Always blunt Bruce Arians: Buccaneers' camp won't have music, but will have cursing
It isn’t just his fondness for Kangol caps that makes Bruce Arians unique among NFL head coaches.
He also is pretty blunt, not holding back when microphones are on, unlike most of his contemporaries.
If you’re headed to Florida for Arians’ first camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, consider this a parental-guidance warning.
‘You’ll hear some things’
On Thursday, as Buccaneers veterans reported for camp, Arians met with media and talked about what camp will be like with him in charge.
“Come have fun. We’re going to have fun,” he said. “It’s going to be different when we put the pads on. There will be a lot of hollering, screaming. There isn’t going to be any damn music. You’ll hear some things. Put earplugs on the kids. It should be fun. They should see guys working their tails off.”
If you watched “All or Nothing” featuring the Arizona Cardinals back in 2016, you know Arians has never met an F-bomb he won’t drop.
There won’t be music, and instead Arians is hoping fans will provide the soundtrack at public sessions.
“If we make a big play, let’s hear an uproar,” he said. “We’ve got to get used to (fans) cheering us on when we make big plays. That’s going to be exciting. We create our own energy. And fans will hear us talking jive at each other a little bit more and won’t have to hear the music. It’s going to be fun.”
Not mincing words
When it came to question marks about specific players, Arians wasn’t mincing words.
On backup cornerback Ryan Smith, who will miss the first four games of the season due to an NFL suspension for violating the policy on performance-enhancers Arians said:
“It was a dumb mistake. A lot of these guys put something in their body that they didn’t get here, and that’s the consequences. We’ll live with that and hopefully he’ll come back after those four games and still have a spot.”
In the first months of their time with Arians, players are liking his approach.
“He’s going to shoot it to you straight,” Jameis Winston said. “He has incredible swag and incredible confidence, and that’s why he’s been a successful coach in this league for so many years. He gets his energy from the amount of work he puts in with his coaches. He loves his coaches just like he loves his players. That’s a good feeling to be around.”
Update on Jason Pierre-Paul
Arians provided an update on pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, who suffered a fractured neck in an early-morning car crash on May 2.
(Pierre-Paul was not cited in relation to the one-car accident.)
The veteran is likely to be sidelined until October because of the injury.
“I think everything’s on course,” Arians said. “He is such a freak healer. I wouldn’t put it past him [to return sooner]. The doctors still say October. He’s on his original time, not setbacks.”
Arians said Pierre-Paul was in “great spirits.”
