It's been a rough few weeks for the Tampa Bay Buccanners, who went from NFC underdog darlings to December also-rans as fast as you can say "unlikable QB-kneel strategy."
That frustration appeared to bubble over during the second quarter of Sunday's 41-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints, when Buccaneers linebacker Adam Hayward got into an altercation with defensive front seven coach Bryan Cox.
Fox cameras showed Hayward stepping in front of Cox as the coach yelled toward the field. Cox, a former NFL linebacker, used a one-arm push to dismiss Hayward, who responded by shoving Cox with two hands. Cox then turned his full attention to Hayward, putting his finger in the linebacker's face as the two jawed back and fourth. At that point, Bucs linebacker Jacob Cutrera stepped in to move Hayward away.
It was a heat-of-the-moment type situation we're sure both men will dismiss after the game. Still, it's never a good idea to put your hands on your coach, especially when that coach is Bryan Cox.
UPDATE: Bucs coach Greg Schiano wasn't happy about the Hayward-Cox spat, although he said "it's been resolved."
"I think you chalk it up to heat of the moment," Schiano said, via JoeBucsFan.com. "... But again, it's not what a football team that I'm the head coach of I want to see. So certainly it's been addressed, and it will be addressed, and we'll move forward from it. But it need not happen again."
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.