TAMPA, Fla. — If there was any more speculation about a possible rift between Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bruce Arians — speculation largely driven from outside Tampa Bay — Brady seemed to put an end to it Thursday.
He and Arians were supposed to go golfing together during their bye week but were unable to do so because the NFL deemed that it would be in violation of COVID-19 protocols, which don’t allow for gatherings of team personnel outside the facility.
Asked about their plans and what it’s been like getting to know Arians on a more personal level, Brady said, “I feel we have a great relationship. From the moment I got here, we’ve just had great dialogue and I certainly appreciate all the insight he gives me and the way he coaches and leads.”
Brady acknowledged the obstacles of trying to build authentic relationships in Tampa during the COVID-19 era. He did get to spend time with teammates during private workouts at Berkeley Prep this summer, but coaches weren’t permitted at those workouts and weren’t permitted to meet with players face-to-face until they reported for training camp, relegating their interaction mostly to video chats.
“It’s been a different year for all of us dealing with those type of circumstances where normally you would have opportunities to get to know each other in a different way,” Brady said. “One thing that’s tough for all of us around the facility is you don’t get one-on-one time with anybody [and] you don’t get any personal time where you’d be sitting around talking and eating together. There’s no close contact, so every conversation is just very different than what it’s been in the past. We’re making the best of it.”
As for Arians specifically, Brady emphasized that the two communicate well and he’s happy with their arrangement, which he said has been predicated on honesty.
“It’s a very open [and] honest dialogue about how we think [and] certainly how I can be most effective,” Brady said. “Any questions he has, we always have a great, open line of communication. I really enjoy my time getting to know him and I have great admiration for him as a coach, as a man, as what he is off the field and how he commands and leads the team.”
