When It Is Time For A Rebuild
February 27th, 2022
Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert.
Joe has maintained for weeks just the sheer presence of Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians on the sidelines for 2022 means last year’s second-round pick Kyle Trask won’t be the Bucs’ starting quarterback Week 1, barring injuries.
Arians, 69, didn’t return to lead a rebuild. And if you are starting a guy who has yet to wear an NFL game jersey, that, friends, is a rebuild.
Oh, Joe is sure in due time Trask will get his shot as he should, just not when the Bucs think they have one more bullet left in the holster to make a Super Bowl run.
In typing a preview of sorts for the Bucs’ offseason, Jenna Laine of ESPN suggests Arians starting either Blaine Gabbert or Trask at quarterback this fall means the offseason will have been a massive fail.
Worst-case scenario for the team’s offseason: The Bucs aren’t able to sign or trade for a top-tier quarterback, they’re forced to rely on Trask or Gabbert, Gronkowski retires and leaves them with one tight end on their current roster in Cameron Brate. The lure of coming to Tampa to win championships is no more.
This is the way Joe looks at it: If the Bucs lose Chris Godwin, then that may just be the beginning of the domino effect. If Godwin leaves, you can feel safe assuming Rob Gronkowski leaves as well. If both of those guys are gone, why would Playoff Lenny stick around?
At that point, whether the Bucs like it or not, whether they want to admit it or not, they will be in a full-blown rebuild. And it is at that time the Bucs ought to start trading players for future draft picks and put Trask on the field to see what he has to offer.
February 27th, 2022 at 8:06 am
“Trask will get his shot as she should.” Uh oh…taking a shot or just a typo?
February 27th, 2022 at 8:14 am
Taking a page from the Bill Parcells playbook when he called Terry Glenn “she”? Likely a typo…
In the words of The Eagles…Gronk is “already gone”.
It’s still difficult getting over how quickly things went sour/south. Stomping the Eagles at home…then sleep walking thru the following week with the Rams…Brady calling it a career ( in Tampa at least ) and the future suddenly looking so uncertain. Not For Long as Jerry Glanville says…
February 27th, 2022 at 8:16 am
She/he, does it really matter? Bucs are going to be rotten this year. 1st place schedule will crush them, zero pass rush and poor QB play. Feels like a 5 win team if everything goes right. Brady cleaned up so much. From garbage game plans to team discipline. It all left Tampa when Brady pseudo retired.
February 27th, 2022 at 8:19 am
Full blown rebuild mode? lol
February 27th, 2022 at 8:25 am
Why give Trask a shot, when succo bruce will go 7-10 and at the end of the season bruce arrogance will be forced into retirement or will be fired. At that point, let the new regime get their QB.
February 27th, 2022 at 8:27 am
Bucs will lose some players and likely gain others. Also Brady might like a trade to Miami, his new home town. Dolphins are a young up and coming team that would hugely benefit. Tua could come to Tampa instead of some high priced mediocre big names being tossed around. We rarely play Miami so Brady out of our conference is good.
February 27th, 2022 at 8:28 am
Mac Jones got his shot and made the pro bowl. I do not believe that QB whisperer BS. Why would he even think about starting Gabbert a QB that probably won’t win a game. To think hes using it for a smoke screen is ridiculous.
February 27th, 2022 at 9:16 am
Gabbert just looks like a younger version of Arians when he had hair . That’s why Arians loves him pull up the pics lol
Btw Gabbert is a starting tight end for another team lmao
GoBucs!
February 27th, 2022 at 9:20 am
What’s the success rate of first round QB’s…33%? Odds say Trask will not work out
February 27th, 2022 at 9:21 am
I double-checked Gabbert’s combine numbers and his measurables are amazing. His size, 6’4″, weight 234, speed 4.62 in 40, and intelligence Wonderlick 42 projected an elite QB. Maybe he’s just a late bloomer?
Anyway, I think the Bucs should start Gabbert with Trask as QB2. Maybe trade for a cheap veteran QB but save QB dollars to re-sign their existing free agents; Godwin, Davis, Suh, Jensen. If there’s any money leftover then trade for a CB and/or pass rusher. They already gambled on Trask by drafting him so might as well play that hand. If he is another Mac Jones then the team is set for years. If not then draft a QB in 2023.
February 27th, 2022 at 9:23 am
A great year followed by a really good year followed by predictions of doom and gloom. What a great way to start a beautiful Sunday morning. Pass the Tums, please!
February 27th, 2022 at 9:25 am
Over under on articles mentioning Gabbert this week… 13.
February 27th, 2022 at 9:31 am
BA is staying on solely on ego this season. No proven quarterback, FA barn door wide open, cap hell, some key players aging and lastly, the schedule from hell.
Actually we shouldn’t forget the league has figured out his offense.
Is this why BA is calling the plays next season or was he trying to placate the goat hoping he’d stay on?
LVD speaking of turmoil haunts me often.
February 27th, 2022 at 9:35 am
Arians returned basically because he has an easy, well paying job.
Plus, his Boss is his friend~!
Where else can he be paid millions, to ride around in a Golf Cart ?
To think that he would not lead a rebuild is silly, IMHO
February 27th, 2022 at 9:36 am
Gabbert has played as well or as poorly as the teams he’s been on. Since he started at the bottom of the heap with Jax and spent some horrid years in S.F. his numbers are obviously not great.
He was 3-5 on a 6-10 S.F. team…he was 2-1 on a better Tennessee team. He can win with the team we have if we resign Godwin and perhaps Playoff Lennie. The OL needs to remain as stout as it’s been. The D continues to improve with a strong draft…and we are competitive.
So that’s what BA is looking at in Gabbert. Yes limited upside…he’s certainly not the GOAT…but there’s only one of those. Is he Dilfer? Can our D become as dominant as the Ravens?
The bottom line is that the downside for Gabbert is not nearly as daunting as it is for most of the other QB’s available this year.
Gabbert will not lead the Bucs to a 3rd SB title…but can he “manage” a team that is capable of winning the big one again?
February 27th, 2022 at 9:42 am
Chris, I’m sure his bloated staff drawing up is all sorts of contingency plans right now. Not much us keyboard cowboy’s can do but trust Licht and pray.
February 27th, 2022 at 9:53 am
No matter what happens they will always be my team…. These last 2 years will be talked about for decades!!! GO BUCS
February 27th, 2022 at 10:03 am
It’s time to get younger….if that means a rebuild….then so be it.
TBBF is one of the most optimistic…..but I believe our SB window has closed…
A combination of the QB situation….27th draft pick & large numbers of quality FAs with marginal cap space….
We have an opportunity to retool, rebuild and absolutely should not be mortgaging our future on older players….
Get friggin’ younger, now!!!
February 27th, 2022 at 10:10 am
I hope Jordan Whitehead’s public messages to BA/JL isn’t an early indication of how this off season will go…
He basically called them “liars”… Ouch.
The NFL seems to think the Bucs run is over. The Bucs are playing a home game in Germany. Another bad omen.
Plus looking at our schedule – ouch. I see about 4-6 wins next year without Brady at QB.
If the Bucs are going to tank a season and get the salary cap straightened out it is this year.
I really hate to admit this. But facts are facts.
It’s the end of the world as we know it – and I feel fine…
February 27th, 2022 at 10:20 am
What’s in a name, call it what you will rebuild, reload. When you have 20 something FA’s many on the bad side of 30, only one QB on the roster with no starts, you’re not a SB team anymore. Don’t have to ruin Trask if he isn’t ready, Gabbert will do until he don’t. If we can’t trade for a top QB I wouldn’t call it a failure if it never really had a chance to be. The Joe’s, and Jena’s will call it a failure cause that’s what they do. Licht get’s paid to put talent on the field, the staff coaches them up. Koetter once said I can’t coach the guys I wish I had, I have to coach the players we have. Like the Stones said, you can’t always get what you want, but Licht will try, and Gabbert might turn out to be just what we need.
February 27th, 2022 at 10:23 am
Best Case Scenario:
Bucs preserve draft picks, develop Trask, Trask goes on to prove he has franchise QB potential, Next year this time Bucs have a great young QB, they’re 50mil under cap ready to get top FAs.
February 27th, 2022 at 11:41 am
Need a QB, what a story it’d be if Trask or Gabbert got hot; or someone like Cousins finally gets to the SB as a Buc? Shall be interesting, a lot of directions for JL to ponder.
February 27th, 2022 at 11:48 am
Gabbert got 8 coaches fired , Bruce Arians will make 9 if he deploys him .. play with it
GoBucs!
February 27th, 2022 at 12:17 pm
Beeej … ‘What’s the success rate of first round QB’s…33%? Odds say Trask will not work out’.
Tom Brady would’ve quit football before ever playing a down in the NFL if he’d listened to you Beej.
February 27th, 2022 at 12:27 pm
TBBF … ‘We have an opportunity to retool, rebuild and absolutely should not be mortgaging our future on older players. Get friggin’ younger, now!!!’
Personally I don’t give a hoot what we call this year. Rebuild? Retool? Reload? Restructure? Heck, they could call it a Harvey Wallbanger for all I care. What I DO care about though is that the Bucs hierarchy makes smart decisions that allow us to be strategically competitive in the NFC South & ultimately in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, we’ve got a price to pay for what we did to be competitive in 2020 & 2021. I have no idea what our record will be this year, but 13-4 is gonna be awfully hard to beat or even equal (especially without Tom Brady at the helm). We MAY even have to re-invent ourselves (offensively AND defensively) if our roster changes as dramatically as some of us think it will. So be it. I much prefer to enjoy the ride and withhold final judgment until we pull back into the station at the end of the season.
February 27th, 2022 at 12:36 pm
Seriously doubt Gronk comes back to play in Tampa, unless it’s on a discount. Same with Lenny. Gronk creates a hole that will be hard to fill, but Lenny is replaceable. Godwin will be re-signed.
If we can sign back one or two of our 3 OL FAs, and one of Davis or Whitehead (hopefully both), plus Gholston, we’ll be okay.
February 27th, 2022 at 1:34 pm
If you think the Bucs are going to be so horrible you mensah , why does Vegas have them ranked as the 8th lowest odds favorite to win the next Superbowl?????????????????????????????????????????
Chicken Little has nothing on some of you Negative Nancies. Bucs win 11-12 and return to playoffs-Book It
February 27th, 2022 at 1:54 pm
^^^^^
Dumb.
February 27th, 2022 at 1:59 pm
Facts
February 27th, 2022 at 2:16 pm
^^^
Let me get this straight.
Your best friends (who are all NFL players) told you the inside scoop.
The Bucs are going to win 12 games next season?
Sounds good to me…
Go Bucs!
February 27th, 2022 at 2:26 pm
have you seen the murderers row of a schedule we have this year?? without a legit qb, bucs are a 6-11 team. go get watson.. trade devin white, and draft picks
February 27th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
white is a lot of bark and not much bite … trade him while his stock is high
February 27th, 2022 at 3:55 pm
I say there is a 3rd option between rebuild and all-in.
Its called a bridge year and might be the best option.
You may gotta go with a low end QB but its only to bridge the gap til next year when we got a whole bunch of cash to spend on a new QB.
If the Bucs can go all in this year and give a new QB a 3 year window, Im all for it. But if its only gonna be a one year window til we gotta start dumping salaries for CAP reasons its unlikely to get us a ring. Dont be fooled with Brady and Stafford winning rings in only a season. Its not the norm and if thats the plan its probably gonna backfire.
February 27th, 2022 at 5:12 pm
JimmyJack – The Bucs don’t need to do a full rebuild, but they should use 2022 to just clean up the cap, tank with Trask, get a ton of comp picks and get a really high draft pick after they go 3-14.
Then next offseason, they got a ton of picks and a clean cap with a good amount of money to spend. They should not be stupid and draft another QB and wait 5-years to find out if they’re any good, instead just do what we did last time, have a good offensive line, a bunch of WR’s, and sign or trade for a proven veteran QB.
With all those 3rd rounders you’d have as comp picks, maybe 3 or even 4 of them, plus a top 5 pick, you’d have a lot of ammo to do whatever you want. But I don’t think you need a 5-year rebuild, it should be just a one year pause, then you’re right back into it.
Also there’s always the chance that Trask isn’t terrible, ends up being a good QB, then you’re in amazing shape since you got a clean cap and a cheap QB.
February 27th, 2022 at 5:46 pm
RodMunch, I generally agree. This season should be a work-in-progress one, with lower expectations, and the following season with more draft picks should be the more significant one.
However, I am on the fence about whether to draft a QB. If the scouts do their job, they should be able to identify true talent if it’s there. It may be there, even in this coming draft, the first of two weaker QB drafts.
As for “proven veterans”. There aren’t many good QBs, period. Here again, it’s a matter of creativity, finding a younger veteran QB who isn’t an overpriced big name, who might blossom with a change of scenery.
February 28th, 2022 at 3:31 am
“… the sheer presence of Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians on the sidelines for 2022 means last year’s second-round pick Kyle Trask won’t be the Bucs’ starting quarterback Week 1… ”
Beeej Says:
“What’s the success rate of first round QB’s…33%? Odds say Trask will not work out…”
.
.
Odds say that QBs starting for the first time with hodge-podge offenses around them are doomed–not only that season, but ruined for their career.
If we want Trask to be successful, it’s not a good idea to start him out on a “rebuilding” team.
February 28th, 2022 at 5:50 am
Rebuild no try to sign n keep the best you have use the QB’s you have and pickup good players as you can. Don’t be reacting out of desperation and spending millions stupidly. It may not be a SuperBowl year but you get players as the year goes by and draft what you can. Look at Evans third round pic, a good draft can set us up for next year and we’ll see if we need to fill positions. The worst decisions made are those made in a hurry.