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Tom Brady’s reputation for coaching young players in New England was patchy at best. That’s not the case with the Buccaneers, however, according to coach Bruce Arians.
“It was a joy. It was awesome,” Arians said during an appearance Wednesday morning on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”. “I didn’t know Tom was taking so much time with young players and coaching them. It’s one thing for me to say ‘When you get out of your break your arms won’t pump’, and they say ‘Of course’ Then Tom says it, they say “Oh, really?” And they do. “
While this generally sounds more like outside speculation than outright truth, Brady has spent a lot of time with the Patriots focusing on his established recipients rather than rookies. Some criticized him later in his career for not participating in OTAs which would have provided more opportunities for chemistry with new faces.
But in his first year at Tampa Bay, Brady both played well and made a good impression on the Arians. Statistically, Brady threw 36 touchdowns, his highest total since 2015, while totaling 4,234 yards and completing 65.9% of his passes. The Arians, however, stressed on Wednesday that it was not just numbers.
“It’s like, I like you, bro,” Arians said. “It’s like having another coach on the pitch for sure.”
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As for the young players, the Buccaneers’ attack is not filled with it. Much of Brady’s job is with veteran players Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, as well as established tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate. But there are younger players, like Ronald Jones and Scotty Miller, who have enjoyed the best seasons of their short NFL careers working with Brady.
Of course, this is the part where you can make a joke that every player in Tampa Bay is younger than 43-year-old Brady. Very true.
All of that will have a chance to pay off for Brady starting next week in the playoffs. Tampa Bay wants to win in Week 17 to secure the NFC No.5 seed and a first-round game against the NFC East champion. Beyond that, Brady and the Buccaneers have a chance to be the first team to play in the Super Bowl at their stadium. Super Bowl 55 will be played on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Apparently, Brady will be happy to bring not only the veterans, but also the younger players with him.
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