Tom Brady insisted he had a “great relationship” with Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians.
The pair’s relationship has been under the spotlight during Brady’s first season with the Buccaneers amid criticism by Arians of the six-time Super Bowl winner.
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Brady is up to 30 touchdown passes in 2020, which marks his eighth season with 30-plus TD passes, the fourth-most all-time behind Drew Brees (10), Brett Favre and Peyton Manning (nine each).
As the Buccaneers (8-5) prepare to face the Falcons (4-9) on Sunday, the 43-year-old Brady talked up his relationship with Arians.
“I feel like we have a great relationship. From the moment I got here, we’ve just had great dialogue and I certainly appreciate all the insight he gives me and the way he coaches and leads,” Brady told reporters.
“It’s been a different year for all of us dealing with those type of circumstances where normally you would have opportunities to get to know each other in a different way.
“One thing that’s tough for all of us around the facility is you don’t get one-on-one time with anybody [and] you don’t get any personal time where you’d be sitting around talking and eating together. There’s no close contact, so every conversation is just very different than what it’s been in the past. We’re making the best of it.
“Like I said, it’s very open [and] honest dialogue about how we think [and] certainly how I can be most effective. Any questions he has, we always have a great, open line of communication. I really enjoy my time getting to know him and I have great admiration for him as a coach, as a man, as what he is off the field and how he commands and leads the team.”
Brady is looking to lead the Buccaneers to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.