Arians: Goal for Tampa Bay Buccaneers is to Win Super Bowl, Not Just Host
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are headed to Super Bowl LV but head coach Bruce Arians made it clear: There is more work to be done.
"It was obviously the goal of ours to start the season, but getting to the Super Bowl wasn’t what our goal is," Arians said. "Our goal is to win it.”
The Bucs advanced past the Green Bay Packers 31-26 in the NFC Championship, behind a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Tom Brady. Along with Brady, Tampa Bay's defense came up big throughout the game sacking quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times. Arians said explained while the main goal hasn't been accomplished, he's still proud of what his team has done so far.
“I couldn’t be happier for our players – they put in so much work – and our coaching staff has done such a great job," Arians said. "Ownership gave us everything that we’ve needed and I just couldn’t be any more elated for these guys and the job they put in. We had both backup safeties in there just playing their [butts] off. It was a great team win.”
With the win, the Bucs made history and will be the first team in league history to play in the Super Bowl as the host team. Ironically, Tampa Bay was better on the road during the regular season posting a 6-2 record, and has since won three straight road playoff games over the Washington Football Team, the New Orleans Saints, and now the Packers.
The Bucs are the fourth wild-card team since 1990 to make the Super Bowl and have to defeat three straight regular-season division champs on their path to the game.
“That’s the scary thing about coming to the Super Bowl at home – we’ve been playing so [well] on the road," Arians said. "To be able to come home to play a Super Bowl at our place, not have to get on a plane and do all the things that this crazy year has us doing – it will be weird."
For Brady, it will be his 10th appearance in the Super Bowl, but first with Tampa Bay. He will be the fourth quarterback in Super Bowl history to start for two different teams.
"We’ve had a lot of people work really hard over the course of a period of time to get to this point," Arians said. "It’s a tough journey to get here, so to go on the road and win another road playoff game is just a great achievement. Now, a home Super Bowl for the first time in NFL history, I think, puts a lot of cool things in perspective."
Brady was obviously aware of the possibility of the Bucs being able to play in their home stadium for the Super Bowl knowing that Tampa Bay was the host city, but said it's "hard to envision" such a feat during the season. Brady put this season in perspective for the Bucs.
"This is a goal, but at the same time, it’s a week-to-week league," Brady said. "We were at 7-5 seven games ago, not feeling great. We felt like we needed to find our rhythm and [we] played four great games down the stretch the last quarter of the season. After that, it was all bonus."
That "bonus" now includes a not-so-long-trip to the Super Bowl inside Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 7 in two weeks.
"We played well in Washington, we played well all the way around in New Orleans against a great football team and then came up here knowing we had to play great," Brady said. "The guys came through, everyone stepped up to the challenge and again, just a great [win]. Football is the ultimate team sport and it takes everybody."
