Says lefty QBs can be tricky.
The Dixie Chicks have the same offensive coordinator. Mostly the same players. And the same head coach.
So Bucs defenders Joe spoke with aren’t really uptight about perhaps facing something brand new that would so shock them from the Dixie Chicks offense they’d stain their jocks.
However, since the Bucs last faced the Dixie Chicks, Atlanta has a new quarterback. And he’s a southpaw. That sort of weirds out some Bucs defenders whom Joe spoke with this week.
> “It’s kind of challenging because it’s a different look,” Bucs corner Jamel Dean said. “So it’s almost like you’ve got to think, like, in a reverse way. You’re so used to dealing right-handed quarterbacks.”
The Bucs believe they know what Atlanta will throw at them because they are so used to playing them. And while the defenders Joe spoke with don’t believe Dixie Chicks quarterback Michael Penix being left-handed will kill them, there’s just enough of a difference to make their jobs a little tougher.
> “Like a left-handed quarterback is, that’s his normal side,” Dean said. “Like his normal side, he’s comfortable with, but it’s different.”
Dean explained to Joe that it isn’t usual to see quarterbacks run to their left and then throw. That’s because right-handed quarterbacks often run to the right. Penix, however, will run left and throw left more because, yes, he’s left-handed.
Keeping those nuances in mind will be key on Sunday.
> “They have a different ball, they have a different spiral,” Bucs inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis said. “It’s a lot different spin, right?”
Dennis said the best way he could describe facing a left-handed quarterback would be like defending a reflection in the mirror.
> “It’s going to throw you off a little bit,” Dennis said. “But I mean, once you get into the \[flow of the game\], you should get the hang of it quick.”