urban Meyer era, interviewed Leftwich multiple times, but the two sides could not agree. It seemed like the perfect fit, with Leftwich twice leading the Jags to playoff appearances and ranking in the top 5 all-time in most of the team's passing statistics.
Rumors emerged last season that Brady and Leftwich would develop a game plan together. Head Coach Bruce Arians would allegedly comb through the game plan and make changes with a red pen. Brady has already denied such rumors, and Byron Leftwich came out this week and similarly denied the accusations.
Byron Leftwich when asked about reports that Bruce Arians changed the game plan he and Tom Brady would put together: “It was never nothing even close to that.”
A year ago, Arians expressed his disappointment that Leftwich had not been interviewed for an HC position and said that he, himself, got too much credit for the offense and more should go to Leftwich.
Bryon Leftwich to continue as OC after Bruce Arians steps down
Not long after Tom Brady unretired, Bruce Arians announced that he would be stepping down from the head coach position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tons of rumors and conspiracy theories about how much or how little Brady had to do with the move began popping up all over the place. Arians ultimately chalked it up to wanting to leave Bowles in a good situation.
Bruce Arians on his decision to step down: "I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed. So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn’t want that for Todd."
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The decision to go with Bowles over Leftwich was a bit curious given the OC's meteoric rise through the coaching ranks and success with the Bucs offense, but the team ultimately decided that a team that is ready to "win now." would be best led by an experienced coach like Bowles.
This may be Tom Brady's last year and Leftwich's last chance to work with the legendary QB. This season will undoubtedly prepare the OC even further for his eventual first head coaching job.