Earlier this month, Bruce Arians announced that he was stepping down as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and passing the headset to Bucs’ defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles.
It was a pleasantly surprising decision and a significant gesture by Arians at a time where Black coaches continue to be passed over for head coaching jobs.
But make no mistake. This was no sympathetic handout, for Bowles deserved the job.
It was a move that embodied who both Arians and the Bucs are and proved that diversity in the NFL works.
Yet this isn’t new for Arians for he has a history of championing diversity.
According to CBSSports.com, Arians, as Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback in the 1960s, became the first white player to have a Black roommate. His roommate was James Barber, the future father of NFL stars Tiki and Ronde Barber.
As a head coach, he built diverse staffs at both Arizona and Tampa Bay, with the latter leading them to a Super Bowl title in 2021. It was, arguably, the most diverse staff in NFL history.
His staff featured 2 women and 11 Black coaches, including 3 Black head coordinators. Byron Leftwich led the offense, Todd Bowles helmed the defense and Keith Armstrong called the shots on special teams. It was history-making as it was the first time that a trio of Black coaches led the offense, defense and special teams to the Super Bowl.
That Super Bowl, pitting the Bucs against the Chiefs, was the first time that two Black offensive coordinators faced off in the Super Bowl, and the first time that three Black coordinators were on a Super Bowl field simultaneously.
As a team, the Buccaneers have embraced diversity, particularly when it comes to Black representation.
The organization has now hired four Black head coaches- Bowles, Lovie Smith (2014, 2015), Raheem Morris (2009-2011) and Tony Dungy (1996-2001).
Two of those coaches (Dungy and Smith) inherited teams with losing records, meaning they played the traditional cleanup man role that Black NFL head coaches often face.
Dungy took over for Sam Wyche, who had four straight losing seasons. After going 6-10 in his first season, Dungy led the team to five straight non-losing seasons and left Jon Gruden a good 9-7 team, which he won a Super Bowl with in his first year as head coach in 2002.
Smith took over for Greg Schiano, who had back to back losing seasons. After going 2-14 in his first season, he improved to 6-10 but was fired. He deserved another season, especially as he only had one season with the number one overall pick, Jameis Winston.
So giving opportunities to those often overlooked is nothing new for either Arians or the Buccaneers organization. For that, they should both be celebrated.
At the press conference, Arians stood fearless and unapologetic in his decision.
“A number of people have already asked, ‘Why are you stepping away from a chance to go to the Hall of Fame and win another Super Bowl?’ Because I don’t give a s— about the Hall of Fame,” said Arians, 69, during Thursday’s news conference. “Succession is way important to me. This has been my dream for a long time. Guys that know me, they knew I wanted one of my guys to take over.”
His guy was 58-year-old Todd Bowles, who played cornerback at Temple under then-head coach Bruce Arians in the mid-1980s.
This is Bowles’ second stint as a full-time NFL head coach. His first go-round with the Jets started well but ended poorly. Some of the blame rests with him, which he acknowledges, but don’t sidestep the fact that the team, and particularly GM Mike Maccagnan, hamstrung him through horrible drafts and by releasing multiple veterans at one time.
Now Bowles gets a second chance with a stacked, Super Bowl-ready team. That’s extremely important because rarely does a new Black head coach receive that opportunity.
Mike Tomlin turned that opportunity into two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl title in year two, and a 15-year tenure without a single losing season (154-85-2).
Yet instead of solely appreciating and celebrating Arians, the Bucs and Bowles, some are injecting Tom Brady into the discussion.
Sigh….
Bruce Arians and the Bucs just gave the entire league a lesson on how to lead and win with diversity, and some want to give credibility to the idea that Tom Brady forced Arians’ decision to step aside.
Brady was tired of Arians and said he would return if he could play under Bowles and Leftwich.
Brady and Arians had a rocky relationship that could only be cured by Arians stepping down.
Etc., etc., etc.
Yet Brady was in the front row as Arians spoke with the media and emphatically addressed their relationship.
“We have a great relationship. All the players, every one of them has gotten cussed out, including him. That’s just part of me. … People gotta write s**t. It couldn’t be further from the truth.”
You heard it directly from a straight shooter.
Arians is a man that put his money where his mouth is and won because of it.
“I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed,” said Arians. “So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn’t want that for Todd.”
That’s a lesson the Texans and Dolphins could learn from.
The Texans did it to David Culley last year and after three seasons in Miami, the Dolphins did the same to Brian Flores.
Even better is the fact that the Bucs, according to the LA Times, did it the right way by contacting the league office to “ensure they were operating properly under the hiring protocols.”
Bruce Arian’s pivotal decision to step down and promote Todd Bowles comes with the added benefit of elevating two Black assistants, Larry Foote and Kacy Rodgers, to coordinate the defense. Couple that with assistant head coach Harold Goodwin and the aforementioned Black coordinators, and you have an all-Black senior coaching staff on the sidelines.
That’s unprecedented and impressive, and it’s thanks to the orchestration of Bruce Arians and the continued forward-thinking of the Buccaneers organization.
So leave Tom Brady out of this celebratory moment and just be happy for all of the Black talent that’s finally getting a much-deserved shot at opportunities that they’ve long been denied.
