Bruce Arians believes Tom Brady was ‘making a statement’ that it ‘wasn’t all coach Belichick’
This isn't the first time Arians has mentioned Belichick.
Earlier in the playoffs, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians pointed out that he allows quarterback Tom Brady “to be himself.”
“New England didn’t allow him to coach,” Arians said at the time. “I allow him to coach. I just sit back sometimes and watch.”
The mention of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick ruffled some feathers, and Arians took it one step further before the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
According to Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, Arians said that Brady played this season with his teammates in mind and wanted them to experience what he felt six times before Sunday. He then brought up Belichick.
Related Links
“I think personally, too, he’s making a statement,” Arians told Sports Illustrated. “You know? It wasn’t all coach Belichick.”
Much has been made throughout their careers – and particularly this season as Brady has started fresh with Tampa Bay – about which Hall of Famer is more responsible for the Patriots’ sustained run of dominance between Belichick and Brady. Brady’s latest conquest, of course, only bolsters his résumé.
Early on, however, they weren’t on track to reach the summit so quickly. Arians told Bishop and Vrentas he initially wasn’t thinking about winning a Super Bowl this season, and was instead focused on getting everyone on the same page this year and winning one the following season.
By the end of November, the Bucs’ grand experiment was tilting toward failure. @GregBishopSI and @JennyVrentas on how a melding of the minds saved their season and the uniquely constructed Bucs became Super Bowl champions https://t.co/m6wR1Quujk
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 8, 2021
The article referenced a pivotal late November meeting between Brady and Arians as a major turning point. Arians called the conference a “melding of the minds” and told Brady that he wanted him to be as comfortable as possible going down the stretch.
“If you don’t like it, we’re throwing it out,” Arians told Brady, according to the article.
Tight end Cameron Brate said losing games and struggling on offense ultimately benefited everyone long term. Though it was a grind at times, he believes their struggles early paved the way for their success when it mattered most.
“It really forced [Brady and Arians] to take a look,” Brate said. “We found a good balance between what the two are trying to do. That was big, for both of them to not concede a little bit, but come together.”
Get Boston.com's browser alerts:
Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com