Debunking Myths: Young QBs Are The BUCS’ Worst Enemy
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the most dedicated and passionate fan bases. However, despite their success in recent seasons, the most vocal of the fans have clung on to some of the false narratives of the past. In this post, we will take a closer look at one of the Buccaneers' most significant perceived troubles: their record against young/inexperienced quarterbacks.
Since 2018, the Buccaneers have a record of 2-9 against quarterbacks with fewer than 10 starts in the NFL. This includes losses to quarterbacks such as Daniel Jones, Kyle Allen, and Gardner Minshew. While the Buccaneers have had success against established quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, it’s assumed they struggle against young, less experienced opponents.
One of the most common explanations for this narrative is that young quarterbacks may be less predictable and more difficult to game plan for. Fans and writers alike chalk it up to young quarterbacks who may be more willing to take risks, which can result in big plays down the field. Some have even gone so far as to say it’s possible that the Buccaneers may not take these games as seriously as they should, leading to complacency and mistakes on the field.
However, the most important aspect of this narrative lies with what happened on the offensive side of the ball for the BUCS. For instance, the stat line for Kyle Allen, the young QB who only had 4 previous starts in the NFL before playing the BUCS in 2019, was relatively pedestrian. He was 20 for 32 on passing attempts and had 227 yards through the air. He threw for two touchdowns. That’s not a dominating performance by any means in today’s NFL. The young QB wasn’t aided by an effective run game either. The BUCS’ defense held the Carolina Panthers to 59 rushing yards.
So, what killed the BUCS? Its own offense. Tampa had seven turnovers. All from their quarterback. Two fumbles and five interceptions. One turnover every four possessions.
That was more than enough to infuriate the large vocal sector of the fan base that will sink into sorrow and depression any time an opposing team’s offense does anything that seems impossible for the BUCS to do. And that frustration and vitriol get directed toward the BUCS’ defense. The Buccaneers’ own offense buried them rather than an opposing, difficult-to-defend enigma at QB. Carolina and their young QB mustered up two quality drives, with one being an impressive 99-yard march up the field for a touchdown. That’s how Kyle Allen’s name got included in the notion that the BUCS “struggle with young QBs.” That was when the Buccaneers still had a shaky QB under cente .
What about the other young assassins that killed the Buccaneers over the last few years?
Taylor Heinecke 2021- With the BUCS missing CB1 Carlton Davis III and starting nickel back Sean Murphy-Bunting, Heinecke threw for a whopping 256 yards and one touchdown. Tampa’s future Hall Of Fame QB led the offense with 220 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on back-to-back possessions to start the game. The BUCS’ defense sacked Taylor Heinecke 5 times in the game and forced a turnover. Tampa’s offense didn’t score a touchdown until their second possession in the second half of the game, a recurring issue in the games in which the BUCS “struggled to defend young QBs.” Washington controlled the time possession by 19 minutes. The big focus and letdown that comes up is the almost-impossible 10-minute drive Washington put together to end any chance of a late comeback by the BUCS’ offense. With the defense having already been spent so much time on the field due to the offense’s inability to maintain drives, fatigue played a major part in the breakdowns that allowed such a drive.
PJ Walker 2022- The former XFL breakout QB entered the Week 8 matchup against the BUCS, having just 3 previous NFL starts. He was stepping in an injured Baker Mayfield and playing for a team that had just fired their head coach days earlier. Walker completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Not the most outstanding stat line. But it once again became the story of how a backup/young QB beat the Buccaneers. Well, the Buccaneers’ defense forced Walker’s Panthers to punt the ball on 7 out of their 10 drives. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers’ offense punted the ball away on 6 of their 11 drives and turned it over on downs twice. Tom Brady went 32 of 49 for 290 yards and zero touchdowns.
Kenny Pickett/Mitchell Trubisky 2022-Here’s a 2-for-1 for the “Oh no, we’re facing a rookie..he’s gonna kill us” and “Oh sh*t! This backup is gonna look like an All Pro” sector of BUCS fans.
Kenny Pickett was getting his third start in the NFL when he faced the Buccaneers. He had yet to throw a touchdown coming into the game, and he’d been picked off four times. Against Tampa, he threw his first TD and escaped without having thrown an INT. He did exit the game early due to injury. But that just brought on the second most irrational fear among many BUCS fans—a backup QB. Enter Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky had lost his starting job to Pickett three weeks prior. The new backup QB came in and went 9 for 12 on passing attempts for 144 yards, including one touchdown. Combined, the combination of Trubisky and Pickett combined to go 20-30, 211 yards, and 2 TDs. Both QBs were sacked once each. But no interceptions. Again, enough to feed the narrative that the BUCS just can’t play well against young QBs or backups.
The Buccaneers’ QB went 25-40, 243 yards, and 1 TD. No rushing touchdowns for either team. The Steelers ended the game with 77 rushing yards to the BUCS’ 75. Tampa settled for FGs until their very last possession of the game. The BUCS offense converted only 4 of its 14 3rd Downs. At the time, the Steelers were the 30th-ranked defense in the League, missing three starters in their secondary.
Brock Purdy 2022- Brock Purdy, 2022’s Mr. Irrelevant-turned-Talk-Of-The-NFL, was making his second start in the NFL after two major injuries knocked out Trey Lance and Jimmy Garropolo. The perception was that this QB, who very little paid attention to, would look like an absolute novice. Well, that’s not how it goes, not in today’s NFL. The rules have made it so that a competent QB can look like a superstar at any given time.
Purdy threw for 185 yards, completing 16 of his 21 pass attempts. He ended the game with two passing touchdowns and one 3-yard rushing touchdown. That’s the dominating performance that furthered the idea that Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers(defense) have a hard time with young/inexperienced QBs.
The BUCS did struggle. But it wasn’t the young QB that did the damage. The 49ers put up 209 rushing yards against Tampa, largely due to the absence of Vita Vea, who left the game after playing just one snap.
And yes. The offense put on another miserable performance while the defense was facing another non-marquee QB. Tom Brady, making his return to his hometown for his first-ever game in San Francisco, put on a lousy performance completing 34 of his 55 passing attempts for 253 yards. He threw 1 TD and 2 INTs. He finished the game with a 63.7 QB rating. The BUCS couldn’t run the ball well, so they couldn’t run it often. The team got 69 yards on 19 carries. A fumble was the result of one of those carries.
The Buccaneers’ offense didn’t score until the 2nd Half of the game. But again, many fans and writers alike would point to the defense’s efforts as to why the Team loses when playing against a team featuring an inexperienced or unknown commodity at QB.
Trace McSorely- 2022-Even in victory, the fan fiction and writer narrative lives on. Trace McSorley, backup for the Arizona Cardinals, made his first-ever start in the NFL against the BUCS after two seasons. McSorley, like the other QB mentioned above, had a relatively pedestrian game against the BUCS’ defense.
McSorley went 24 of 45 on passing attempts. He finished with 217 yards. There were 0 touchdowns, and he was picked off once. Yet, the idea lived on that the Buccaneers “struggled” because it took OT to win the game. The Cardinals did put up a solid rushing attack with 121 yards and 1 touchdown. But that was about it.
On the Buccaneers’ offensive side of things, it was, well….offensive. The offense went 6 of 17 on 3rd Downs. They had 3 turnovers; 1 on Downs and 2 by way of Brady throwing INTs. They didn’t score a TD until the 4th quarter. It was a mess.
Tom Brady finished the game 32-48, 281 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs.
Since mid-November of 2021, the BUCS’ own established QB threw 5 TDs and 4 INTs in games when Tampa’s faced a young, relatively inexperienced QB. The Buccaneers’ offense scored less than 20 points in each game. You’d have to go back to 2019’s game against the New York Giants to find a time when the offense actually managed to put a respectable amount of points while the opposition had a young QB under center. The BUCS went on to lose that game 31-32.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Buccaneers are set to go against a few young QBs with big names and high expectations. From within the NFC South division, the BUCS will take on Carolina’s rookie Bryce Young and Atlanta’s Desmond Ridder. There’s the likely challenge of CJ Stroud(HOU), Hendon Hooker(DET), Will Levis(TEN), and Anthony Richardson(IND). Plus, we’re looking at a possible rematch with last year’s wunderkind Brock Purdy in San Francisco.
For some fans and writers, these may look like a worst-case scenario and death sentences for the Buccaneers, given the past win/loss records against young quarterbacks. But the stigma quickly wears off once you pay attention to the context behind what actually ails the BUCS during those matchups. With a new hope that the Buccaneers’ offense can hold up its part of the bargain and, at the very least, put up a decent fight with a new Offensive Coordinator in place, the false narrative that the BUCS are doomed by youth may soon perish.
What young QB performance do you remember giving you nightmares as a BUCS fan?? Leave a comment below.
