Bucs' Bruce Arians: 'We're a very dumb football team'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians: 'We're a very dumb football team'

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 11/15/21

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians didn't mince words after his team fell 29-19 to the Washington Football Team on Sunday to drop to 6-3 on the season with two straight losses.

"We've got a lot of soul-searching to do," a visibly frustrated Arians said after the game, via ESPN.

Tampa Bay was heavily favored to defeat Washington coming out of its bye week and looked primed to bounce back after a penalty-riddled 36-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 8.

The penalties continued in Week 10, however, as did the Bucs' difficulty with taking the high energy they exuded in practice and putting it on the field on game day, Arians explained.

"Energy and passion are very fixable," he said. "The penalties — they've gotta get corrected sooner or later. The first play of the game — they're shifting and we jump offsides. They don't even run a play and we jump offsides. The stupidity has to go away if we're (going to) go anywhere."

Arians was particularly critical of Tom Brady, who threw two first-quarter interceptions for just the third time in his career.

Tom Brady already has 2 interceptions. He entered this game with 8 TD and 0 INT in the 1st quarter this season.

It's just the 3rd time in his career that he throws 2 INT in the 1st quarter, including playoffs (2009 WC vs Ravens and 2012 at Jaguars). pic.twitter.com/dcWDIUEcjx
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 14, 2021

Brady ended the day completing 23-of-34 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns, but the interceptions put Tampa Bay on its heels.

"We played behind the whole game. They played a good game. They had a good plan," Brady said. "It doesn't matter who you play if you have a bunch of self-inflicted errors too. We've gotta go out and execute the plays that were there."

Arians did put some of the blame on himself and the coaching staff:

"It's about execution and being a smart football team. We're a very dumb football team. And that's a reflection on the coaches," he said.

It sounds like it's going to be a tense week at practice as the Bucs prepare to host the New York Giants next weekend.

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