The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2021 NFL season as the defending Super Bowl champions. Under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Bruce Arians and led by the evergreen Tom Brady, the Buccaneers claimed their first Super Bowl in over a decade last season.

With the new season now weeks away, the Bucs suited up for their first taste of NFL action this season taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason tie. Looking to start their campaign on a winning note, the Buccaneers even put out Tom Brady to take a few snaps. 

But things didn’t quite go according to plan. Brady was sacked, the side failed to register a single receiving touchdown and ended up losing 19-14. And one can be sure that Bruce Arians was not happy with what he saw.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to pull up their socks

Following their loss to the Bengals, Bruce Arians talked to the media about the game. And he sure wasn’t happy with what he saw from his team.

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“Probably the worst tackling experience I’ve seen in a long time. It’s like we had no arms. Everything was shoulder blocking,” said Arians. 

Arians was particularly critical of what he saw from some of his rookies. “Some young guys put some embarrassing stuff on tape,” he said. 

The one rookie who got off the hook though was quarterback Kyle Trask. Trask who was drafted by the franchise with the 64th overall pick in the 2021 Draft made some big plays but was let down by the performances of his fellow receivers. 

“I thought Kyle played well. He went in there and made some throws and guys need to make plays for him. But I like his poise and where he’s at.”

Tom Brady only took the field for two snaps, but one of them ended up seeing the Super Bowl LV MVP flat on his back thanks to a sack by Bengals rookie defensive end Joseph Ossai. 

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While preseason games are often not a good indicator of what is to come for the season ahead, the Buccaneers surely won’t like the bitter taste of losing.