Arians to wear mask, shield on sideline

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday "there was never a doubt" that he would participate in the 2020 season.

Arians, who survived cancer three times, revealed he plans to wear a mask and possibly a face shield as a precaution against COVID-19.

"I'm very comfortable with our protocols now that I've gotten used to the protocols," said Arians. "We had a week of staff meetings where we went through the protocols, how to teach with a mask on, and all of the things that we are going to do differently.

"I'm very, very comfortable with it. As far as on the field, I'll maintain a mask and probably a shield just for personal use, and coach like I've always coached."

Arians came out of a one-year retirement last year to take over the Bucs.

The 67-year-old's desire to coach isn't surprising considering Tampa Bay is likely entering a short window to win with Tom Brady, who stunned the NFL world by inking a two-year contract with the NFC South club in March.

With offseason workouts held virtually and training camps likely to be far more limited than usual, Brady and Arians have their work cut out to get the star quarterback up to speed with the playbook.

But the head coach is confident the veteran passer, who held multiple private workouts with his new teammates, is up to the task.

"He's way ahead of the curve. He's a very bright guy - the terminology was the big thing," said Arians. "As we now get together starting tomorrow, we'll start to collaborate a little bit more. So yeah, I think he's in a great spot right now as far as that goes."

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