Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians thinks veterans don’t want offseason training programs to happen.
The offseason model has changed ever since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s apparently a good thing for veterans. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
According to Greg Auman, Arians said, “If we lose spring, (young players) are not getting developed. The veterans love that sh*t, because that means they don’t get to take their jobs. So when you have the veterans voting on the rules.”
Bruce Arians on potential for little or no offseason before training camp in July: “If we lose spring, (young players) are not getting developed. The veterans love that shit, because that means they don’t get to take their jobs. So when you have the veterans voting on the rules.”
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 18, 2021
Arians took it a step further and said teams “need the preseason” to happen, which is something veteran players absolutely hate.
More Arians: “It’s the same thing that happened last time … these young kids need practice. If the vets don’t want to come, they don’t have to come. It’s still voluntary. We need the preseason, we definitely need some preseason games.”
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 18, 2021
I 100% believe that Arians is telling the truth. If you’re a veteran, why the hell would you want to go through all the offseason training?
Do you really need it? The answer is no. Once you have your offseason routine set in the NFL, you can take care of yourself.
Hell, Gronk literally faked offseason conditioning, and it all still worked out in the end.
During offseason workouts, Gronk would spend a day recording himself running sprints in different shirts. Then he sent in the videos on different days.
Legendary finesse ????
(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/xZ2hKuACmT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 1, 2021
You know who does need that training? Rookies and fringe roster players. Those guys need every single rep they can get.
They need time in front of coaches in order to impress them and increase their shot at making the final 53-man roster.
Without organized offseason activities, their chances take a huge hit, and you know veterans won’t complain about anything that helps them keep their job.
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At least Arians kept it real instead of trying to sugarcoat anything.