Arians warns Bucs about looking ahead to Tampa Super Bowl
The road to the NFC Super Bowl berth goes through Green Bay.
But, whether the Buccaneers or Packers win Sunday afternoon, it will end in Tampa.
That means if the Bucs can upset the Packers, they would become the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. That’s not insignificant since this will be the 55th title game. Players and coaches are aware of the implications. They’re also intent not to focus on them.
“We don’t play that game this week — that’s the message to everybody,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday. “We play the Packers in the NFC Championship game.
“If you start thinking about the Super Bowl, you get your ass beat and you’ll be packing your bags on Monday.”
Technically, the Buccaneers will be staying home in February regardless. But they hope their time in Tampa includes training for the game’s biggest stage and a chance at the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 7. It’s a stage quarterback Tom Brady has played on nine times since the Patriots drafted him in 2000. His new franchise, in contrast, hasn’t won a playoff game since its Super Bowl victory after the 2002 season.
“We’ve been losing for a long time,” said receiver Mike Evans, who weathered five losing seasons in his first six with the franchise. “We didn’t take the easy road [and] we saw some bad days. We’re happy to be in the position we are now.”
The Bucs know their 38-10 Week 6 dismantling of the Packers and disruption of likely MVP Aaron Rodgers proved they have the ingredients for a winning recipe. But Arians reminds his team that the Saints had beat them twice in the regular season — and once handily at 38-3 — before Tampa snatched a divisional win last Sunday in New Orleans. The Buccaneers arrive in Green Bay riding a seven-game road winning streak.
“Let’s keep that streak going – that would be pretty sweet,” Brady said Wednesday. “Playing on the road, it’s about good football, execution, communication, all the fundamentals, the blocking, tackling, throwing – all those things. It’s a great environment. This is one of the coolest stadiums in the league to play in. I know they’re excited, we’ll be excited, and it will make for a great football game.”
And if the Bucs take that road winning streak to eight and return home to battle for the Lombardi?
“I’m not blocking it out,” Evans said. “I’m a fan of the game. It’s in our city, too, so I’m not trying to block it out.
“It’s extra motivation if anything.”