Arians does about-face on Brady's Week 2 effort: 'Outstanding' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Turns out all Tom Brady needs to do to make his head coach happy is win.
Head coach Bruce Arians offered a harsh assessment of Brady's play after Tampa Bay lost the quarterback's Buccaneers debut to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
But Arians sang a much different tune about his QB following the Bucs' 31-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
How Brady, Gronk fared in Bucs' Week 2 win over Panthers
"I think he has a pretty good history of (bouncing back)," Arians told reporters after the game, via ESPN's Jenna Laine.
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"This game should never have got as close as it did. We let 'em back in. But I thought he played outstanding. His leadership on the sideline was great, and he put us in the right play [on] a number of different audibles. He played really, really well."
That's a pretty generous assessment considering the 43-year-old QB's rather pedestrian stat line: 23 of 35 for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Brady's pass-catchers dropped several of the QB's attempts, though, while the offense as whole looked somewhat improved thanks to a strong rushing attack.
So, after Brady's first win in a Bucs uniform, Arians was in a bit more of a forgiving mood than even Brady himself was following the game.
Brady reacts to Bucs' dropped passes in Week 2
"It's going to take time, and with having no preseason and all those practices we missed, we're just growing day by day with Tom, the receivers and the entire offense," Arians added.
"I think we'll just get better and better. We're nowhere near -- I think -- what we are in September, what I think we'll be in November."
The Bucs travel to Denver to face the Broncos in Week 3 as they aim for their first road win of 2020.
