Tom Brady 'Looks Frustrated' with Buccaneers Offense, According to NFL OC

An unnamed NFL offensive coordinator suggested disagreement between Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians about the team's offensive approach is causing frustration for the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. 

The coordinator spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic on Thursday about what he witnessed during the Bucs' Week 8 win over the New York Giants and what it could mean moving forward.

"I would have said Tier 1 [quarterback] until I watched the game against the Giants. Tom didn't look very good. He looks frustrated," he said. "I think they are having a tough time meshing what Brady wants to do and what Bruce has always done. Brady doesn't always have good outlets, and Bruce might not be giving him good outlets because he wants to throw it up the field. It will be interesting how that plays out."

Brady is coming off one of the worst performances of his career in a 38-3 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. He completed just 22 of his 38 throws for 209 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

It came one week after the 43-year-old future Hall of Famer let his frustration show by smashing his helmet on the ground during the 25-23 victory over the Giants:

Yet, Brady's overall numbers are quite strong. He's completed 65.3 percent of his attempts for 2,398 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven picks in nine games during his first year with the Bucs after two decades leading the New England Patriots offense.

Another executive still views him as the top choice among the elder statesmen at the position, including the Saints' Drew Brees and Indianapolis Colts' Philip Rivers.

"Tom is still a [tier] 1," the exec told Sando. "His arm strength is still there to make all the throws. He can still beat you on the fade, on the post, on all those throws, where I don't think Drew can, and I don't think Philip can."

The Bucs have also put him in a perfect position to succeed from a personnel standpoint. His targets include Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate, a pass-catching group that may be the NFL's best.

That star-studded offense combined with a defense that ranks fourth in yards allowed per game (312.9) makes Tampa Bay a top title contender, even if Brady isn't at his absolute best.

He'll look to bounce back from the poor outing against New Orleans when the Buccaneers travel to Bank of America Stadium to face another NFC South rival in the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.