How Long Will Starters Play?
January 7th, 2023
Believes in Atlanta.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles has been saying all week that his (healthy) starters will start tomorrow at Atlanta.
What Bowles did not say is whether they will be on the field at all in the second half?
FS1 personality Nick Wright isn’t buying what Bowles is selling. Oh, Wright, in a video for FOX Sports, could see Bowles having his normal starters play initially in the regular-season finale. But Wright believes Tom Brady and company will be pulled and pulled fast shortly after they break a sweat.
“Tampa is claiming they are going to play the starters,” Wright said. “I don’t believe it.
“Tom Brady may play a series or two and then be pulled for [Kyle] Trask or [Blaine] Gabbert. I think [Mike] Evans will be pulled. I think all of their key players are coming out of this game.”
Since the Bucs already have their playoff game locked up for next week, and know who they will play either Dallas or Philadelphia, the Bucs might not mentally be in this game. And that tells Wright the Bucs will get pounded by the Dixie Chicks. Wright believes the Bucs will “roll over” and the Dixie Chicks will hand Tom Brady his first career losing season.
For that reason alone, Joe is guesses Brady won’t want to come out unless the Bucs have a comfortable lead.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:04 am
Gonna be seriously bummed if we end up 8-9
January 7th, 2023 at 10:07 am
Yes, we may very well lose this game, but really, who cares ?
Losing will give us a better draft pick, and we are locked into a home playoff game here in Tampa.
The Playoffs are in effect a brand new season, and it must be remembered that when we won our last Super Bowl we were only a wild card team.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:28 am
Most of the fans care. I can’t speak for you gamblers.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:30 am
I still think we will win even without the starters……At least we have a very good incentive to start fast on offense……Tom will want a good lead…
I hope they play Trask instead of Gabbert……..Trask needs the reps even if it’s with the second string.
And, after all why risk injury to your backup QB? (sarcasm)
January 7th, 2023 at 10:33 am
8-9, 9-8, who cares? Rest the guys, let them heal. Play the back-ups, the second and third stringers. If Brady’s record of no losing seasons was so important, they’ve had 16 weeks to take care of that – and didn’t. An extra week of rest and healing may make a huge difference in the playoffs, especially if all the rest of the games, after next weekend, are road games.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:40 am
Does anyone else want to see this obnoxious pencil neck have his head slammed on the table repeatedly?
January 7th, 2023 at 10:46 am
I can see the Bucs pulling their starters then maybe putting some back in, if it’s close late in the game. I think some of the starters might demand it in order to avoid the sting of a losing season.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:47 am
Who cares what the record is, the key to success in the playoffs is health.
Stupid is what Stupid does!!!
January 7th, 2023 at 10:48 am
This team is not a vanity project for Tom Brady. If he wanted a winning season he should have won 4 or 5 of the losses, or at least made them look like the Bucs were capable of playing every week.
I think Gabbert or Trask are capable of getting a couple of touchdowns on their own; if Leftie doesn’t chain them to a dysfunctional run game.
Let Brady play a quarter or so, let Gabbert play the rest of the first half, and Trask play the second half.
If Brady wants to win he can play like he wants to win, which he hasn’t done a lot of this season.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:50 am
If Blaine Gabbert plays QB and Kyle Trask does not this coaching staff is the most idiotic in franchise history and that is saying a lot…
January 7th, 2023 at 11:04 am
I can see both sides of this
January 7th, 2023 at 11:07 am
If he doesn’t get in the game occult of Trask people are going to lose their minds.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:12 am
Craig 53 man roster. Brady neither wins or loses the games. Zach Wilson’s loses games.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:17 am
They need to all play, we need a winning record to go with the division championship. A division championship is nothing ,with a losing record. They are not gonna come close to beating Cowboys this time around. So at least , win this game and finish with a winning record. Salvage something from the season.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:23 am
Who cares?
I care.
Im sure Tom cares. I can’t imagine he would want a losing season tarnishing his record. I wonder if any other QB in the top 5 of all time has all winning seasons?
Let’s see, I’m sure ownership and the front office care. Bowles would certainly care given how it’s his first season and an opportunity to begin as a winner. Ol Lefty will want a winning season to help polish his resume for his presumable end-of-sesson departure. I’m sure some other players would like to oad their own stat resume for FA.
plenty of care. But plenty of reasons not to play as well. Possible injury, accidental or otherwise. Momentum does not carry over. Giving other players some real time game experience.
Tough choice to make. If I were making it, I’d want to win because eff them Falcons that’s why. No way Tom gets handed a losing season without a fight. That’s Buc pride right there. Reason enough.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:33 am
They better do what they article speculates!
January 7th, 2023 at 11:39 am
I predict TB12 plays til halftime…
Gabbert plays 3rd quarter.
Trask plays 4th quarter..
January 7th, 2023 at 11:52 am
Someone hit Nick Wright in the face with a waffle iron.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:54 am
If we are going to do what we’ve been doing all season long…our offense wont be on the field much anyways…so play them..
It sucks that I don’t have any confidence in this coaching staff…I can’t imagine that Evans will see single coverage or quarters coverage from here on out. It would be great for the Bucs to test some concepts when we see cover 2 zone…or man underneath with safety help over the top…but we wont…we’ll hand-off on 1st down…struggle like crazy to move the ball etc…
I think we are relegated to sucking for 50 to 55min and then when the coaching staff unleashes the hounds hopefully we are not down by too much to come back…
Go Bucs!
January 7th, 2023 at 11:56 am
If you think going into the playoffs on a loss with a losing record is fine then you haven’t played much ball. With that said. Playing a quarter or two is beyond stupidity. All risk no reward. 3 scenarios-sit Brady Evans Godwin etc. Play to win the game. Play a quarter or two. One of these is called half azzing it.
January 7th, 2023 at 11:57 am
I can’t believe the comments. We played 2 1/2 quarters of solid offense for the FIRST time all season and now we “sit” players. That’s the craziest crap I have heard. This team HAS SERIOUS offensive problems and bugs to work out and need every rep we can get. Get a clue people.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
I want to thank Tom Brady’s new rumored, super model girlfriend veronika rajek for getting him back to looking healthy again! She’s a huge upgrade from old Gisele Bündchen. Hopefully he will start a new family pack with Veronika like an Alpha male should.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
So…no podcasts this week boys?
January 7th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Of course they’ll rest their players….
they should play 70% with Kyle Trask……you gotta see what Kyle Trask can do
January 7th, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Only shttty teams with no hope for the year are worried about what 3rd string QBs can do. Loserism 101.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Brady intends to win this game. He’s not wired to just sit back and rest.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:39 pm
TheBucsAnthem Says:
January 7th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
If they’re hurt, maybe.
No, they shouldn’t, unless they’ve got a comfortable lead.
Not this year ya don’t.
The objective is winning. Losing going into the playoffs is bad strategy. Momentum is more valuable than rest.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:45 pm
@ sasquatch
I see your point…..and it’s a valid one at that…..but
Escaping the final game with zero injuries I think is more important here
January 7th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Kentucky Buc Says:
January 7th, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Only shttty teams with no hope for the year are worried about what 3rd string QBs can do. Loserism 101.
———-
I’d say it’s a pretty common concern when your starter is 45 years old and in the final year of their contract.
January 7th, 2023 at 12:55 pm
Yeah Jerry. Might as well start your mock drafts while your at it. I guess we would’ve needed to have Brady for ten years to get fans out of this loser mentality. Three apparently is not enough.
January 7th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
I hope that they play Thompkins as a receiver more.
January 7th, 2023 at 1:52 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with Kentucky and TF. Unless we are going into the 4th qtr. leading 31 to 3. Then we have kept up the momentum and had a winning season, and we might allow Gabbert and/or Trask to play. This is not preseason when we need to “look at” players. I guess I said something bad in my previous post as it disappeared, but I do not like anything Wright said.
January 7th, 2023 at 2:08 pm
Jack, oh yeah. She’d certainly rejuvenate me. Like had been said, the record is completely irrelevant. Would you rather be 8-9 and potentially lose a key player or two for the playoffs? Or be 8-9 and get out of dodge healthy. They can’t rest everyone. Only 46 guys can dress. You can get some work in and mitigate the injury risk. The longer the starters stay out there, that risk goes up. Brady never wants to come out of any game. That’s how he’s wired. Bowles has a responsibility to the greater goal. I say play the starters a couple series and get the other guys some work. Who knows you may need one of them in the playoffs.
January 7th, 2023 at 4:14 pm
It depends on what Atl team shows up. The one that has a chip on their shoulder from the first game and know Brady has won 11 straight against them or the team that is already in the process of shipping their cars home.
Scenarios:
1. Play starters, no one gets injured and Bucs win.
2. Play starters Bucs lose, a major momentum swing going into the playoffs.
3. Play starters, Bucs win and lose two starters due to injuries.
4. Don’t play the key starters, possibly win or lose but you go into the playoffs healthy.
This game means NOTHING, treat it like such. Who really cares if they win or lose this game. If Atlanta is playing 2nd stringers what big achievement is the W anyway.
Brady is NOT going to want to sit even though BL is going to run the ball all game and get the loss. Try as.hard as you can to win with as.many backups as possible.
January 7th, 2023 at 4:54 pm
Consider this game a ‘pre-season’ game. Try not to get anyone hurt. End of story. The real season starts next week in a one and done foremat.
January 7th, 2023 at 5:01 pm
There’s something to be said for a team that wins a SB but had a losing record. Just another 1st.
January 7th, 2023 at 5:45 pm
NEfan and everyone else; as a career Brady fan there is NO WAY in Hell Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. will lose that game and have his first losing season in approx 21 years. Trust me my friends he doesn’t give a %$#@ what all you arm chair QBs say about him not playig. I’m sure he doesn’t comprehend playing a playoff game with a losing record. NO FREAKn WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 7th, 2023 at 6:01 pm
Another issue for the LOSERS to banter around!!!
January 7th, 2023 at 6:05 pm
Alton Green, you are talking to LOSERS. What you just said does not compute to them. Every day this clown show has some MAJOR issue on how to criticizer! Never constructive commentary. LOSERS!!!!!!! To you Alton and your comment👍👍👍
January 7th, 2023 at 6:41 pm
Can anyone imagine if Brady’s season ended getting injured on a meaningless game with no importance whatsoever, with the playoffs already locked in? The coaches would be run out of town so fast it wouldn’t be funny. Now I’m not saying it’s beyond their scope having seen their ability to mismanage the clock as seen in the cleveland debacle… but one would think one learns as one goes…if one likes employment in the nfl.
January 7th, 2023 at 10:33 pm
Anyone wanting to see what Trashk can do should look at all-22 film of him in college. He doesn’t do “progressions.” He had NFL caliber receivers and a top-5 draft pick TE as his targets. He would lock in on the primary and throw it. They were good enough to be able to beat triple coverage to catch it.
Against Georgia in the second half, Trashk clanged three passes off the chests of Georgia defenders who had nothing between them and a pick 6, other than the had hooks for hands and no arms.
Trask will make a fine receptionist at a school for the infirm. He is no NFL quarterback. Tries hard – sure. Works hard – sure. Studies hard – yes.
I do those things too. But I’m not trying to be an NFL QB.