Panthers vs Bucs Preview: Brett Favre says Bruce Arians calling out Tom Brady may see 'dissension' come quickly
It wasn't the ideal start for Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. Despite going in as the hot favorites against the New Orleans Saints, they went down 23-34 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday. Sharing his thoughts about Bucs coach, Bruce Arians' post-game comments about Brady was veteran Hall of Famer, Brett Favre. He highlighted that Arians' comments could end up being detrimental to the 43-year-old quarterback who moved from the New England Patriots after spending a decade with the team.
Talking on 'The SiriusXM Blitz with Brett Favre and Bruce Murray' on Tuesday, September 15, Favre said the last person to be called out right after the first game of the season is 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," Favre explained.
For those who caught the post-game comments, Arians' spoke of Brady's two interceptions, and while he attributed the first to a miscommunication between the QB and the wide receiver, Mike Evans, the second one was a "bad decision" by Brady who threw the outlet and it was a pick-six. Even though the head coach later admitted that Evans was actually at fault for the first interception, Favre reckoned it's still something that he found an issue with.
According to ESPN, Favre recalled the time when Brady and the Patriots stormed back against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. "First half of the Super Bowl against the Falcons he was getting nailed, played lackluster at best," he said. "They went in, had a come-to-Jesus at halftime, they don't even come close to touching him in the second half and he's flawless. So they clean up the protection, the timing, the chemistry will come. Will it come overnight? I highly doubt it, but it will come pretty quickly, though, and they very easily could be 4-1 after five weeks."
He also added "dissension" could come in very quickly. "First half of the Super Bowl against the Falcons he was getting nailed, played lackluster at best. They went in, had a come-to-Jesus at halftime, they don't even come close to touching him in the second half and he's flawless. So they clean up the protection, the timing, the chemistry will come. Will it come overnight? I highly doubt it, but it will come pretty quickly, though, and they very easily could be 4-1 after five weeks."
Despite the loss, Favre felt there were plenty of positives to take from the game, especially with regards to Brady. "Tom's performance was not what we've come to expect from him, but I'll say this, it wasn't far off," Favre said. "The first drive, I think most people said, 'Well, he hasn't missed a beat. That's typical Tom.' I was a little bit surprised at how he started. I was not surprised with how the rest of the game unfolded. New team. He's been in a familiar environment forever."
He continued: "And then all of a sudden not only is he with a new team, football in itself is totally different right now. No preseason. Yeah, we saw, we heard where he was getting some kind of workout in, whether it be virtual or in the parking lot. But, look, it's not even close to the equivalent of real bullets. And they protected OK. Tom, you know, if you protect him he's gonna pick you apart, I don't care if it is new receivers or not. And it just wasn't typical protection. I'm not blaming the line, I'm not blaming Tom Brady."
The next game for the Bucs will be on their home turf, as they welcome the Carolina Panthers next at the Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, September 20 with Kickoff slated for 1 pm ET. They will square-off against the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers soon after.
