Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida
ampa Bay Buccaneers fans will forever be grateful to coach Bruce Arians for his transformative impact on the franchise. His impressive tenure was marked by two major milestones: securing a Super Bowl victory in 2020, just his second year at the helm, and capping off his final season in 2021 with an impressive 13-win record. These achievements cement Arians’ well-deserved place in the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor.
Arians’ tenure was relatively brief, as he stepped down after the 2021 season, passing the torch to Todd Bowles, who remains the team’s head coach to this day. The transition sparked controversy, fueled by rumors that quarterback Tom Brady had played a role in Arians’ departure. However, Arians later set the record straight during an appearance on the Coach Mark Gottfried Show, a podcast hosted by former basketball coach Mark Gottfried.
Initially, Arians cited health concerns as the reason for his retirement, and he reaffirmed this explanation when questioned further. Notably, his comments suggested that his health issues may have been more severe than they initially appeared.
“It got very, very hard for me to stand on the sideline.I tore my Achilles like, the third week of the season,” Arians stated. “So I had those high heels on, and back pain — I mean, I had to [have help to] get undressed after games. It got to the point where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can physically do this. I’ll do it for one more year.’”
On The Buccaneers Fence
Arians had initially considered staying on for another year after Tom Brady’s retirement, hesitant to hand over the reins amidst uncertainty surrounding the team’s quarterback position. However, when Brady unexpectedly returned for the 2022 season, Arians felt confident enough to step aside, paving the way for Todd Bowles to take the helm.
“Tom was going to retire. I didn’t want to hand it over to somebody without a quarterback,” Arians stated. “Tom decided to come back, so I said, ‘Ooh, perfect.’ I can step back and give this thing to Todd, knowing that he’s got a shot — a better shot than he had in New York.”
Although Arians stepped down as head coach, he remains involved with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a front office consultant. From this vantage point, he’s had a firsthand view of the job his former defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, has done as his successor. While Bowles’ tenure has been marked by controversy, the Buccaneers have achieved notable success under his leadership, winning their division every year he’s coached. Arians likely takes pride in this accomplishment.
Here’s the entire Coach Mark Gottfried Show
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