“It’s Really Flipping That Often And That Much”
August 4th, 2023
Bucs GM Jason Licht
ESPN TV says Bucs general manager Jason Licht is a jolly fellow these days.
Why?
Because the quarterback competition is literally an hour-by-hour affair. That was the report from NFL insider Diana Russini. She explained that a source in Tampa advised how Baker Mayfield does some excellent things and then Kyle Trask comes back a little while later and impresses. And back and forth it goes.
“It’s really flipping that often and that much,” Russini said, adding that the team is loving the organic legitimacy of the competition.
Joe finds it ironic that the head coach the Bucs just put in their Ring of Honor, Bucco Bruce Arians, always said, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.”
And it seems the Bucs have two quarterbacks. How good they are, of course, is unclear.
In the same BSPN segment, former NFL defensive back and front office executive Louis Riddick said that favorite Arians axiom is playing out before fans’ eyes. He said whoever is crowned starting QB is a “tremendous dropoff” from Tom Brady but the Bucs are a gritty, talented team that could compete in their division.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:10 am
If you have two good quarterbacks .. Why not? Both may turn out to be better than most have predicted.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Everything Bruce Arians said was not the Gospel. He said Leftwich was good.
Having two good QBs is not a problem.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:17 am
There goes Joe again quoting a cliche about “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” This is so wrong for so many reasons.
First, if you have two quarterbacks, you have two, not none: 1 + 1 = 2.
Second, you forget that, according to your many, many emphatic posts, Mayfield was the starter and Trask would not start, which means the Bucs originally had your cherished one quarterback (Mayfield), not two.
Third, your cherished one quarterback (Mayfield) became two quarterbacks (Mayfield and Trask) because your boy Baker is playing like what he is, an over-hyped, over-drafted, under-sized, run-around interception machine.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:26 am
I get that the HC’s inherent risk aversion = going with Mayfield, but I just don’t see the point. Is this team a legit SB contender with him under center? No. So do the right thing, give Trask a legit chance to earn the job and let’s see what’s really there.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:28 am
All the media want Baker to start just because of name recognition. That’s it. I saw another segment where they were so disingenuous about Trask’s ability they didn’t even bring up his college ball but focused on “maybe” being a two star recruit in high school and playing in middle school? It made me want to root for him over Baker who has had his opportunity.
I’m not even a college football fan but the reality is Trask had more yards, TD’s and completions than both Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields did during their careers. His last season he played well enough to get heisman votes and finished with over 4k passing, 43 TD’s with only 8 ints in the SEC. The most competitive college football division in the world. Why couldn’t he be successful in the NFL?
August 4th, 2023 at 11:31 am
“If you have two QBs you have none.”
(Except in San Francisco)
August 4th, 2023 at 11:40 am
Looks like everybody on Oklahoma bought a Baker Jersey putting him at #50 on the sales charts. Yet another reason to push ‘Baker’s Job to lose’.
If Trask gets the nod the 10 Jerseys in Inventory will sell out pretty fast.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:57 am
A Bucs Fan – Nick from FTF? Yeah I saw that. The guy is both insufferable and laughable. He’s the biggest Chiefs D Rider ever to walk the planet and he’s still salty about TB12 and the Bucs issuing his boys a beatdown in the big game.
You think he wants Trask to get the rock? Nope – no way he wants the higher ceiling prototype guy to start. He wants Baker so he can grin and say “See? The Bucs cashed in on Brady at the end of his career and when that was over the best they can do is Baker Mayfield” and then chortle to himself about how great Mahomes and Andy Reid are – and how flukey and sorry the Bucs are.
Nick Wright damn well knows about what Trask did at Florida and if he doesn’t he’s a fraud.
Broussard had a grin because he knows what’s up. “A guy can’t improve?” Broussard can’t go hard in on Trask – because he has yet to turn that potential into results in live regular season games. But that could change in the very near future. Expect Broussard to pounce if that does come to fruition.
You have to look at this from the perspective of the glass being half full. Now because of N Wright’s arrogant homer foot in mouth disease he keeps relapsing on – if Trask blows up we can hang that segment on him FOREVER.
In the immortal words of Ira’s favorite Bugs Bunny “Of course you know this means war”.
Its on.
August 4th, 2023 at 11:58 am
Dwayne Cone
Do you want to sell jerseys?
Or do you want to win games?
August 4th, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Funny thing – how that “tremendous dropoff” that Kyler Traskfield represents is going to average scoring at least 5 points per game MORE than the Brady led Bucs offense did in 2022….
August 4th, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Pickgrin nails it. An average O will be leaps and bounds better than 2022 under Brady.
August 4th, 2023 at 12:37 pm
You Baker Haters really don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to discussing Baker’s talent. I haven’t said one thing negative about Trask, but you so-called Buc’s fans trash Baker at every turn. You’re pathetic! Do us all a favor. Move out of your mom’s basement, go see the Barbie movie again and then get a job. Go Bucs.
August 4th, 2023 at 12:56 pm
Russini … ‘“It’s really flipping that often and that much,” Russini said, adding that the team is loving the organic legitimacy of the competition.’
I see 2 things at play here Joe. First, that is NOT what I’m getting from your day-to-day notes about the Bucs’ practices. Keeps sounding to me like Trask is getting better & better, and that Mayfield is struggling at times. I haven’t seen much ‘back-and-forth’ in what I’m reading.
Secondly though, in what world isn’t having TWO decent QBs a good thing? Sounding like both of them are working hard & progressing reasonably well with the new offensive scheme. BOTH are new to these players.
Reality to me is that whichever one beats out the other for the starting nod in Game 1, he’ll be on a relatively short leash & will ‘feel’ the other breathing down his neck. If say Baker starts but flounders, how long before the maddening crowd screams to pull him & Bowles relents (to save his job)? But the same thing would happen with Kyle. Everyone would say ‘Well, he had his chance & he blew it. Bring on Baker’.
Not only is the Mayfield-Trask competition a good thing for the Bucs, but I’m also rooting for Wolford to kick ass & take names. BTW, sounds like he’s doing OK as a #3 QB thus far (I’m sure that he feels the least pressure of the 3 of them since expectations of him starting are ZERO). Never know, he MAY become this year’s Brock Purdy.
August 4th, 2023 at 1:09 pm
WyomingJoe numbers don’t lie and Bakers numbers are pretty bad.
It is what it is.
The fact that decision makers thought to bring in a 2-8 QB who averaged a turnover a game and had 180 PYPG last season to be the wink-wink nod-nod defacto starter with the 2nd round pick getting an outside shot at the job in a lip service competition that he could only win if he shames the org into starting him with superior play – REALLY makes me question the competency level of this org.
Its a bitter difficult to swallow black pill.
August 4th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
The Bucs only have one quarterback. They just don’t know which one it is yet.
August 4th, 2023 at 2:14 pm
anyone who doesn’t get the 2qb = none, has not gone through a Bucs season where we hear “we have these two QBs.. they’re gonna be good, one will take over in camp” only to end up 5-11 (back then). not just Bucs. and forget Corso, you’ll hear COsell talk about the same thing 40 years ago on TV. It’s been proven over and over again. when you have two good QBS, you have NO QBS.
August 4th, 2023 at 2:17 pm
For the Bucs history, Golsteyn/Thompson 1983, Testaverde/chandler 1991, DeBerg/Erickson 1993 Glennon/McCown 2014
August 4th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
Uhhhg, Nick…you just dredged back up a whole shipload of
ugly memories.
Golstyien/Thomas being the worst.
The throwing Samoan and the nobody.
August 4th, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Is that what Bruce thought when he was oc for the browns and had couch and Holcomb and made the playoffs
August 5th, 2023 at 8:37 am
More talking head BS. I seriously doubt either one has watched a Bucs practice.
But sources say … BS warnings going off here.
When is Arians supposed to have said this about two quarterbacks you have none.
I think the first time I heard this was about 25 years ago. When Spurrier was rotating Johnsn and Brendise.
Go Bucs
August 5th, 2023 at 9:44 am
Everyone is a “tremendous dropoff” from brady..But last years version of Brady i doubt its a “tremendous dropoff” when it comes to wins. Trask i’d say he can win 8 games easily with this team.
Now Baker id say is a 4 win qb
August 6th, 2023 at 2:08 pm
Russini is just repeating the official Bucs line on the QB competition, encouraging both QB’s to bring it. I can understand Ariens’ perspective about 2 QB’s. Evans/Godwin need a lot of reps with the starting QB’s so I hope we get a decisive winner in the QB battle. Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll see a decisive winner after the first preseason game, so the QB’s will still be splitting reps with Evans/Godwin – forever? No matter who the week 1 QB is, I see our offense sucking the first three games until the O-line jells and we can run the ball a little. What will we do during the bye week after opening with 3 road losses? Switch QBs?