Tom Brady has already thrown nine touchdown passes and is an early-season favorite to win MVP. He still ruined Bruce Arians’ Sunday.
The Buccaneers head coach called out Brady during an interview on WDAE radio on Tuesday, blaming the 44-year-old quarterback for a turnover in the team’s win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Brady threw five touchdown passes, but also fumbled in the first quarter when he was sacked by Falcons edge rusher Dante Fowler. Arians said it was because Brady held onto to the ball too long.
“You know, the sack-fumble, he just should have got that ball out of his hands,” Arians said. “He was getting a little greedy and should have got the ball out of his hand and we got a field goal. And of all the drives in the game, that was the one I was most disappointed [in] him.”
The fumble killed the Buccaneers’ chances at getting a field goal and extending their lead to double digits in the first quarter, but it also put a dent in Arians’ spirits.
Bruce Arians and Tom Brady on the Bucs sideline.Getty Images“It should have been 14-nothing. That put me in a bad mood for the rest of the game,” Arians added.
Still, the fumble didn’t make any real impact on the outcome of the game. The Falcons didn’t score off the turnover and the Buccaneers extended their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter, en route to a lopsided 48-25 victory.
Arians’ Tuesday quote isn’t the first time he’s called out Brady for mistakes on the field. Last year – Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay – Arians criticized his passes and decision-making after blowout losses to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 & 9.
Brady and Arians both disputed the notion that there was tension between them following the criticism, as they went on to win Super Bowl 55 as a Wild Card team.
This year, they are looking to repeat as champions, and are on good pace to do so after starting the season 2-0.
