“Still A Fragile Situation”
May 20th, 2021
Arguably the most cerebral, original-take former NFL player working in the media offered an intriguing opinion on the Buccaneers’ quarterback situation.
Joe’s referring to three-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, the retired receiver and dad of Panthers superstar Chris McCaffrey. The elder McCaffrey is often a co-host on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Studying the Bucs’ post-draft news conferences, McCaffrey claimed he could see the uneasiness in Bucco Bruce Arians answering a question about Tom Brady’s buy-in to the pick of QB Kyle Trask in Round 2.
‘’He couldn’t get out of that question quick enough,” McCaffrey said of Arians.
“Because even though he knows he talked about it [with Brady] and he knows Tom bought in, and he knows they texted during the draft and they over-communicated, it’s still a fragile situation when you draft a quarterback behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback. … Tom Brady was a backup once, too.
“And once you’re the starter, you’re the most competitive guy on the planet. You never wany anyone threatening your position. Even if you’re that confident, there’s always that element of , ‘Who’s my competition?’ Because really, even though you’re friends, any other quarterback on your team is the competition. And so it’s a delicate situation.”
Joe agrees with McCaffrey but thinks he is taking it all a step too far.
There is no “fragile” situation in 2021, but that could change in a hurry next season, especially if Trask is good enough (hopefully!!) to beat out Blaine Gabbert for a backup gig this season.
Every NFL season is about the right-now. If Brady takes a half-step backwards through 2021, and Trask looks like he has a real future, at that point it becomes a delicate situation.
Brady is still human, which was sort of McCaffrey’s whole point.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:34 am
“Brady is still human”
You sure about that, Joe?
🙂
May 20th, 2021 at 10:41 am
When asked, “Does Kyle Trask make you nervous?”
Tom laughed so hard avocado margarita came out his nose.
Kyle Trask … Please.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:43 am
Media always has to try to stir up something. Far as I can see there are no issues with the Bucs, so they’ve gotta find something to create one.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:44 am
The only fragile thing about the Bucs QB situation is the lack of a decent backup in case Brady gets hurt. The Bucs O Line needs to do their job and keep Brady clean.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:44 am
I believe everyone in this organization and on the team knows our intent is to win now and for as long as we can, Kyle may be in the future but he will not be able to get us there hopefully he will be able to hold the ship if necessary. Tom at this stage and moving forward is our only hope to compete in the playoffs and win. The pressure at that position is not internal it is to get everyone playing their best with confidence so if anyone has to step in for Tom they can handle it and help us get to the playoffs.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:48 am
Not only cerebral, pops, was one tough SOB football player, tough tough tough not like todays super skilled flag football WR’s
May 20th, 2021 at 10:49 am
brady is as worried about “his competition” as he is worried about going broke….lol….
GO BUCS!!!!!
May 20th, 2021 at 10:50 am
Tom Brady is not worried. Even if, and it’s the proverbial big if, he was worried it would only serve to motivate him to greater greatness. Tom is QB until he decides otherwise. When he feels he’s in decline, he will walk away. He’s worked too hard to go out the way others have.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:52 am
Brady is only worried about a serious injury…which is how he got his starting shot.
“Win now” means Gabbert is behind Brady, not Trask.
Now if both Brady & Gabbert go down…
May 20th, 2021 at 10:55 am
That´s nonsense!!!!
Weak aregument……
TB12 si all in whit this and everybody knows about it….
He is 100% sure he will play till he wants to……..
May 20th, 2021 at 11:01 am
I don’t see a fragile situation either. If TB was concerned about Trask shouldn’t he be much more concerned about Gabbert because BA has praised him so highly?
Brady remains a superior competitor.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:07 am
Joe, you really could get more creative when you have nothing to write about and need clicks. This is not your best effort.
Dear Uncle Sid, Joe always has something to write about. Joe spends most waking moments studying the Bucs and the NFL. When Joe reads/studies/notices/hears something interesting (per Joe’s scale), then Joe writes about it. It’s simple as that. Thankfully, tens of thousands enjoy it per day.–Joe
May 20th, 2021 at 11:18 am
Ha, the only thing Brady is concerned about is his new mansion in Miami and delivery of his 77 foot boat. Trask, not so much.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:25 am
😂😂😂 Brady worried.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:39 am
Joe — spot on take.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:40 am
Uncle Sid
You think you could come up with new Bucs stories 24/7/365? Because personally I don’t know how the Joe’s do it and I think they both deserve a lot of credit.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:41 am
Just trying hard to make football news in May !
May 20th, 2021 at 11:44 am
This pick was frittered away by Licht & when we need DB depth in week 15, shooting steam will be leaking from every orifice in my body
May 20th, 2021 at 11:49 am
the horse lattitudes of the offseason makes for some crap reporting. but we do appreciate the effort as some outlets go dark
May 20th, 2021 at 11:50 am
Total bull$hit…….
McCaffrey should have written about the Panthers pick of Chuba Hubbard, RB…..and how his Son should be worried.
Tom Brady is more concerned about backup Oline than QBs……
May 20th, 2021 at 11:51 am
Tom Brady isn’t worried about trask this is hilarious wow if he decides to play next year guess what he won’t be worried about trask then either lol
May 20th, 2021 at 11:57 am
This is a complete non-story unless your starting HOF QB is named Aaron Rodgers.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
The only way Trask sees the field in the regular season is if both Brady and Gabbert are out. Everyone is all excited because Arians said Trask looked fantastic in the ROOKIE mini camp. Let’s wait until the exhibition season when he is going against guys who aren’t a bunch of third and forth stringers or camp fodder. Hopefully Arians will have a chance during preseason to throw him in for a couple of series against another teams first stringers. Brady may use Trask as personal motivation to work harder (if that’s possible) but there is no way Brady is sweating Trask taking his job under any circumstances other than injury.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
I’m just not buying it. Brady has nothing to be concerned about. At all. Of course he’s competitive, but no one is ever going to beat him out unless he plays until his skills are in sharp decline.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:33 pm
If there’s one QB in the NFL that understands how the business works, it would be Brady. But, coming to a loser franchise, winning a SB the first season with a covid situation and no time to acclimate to his teammates, I’m pretty sure Brady will play as long as he wants. Decline or no decline. There is no way, you do the GOAT wrong after turning the donkey’s butt of the NFL into a respectable place to play. Remember, this team doesn’t win without Brady coming here. It’s really that simple.
I doubt the Bucs want to be the forgotten team in the middle that Brady made his way through before ending his career on another team. He will retire playing for the Bucs. I can bet Tom knows, at 43, he’s still better than any QB at winning. Barring injury, he will not play his way out of the starting gig and he knows that no grasshopper is going to take his job. He won’t let it happen.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Having a 43-year old starting QB with no succession plan is patently irresponsible. I’d like to think Brady has enough wisdom to know that.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
This is a case of someone in media trying to drum up controversy.
May 20th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Why wouldn’t you want to stir up Brady’s competitive juices a little bit? He is like Michael Jordan, he plays better when he’s pissed off.
May 20th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
I see no conflict at all. No one will push Trask harder than Brady. Brady wants to make sure if he goes down for a few games, the Bucs can still win. “If and when” TB’s skills diminish to second best on the team, Brady will be the first to know and he’ll hang it up. Nothing to see here.
May 20th, 2021 at 1:32 pm
Fragile and GOAT don’t even belong in the same discussion.
May 20th, 2021 at 1:48 pm
I guess outside media didn’t learn their lesson from creating narratives?
Just go win and let the stupid stories come and go!
May 20th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
Rumors say that Brady is a prototype from Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 QB with living tissue over a metal endoskeleton.
May 20th, 2021 at 2:15 pm
McCaffrey is extremely thoughtful, experienced, and plugged in to the NFL. It is well known Brady is almost paranoid about things like anybody taking away 4th Q snaps. His aloofness from Garoppolo was notable. He won’t be coaching up Trask, although he’s way more diplomatic than Favre not speaking to Rogers for three years.
May 20th, 2021 at 2:16 pm
“Joe agrees with McCaffrey but thinks he is taking it all a step too far.”
…………………
This!
May 20th, 2021 at 2:22 pm
i dont think this is an issue. this isnt like garopollo years ago. not saying it means a lot but brady liked the bucs social media post immediately after drafting trask. he wouldnt have done so if he didnt like the move. he will be as motivated as ever but it is not a fragile position and i dont think arians danced around the question or was awkward about it. ed mccaffrey clearly wants the panthers to win the division and this is his way maybe of allowing some doubt to seep in.
brady also reached out to trask within a couple days. no issues here. eff the rest of the nfc south (especially the losers from new orleans)
May 20th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
It’s not like TB12 is in the prime of his career…He’s on barrowed time & knows it, entering his Age 44 season…Quite frankly…TB12 is old enough to be Trask’s daddy.
So, it’s pretty hard to buy the “emotional fragility” angle McCaffery Sr is spouting.
If TB12 was all that fragile…He would not have lasted 20yrs in NE, under Belicheat…Or taken on the challenge of winning a 7th SB ring with the Bucs, as a 43yr old QB.
He would have walked away after his 6th ring & called it a career…Spent time with his smoking hot wife & young kids…While waiting 5yrs before going to Canton.
May 20th, 2021 at 3:03 pm
It was a stupid pick. Meybe beyond stupid.
Why even risk pissing off Brady?
Especially for a rookie QB who cant make the NFL throws?
He was a wasted pick. Worse, he could cause problems for an otherwise united team.
You want a QB to mentor? Thats what Ryan Griffin is here for!!
He has 3 times the Arm Trask has!!
I guess things cant be perfect. I was begining to thank the Bucs where having a perfect offseason.
Then they draft a Qb- and I remember who the Bucs have been for the previous 50 years( minus 2003, of course, and 78)!
The worst professional team in sports history.
Thankfully- it was only one pick this year, instead of EVERY move!
May 20th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
And for those of you who think Brady “ knows hes on borrowed time”,
Or “Knows his playing days are over.”
You are soooo wrong. Brady knows he is the greatest QB of all time.
He also knows he carried team- that hadnt SNIFFED the playoffs for almost 2 decades- all the way to the SuperBowl.
He is such an elite athlete, he believes he COULD play for 10 years.
Drafting his ALLEGED successor was a mistake
May 20th, 2021 at 3:34 pm
Capt.Tim How is Brady a elite athlete and he don’t run even 2 yards a game. This is what I be talking about when it comes to some of yall and Brady!! This is a stupid statement by you bro lol lol 😆😂. The draft pick was a good one so far we will see how he plays when the time comes . But please stop worshipping Brady because you sound crazy now !!
May 20th, 2021 at 4:48 pm
O’Neill – you have zero room to comment on another’s “questionable” statements. Your takes have been legendarily horrendous.
May 20th, 2021 at 4:56 pm
Tom Brady is not Aaron Rodgers. The GOAT does not look over his shoulder worried about a rookie or a second year qb taking his job from him any more than he’s concerned about Gabbert or Ryan taking his job. Rodgers is POed because he wanted help on offense, not his future replacement. Taking Trask at 64 was a smart move. Maybe, one day he’ll be TB’s replacement. Who knows. He might be a career backup. We’ll see.
May 20th, 2021 at 5:40 pm
fake news here kids: jason licht spoke with tom before the draft, he assured tom the job is his as long as he wants it. tom’s wife is in his other ear telling him to retire. nevertheless, tom signs an extension through 2022. he’s throwing trophies on the river 2 more years then he’s done. GO BUCS!
May 20th, 2021 at 6:15 pm
Brady has EARNED the right to ‘pass the torch’ on his terms.
Not only the ‘when’, but after his career, the ‘who’ is also in play.
What makes y’all think that the Trask pick was done without his knowledge?
I’m sure he had prior knowledge. Substantial input…probably. Actually called the pick? Possibly?
We’ll probably find out in two or three years.
May 20th, 2021 at 6:27 pm
I have no doubt that BA talked to Brady before the draft about this very situation … and that Tom gave his blessing to draft a QB if one peaked their interest. I also have no doubt that BA showed Brady a lot more respect concerning drafting a QB than Belichick ever did.
Everyone on the planet knows that the Bucs are Tom Brady’s team. Period. Reality IMO is that his leadership is what the Bucs have been missing for many years now. No backup QB is gonna provide that. No rookie is gonna provide that. Matter of fact, there’s an excellent chance that Kyle Trask won’t even dress for a single game this year.
May 20th, 2021 at 7:31 pm
Capt. Tim… I’m sure TB12 knows the history & success rate of 40+ yr old QB’s in the NFL….I’d venture he also understands the age/performance cliff is coming – eventually…You’d be a fool think he doesn’t…. He’s been solely focused on his own longevity & maintaining his temple for years, trying to defy Father Time.
But why act like that is a slander against his character?? The dude has spent a lifetime proving people wrong/proving himself right…It’s part of what has helped make him the GOAT…(That a heck of a lot of good team mates).
Why should he scared of the Bucs taking a Plan B for the future, when he knows his is short for the NFL & the legacy he leaves behind will only elevate his stature in NFL circles & help his post-FB career brand????
May 20th, 2021 at 9:23 pm
Didn’t we have a quote from Licht saying he told Brady as long as he wanted to play, he would play? When your GM says that to you, then it’s over. Done. You don’t have to worry about competition.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:11 pm
Trask i love and has a great ability to draw interest. Partly a gator thing, some fators have. Partly backup qb. Partly his own persona. Plus brady. And ba.
But speculation is pointless. Licht no doubt has a plan, i dont think we know yet. Trask is trade bait like garrofollo (sp) imo.
May 20th, 2021 at 10:23 pm
I dont think so, I think Brady plays two more seasons.Trask will sit both and learn
May 20th, 2021 at 11:36 pm
Brady wants to teach the youngster how to be a great QB. The is no controversy involved. It isn’t like when Brady was a rookie at all. Brady will treat him like the other Qbs on the team, like brothers.
May 20th, 2021 at 11:43 pm
They picked the QB closely matching Brady. If you do not see that you are blind.
May 21st, 2021 at 12:25 am
People love to knock the Bucs. Now they’re champions and stacked. Tom Brady isn’t worried about Trask in the least. Brady will teach by example if nothing else. Tom loves to win. Seven rings and probably 10 before he retires. BA isn’t uneasy either. This is ridiculous and work expends to fill time. There isn’t much for these idiots to talk about other than the Bucs so they live in a dream world and make up garbage like this. GTFO. Btw the Bucs have shut down His kid every time he’s faced the Bucs. Go away old man 😂.
May 21st, 2021 at 8:42 am
Why would Tom be concerned. He knows when it’ll be time to take a bow. Hopefully he bestows his knowledge to the men behind him. He wouldn’t do it in New England because he knows how he got his opportunity to start and it truly wasn’t time to move on from tom
May 21st, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Football’s a preforming profession, the great ones look at competition as a demon to overcome , say nice things but between the lines destroy them. Many think..this guy is taking food right off my table. No way.!@!