Bruce Arians will be 'real careful' coaching during COVID-19 pandemic

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is among the older coaches in the NFL and he knows that he is going to need to take social distancing and safety protocols seriously for the sake of his health.

"I got to be real careful," Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "I'll probably double with a mask and a (face) shield. You know, because l already had my scare out there (in Arizona) once a couple of years ago. For me personally, I've got a plan and I just have to be smart enough to stay with it."

Arians, who will turn 68 during the season, is only younger than Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick among active coaches, and he is no stranger to health issues. He retired from coaching in 2017 due to cancerous tumors, only to return after a year. Arians knows that players and staff will need to be just as careful as he is but fortunately, he is not too concerned about Tom Brady taking his health seriously.

"Tom is probably the healthiest one of all of us," Arians told Stroud. "We've got to be careful. The players, they're going to all get sick, that's for sure. It's just a matter of how sick they get."

As for what the season will look like in the midst of a pandemic, Arians isn't that convinced it'll look too different.

"I don't think it will look too different other than I will still wear a mask for sure," Arians said. "And we'll see how the headsets work and stuff talking through a mask. That part of it. And being outside. Being in an indoor stadium, that worries me a bit more. And I'm really concerned about the away hotels and away locker rooms. That's a big point of emphasis. The ventilation in those locker rooms is terrible with guys getting out of the showers and getting treatment."