_“Jason, that QB info is almost as interesting as your coat.”_
Joe knows who Bucs icon Ronde Barber hangs with at One Buc Palace, and also with the same folks outside One Buc Palace. So any chatter from Barber about Bucs personnel, Joe is listening closely.
So for Joe, Barber’s words about the Bucs backup quarterback situation last night jumped out.
Barber had the following to say in the opening of WFLA-TV’s broadcast of last night’s Backup Bowl. The conversation between play-by-play man and Fan of JoeBucsFan.com, Chris Myers, and Barber, centered on Bucs reserve quarterback Kyle Trask.
Until recently, Trask was locked in as Baker Mayfield’s immediate backup. That situation became murky when the Bucs signed long-time veteran starter Teddy Bridgewater.
Trask has been, well, consistently inconsistent. This isn’t new for Trask. He’s been that way since the Bucs drafted him in the second round in 2021. He may have two good practices in a row, then flames out in the third practice.
In speaking about Trask, Barber issued a warning to the WFLA-TV Channel 8 viewing audience.
> “Yes, there is definitely a controversy right now with Teddy Bridgewater coming into the building \[recently\] and playing well against Pittsburgh,” Barber said.
Oh?
Given that Barber rubs elbows with Bucs shot-callers both inside and outside of One Buc Palace, and he’s also a part of Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht’s kitchen cabinet, that was a bold statement.
If the Bucs wanted to light a fire under Trask, perhaps it may be working.
For example, on Thursday, the final open practice of the 2025 calendar year for the local pen and mic club, Trask was damn sharp. Likely his best practice this summer.
Trask didn’t do anything spectacular, but what he did do was very efficient. Crisp, sharp throws. No lollipops. The throws were precise, placed very well to help receivers get YAC.
It may have been Trask’s most accurate practice.
Then last night, Trask wasn’t awful at all. Not remotely so. In fact, his touchdown pass to Tez Johnson on a fade near the right sideline, Joe has seen the Bucs run that play over a dozen times this summer with little success.
But Trask got that play to work against the Backup Bills.
Maybe Bridgewater is exactly what Trask needed? Maybe he needed to be pushed? Maybe he needed someone to breathe down his neck?
If that is the case, the way Trask played last night, signing and playing Bridgewater was damn smart.