Bucs backup QB Kyle Trask.
Joe understands there is a blue-and-orange wardrobe-wearing segment of Bucs fans that think he’s a hater.
Yes, Joe is referring to the diehard Kyle Trask fans. They think Joe is trying to run Trask out of town for the heinous sin of not ignoring Trask’s bad passes.
Funny thing is, Joe doesn’t ignore his good passes either.
Joe always liked Trask — shoot, Joe applauded the team drafting Trask in the first place so he could learn behind Tom Brady and prepare for It’s-A-Bucs-Life after Brady. Go ahead and check Joe’s (free) archives for proof.
Sadly, for whatever reason, even into his fifth training camp with the Bucs, Trask doesn’t appear he will ever get over that hump to be a solid NFL starter. If the Bucs thought he could be that guy, they never would have signed Baker Mayfield for peanuts.
That doesn’t mean Joe doesn’t like Trask. He’s a good dude. And he pulled a classy move yesterday.
The Bucs signed NFL veteran starter Teddy Bridgewater yesterday who just hours before was head coach at Miami Northwestern, where once upon a time both he and Lavonte David were teammates. Bridgewater guided Miami Northwestern to the state title last year.
And before it was all official and the I’s dotted and T’s crossed on the paperwork, Bridgewater was hanging out on the Bucs’ sideline at practice yesterday with Mike Evans and of course, chatting up his long-time pal David.
At one point, as you can see in a Bucs’ Instagram video below, Trask showed what kind of guy he is. With Bridgewater on the sideline, a guy who could (keyword: _could_) push Trask down the depth chart, Trask walks up to Bridgewater and offers his hand in respect.
Class.
Now here is where Joe has to be very fair to Trask as the following is a real thing. Fans who may have been to training camp practices this summer likely have seen the same as Joe.
No, Trask has not had a good training camp. Part of that very well may be it sure appears the Bucs’ backup offensive linemen (not including Charlie Heck) have looked awful. Poor Trask is running for his life about 25 percent of the time.
Joe isn’t sure how any quarterback can make progress if there are dudes in his face about a third of the time. At least when it comes to pass blocking, Bucs fans should wear out a rosary, hoping Tristan Wirfs’ knee surgery is the last time a Bucs starting offensive lineman has any health issues this season.
Either that, or the Bucs’ pass rush is a whole lot better than anyone anticipated.