TAMPA, Fla. — The Arians Family Foundation found their charity golf outing to be a rousing success, raising over $250,000 to help children in need.
But, that doesn't mean the Buccaneers' head coach got to skip out on football questions.
While speaking with the media, Bruce Arians referred to the Super Bowl Champion Bucs - with all their starters returning - as "that team," going on to refer to the 2021 Bucs as "this team."
Arians doing this may seem insignificant but it's vital to the success of the Buccaneers moving forward. To Arians, the coaches and the players, it no longer matters what happened in February. It doesn't matter that all the starters have returned. It doesn't matter that they only brought in one player from the outside via free agency. This is a new team.
Turning the page and moving forward with the mentality that the Buccaneers have accomplished nothing is what will set the tone for the upcoming season. Players can't relax, they can't find themselves out of rhythm and think, 'Well, it doesn't matter. We won the Super Bowl last year and we'll do it again.'
That mentality will quickly derail any chances at repeating.
There's no reason to bring back all these players if you aren't going to push even harder than you did in 2020. The Buccaneers found themselves on an incredible hot streak, but amid all the confetti and boats parading down the Hillsborough River, people forget that they were 7-5 at one point, having lost three out of four games heading into their bye.
Arians finally got a taste of championship glory as a head coach. Jason Licht, through all the criticism thrown his way after failed draft picks and free-agent signings, is a champion general manager. Players like Lavonte David, William Gholston, and Mike Evans have been in Tampa for some awful seasons and were finally rewarded. They know what it took to reach the pinnacle and there's zero chance they want to return to how things used to be.
As of now, the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done nothing. With the NFL Draft next week, they have a chance to get even better than last year
But, last year has long been gone from the rearview mirror. It's on to a new horizon and the only way to get there is by not looking back.
For more on this story, and all things Tampa Bay Buccaneers, check out the Locked On Bucs Podcast.