At times this season, Tom Brady has gotten confused by the coverage in front of him, seeing things that donāt exist and not seeing things that do. After making his big move south, linking up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after two decades with the New England Patriots and six Super Bowl rings, he hasnāt displayed as much grit and determination as youād expect. Brady has made uncharacteristic errors and lapses in judgment, things like not targeting top receiver Mike Evans even when Evans is open. He has overthrown the football. He has struggled with the deep ball, never in practice, but in games. He knows he hasnāt been playing as well as he can ā but at least he can count on the support of his head coach, Bruce Arians. āI donāt know why anyone is criticizing Tom,ā Arians told reporters this week. āHeās not getting enough credit for what heās doing. Tomās had a Pro Bowl year.ā Except, and here is where it all gets a little weird and mind-games-y, that all of those observations from the top came from one place and one man ā Arians. Ā Brady hasnāt actually been on the receiving end of overt criticism from the public and the media. When he has performed poorly, think the New Orleans Saints (twice), or the Chicago Bears (when he got the downs count wrong), sure, there has been some talk that this isnāt quite the Tom of old, but nothing to suggest that heās washed up and no longer of valuable service to his new team. When heās done well, most notably in the Bucsā convincing win over the Green Bay Packers, he has been celebrated for still being able to get it done at the twilight of his career. Frankly, the most consistent criticizer of Brady, is Arians himself. Until now. Their relationship is a tough one to read. The chance to play with Arians was thought to be one of the main reasons why Brady selected Tampa as his destination of choice in the spring. Over the bye week, the pair were due to play golf together at Tampaās Old Memorial, before the NFL quashed the idea, on account of rules preventing meetups outside of team facilities. Brady has offered things like this about his coach. Ā āIāve got a great relationship with B.A., and we talk every day,ā Brady said. āIāve got a lot of respect for him and how he runs the team and so forth.ā Rick Stroud, who covers the Bucs for the Tampa Bay Times, has consistently claimed that any differences between the pair are specifically tactical in nature, and not personal. āTo suggest some squabbling over play selection or game plans may lead to a divorce between Brady and Arians at this point is a little far-fetched,āĀ Stroud wrote. What exactly, then, is Arians doing? Was the criticism his way of getting the best out of Brady, trying to tap into the competitive spirit and figuring that at this stage of his career, Bradyās ego is not fragile enough to require platitudes at every turn? Or an attempt to make a clear show to the rest of the squad that no one gets preferential treatment and that everyone is held to the same standard of accountability, even one of the best to ever play the game? Ā The Bucs are 8-5 and wholeheartedly on a path to the postseason. But any chances of running away with NFC South and landing a favorable seed evaporated once the Saints went on a mid-season tear. Going into Sundayās clash with the Atlanta Falcons (1 p.m. ET on FOX), the Bucs are in line for the sixth seed, with a solid finish needed to avoid dropping a spot and still a chance of moving up to 5th. Barring a Saints meltdown, it wonāt get any better than that. They are not considered by many to be a true Super Bowl contender, asĀ FOX BetĀ currently lists Tampa Bay at +1700 to win it all, and Bradyās statistics donāt bear up particularly well to scrutiny. āAre we going to grade Tom Brady on a curve or are we going to grade him against his contemporaries,āĀ FOX Sportsā Nick Wright said on First Things First.Ā āIf we are going to grade him on the 43-year- old curve then yeah, he is not getting enough credit. Compared to the other 43-year-old QBs, heās awesome. Unfortunately, heās the only one.ā Brady ranks 25thĀ in completion percentage (64.8) and only four other QBs have thrown more interceptions than his tally of 11. And yet, there is more optimism around the Bucs than at any time in recent memory, at least part of which is down to a belief that Bradyās experience and knowhow will be especially valuable in the playoffs. So, what do we make of Ariansā methodology, especially the current switch to lavishing him with praise? Could it be that this was part of the plan all along – holding him to account throughout the campaign but now, with the most pivotal part of the year approaching and the old Brady required more than ever, seeking to lift him up? Ā āThe rule of thumb in management is āpraise in public and criticize in privateā and Bruce Arians has taken a different tack,ā FS1ās Kevin Wildes said. āHis tack is to be honest ā most of the time ā honesty with an asterisk. āBut when stuff really hits the fan, Bruce Arians will come through for you. I love it. I think Arians has taken a lot of guff for the way he handled Tom Brady but if theyāre ever really in trouble, heās got his back.ā Bradyās move to Tampa was always going to have some kind of theatrical element to it, for the narrative of an aging champion seeking a final shot at glory is an irresistible story. Arians, by extension, was always going to be one of the chief supporting cast members. But with three weeks left in the season, weāre still trying to figure out whether Arians is Bradyās greatest supporter, his biggest critic, his wannabe golf buddy or the architect of his late-career dreams. Ā Hereās what others have said … Hayden Bird,Ā Boston.com:Ā āInstead of offering continuous praise and support, Arians has been blunt in press conferences analyzing Bradyās performance. The longtime coach has admitted Bradyās been ‘confused’ and candidly assessed the teamās success comes down to whether ‘the quarterback plays well or no’ during various observations over the course of the season.ā Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports:Ā āThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken an unusual approach toward handling Tom Brady this season, using constructive criticism as a means to get the best out of the 43-year-old quarterback … Brady has been critiqued more than enough this year. This week, Arians took a much different approach with his quarterback.ā LeSean McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back: āWhen I see the media – and thatās their job – they try to stir it up … it (doesnāt) even affect Tom because from Monday to Friday to Sunday, coach Arians and Brady, their relationship is tight.ā |
 āFootball is an incredible game. Sometimes itās so incredible, itās unbelievable.ā ā Tom Landry |
