Arians Upset Leftwich Getting No HC Buzz
- Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy has gotten a lot of attention for getting passed over for head coaching jobs, but Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is similarly upset about the other offensive coordinator coaching in the Super Bowl. “I was very, very pissed that Byron [Leftwich] didn’t at least get an interview this year for the job that he’s done,” Arians said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link). “I get way too much credit and so does Tom Brady for the job that Byron has done.” Strong words from Arians in support of his OC, the former quarterback who spent 10 years as a player in the league from 2003-12. Leftwich got his coaching start as Arians’ quarterbacks coach with the Cardinals in 2017, and was then hired as his OC when he took the job in Tampa in 2019. If the Bucs have this kind of success again in 2021, Leftwich probably will start to get some serious head coaching buzz next cycle.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/29/21
Here are the latest practice squad moves:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Earl Watford
- Activated from practice squad injured list: WR Cyril Grayson
- Released: OL Nick Leverett, RB C.J. Prosise
Bucs’ Bruce Arians: “Hell No” I Won’t Retire
Bruce Arians is having too much fun to stop now. If the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, the veteran head coach says he won’t be tempted to leave on a high note. 
[RELATED: Bucs Want To Re-Sign AB]
“Hell no,” said Arians when asked about the possibility of retirement (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “I’m going for two. If the Glazers will have me back.”
At least, it was a fair question. Arians, 68, has retired twice before. Most recently, he retired as the Cardinals’ head coach after the 2017 season. He was also claimed to be walking away in 2011, when he parted ways with the Steelers.
Arians has won two Super Bowls as an assistant, but he’ll be going for his first ring as a head coach. Win or lose, the Glazers will almost certainly want him back. The same goes for wide receiver Antonio Brown — the Bucs reportedly want to re-sign the controversial star, who has stayed out trouble since coming to Tampa Bay. In the regular season, Brown caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.
Bucs Want To Re-Sign Antonio Brown
Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown will miss today’s NFC Championship Game due to a knee injury, but apparently Tampa Bay likes what it has seen so far. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Bucs want to bring AB back in 2021 (video link).
At this point, there’s no need to rehash all of the events that led to Brown’s signing a modest one-year pact with the Bucs in October (if you want to relive the drama, just click on Brown’s tag at the bottom of this post). Suffice it to say, the 32-year-old has managed to stay out of trouble since he hooked on with Tampa, and between that and his on-field performance, he has convinced the Bucs that a re-up is a good idea.
Of course, the civil lawsuit stemming from the rape allegation levied against Brown is still pending and is currently set for trial on December 6, 2021. The league has made it clear that any new evidence that might emerge from that case — and there will be pre-trial depositions where such evidence could come to light — may lead to another suspension, which could make teams even warier of signing him than they otherwise would be.
The Bucs, though, appear prepared to take that chance. Tampa has a number of high-profile free agents to make decisions on, including WR Chris Godwin. Theoretically, the team could elect to part ways with Godwin and move forward with Brown, Scotty Miller, and Tyler Johnson behind top target Mike Evans.
For the season, Brown caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four TDs in eight games. And he showed he can still light it up when called upon to handle a heavy workload. Filling in for an injured Evans in Week 17, Brown appeared in a season-high 84% of Tampa’s offensive snaps and tallied 11 catches for 138 yards and two TDs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/23/21
Here are the latest NFL minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: WR Deon Cain
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: DL Brian Price, CB KeiVarae Russell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Marcus Kemp, DB Chris Lammons
New York Giants
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: DB Keith Washington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: S Javon Hagan, G Ted Larsen
Antonio Brown To Miss NFC Title Game
The knee injury Antonio Brown suffered against the Saints will keep him out of Sunday’s Buccaneers-Packers game. The Bucs ruled out their hired-gun wideout for the NFC championship game.
Brown has not shown too much of his Steelers-era form this season but has certainly proven valuable for the Bucs, who have assembled one of the highest-profile skill-position cadres in recent NFL history. Brown’s absence will mean more work for younger players Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson alongside Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski. Brown did not practice this week.
“I just talked to him this morning, and to put him on the plane and fly up there and have it swell more doesn’t make any sense,” Bruce Arians said Friday, via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. “He wasn’t as close as we’d hoped, so we’ll get him ready for the next one.”
For the season, the 32-year-old receiver caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Brown’s best game came in Week 17, when the Bucs lost Evans to a knee injury. Evans did not miss any additional time, returning for Tampa Bay’s playoff opener in Washington. Like Evans, Brown did not suffer serious structural damage. Should the Bucs upset the Packers, Brown would have two weeks to recover before what would be the second Super Bowl of his career.
The Bucs had not yet signed Brown when they routed the Packers in Week 6. Miller took a backseat to Brown once the Bucs signed the polarizing talent but put together a 501-yard season (15.2 per catch). A rookie fifth-rounder, Johnson added 169 yards and two TDs off the bench this season.
Buccaneers Activate DT Vita Vea
Jan. 22: The Bucs have officially activated Vea, as Peter Schrager of the NFL Network tweets. Vea will bolster an already terrific D-line and, depending on how much he plays, could provide a major boost to Tampa’s Super Bowl aspirations. In a corresponding move, the team has waived Earl Watford.
Jan. 18: The Buccaneers could be adding significant reinforcements ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Packers. Tampa has designated defensive tackle Vita Vea to return from injured reserve, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
Stroud adds that the big man in the middle “will begin practicing Wednesday and could be activated for Sunday’s NFC title game.” This is something of a surprising development, as Vea was previously believed to be done for the season after fracturing his ankle back in October. The Washington product had been having a career year before going down, and his injury correlated strongly with a general decline in the Bucs’ defense.
He had ten tackles, three for a loss, and two sacks in five games while regularly eating up double teams before getting hurt. The 12th overall pick of the 2018 draft was up and down as a rookie, but started all 16 games in 2019. He had made another big leap in 2020, so it was a shame to see his season get cut so short.
Stroud noted in a follow-up tweet that the team thinks there’s a “very good chance” he’ll be able to suit up against Green Bay, although a final call won’t be made until later in the week. If he’s able to play on Sunday, it’d be a huge boost for Tampa Bay as they look to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the league’s most efficient offense.
Dirk Koetter Retires From Coaching
Dirk Koetter has retired from football. After 39 years in coaching, the former Falcons offensive coordinator announced that he will move back to Idaho instead of pursuing a new job in 2021. 
[RELATED: Falcons Hire Dave Ragone, Dean Pees]
“After 39 seasons of coaching football, it’s time to move on to the next phase of my life,” Koetter wrote on Facebook (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.) “From 1982 at Highland High through the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons it’s been nothing but football year round with not nearly enough time for anything else, especially family,”
Koetter served as the Falcons’ OC from 2012-14, then took on the same job in Tampa Bay. When the Bucs fired Lovie Smith in 2016, Koetter was promoted to head coach. After going 9-7 in his first HC year, Koetter’s Bucs posted back-to-back 5-11 campaigns. He returned to Atlanta in 2019 to serve as Dan Quinn‘s offensive coordinator and stayed on after his fall firing. However, new head coach Arthur Smith has hired his own OC in Dave Ragone.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/21/21
A handful of minor moves to pass along:
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed (Exclusive Rights Free Agent): CB Ken Webster
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Kevin Minter
Latest On Buccaneers’ Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown is considered day-to-day with a knee injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Brown was forced to the sidelines on Sunday against the Saints, but his Tuesday MRI showed that he has not suffered any serious structural damage (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com).
[RELATED: Bucs Designate Vita Vea For Return]
Brown was limited to just 27 snaps against New Orleans, but the Bucs still managed to come away with the 30-20 victory. The Bucs hope to have Brown in action this Sunday as they take on the Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
AB might not be the player that he once was, but he’s still an explosive receiver who can stress any defense. The potential for a monster game is still there, as shown in the Bucs’ regular season finale against the Falcons. Brown hauled in eleven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns, his best showing since joining Tampa Bay in Week 9.
Through two playoff games this year, Brown has totaled three grabs for 59 yards and one score. For his career, the multiple-time All-Pro has amassed 54 catches for 896 yards and five TDs in the postseason.