Would you trust the Bucs to Kyle Trask?

by Gary Shelton on February 3, 2023

in general

Can the Bucs win with Trask?/TIM WIRT

Friday, 4 a.m.

He has been in mothballs, stuffed into the back of a storage locker. He has been another face in the team photo, but only way in the back.

He is Kyle Trask.

And he's going to need more time.




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The retirement of Tom Brady, the quarterback who mattered more than anyone in the history the game, has left the Tampa Bay Bucs with Trask and a fistful of fishing lines. If they are to matter at all, even in the woeful NFC South division, it is vital they have a quarterback. Yet, what they have is Trask.

Not to shovel dirt on Trask's shoes, but have you seen enough to trust a franchise to him? In his time with the Bucs, he has thrown nine passes, and completed three of them, for 23 yards. He has a rating of 42.4. At this point, it takes a lot of faith -- and a little Orange and Blue -- to find faith in him.

By the time the NFL season gets going, it will be 1,317 days between starts for Trask. If he wins the starting job, he will be supported by the worst running game in the NFL and a ramshackle offensive line.

The thought of it would make Dracula scream.

Perhaps that's why, already, there are dots being connected to the Bucs and other quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield, maybe. Jameis Winston, again. Geno Smith. Derek Carr. (Both Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson will be mentioned, but they'll both re-sign with their teams).

Me? I say the Bucs should pursue them all. Whether it's by trade, by draft or by free agency, the Bucs need at least two quarterbacks. And that's true no matter what you think of Trask.

Don't get me wrong. When Trask was at Florida, he was a fine quarterback. No one thought he was can't-miss, but he threw a good ball and he won some big games.

But potential burns off fairly quickly in the NFL. If there is no buzz, no other teams sniffing around asking about his availability, fans seem to forget about you. No one is saying he should have challenged Brady for playing time, but making a run at Blaine Gabbert didn't seem like heavy lifting.

Might the Bucs know something we don't? Aaron Rodgers pretty much watched games during his first three years, and he became a great quarterback.

Philip Rivers sat out two years -- throwing just 30 passes -- after being drafted by the Chargers.

Kurt Warner was 28 when he got his shot with the Rams after kicking round the minor leagues. He threw just 11 balls his rookie year.

Colin Kaepernick sat out his first season and played in his second only when Alex Smith was hurt.

So, yeah, it happens. Players surprise you.

From here, however, Trask needs some help.

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