“The number one distraction on the team” – Tom Brady at the root of Bucs’ slide, claims Chris Simms
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a poor start to the season. Following their loss to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, they are now 3-4. They've struggled massively to score points, and that was evident in their last game where they scored just three points.
Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk discussed how Tom Brady deserves much of the blame for the Buccaneers' failures. Here's what he said:
"I’m gonna give him about 30% of the blame. In fact, wow. Yeah, I am. Well, why not? I mean, why not? So let's let's first off, he's playing like crap. So let's just go there. Okay. He's been the number one distraction for the football team this season... All right, so plays like crap and also the number one distraction on the team."
Simms continued:
"He's also got to make the team and everybody think like - did he really want to be here? I mean, the guy was trying to go to Miami and ditches for a team that he thought was going to be better."
Simms concluded by saying:
"So that's where I guess I come to 30%. A little bit there. I mean, there was a part of me that almost thought maybe 35-40 %. Again, it's all about him, everything is about him."
The Buccaneers' offensive problems have been caused by many factors, including injuries. Is Brady really responsible for this underwhelming start? Probably not fully, but he has to shoulder some of the blame. It remains to be seen if they can turn things around in the coming weeks.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers should have not moved on from Bruce Arians
Bruce Arians stepped down from the head coach position in Tampa Bay at the start of the offseason. This enabled former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to become the head coach. That decision might have been wrong for both Brady and the franchise. Although it was assumed that Tom Brady had a huge part to play in the change of head coaches, he was certainly playing better under Arians.
I hope all of this sheds light on how good of a coach Bruce Arians is. Not just a playcaller, not just an advocate to help former players coach, not just a trailblazer for women in sports as well.
But a damn good coach that deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame. PERIOD
The extra responsibility of taking care of the team is taking a toll on Todd Bowles, which is why the Buccaneers' defense is also not looking as formidable. With losses piling up and the clock ticking on the Buccaneers' offense, they simply have to get going soon.
Tampa Bay welcomes the Baltimore Ravens to Florida on Thursday to kick off Week 8. With so much on the line for the Buccaneers, it will be interesting to see if this is the turning point in their season.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda.