Bruce Arians is pushing his quarterback's buttons again.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their second straight loss Sunday, falling 29-19 to the Washington Football Team. Quarterback Tom Brady had arguably his worst game of the season, throwing two first-quarter interceptions and finishing with just 220 passing yards.
Brady was noticeably irritated during his very brief postgame press conference, and Arians' comments about his play probably didn't improve his mood.
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Frustrated Tom Brady cuts press conference short after Bucs' loss
When asked about Brady's two interceptions -- one of which bounced off rookie wide receiver Jaelon Darden's hands -- the Bucs head coach responded:
"That had nothing to do with receivers. It was him."
Brady's second interception was a clear misfire to Washington linebacker Bobby McCain, but his first pick sure looked like Darden's fault, as the ball popped out of his hands and fell straight to cornerback William Jackson III.
Arians apparently wanted to make it clear that Brady wasn't above criticism, though. The head coach also suggested his QB missed some opportunities to throw downfield.
"Tommy was just getting it out of his hand," Arians said. "There were a couple of times where I thought he could have held on a lot longer, versus some coverages, just take your checkdown and get to the next play."
NFL
We saw Arians use a similar tactic last season, bluntly calling out Brady for a "bad decision" on his pick-six in Tampa Bay's season opener and holding the legendary QB accountable after losses.
That tactic apparently worked, as Brady and the Bucs won their final eight games to win Super Bowl LV. So, maybe Arians is just trying to light a fire under his quarterback after Tampa Bay fell to 6-3 with Sunday's loss.
If Brady comes out and throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns next Monday night against the New York Giants, you'll know Arians pushed the right button again.