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Before farewell week, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians had made a cottage industry by calling out his quarterback. Now Arians is singing a different tune.
“I don’t know why anyone is criticizing Tom,” Arians told reporters on Wednesday. “What he did at the end of the half and the second half [against] Minnesota – very, very few teams can score 17 points in a matter of five or six minutes. If we finish half with 17 points, I won’t [care] how we start. He’s not getting enough credit for what he’s doing. “
Regardless of whether he gets enough credit, he doesn’t get more credit because Arians has not been shy when it comes to blaming Brady for mistakes, and because he gives the impression that he is fully and completely responsible for an offense that is sometimes substandard .
Then there’s the fact that the Buccaneers struggled on big stages under Brady, losing to the Bears, Saints and Rams in prime time, and falling to the Saints and Chiefs in the late afternoon.
“Offensive, I think Tom [Brady] has had a Pro Bowl year, ”Arians said Wednesday.
Since three conference quarterbacks make up the Pro Bowl team, Brady has likely had a Pro Bowl year. But Brady, who would avoid the Pro Bowl if there was one this year, is much more concerned about the playoffs. That’s where he thrives, and that’s where the regular season’s intermittent battles could soon be forgotten.