Buccaneers' Bruce Arians doesn't understand why anyone is criticizing Tom Brady, and here's why
Arians took a stance in defending his quarterback

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken an unusual approach toward handling Tom Brady this season, using constructive criticism as a means to get the best out of the 43-year-old quarterback. While head coach Bruce Arians has a questionable approach, Brady elevated his game over the past week -- completing 15 of 23 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns for a 120.9 passer rating.
In Sunday's win over the Minnesota Vikings, Brady posted his third-highest passer rating of the season and his second-highest yards per attempt (8.52). The 196 passing yards were his second-lowest total in a Buccaneers uniform, but Brady had one of his most efficient games of the year.
Brady has been critiqued more than enough this year. This week, Arians took a much different approach with his quarterback.
"I don't know why anyone's criticizing Tom," Arians said to reporters Wednesday. "What he did at the end of the half and to start the second half [against] Minnesota – very, very few teams can score 17 points in a matter of five or six minutes. If we finished the half with 17 points, I don't [care] how we start. He's not getting enough credit for what he's doing."
Brady is having one of his best passing seasons in years. His 30 touchdown passes are the most in a season since he threw 32 in 2017 and his touchdown percentage of 6.0 his the highest since 2016 (6.5). Brady is on pace to throw for 4,302 yards, 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions -- which would set multiple marks for players over the age of 40. Brady is four touchdown passes away from breaking Brett Favre's record for most touchdown passes for a player age-40 or older in a season and Jameis Winston's franchise record for touchdown passes in a season.
Arians believes Brady deserves to go to the Pro Bowl, which would be the 15th selection of his career -- one year after missing the all-star event for the first time since 2008. The criticism of his quarterback appears to be over -- for now.
















