Less than three weeks after Tom Brady predictably unretired and announced his return to the championship-or-bust Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians somewhat-unexpectedly stepped down as head coach on Wednesday night. The 69-year-old is moving into the team's front office as a senior consultant, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been named Arians' successor.
Brady responded to the news and congratulated Arians via Instagram, calling his former coach "a true NFL legend and pioneer." Although football fans and analysts are now debating whether the 44-year-old quarterback's return was contingent upon Arians' resignation, the Tampa Bay Times has reported that Arians informed Brady of the decision before Brady revealed his comeback. So, in the meantime, a rift between the two remains speculation.
"I think [Bowles is] capable of doing the job, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He isn't going to execute anything on offense. So, in that regard, I think they're going to be straight," JR said during Wednesday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "I don't feel bad for Tom Brady -- I'll never, ever, ever feel bad for Brady. You chose to come back. There's a lot of rumors going around, 'Did Brady know? Did he not know? Did they hate each other's guts?'
"I mean, who the hell knows. I'm not in their group chats or intercepting their calls... I'll never feel sorry for Tom Brady -- he's got more championships than anybody. Greatest player, most accomplished player in league history. And he decided to come back... I'd think the Bucs are going to have a system. Bryon Leftwich and the offense isn't going to change... Unless Todd Bowles is going to screw things up at the end of games, I think they're going to be okay..."
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