The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost Mike Evans and Lavonte David this offseason. Two players who remember when Bruce Arians was patrolling the sidelines. It was a bit different then.
More and more often, NFL coaches are taking a softer tone with their players. That wasn't always the case. Coaches have a different way to interact with players in the modern NFL. Some players like being yelled at, others not so much.
David has been on a whirlwind press tour since retiring after 14 seasons, and he isn't holding anything back.
Lavonte David appreciated how former Tampa Bay Buccaeers head coach Bruce Arians held his players accountable
Recently, David sat in on The Rich Eisen Show when he took a trip down memory lane. Among other things, Arians stood out as one of those coaches who wasn't afraid to unleash when players were not doing what they were supposed to do.
"If you were on the "ME chart" more than one time, he [Arians] would just dog curse you out. I was like, ‘Dang, that’s what I like right there. Coaches holding the player accountable. If you are on this board more than once, that means you just don’t give an eff, and you’re just a dumb MFer, and that means I will have to get rid of you. We’re not going to have dumb MFers on this football team.’ I respect him on that right there.”"Lavonte David
David would go on to say that if players continued on that path, they were not sticking around in Tampa Bay. That's not how many coaches act in this era of the league. There are tough coaches who don't hold back, but it seems that more coaches are toning it down to handle players who don't have that same thick skin.
The former Bucs linebacker knows what it takes to win the NFL. Arians' no-nonsense approach to getting on his players paid off. He coached only three seasons with the Bucs before retiring, but in his second season, he took them to the Super Bowl Championship. In his three seasons, one of the worst teams in the league went from a perennial doormat in the NFC South to a championship team.
Accountability goes a long way toward building the foundation of a work ethic. Todd Bowles doesn't hold his players to the same level of accountability; it's clearly seen on the field, but that doesn't mean his approach is wrong.
Bowles has led his team to the playoffs in three of his four seasons, missing the second season for the first time last year.