Jeff Darlington Doesn’t Think Jason Licht Will Draft A Quarterback
April 9th, 2021
“Take it easy now, Glazer.”
While Super Bowl-winning Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians didn’t rule out drafting a quarterback this month to groom for the day park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller-coaster-scared, Bucs Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady bids football goodbye, a respected NFL analyst isn’t buying it.
The pride of Seminole High School, Jeff Darlington of BSPN, took to Mike Greenberg’s show on the four-letter this week and says he’s not feeling the vibe after speaking with Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht that Licht has any burning desire to draft a quarterback this month.
“I just don’t think Jason Licht is thinking that way right now,” Darlington said. “He looks at this [season] and says, ‘I want to win again. I want to get another Super Bowl.’
“We are in a moment. We are in a historic moment. And he knows it. … I just don’t think he is thinking conventionally like a lot of these GMs [who are] thinking about the future.”
Nor should Licht! The organization has made it clear they are Going for Two. You don’t do that by drafting guys who you think may need a year or two (three?) of seasoning to make plays. You want to draft guys who can have an impact now.
Darlington then went on to say if the Bucs are losing in four or five years and Team Glazer launches Licht because he sold out to win everything now, “he doesn’t care.”
He shouldn’t! Licht and the Bucs have a chance to make NFL history by repeating.
As far as down the road, the way Licht has drafted and stocked the Bucs roster, Joe thinks Team Glazer is going to give Licht a lot of rope after Brady leaves. There is no doubt the Bucs won the Super Bowl because of Licht. He brought in Bucco Bruce Arians. He brought in Brady. He drafted and/or signed all but two guys on the Bucs roster (Lavonte David and Will Gholston).
The way Team Glazer was patient with Licht through much of the Lost Decade (six years), why wouldn’t they do the same for Licht after he turned the franchise around and won a Super Bowl (or two)?
April 9th, 2021 at 9:03 am
Then he needs to draft a explosive RB or WR @ 32
April 9th, 2021 at 9:04 am
If Licht has 2 rings in 7 years and gets canned, he’ll go take Mark Dominik’s job w/ ESPN.
“You can have a former Bucs GM or a former Bucs GM w two rings.”
April 9th, 2021 at 9:05 am
And this is the main reason why Joe is on the running back bandwagon.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:06 am
Well, Dominik hasn’t worked for BSPN for a couple of years.
And Joe can assure you that Licht very likely will never work for a national TV outfit, at least not full-time in studio.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:10 am
Thank god. The Bucs built everything around immediate gratification of Brady. And that makes perfect sense. But, if Brady goes down, no rookie QB is going to be much better than a Bridewater coming in.
We need depth on the lines. Edge/Oline/DT, not in that order, just BPA
April 9th, 2021 at 9:13 am
Najee Harris would make our offense the best in the league. I don’t want to hear about CEH not having a great year for the Chiefs as a reason for not taking Harris. Mahomes never saw a check down he liked. He’d always look for the big play down field instead of taking the easy yards. Brady will get our moneys worth out of a back like Harris believe it.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:14 am
If you are really looking for a player to make an impact immediately, it would be a WR/KR/PR…..
THis assumes no deal with AB.
A 3rd WR would get on the field quite often….and we need to fill the void of no AB…..especially if Evans or Godwin went down.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:15 am
Win now. I could not care less about drafting a QB for the future.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:15 am
If they can continue to hit on draft picks during Brady’s time here, then the next QB, whoever that may end up being, should have a pretty nice roster to step into.
You don’t draft a high round QB right after you win the Super Bowl. Especially when your starting QB is Tom Brady. It’s nonsense.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:17 am
Let’s remember, Licht had two years under Loser Smith before firing him, and those years Loser called the shots. Licht didn’t become the man until 2016.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:19 am
Lavonte David is the active leader in tackles. Needs 2 or 3 more seasons to be top 20 of all-time. Just sayin’. 2 other players were ahead of him but recently retired.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:25 am
@Tampabaybucfan
Rondale Moore
April 9th, 2021 at 9:32 am
I agree that it is too early to think about grooming a rookie QB. TB12 is not hanging up the cleats after this upcoming season especially if we run it back. If we run it back then they will simply want to go for 3 and form the latest NFL Dynasty.
The Pats drafted Brady’s replacement in Jimmy G and look how that ended.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:38 am
Edge rusher should be the pick at 32. If it isn’t then I could live with RB, WR, ILB. Bucs can pick up quality depth in the secondary, and front seven in rounds 3-7.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:44 am
How ’bout round 3-7 be all ST’s? That is the #1 team weakness…
April 9th, 2021 at 9:50 am
With RoJo and Fournette on the roster , and Vaughn presumably not going to get cut and most likely see some action, just how does a RB pick at 32 make an impact this year?
Seems more likely that with 2 backup secondary players gone with free agency, a pick for the secondary would have more of an immediate impact…
April 9th, 2021 at 9:51 am
tbbf
i hear you….
rondale moore, elijah moore, kadarius toney would all work imo….
but if theres a player that bowles feels he can use to rush the passer right now, i’d rather go defense….along with bringing AB back…
GO BUCS!!!!
April 9th, 2021 at 9:51 am
I’m in the minority, I think we should draft a QB, maybe not at 32 and especially not if Etienne is available, I get that.
But if we don’t we better have a good backup waiting to be signed.
I’m just not comfortable thinking about what happens if TB gets injured.
I mean, I know that’s not even a consideration for some people because they think we have a great LT……..
April 9th, 2021 at 9:57 am
I think we are going defense. We could use fresh legs in the DL rotation. Suh and Gholston are not getting any younger and although Gholston has played great and been a great buc we can still upgrade there with a day 1 draft choice. Some folks think we go corner and although we have 3 starting corners you can never have too many corners in a passing league IMO.
April 9th, 2021 at 10:20 am
Lots of good players at 32 available. Not sure any elite running backs are available in this years draft. A few certainly are worth picking at 32 but would not call them elite.
Running back would be fine as Rojo is solid but do we want to pay to sign him to a second contract? I would say no.
However, I think more than any other year – the Bucs should be looking at a BPA guy that will be good by the end of the 2021 year. We have good coaching. It may take a little time to get our draft pick aligned but if he is higher end talent and the coaching thinks they can get the most out of that guy for the future, then that is the player I want. Not necessarily an immediate starter.
All that being said, I am more worried about defensive guys and their ages, like JPP and Suh so I might lean there more. Those guys play a ridiculous amount of snaps. If either gets injured, the drop off will become obvious.
April 9th, 2021 at 10:40 am
I think that not drafting a quarterback to learn under Brady would be the biggest travesty ever committed by this franchise. And that is saying a lot
April 9th, 2021 at 10:57 am
We have a our starting line up. I’d personally like us to draft for the future and depth. Barring injury there’s not anyone cracking the starting line up. Our starters won it last year they can do it again and prob be better after year and being together. I remember we traded for gruden which did get us a SB but look what happened after that. We didn’t care about the future. So we just went thru the lost decade for 1 SB ring. Idk if it’s worth it again y’all. After 12 years I think a lot of us fans didn’t care we won a super in 2002 we just wanted NOT to be the basement dwellers. Gotta think of the future so we don’t end up with another lost decade
April 9th, 2021 at 10:59 am
SB I agree with you and replacements for jpp suh David and golston all over 30. David prob the only exception that he’s got 2 or 3 good years left can’t say that about jpp and suh. Lot of wear and tear on those guys
April 9th, 2021 at 11:09 am
Why draft a qb when you can sign Aaron Rodgers in two years after Brady retires?
April 9th, 2021 at 11:12 am
I think Bucs draft a D-lineman. Suh and JPP are not getting any younger. Also, how much better can Griffen and Gabbert be in the future? They are both 31 years old and will end up with 2 full years learning under Brady after this season. Is it possible we have Brady’s future replacement already on the team. Other than Lawrence, I’m not sold on any other top QB option in this years draft. Maybe the Bucs find a Romo-like QB they want to give a shot in late rounds or undrafted that we don’t have our eyes on. One thing we all know is you win in the trenches, with good depth. We need to secure both lines of scrimmage for the future. Regardless of who our future QB is, they won’t have a shot without plenty of big boys in the trenches.
April 9th, 2021 at 11:31 am
I totally disagree on the QB issue. Winning now and drafting a QB are not mutually exclusive. We know we can win now. We’ve got the same starting lineup as last year and the offense was just starting to gel at the end of the season. According to one coach, they were still 8 games away from playing their best football. Sure, you need depth at all positions, and you have ample opportunity to draft for depth, but you can sure use one of your picks in rounds 3-5 to draft a developmental QB who can be mentored by Brady and the great QB-oriented coaching staff. It’s a unique opportunity to try to develop a QB of the future. If it doesn’t work out, you’re out 1 draft pick, someone that may or may not have become a long-term fixture with the Bucs. If it does work out, you haven’t wasted time in preparing for the post-Brady era.
April 9th, 2021 at 11:39 am
@Theodore I like your thinking!!
April 9th, 2021 at 11:43 am
If the bucs draft down and get another 2nd and 3rd round pick. They may draft Trask if he falls to the third round other than that is the only chance.
April 9th, 2021 at 11:43 am
agree with this mindset completely–only use late rounds for a QB and only if good value.
pick; Etienne or Levi O., Jaelan P. or Caleb Farley
a player that is best in position
personally I tune in on podcast to Chris Simms and get alot of info from him
April 9th, 2021 at 11:45 am
I guess Joe says we are going to get dink and dump Teddy anyway. So I guess we dont need a QB in the draft.
April 9th, 2021 at 11:57 am
I dont care what anybody says no draft is about RIGHT NOW. Or at least shouldnt be. Almost all players require some time to adjust to the game. Special ones are ready to play right now but thats just a select few. Ill say again, not drafting a future QB to groom behind Brady at some point in the draft would be a big time mistake and would be hurting the team in the long run. With no future QB this team will most likely fall right down near the bottom of the league again once Brady retires.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Theodore,
That’d be great but that’s far from guaranteed.
April 9th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Drafting or Trading for a QB this yr should be a priority, if your of the mindset that the Rook could gain very valuable lessons on professionalism & detail from TB12….(Which I am).
Does that have to be at the draft??? No…But getting a young gun-slinger w/ QB1 talent in the QB room w/ TB12 needs to happen…& Very very soon!
April 9th, 2021 at 1:12 pm
Have we cut ties with Blaine Gabbert or is he merely not signed yet?
April 9th, 2021 at 1:40 pm
No QB please. To those who believe this is the team’s weakness no QB available would change that. Get a decent experienced backup, Blaine Gabbert or better it’s enough. Next year we draft a QB. I liked the idea of Teddy if he is released but not traded.
April 9th, 2021 at 1:50 pm
This is TB’s and BA’s swan song there’s no tomorrow. Whoever comes after will have his pick then. Grooming a young QB under Brady… when did that happened? Nonsense. Maybe a 3rd of 4th rounder as a backup but that doesn’t mean he will inherit Brady’s team as far as we know that dude may end up being traded to a sucker who believes greatness can be acquired by osmosis.
April 9th, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Gabbert sucks… I mean totally sucks.
So if Brady gets hurt we’re done.
That would be a damn shame for our D wouldn’t it?
We need a young, smart arm ASAP.
April 9th, 2021 at 2:36 pm
I personally think it would be beyond dumb to NOT draft a qb.I also think Tom Brady should be part of the evalution process and receive a bonus for picking the next franchise qb for the team!!!
April 9th, 2021 at 2:41 pm
Carcard202, that’s what I’ve been preaching since the SB victory. Malfeasance not to at least try to develop a young QB with TB and this coaching staff as mentors.
April 9th, 2021 at 3:13 pm
I’m all in for drafting an edge rusher with our first pick. Once we identify that player I would trade up to get him if someone else in front of us might want him. Our trade up last year was one of the biggest reasons we won the Super Bowl. Without Wirfs stabilizing our Oline we are nowhere near as potent. We only need one more quality starter to fill out the rotation on the edge. Anthony Nelson should just be a back up at this stage of his career. We need an elite talent to share reps with JPP and Shaq.
April 9th, 2021 at 3:52 pm
Edge rusher for sure… use a 5 or 6 on Ian Book🤔
April 9th, 2021 at 3:58 pm
The hold Rogers thing is a loser mindset. When will it be a organization problem more than the quarterbacks we drafted? It can’t be every quarterback. I want them to develop our own quarterback. It was Testerverty, it was Shawn King , it was Josh Freeman , it was Steve Young and it was Jamies fault .. So when will it be the organization fault on failing all these quarterbacks ?? But a lot of yall are to blind to see that !! Lol lol 😆 🤣 😂
April 9th, 2021 at 4:16 pm
Oh-kneel,
2 of the QBs you mentioned were turnover machines.
That can’t be solely on the team.
The teams’ eye doctor or physiatrist?
Maybe.
April 9th, 2021 at 4:35 pm
Oneil buc, Jameis will win the starting job under payton and have his best year by far…to your point.The bucs failed him.
April 9th, 2021 at 4:40 pm
MY PREDICTION:
Bucs shock almost everyone and draft a CORNER at #32.
Corner is our biggest weakness. When Davis was banged up we really suffered in the secondary.
It’s a Passing League. When your corners are your biggest weakness, you have to address it no matter how many recent draft picks you’ve invested in the secondary already.
April 9th, 2021 at 4:46 pm
ONEIL,
We have TWO Super Bowl titles. More than 75% of the NFL.
We won both of those Super Bowls with free agent QBs we didn’t draft and “develop.”
You want to win more Super Bowls or you want to ‘finally’ develop a young QB that we drafted?
The QB position is arguably the hardest to scout and predict the future success of.
Who gives a crap about developing a young QB and winning a Super Bowl with one if it doesn’t happen?
You’re just still BITTER over Jameis Winston being shown the door. Aside from Steve Young, none of those QBs you mentioned ever won a Super Bowl.
So your argument makes no sense.
I’ll take Super Bowl rings over some sort of ‘pride’ of developing our own drafted QB.
April 9th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
6th rd qb
April 9th, 2021 at 5:33 pm
Excellent point BradyBuc and when has Oh-kneel ever made sense?
😂
April 9th, 2021 at 6:07 pm
CB, DL or OLB needs to be the pick at 32. We don’t need a QB and tbh, it wasn’t a QB that won the SB. Adding more talent and depth to our defense should be the priority.
April 9th, 2021 at 6:34 pm
I you forgot about Diller who won a superbowl. And Brady time is coming to a end soon. So then what ??? Skip Bayless is right fans like yall are the suckaneers or maybe the people from Tampa is just soft when it comes to football . And as far as Jamies goes stop hating on that young man I brought up the franchise history when it comes to quarterback. I left one out but you know what if I was the owner I would bring in Rogers, Ben , Rivers because I know yall are a bunch of suckas I would make a killing off yall lol 😆..
April 9th, 2021 at 6:44 pm
DoooshLaRue: What QB in this draft would do better than Blaine Gabbert in his first year in the Bucs offense? Remember when Tom Brady, one of the smartest and best QB’s in NFL history, was learning the offense during the season? If you think some rookie is gonna do any better than Gabbert, you’re out of your mind.
April 9th, 2021 at 6:46 pm
And remember what happened after Johnson why not bring in draft a young quarterback to learn behind Brady. That’s call sustained success. A real culture change will be seen after the Allstar team is gone . Look at the Steelers, Ravens , Patriots, Packers, Seahawks, those are real culture changes. It’s a smart move. Ain’t no good DL , Or offensive lineman worth a 32 pick in this draft.
April 9th, 2021 at 6:48 pm
Blain Gabbert is trash I rather a rookie because all of them are better than him LOL 😆 😂!!
April 9th, 2021 at 7:18 pm
As we speak number 12 is the only quarterback on our roster
April 9th, 2021 at 7:27 pm
We just need to find a young QB with a high football IQ that’s Pro Ready.
Those guys ALWAYS do well.
We can’t go wrong.
Right Oh-kneel?
But I digress……
Gabbert’s career TD-INT ratio is about 1-1…. so yeah, I can see the allure to some of you football geniuses!
Can we call it potential or upside….. or oh wait….. a high ceiling?
😂😂😂😂
April 9th, 2021 at 8:27 pm
Finally, something Dooosh and Oneilbuc agree on! I’m glad you guys are buddies now! Anyway, Blaine Gabbert has been in the NFL for 10 years now. That’s 10 years more than the Dooosh/Oneil tandem put together, unless Dooosh is Garrett Gilkey and Oneil is Oneil Cousins. I’m willing to bet that even if the Bucs draft a QB in the 2021 Draft, he won’t be second string, he’ll be 3rd string. You guys obviously know more than BA and Licht when it comes to Blaine Gabbert, though.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:20 pm
I don’t think they will draft a qb and I wouldn’t be mad if they didn’t and if tom gets hurt the season is over no qb we can get in the draft at our position will change that period it’s silly to think otherwise probably will wait until next draft to look at qbs, dl class looks terrible couple edge prospects that maybe worth it but probably won’t fall to the bucs I wouldn’t mind drafting OL or trading down even newsome would be fine there
April 9th, 2021 at 9:49 pm
All yours opinions are interesting guys. I love this site.
Thanks Joe, great work.
I have read yours posts, and we have a great discussion.
Ash have a point. In the end, if we lost Tom we are done. And a new QB with no experience at #32 can’t win a SB next year, c’mon guys!
Select a CB, a pass rush, and a D-line.
And yes, sign AB.
And the, then drama will continue,… It will be fun, ha, ha, ha,…
GO BUCS!
April 9th, 2021 at 10:05 pm
Thanks Blue!
April 9th, 2021 at 10:52 pm
I’ll say it again….our biggest weakness has been KR/PR
Rondale Moore, who can also play that small fast RB plus he can catch….blocking at 175lbs? Of course not…but watch his returns. You want immediate impact with potential in a few other areas, there he is. at #32 is a reach, so I’d trade down and get him in the mids-end of the 2nd.
April 9th, 2021 at 11:10 pm
Just found out Rondale squats 600 lbs…at 175-180, holy smokes….Im moving him up, especially after watching his interviews…kid is gonna be dynamic as an NFL pro.
Shoot, just pull the trigger at 32….KR/PR/RB/WR….come on man, really? There he is….
April 9th, 2021 at 11:27 pm
Finally found my guy at #32….son of a btch life has been on me hard lately, working my a$ off but i handle it and push through….my hands hurt, building BMW’s is no joke
Rondale Moore…..there he is, my pick. Hope this works again.
April 10th, 2021 at 5:20 am
ONeil,
Dilfer hardly ‘won’ the SB for the Ravens. It was their top Defense, hence the reason Ray Lewis was SB MVP, and that’s how it was that entire season.
But even so… developing a young QB is still a major crapshoot. And the later you pick in the 1st round, the worse your chances are of finding the next great QB. For every Brady, Rodgers, Mahomes, and other QBs drafted outside the Top 3 overall picks, there are 100s of other QBs that never make it. There are also plenty of Top 3 to Top 5 QBs that never turn into much either.
I’m all for drafting a QB at some point and seeing if one can develop ON THE BENCH and become that rare prospect that makes it, but to cast blame on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization for not being able to develop our own drafted QB into a SB Champion or regular playoff appearance QB is to not recognize that ALL THE TEAMS have failed at one point or another in developing a young QB.
Heck, look at DENVER. How many top picks has Elway wasted on finding their “young QB” over the past several years???
Developing a young QB from scratch is usually much riskier than signing a proven QB as a free agent.
April 10th, 2021 at 8:14 am
Bradybuc I hear what you saying bro I believe that developing a young quarterback can be done . The problem have been the coaching the past years . I think that if you put in plays that he’s good in and go with that even if you have to change your entire playbook to do what that quarterback does best . Look at Andy Reid and how all his plays fits around what his quarterbacks does best . From McNabb to Vick , Smith and now Mahomes all had a different playbook and that’s why Andy Reid has always developed a quarterback and I have the confidence that the bucs can do the same thing.
April 10th, 2021 at 11:02 am
if brady goes down…
if gabbert ever fills in we become a .500 team and tread water until tom returns…
it is what it is