CBS Says It’s Baker Mayfield
May 3rd, 2023
Starter?
So who will win the starting quarterback competition between former playoff quarterback Baker Mayfield, competing Kyle Trask and a mysterious veteran to be named later?
One NFL scribe believes he knows.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports looked at the NFL landscape, specifically eyeing quarterback competitions. He believes he has the Bucs riddle solved as to who will start Week 1 behind Ryan Jensen.
That would be Mayfield.
This is life after Tom Brady. After declining to take a swing at Kentucky’s Will Levis near the top of the draft, the Bucs are banking on Mayfield’s moxie resurfacing around a better, healthier supporting cast than he had with the Panthers and Rams in 2022. Former coach Bruce Arians has talked up Trask’s more traditional pocket passing, but the former second-rounder has thrown all of nine passes in two years. Even if Mayfield proves reckless down the road, he’s got the edge to manage a veteran lineup.
Speaking of Mayfield, how many Bucs fans were like Joe when the Bucs were on the clock at No. 19, praying silently that AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht wasn’t going to pick banana-peel-eating Will Levis?
Whew. Sigh of relief.
So yesterday when Licht said he was looking for a veteran quarterback (third-string?) he said he wanted someone who “has been there, done that.” What exactly did he mean by that?
Joe doesn’t think there are many Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks out there panhandling for work unless Licht has a of scheme to get Tom Brady to stop making movies with a bunch of 80-year old hags.
Was Licht referring to Joe Flacco?
May 3rd, 2023 at 8:21 am
A healthy Baker Mayfield is the best option for this team.
May 3rd, 2023 at 8:30 am
If Traskfield starts, my expectations are very low for the upcoming season. If the Bucs think they are in a “win now” scenario, they better sign a veteran QB.
May 3rd, 2023 at 8:33 am
Let’s go KT…
I have no desire to see Baker Mayfield starting here in Tampa; banish him to the beach Kyle…
May 3rd, 2023 at 8:39 am
The Silence is deafening phrase works perfectly for Trask. There is no true competition! Even ex players I talk to don’t say anything they just shake their heads when asked if there is a chance.
May 3rd, 2023 at 8:43 am
I was glad Licht did not draft Levis too!
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:15 am
The day I put mayo in my coffee is the day someone needs to call me a doctor. Thank goodness there’s no Levis in the building!
If the team believed in Trask, they never would have brought in Baker for an “open” competition. You don’t see Jordan Love competing against anyone and I can’t imagine many of us think he’s even an average starting QB. Agreed jim, silence is quite deafening.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:15 am
Yeah i dunno what accomplishment Licht referred to with the 3rd QB preference. I guess I’m OK with Flacco. I really don’t care about the 3rd QB when the season success is going to come down to Traskfield’s success anyway.
It’s hard to get that excited for Trask when he hasn’t flashed anything that any of us have seen since we took him. Like not a wow throw, not a wow series or a solid drive in a game, etc.
I’ll be kind of shocked if he wins the contest and is actually a good QB. Hopefully he’s been lighting it up behind the scenes but I am just not getting that vibe
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:38 am
Joe, I have no interest in watching 80 for Brady, but calling the cast “hags” is a bit much. Did one of them flirt with your grandpa?
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:49 am
This chatter always amuses me. It’s really hard to find ONE capable QB. But the Bucs have to calculate the injury factor. The Bucs believe that whomever comes in second in the QB competition they’ll still need another body for QB.
This position…3rd string QB is like making that selection at the bar very late in the evening. Lots of bad choices when it’s late and your drunk and the morning after can be a painful experience. LOL
Bucs have the same problem but at least they’re not drunk and horny.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:52 am
From that picture, it looks as if he’s ready so that if the job with the Bucs does not work out, he can jump on as a safari guide at Busch Gardens.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:18 am
@ModHairKen
That hat 100% comes with an aussie/kiwi accent
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:20 am
He’s a decent pro QB. Which means if Trask beats him, it’s time to get excited. Go, Trask!
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:21 am
Phase 2 photo’s of the Bucs working out has a couple of pics of both Mayfield, and Trask. If you see who’s in the huddle it appears Trask was working with the one’s while Baker was huddled with the two’s. I’m sure they both switched back, and forth, but Trask is being given his shot. Wait till we see pics of the two of them together. Mayfield will look like a a little kid compared to the 6’5″ 230lb Trask. Counting Trask out of this competition would be a mistake.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:29 am
I don’t understand why some of you want Trask to start, no matter what.
I also don’t get the irrational hatred for Baker Mayfield. If Mayfield is the better QB he’ll start.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:43 am
I liked Levis enough as a prospect that if we were picking #32 in round 1 (or #31 this year) and we took him, I wouldn’t be upset. I think he’s got about a 25% chance of being pretty good… which is still better than Richardson’s chances and not terribly worse than Stroud or Young. And I mean pretty good would put him in the top 10 of NFL QBs. Levis is tough, super talented, ran a fairly diverse and style offense in college but on the downside, he was a 5th year guy that didn’t see major success until year four, he’s had some awful games, and his film doesn’t scream UNSTOPPABLE at any point. But let’s face it, when Roethilsberger’s Miami of O team played Iowa during his senior season, lots of draftniks pointed to that awful game as proof that he wasn’t capable of making the jump… oh he was, his teammates definitely weren’t. Levis had little help at Kentucky. The skill guys around him couldn’t catch or run, the big uglies weren’t great at blocking… it’s tough to look good around garbage. I think Levis has a decent shot at being pretty good. The situation he’s going into is perfect for him. If Tennessee were super smart, they would have traded up one spot to get back into the first round and get that 5th year option on Levis, just in case they needed one extra year to evaluate.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:50 am
Goatfarmer Jr. and I were praying and doing strange rituals involving chicken sacrifice to prevent the Bucs from drafting Levis.
You’re welcome.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:53 am
Classless Jackass Says:
Charming. Your grandma must’ve loved you.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:13 am
Roll with Baker, and let Trask be the hero should he faulter. It’s a no-brainer.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:27 am
NFCS QBs
Mayfield
Carr
Ridder
Young (rookie)
Is Carr the best? If so, by how much? I don’t see a favorite. The NFCS comes down to the best complimentary team and coaching. Bucs are in it?
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:30 am
With the new rules this year, NFL teams will be allowed/required to carry 3 game day QBs. I think most teams will eventually gravitate to having 4. 3 on active roster and 1 on the practice squad.
Just ready for the season to get here…
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:33 am
Well hey, if CBS says it, it can only mean one thing, Trask is a shoe in!
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:37 am
We’ve been over this repeatedly despite CBS talking out of their backsides. Mayfield is a bum. He career totals are abysmal. He’s not accurate and prone to turnovers.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:40 am
stpetebucfan of course the Bucs are drunk and horny. They are swashbuckling pirates after all.
May 3rd, 2023 at 12:37 pm
I would like to see Kyle Trask take the job we’ve already seen what Mayfield can do and it’s not much. Look what happened in San Francisco. A new starter sitting on the bench
May 3rd, 2023 at 2:22 pm
80 year old hags!? LOL!! I can’t wrap my head around Barbarella the hag! But, if the Bucs managed to push Arians out to a non-descript position as Licht’s gofer boy, why then the Bucs can do something even stranger by luring TB back in to become QB coach/ player. Ask and ye shall receive. You never know. The NFL world can be stranger than quantum mechanics! I think Tom knows in his heart that he’s not made for the booth. He loves football. He still wants to play. So, maybe the Bucs can “Make Room for Daddy” and instead of bringing in some Danny-Thomas QB nobody, bring in the real deal, bring in Tom Brady as a backup. What a coup that would be. It would set the NFL on fire!
May 3rd, 2023 at 5:06 pm
Everyone acts like a genius selecting Mayfield.
When $4,000,000 had already decided
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:47 pm
Hags???
That’s just rude.
And 80 for Brady was a decent movie.
May 4th, 2023 at 2:24 am
Wow… this is getting incredibly boring.
I Know!
Lets debate something equally Inane and pointless!
Who is better Superman, or Batman?
May 4th, 2023 at 9:28 am
I expect about the same outcome as last season. Winning a Super Bowl elevates fan expectations. Those of us who suffered through the embarrassing years will be grateful if Mayfield can get us a game or two over .500.
May 4th, 2023 at 5:09 pm
Joe – Bunch of 80 year old Hags? Come on. There were a few hotties mixed in there. You should feature some of them on “Distraction of the Day.”
May 4th, 2023 at 5:14 pm
Survey: Which of the following were NOT among the 80 year old hags Joe was referring to: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Nina Hartly, Rita Moreno, Helen Miren, Sally Field.