Brett Favre Has a Stern Warning for Bruce Arians Criticizing Tom Brady
Over the last couple of months, there has been a substantial amount of hype around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Buccaneers fell short in their 2020 season opener against the New Orleans Saints that displayed some obvious room for improvement. It also saw head coach Bruce Arians voice some strong criticism toward Tom Brady concerning his play. With that in mind, Hall of Famer Brett Favre has issued a strong warning to Arians that he might want to hed.
Buccaneers fall convincingly in Week 1 to the Saints
The Buccaneers entered Week 1 action hoping to get their 2020 season off on the right foot.
Tom Brady led Tampa Bay down the field on their opening drive, resulting in a two-yard score from the six-time Super Bowl champion. However, things progressively moved in the Saints’ direction from that point on.
New Orleans took control of the contest while Brady struggled as he threw two interceptions, including a pick-six that further shifted the tide. Brady’s uncharacteristic performance displayed the lack of stable chemistry offensively due to the lack of time together as a unit.
What has drawn much attention since the Week 1 loss has been Bruce Arians calling out Brady for his substandard performance.
Bruce Arians criticizes Tom Brady after Week 1 loss
Throughout his head coaching career, Bruce Arians has been quite blunt with his assessment of any situation.
That was the case with Tom Brady’s performance in the Week 1 loss to the Saints. He voiced on Monday that he didn’t play well and hopes that he will come back next week with more “grit,” according to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times.
“He’s had it before. I mean, he knows how to bounce back,” Arians said of Brady on Monday. “He knew he didn’t play very well. It’s not what he expects from himself nor do we expect. I would expect him to have a little more grit, a little more determination this week.”
Arians also stated that Brady didn’t perform anywhere near what he looked like on the practice field leading up to the season opener. Granted, it’s a different setting, but he didn’t expect a drop off in performance from the star quarterback.
These comments made their rounds in the media, which are typically remarks made behind closed doors rather than publicly. Brady took to social media to laugh off the situation by stating that he’s used to be yelled at by coaches. However, Hall of Famer Brett Favre has chimed in with a stern warning to Arians about his strong remarks.
Brett Favre issues strong warning to Bruce Arians
Over the last couple of years, Brett Favre has garnered a stronger voice in the media that has kept him a prominent figure.
Following Bruce Arians’ strong criticism of Tom Brady, Favre voiced during his show on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the head coach is “barking up the wrong tree” with his comments.
“I think the last person you want to call out after the first game of the year is Tom Brady. Now maybe they had a mutual truce going into the game, going into the season, ‘Hey, I’m going to be hard on you. I want the guys to know we’re going to treat you the same even though technically I’m not, so are you OK with it?’ If they have that truce, great. If not, I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Dissension could easily enter quickly.”
Favre’s comments pinpoint that things could get ugly behind the scenes if Arians stays on that route. His strong criticism came after just one game, which there was expected to be plenty of adjustment as Brady is getting used to playing with his new teammates.
There will be improved play ahead as the players build stronger chemistry, but it’s a process that Arians will have to exercise some patience with his star quarterback, or things could take a rough turn.
