"Legends don't like to be called out"- Colin Cowherd says Bruce Arians dug his own grave after provoking Tom Brady
Bruce Arians sensationally retired from NFL coaching yesterday. He will move into a front office position with the Buccaneers. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will be taking over as head coach.
The timing of the head coach's retirment was certainly weird. Many have suggested that the now-former Bucs' coach and the organization had to wait for the go-ahead from the Annual NFL Meeting that was held this week regarding certain rules.
Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on Fox Sports, said that Arians dug his own grave regarding his head coaching future when he called out Tom Brady numerous times during the 44-year-old's stint in Tampa. Cowherd said the following:
“And that Arians is a 'seat of the pants,' 'go with your gut' coach ... when Arians ... and I like Bruce. But when he went to CBS to broadcast, the feeling was, yeah, he wasn't overly prepared. He was funny. People liked him. He has a 'seat of the pants' guy, and Brady's not. This was always a weird cultural fit. It was always a weird fit, old-school Bruce, adapting, evolving. Obsessed Tom, and it worked the first year, folks, we saw this multiple times.
Cowherd continued:
"I mean, Arians called out Brady, Tom took one for the team. You think Tom liked that? Legends don't like to be called out. They can laugh. They can fall on the sword at the podium. They don't like that. So, this has always been a very, very turbulent relationship. And of course, it is. Of course, it is.
Can Tom Brady and Todd Bowles work for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without Bruce Arians?
Without a doubt, the pair can work together. Much of the offensive struggles for the Buccaneers were reportedly due to the fact that Brady did not have control of the offense.
The buck would stop with the now-former head coach. Now with Bowles in charge, it is thought that he will oversee the defensive side of the game of which he is one of the best, and this would allow Brady full control of the offense.
Bruce Arians retiring as Buccaneers head coach; Todd Bowles will take over as new head coach. (via @TomPelissero) https://t.co/V97cGgSrGV
Coming back for a 23rd NFL season, the 44-year-old will likely have the final say on all things offense, which, given his track record over the last two decades, is ok with most people.
Whether it frees up the Tampa offense that struggled at times last year or not remains to be seen, but with Brady essentially driving the ship, the Buccaneers could look very different on offense in 2022.