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Bruce Arians clearly has no problem rocking the boat.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady had his worst performance in the Bucs uniform, throwing three interceptions while taking an absolute beating.
The Arians didn’t seem overly concerned about Brady immediately following the Week 9 loss, but the Buccaneers coach apparently cast a shadow over the veteran quarterback on Monday during a video conference with reporters.
The Arians were asked why the Tampa Bay offense didn’t make an effort to get Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans more involved in the passing offense.
“Mike was open a couple of times in this ball game,” Arians said. “He was not targeted – that was it. Mike was open.
Hmmm. Sure, that sounds like a subtle dig at Brady’s, right?
Evans finished with four catches on six targets for 64 yards, although Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore completely neutralized Evans in a 1-on-1 cover.
Evans has been a solid target in the red zone this season, winning seven touchdowns in nine games, but he’s otherwise been inconsistent. And the Arians clearly believe that the lack of production for the whole of Week 9 was the product of Brady’s underwhelming execution.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Arians has called Brady’s play, as the coach also turned heads with his assessment of the QB following Tampa Bay’s Week 1 loss to Nova. -Orléans. Everything went well in this case, with Brady putting in a strong streak as the Bucs won six of their next seven games. Perhaps this will trigger a similar turnaround.
Then again, Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion in his 20th NFL season, could likely do without his boss’s verbal punches whenever he struggles to live up to expectations.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports Images
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