Huge Strides By Kyle Trask
May 25th, 2023
Today is Day 3 of spring practices at One Buc Palace, often referred to as OTAs.
Day 2 was yesterday, a lock-out-the media session like today will be.
Joe hates missing out on the excitement, so Joe phoned/texted/emailed four comrades who know what happened at yesterday’s practice.
One common them among the responses was that Kyle Trask looks like a new quarterback, a guy who effectively has taken the giant step the Bucs are asking him to take from third-string to competing starter. And it’s not because Baker Mayfield is struggling and making Trask look good. Mayfield looks good, too. The consensus is Trask has matured. One guy really emphasized to Joe how far Trask has come from where he was last May.
Another gem Joe got was that “Tristan Wirfs is already comfortable” at left tackle. Back when Wirfs was drafted in 2020, the team quickly saw that Wirfs had the look and movement of an elite tackle. Coaches and officials kept their mouths shut and waited to see it play out when the games counted. There’s a similar feeling now.
Joe also was told Wirfs really seems to be enjoying the move from right to left tackle and it came at an ideal time in his career. Remember, Wirfs is younger than rookie guard Cody Mauch.
Joe will share other insight later today.
May 25th, 2023 at 7:52 am
I’m excited. This is GRRRREAT news, even if it is just underwear football.
May 25th, 2023 at 7:53 am
just let the guys compete i only want the best for my Bucs, I will cheer for whomever is on the field!
May 25th, 2023 at 7:55 am
I’m sure Wirfs will enjoy the extra money at left tackle as much as the challenge.
May 25th, 2023 at 7:56 am
No surprise!
Wirfs is stud with great feet and lateral quickness!
Trask is worker/grinder! You don’t accomplish what he did in college without it.
Will it translate to Sundays… stay tuned!
May 25th, 2023 at 8:06 am
Wirfs looks good at LT? You can step off the ledge now Joe.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:08 am
Ahh geez. Day in, day out, a EVERY article is about Trask!
May 25th, 2023 at 8:11 am
Everything is Baker vs Trask, I have a funny feeling we are going to need both these guys this year, the 9ers will tell you all about it. Let the best man start, but whoever is 2nd needs to be ready. Contrary to what Bruce says, having multiple capable QBs is NOT the worst thing.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:24 am
Even if Mayfield becomes the starter, he’s missed time with injury in every season of his short career, but this time Trask will get to play
May 25th, 2023 at 8:26 am
Pretty excited to see this QB competition play out in the preseason. That is really odd to say as we all have been told our QB situation was going to be a dumpster fire.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Is this a picture of Joe?
May 25th, 2023 at 8:32 am
Trask should be good- a late 2nd round pick in his 3rd year.
A quality Trask performance only helps the Bucs.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:49 am
Chef Trask in the kitchen boy
May 25th, 2023 at 8:51 am
Fire the cannons! Go Bucs! Pumped to hear about player progression and grateful as can be that we had the hindsight to draft Trask and let him develop for two years. It would be amazing if he could take over and play well. Pulling for the kid.
It would also be another feather in the cap of Brady to show that his presence and professional breakdown of the QB process did not go unappreciated or unlearned.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:54 am
I was only 1% worried about Wirfs making the switch. That worry has now evaporated.
May 25th, 2023 at 8:59 am
That is encouraging about Wirfs. I had my doubts, so if they can prove me wrong all the better. An elite right tackle is great, but if you had to choose elite right v. elite left, you’d probably choose the left blindside.
Hate to say it but you have to expect quarterback injury in this league. Odds are they will both play at some point.
May 25th, 2023 at 9:07 am
Mike Says:
“Pretty excited to see this QB competition play out in the preseason. That is really odd to say as we all have been told our QB situation was going to be a dumpster fire.”
.
.
I usually hate preseason, but I am also oddly looking forward to it.
May 25th, 2023 at 9:23 am
Hey Kyle , Have to change that t-shirt to read,” The South shall rise again!”. The conference is looking pretty good, ( We’re still gonna be the top dogs!)
May 25th, 2023 at 9:36 am
Wirfs will become a very, very rich young man. He’s an elite athlete in a massive body. I had no doubt he’d make the move to the left easily.
May 25th, 2023 at 10:01 am
I can understand why Trask was off last year. He came in as insurance for when Brady walked away, but the coach that drafted him went away first and he was relegated to coffee gopher.
At least the Bowles cleaner didn’t dump him like many other HCs do with an untested QB that they didn’t draft.
Now it looks like it has a chance of coming together, cool, I have high hopes.
May 25th, 2023 at 10:25 am
That pic of Kyle Trask – no wonder why Gator fans are so proud, he’s a chip off the ol block. Kinda sloppy, dumpy, awkward in a “I dunno what to do with my hands” kinda way. Only thing that’s missing is a spaghetti sauce stain or something on the shirt
May 25th, 2023 at 10:56 am
I’ve been saying all along that Wirfs will be okay.
As for Trask, I’m happy to hear that he has stepped it up. He’s only three years younger than Mayfield but competition is a good thing. Even if he loses, he’s still in position in case Mayfield falters or is hurt. One of those is likely to happen so he’d better be ready and we will find out if he could be our guy.
May 25th, 2023 at 10:59 am
I’m not sure I comprehend any kvetching about the number of Mayfield-Trask pieces. It is EASILY, by far and away the most important story of the Buc’s preseason.
I enjoy hearing about improvement in the OL and DL and great catches by receivers…but the guy who ends up pulling the trigger is the real story of preseason!
May 25th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
Look, they gave the guy some time and low pressure. He was a R2 pick for a reason, some guys take a little more time than others.
May 25th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Zero confidence in Kyle Trash and Pouty Face Maybefield.
May 25th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
Go Trask beat Mayfield!
May 25th, 2023 at 12:44 pm
Glad to see Trask responding. He was likely left to fend for himself, and its time to bring him up to speed. Not saying he is the savior, but if this team goes sub .500, and we still dont know anything about him, it would be a travesty. I like the wild card appeal of Baker, but with the transition of a new offense, its likely to be messy and he will get the hook sooner than later. Barring injury, the goal for both will be to be the guy that finishes the season. Side Note- would be quite an achievement for Licht to run back another division championship with a $2 million dollar quarterback. I may even have to give Bowles some credit. LFG.
May 25th, 2023 at 12:51 pm
I want to see Trask working with the starters. I don’t see Trask losing this QB battle.
May 25th, 2023 at 12:55 pm
If thats a picture of Kyle Trask he sure looks out of shape.
May 25th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Hey Joe! During day 1 of OTA’s, you said that “During a water break, Joe saw offensive coordinator Dave Canales and Mayfield have a private one-on-one. Canales would mimic the footwork and throw of a pass and Mayfield would repeat the gesture.”
Did you see Canales give any instructions to Trask when it comes to his mechanics?
May 25th, 2023 at 1:05 pm
It is not that the quarterback position is not important – but it’s just one player on the offense, not the entire offense, nor the defense or special teams, or coaching either.
Everybody greatly overvalues quarterbacks – give them too much credit when things are going well with the offense, and too much blame when they’re not. There have been a very large number of Super Bowls won by teams with the non-GOAT under center. And some great quarterbacks who never won a Super Bowl. The Bucs have won two, and the first one was with a very non-special quarterback under center. But he had great supporting players, and the defense was lights out.
What is tiresome is not talking about Trask and Mayfield … what is tiresome is Joe and his wink wink inferences about a fake quarterback competition. It should be obvious to all by now, after GM and coaches have saying so for months now, that there is a real competition underway, and the winner won’t be a think until just before week 1, most likely. And no matter who “wins”, the loser ain’t gonna be cut or be chopped liver. Very significant probability that both guys will start games this season.
‘
May 25th, 2023 at 1:13 pm
Going by that logic the Bucs should never draft another quarterback just sign some ragamuffin free agent to get to the playoffs.
May 25th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
Yeah Joe likes to Troll the Gator fans with that pic
May 25th, 2023 at 1:37 pm
HEY JOE …
See if you can dig anything up on JTS, Hall, and Goedeke. You can argue this is a complete team if those guys are solid contributors.
May 25th, 2023 at 1:46 pm
How does the new right tackle look?
May 25th, 2023 at 1:50 pm
I don’t buy this “Trask has improved” stuff. From everything I heard last year was that he didn’t get many practice reps with the first team because they focused on Brady with backup Gabbert. Rarely does a 3rd string QB take many of the reps in practice.
Trask has always been solid. He didn’t do much in garbage time against the Falcons last year without a starting OL and starting WRs, but last preseason you could see his potential with some of the solid passes he made.
Many of us that have watched Trask play a lot at UF have seen how much talent this guy has and how well he did passing against many SEC corners and safeties that are now in the NFL. He helped Pitts & Toney put up some monster yards.
Could Trask still be an NFL bust? Of course. But anyone that and watched him play a lot can easily see his potential.
May 25th, 2023 at 1:52 pm
@cobraboy,
Wirfs was set to become a very rich man before switching to left tackle. Most don’t realize the highest paid lineman for this season is actually a right tackle (Lane Johnson, Eagles) who I think will make $33M. Crazy!
May 25th, 2023 at 2:11 pm
I’d love to see Trask win the job to see what he can actually do. I want nothing to do with Mayfield stinking it up all year, giving the team no chance to win anything important while screwing up the future.
May 25th, 2023 at 2:49 pm
The last system was a poor fit for Trask, and he had the QB coach Christiansen working against him.
May 25th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
Not surprised. Brady wanted a veteran as backup and they were on Super Bowl runs and Kyle didn’t have a prayer of a chance. It was quite evident.
May 25th, 2023 at 3:55 pm
kind of wish they could both play, some weeks better with Baker some weeks are kyle Trask certain that is foolish but not sure exactly why
May 25th, 2023 at 4:45 pm
Joe,
You still reflect the same poor photo of Trask even when you are forced to report a positive move by Trask. You definitely like to troll his fans. You think that is funny way to generates more takes from the fans but really that is kiddish. Remember Trask might be slow to join the party but everyone will notice his present when he does show up. Bucs will have a 50-50 record with Baker based on his past records but they could have a winning record with Trask.
May 25th, 2023 at 5:12 pm
Here is Baker’s win vs loss record with his previous teams;
2018: 7-7
2019: 6-10
2020:11-5
2021:6-8
2022:3-9
Baker doesn’t have the same upside as Trask, yet Bucs’s head coach expect a different Baker who only had one wining season in the past five years with four different coaches and three teams. Good luck coach. Trask should start. If he fails then we can have high draft pick in 2024. IF he shines then we will have our future qb.
There is no upside to Baker and if he starts we will have just enough wins to miss the draft for a high quality qb.
May 25th, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Trask will start this season. We dont need him to start early. If the line and running game are in bad shape, he only learns how to run for his life and throw the ball away. Particularly during this offseason, he should be getting as many quality snaps as he can. Sad truth is that it will likely be more than he has had in his entire previous tenure with the team.
May 25th, 2023 at 9:12 pm
Lfg KT…
May 26th, 2023 at 1:27 am
I think the BUCS brass would probably rather see pretty boy Baker start cuz he has a name. Kyle will have to be obviously better to get the opening day nod. That’s something I’d enjoy seeing.
May 26th, 2023 at 1:30 am
#TrustInTrask
May 26th, 2023 at 1:56 pm
I think Baker Mayfield has been playing like a hall of famer in practice he haven’t thrown 1 pick . Let’s go Baker Mayfield our quarterback of the future!!!
May 26th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
“Baker Hall of famer in practice he haven’t thrown 1 pick”
We know why. He has kept them for the real games.
May 26th, 2023 at 4:58 pm
I’m rooting for Trask. I don’t dislike Baker, just want Trask to prove all the nay sayers wrong
May 26th, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Just saw a video of Trask walking by Mayfield and Wolford and damn Trask looks like a monster next to them. What’s with all these small quarterbacks?
May 27th, 2023 at 6:18 am
Thats coz Trask has NFL size and if you dont have that you will fail in the nfl…Sure you may have a outlier every 10 years.