Brandon Myers spent the last five weeks of the 2015 NFL season as a healthy scratch for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And the retired tight end is still bitter about why his old head coach, Lovie Smith, never offered him an explanation for the benching.
"Midway through the season, they stopped playing me, and I couldn't get an answer out of them. Obviously, it upset me," Myers told The DA Show on Monday. "If I'm doing something wrong, you can tell me. But there was never any communication. So, that's always sat in the pit of my stomach, it doesn't sit well...
"I had my tight ends coach and other people, and was just kind of left in the dark. I take pride on preparing. I was never that starting guy like a [George] Kittle, not crazy athletic. So, I always prepared like I was going to be the starter. I just felt like, if I'm preparing and doing everything I can on the field and in the building, at least give me a reason why. And it never happened..."
Smith, who was named defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans back in March, spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as the Buccaneers' head coach. Under his stewardship, Tampa Bay won just eight games, and the organization fired him in January 2016.
Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Smith served as head coach of the Chicago Bears, from 2004 to 2012. There, the 63-year-old won three NFC North division titles, reached Super Bowl 41, and was named Coach of the Year in 2005.
As for Myers, a 2009 sixth-round draft pick, he last played in the NFL in 2016. The 35-year-old spent a total of eight seasons in the league, and amassed 199 receptions for 1,954 yards with nine touchdowns in 115 games (63 starts).
The entire football conversation between Myers and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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