Bucs QBs Blaine Gabbert and Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

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FAB 1. Is Gabbert The Answer For Bucs At QB In 2022?

Finding a good quarterback to replace Tom Brady is going to be a challenge, Bucs fans.

A real challenge.

Lower your expectations – please.

The Bucs don’t want to hear this, and they may not accept this. But Tampa Bay is not going to be a 13-win team in 2022. Not without Brady, who retired from the NFL after 22 years earlier this week.

The Bucs will be lucky to win 10 games and finish 10-7 this year. Have you seen their schedule?

Tampa Bay faces eight playoff teams next year, including both Super Bowl teams. In addition to the Rams and the Bengals, the Bucs will play the Chiefs, 49ers, Packers, Cowboys, Cardinals and Steelers. Not to mention formidable teams in the Ravens and Seahawks, too.

There won’t be any easy wins on the schedule in 2022 – except maybe the other downtrodden teams in the NFC South. A 9-8 record could very well win the division next year. The Bucs will still be the favorites – even without Brady.

Getting the quarterback position right next year will be important, but I’m going to warn you. The answer I put forth is not the one you’re probably going to want to hear.

Blaine Gabbert.

Before I tell you why Gabbert may be in the best position to be under center in Tampa Bay, let me explain who’s likely not coming to the Bucs – and why.

No Rodgers, Wilson Or Watson In Tampa Bay

This is not Madden. This is not fantasy football.

Aaron Rodgers isn’t coming to Tampa Bay via a trade. Neither is Russell Wilson.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: USA Today

Neither Green Bay nor Seattle is going to trade its star quarterback within the conference – only to have to face them in the fall. Both the Packers and the Seahawks play the Bucs in 2022. The last thing they want is their former legend beating them in red and pewter.

This is not my opinion, either. This is information coming from the team I’m just passing along.

If Rodgers is traded it will be out of conference to Denver where he would be reunited with new Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

The Bucs won’t trade for Deshaun Watson, either. His legal mess in Houston is far from resolved. The NFL could suspend him for an undetermined period of time. No team is trading for him until there is some resolution to this matter.

End the wishful thinking about Rodgers, Wilson and Watson right now.

Don’t Trade Draft Capital For A Mediocre QB

The Bucs already have a second-round draft pick invested in quarterback Kyle Trask. Do you think that general manager Jason Licht is going to trade more precious draft capital to acquire Indianapolis’ Carson Wentz, Las Vegas’ Derek Carr, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins or San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo? All four are mediocre QBs.

The Colts traded a conditional first- and a third-round pick for Wentz last year. They’ll surely want a similar level of compensation in return for him – if they even put him on the trading block.

If Wentz is traded away, who replaces him in Indy? This is not a great QB class in the 2022 NFL Draft. Is the 29-year old Wentz, who is under contract for $22 million and finished 9-8 as a starter, worth dealing a first-round pick for? No.

It’s the same thing with Carr. He’s set to make $20 million and has a career record of 57-70 as a starter. If the Raiders decide to deal Carr, who does Josh McDaniels replace him with – a rookie?

Rookie quarterbacks can be coach-killers. McDaniel found that out firsthand with Tim Tebow in Denver years ago.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

The Vikings will likely deal Cousins because they need to rebuild and get some draft capital from trading their veteran QB while they can. But Cousins is 33 and is set to make a whopping $35 million in 2022.

Plus he’s got a 59-59-2 record as a starter. Minnesota will want at least a first-round pick, and would rather trade him to an AFC team – perhaps Pittsburgh or Denver.

San Francisco will look to trade the 30-year old Garoppolo this offseason with last year’s first-round pick Trey Lance waiting in the wings. The 49ers won in spite of Garoppolo – not because of him. They realize that which is why they are eager to deal him.

Garoppolo can’t carry an offense, and Bruce Arians’ offense is QB-driven. It’s not a great fit in Tampa Bay – at all. Plus, the 49ers will want a premium pick or two for Garoppolo, who’s set to make $24 million in 2022. Let some other team be foolish enough to deal for Jimmy G.

Licht knows how precious draft picks are. One bad draft class can set a franchise back or stunt its growth. Licht found that out in 2017 with a disastrous draft class. Using more draft picks on quarterbacks – even veteran QBs through trades – is precarious for the future of the franchise, especially if the quarterback doesn’t pan out.

No Answers At QB In The 2022 NFL Draft

This year’s draft class is incredibly lackluster at the quarterback position. And that may be putting it mildly. There is no consensus on the top signal caller is in this year’s draft, either. Despite several teams being in need of a QB, chances are high that none are even drafted in the Top 10.

Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett underwhelmed in Senior Bowl practices. Liberty’s Malik Willis fared slightly better in Mobile, but is coming off an uneven senior season. Ole Miss’ Matt Coral is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, while North Carolina’s Sam Howell is just 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. Both have limited traits and tools to work with.

The Bucs like Trask better than every quarterback in this year’s draft. They were wise to draft him last year in the second round based on that line of thinking.

With that being said, don’t look for Tampa Bay to spend another draft pick on a rookie QB when the team doesn’t even truly know what it has in Trask yet.

2022 Free Agent QB Class Is Weak

The Bucs would have considered Teddy Bridgewater in 2020 if they didn’t land Brady in free agency. But a lot has changed since Bridgewater went 5-0 as the Saints starter in 2019 when he filled in for Drew Brees. He went 4-11 as the starter in Carolina in 2020 and 7-7 as a starter in Denver last year.

Bridgewater doesn’t have the arm to push the ball down the field like Arians wants. He threw 33 touchdowns over the last two seasons, but also 18 interceptions. Bridgewater wasn’t the answer in Denver (neither is Drew Lock) and will likely be on his fourth team in four years in 2022.

Panthers HC Matt Rhule and QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: Getty Images

Does Mitchell Trubisky excite you? What about Andy Dalton or Tyrod Taylor? Maybe Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Mariota or Mike Glennon? None of those QBs are ideal scheme fits in Arians’ system, and that’s pretty much the free agent class at QB in 2022.

The only other two names are Jameis Winston and Gabbert. Winston is coming off a torn ACL and spent his first five years in Tampa Bay. His last season with the Bucs was in 2019 when he became the first NFL quarterback to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. Winston took 47 sacks that year in Arians’ offense and the Bucs finished 7-9.

Arians had seen enough of Winston, whose last pass in Tampa Bay was a pick-six in overtime against Atlanta, which lost the game. It’s doubtful Arians wants to go down that road again.

Which leads us to Gabbert. He might not be the ideal starter. Gabbert may not be the quarterback the Bucs necessarily want, but he may be the quarterback the Bucs need while Trask develops for another year behind the scenes – this time with more practice reps as the No. 2.

No one knows the offense better than Gabbert, who helped teach it to Brady in 2020. Gabbert has spent four years in Arians’ offense dating back to the 2017 season in Arizona. No other quarterback is going to step in and learn it as quickly as Brady did in 2020. Brady’s football I.Q. is one of the traits that made him the greatest QB of all-time.

Arians and Licht have been very outspoken in their praise of Gabbert. In the 2021 offseason, Arians appeared on the Pewter Report Podcast and called Gabbert “the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.”

“I could get extremely excited about having another young quarterback and going to war with one,” Arians said last January. “I’ll be honest with you, I’d be excited to take Blaine Gabbert and go to war, because I love Blaine Gabbert. I think he’s the most underrated player in the NFL.”

Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht had this to say about Gabbert last winter on the Pewter Report Podcast after winning Super Bowl LV.

“First of all, I love his energy,” Licht said. “I’ve really gotten close to Blaine this year just being on the sidelines. He’s a really smart guy but he is one guy, my scouts and I talk about this a lot, he’s just one guy that I love to watch throw every day in practice because he has got a cannon. He’s very accurate with his throws as well and he can just really whistle them into tight windows. If he had been forced to play more, I think that he would have really opened a lot of people’s eyes about how talented he is. Especially being in the same system for a couple of years now.”

I’m not saying it’s going to happen. But I could see the Bucs signing Gabbert to a cheap, incentive-laden, one-year, prove-it deal to become the starter. There just aren’t many viable options at the quarterback position in 2022, and the team doesn’t want to press Trask into the starting role just yet. Not with the brutal schedule on tap for 2022. Ryan Griffin could be re-signed for another year as Tampa Bay’s No. 3 quarterback and also help Trask develop.

The Bucs could use the 2022 season as a transition year to see how Gabbert fares and gauge Trask’s progress. If the results aren’t ideal, Tampa Bay could attack the position again in 2023 when there might be better options in free agency and the NFL Draft to come in and compete with Trask.

FAB 2. Bucs Have Been Preparing For Gabbert 2.0

Bruce Arians and Jason Licht aren’t the only members of the Bucs organization that are fond of Gabbert. I spoke with quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen about Gabbert in early January before the Bucs’ playoff win against Philadelphia and just weeks before Tom Brady’s retirement. Christensen marveled at Gabbert’s knowledge of Arians’ offense.

“I don’t think anyone will realize how much Blaine helped Tom, especially in the Super Bowl run,” Christensen said. “Griff (Ryan Griffin) and Blaine really teamed up with Tom and helped merge everything. They did more work than anyone will ever realize and making that call sheet work for everybody. For him to dig in and have that big of a role in terms of how everyone sees a game plan and how everyone sees a call sheet helps him. It’s the whys – here’s why Tom likes this route, here’s why Tom is going to call versus Quarters coverage, or what Tom does against the blitz.

Bucs QBs Blaine Gabbert and Tom Brady and QBs coach Clyde Christensen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s had a front-row seat, but it’s even more than that because he’s a part of it. He’s part of developing the game plan. He is part of getting the calls on the sheet. He’s part of executing, critiquing and tweaking it. That has made him a better quarterback already and kept him involved. Blaine’s not a backup quarterback. He’s an assistant quarterback coach. He is an extra set of eyes for Tom. He’s the coordinator’s helper. He is all of those things.”

There’s no doubt that being around Brady, the best quarterback in football history, helped the development of rookie Kyle Trask last year. But according to Christensen, Gabbert also benefited greatly.

“Anyone who watches Tom Brady work benefits you,” Christensen said. “How does he do things? And how does he stay calm? How does he manage people? He’s an elite leader – what does that look like? Why do people respond to him? All of those things have already made Blaine a better quarterback already and will do so in the long run.”

Gabbert turns 33 in October, but he still has the physical tools that made him the 10th overall pick by Jacksonville in the 2011 NFL Draft. He’s got ideal size at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, good mobility and a rocket arm.

But it’s been poor decision-making that has been undoing over his 10-year NFL career. The Bucs believe part of that lies in the fact that Gabbert had a different offensive coordinator in each of his first eight years in the NFL.

Think about that.

Eight different offensive coordinators with eight different systems in Gabbert’s first eight years in the league. Three years in Jacksonville, three years in San Francisco, one year in Arizona and one year in Tennessee.

Gabbert didn’t have any stability whatsoever in any offense until 2019 when he reunited with Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who was the Cardinals quarterbacks coach in 2017. The Bucs are hoping that the continuity in Arians’ offense helps produce a new and improved Gabbert 2.0.

“He feels comfortable,” Christensen said. “He’s been in B.A.’s system for a while. He and Byron Leftwich go way back. I think there is comfortable here unlike when he was a first-round pick and he went to the Jacksonville Jaguars and was rushed in as the savior of the city. He’s a seasoned guy now. He has a ton of ability and I do feel like it’s coming together for him. He really throws the ball well.”

I asked Christensen what he thought the future might hold for Gabbert and if it might be in Tampa Bay. Keep in mind this was just a few weeks before Brady abruptly retired.

Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert – Photo by: USA Today

“It’s going to come down to what he wants to do,” Christensen said. “Does he want to go somewhere else and play? You could be sitting here waiting five years for Tom to retire. Some of it could be that – personal goals. We talk about that a lot. Do you go into a non-comfortable situation where you’re not familiar with things? Or do you try to sit patiently here? There is a lot that goes into. If you play good quarterback, stuff tends to work out for you. So don’t look too far ahead.”

Gabbert signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in 2019 to compete for the backup job with Griffin behind starter Jameis Winston. A preseason shoulder injury that year forced him to go on injured reserve. He re-signed with the Bucs in 2020 and beat out Griffin for the right to back up Brady. After helping Brady prepare to win a Super Bowl, Gabbert was back in Tampa Bay for the 2021 campaign on another one-year deal.

“Every offseason is an evaluation for him,” Christensen said. “Where am I headed? What do I want to do? What are the opportunities out there? Which one fits me? Do I want to help Tampa Bay win another Super Bowl? Do I want to try to go off and do it on my own? Am I too old to rebuild a place? Do I need to find a place that is established? It’s not easy trying to find your spot. There are a lot of quarterbacks in this league who fail because they get into the wrong situation.

“If the situation had been different, things would have gone differently. Tom is a great example. He’s in the same place and the same system for 20 years and has the chance to develop. There aren’t many places right now that are letting quarterbacks develop. I think there are eight coaching jobs open today (editor’s note: back in early January). That’s eight starting quarterbacks that will have a new head coach, a new coordinator, a new system, a new quarterbacks coach and a new way to handle Mike-Sam blitzes. It can really set back your development as a quarterback. It’s not easy.”

It’s been a while since Gabbert had the chance to start and play in a whole game. That came in Tennessee in 2018 when he started the season finale, a 33-17 loss to Indianapolis. Gabbert was 18-of-29 for 165 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

His most extensive action in Tampa Bay came in the second half of a 47-7 win at Detroit in 2020 when he completed 9-of-15 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Christensen believes the time on the sidelines can actually benefit Gabbert’s development.

Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Absolutely,” Christensen said. “When you don’t have to play your body is not getting hit. Your body gets a chance to recover. You get to train your body a different way. If you’re starting during your rookie year and you’re in your 15th year, you haven’t had the chance to really rest your body and let your body recover. There are a lot of factors in this thing. But there is always the need for good quarterback play in this league. I think veterans get more important because everyone is always changing systems and at least veterans have logged some miles. They have 75,000 miles on the engine, so they have the chance to jump in quicker and understand it as opposed to a rookie.

“The Jacksonville kid (Trevor Lawrence) now will be in his second system in his second year. How do you develop these guys? I think that puts a premium on some of these veteran quarterbacks. That’s why you can see a guy like Nick Foles go into a situation and win some games.”

Perhaps it’s Blaine Gabbert in Tampa Bay in 2022 who can go in and win some games as the starter.

FAB 3. There Will Be INTs Aplenty With Whoever Is At QB

Veteran quarterback Carson Palmer threw for a career-high 4,274 yards in his first season with Bruce Arians in Arizona in 2013. He also threw a career-high 22 interceptions along with 24 touchdowns.

In his fifth-year option season, Jameis Winston threw 33 touchdowns and a career-high 30 interceptions in 2019. That was his first and only season in Arians’ offense.

Even Tom Brady – the greatest QB of all time and perhaps the smartest to ever play the game – threw 12 interceptions in his first season in Arians’ offense. While that doesn’t seem like a lot of picks, it was for Brady. He hadn’t thrown that many INTs since 2011.

QB Carson Palmer and coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: USA Today

Arians’ offense features a lot of option routes – choice routes. That forces the quarterback, the wide receivers and the tight ends to be on the same page every down, and read the defensive coverage the same way. Developing that level of chemistry takes time. That’s why Brady threw four interceptions in his first four games in Tampa Bay, including two pick-sixes.

Winston never seemed to get the hang of it. He threw 10 interceptions and just seven touchdowns in his last four games in Tampa Bay in 2019.

Who’s the one guy that has been in Arians’ offense for four years dating back to the 2017 season in Arizona? That would be Blaine Gabbert.

Who’s the one guy who has a rapport and chemistry throwing to the Bucs receivers over the last three years? Again, that’s Gabbert.

This is precisely why I could see the Bucs turning to Gabbert over other available quarterbacks in 2022. And exactly why Tampa Bay doesn’t want to force second-year QB Kyle Trask into the fire just yet. There’s nothing that ruins a young quarterbacks more than a bunch of interceptions and sacks early in their careers.

Interceptions can come from making bad reads. And if a QB doesn’t know the ins and outs of those reads in Arians’ complicated offense there will be plenty of picks. Just ask Palmer and Winston.

Gabbert has thrown his share of interceptions over his 10-year NFL career, too. He has a record of 13-35 as a starter with 50 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in his 10-year career. Gabbert went 2-3 as an emergency starter for Arians in 2017, completing 55.6 percent of his passes for 1,086 with six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert and TE Rob Gronkowski – Photo by: USA Today

Gabbert played in 10 games in Tampa Bay over the last two years behind Brady. Mostly in mop-up duty with a lot of those snaps coming in kneel downs in the victory formation. He has completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in limited action.

If the Bucs are considering Gabbert as a possible starter in 2022 and the successor for Brady – at least for a year – it’s his knowledge of Arians’ system and the hours he has logged on the practice field throwing to Tampa Bay’s receivers, tight ends and backs that give him the leg up on any competition.

And that experience just might make Gabbert’s potential first year as a starter in Tampa Bay one with fewer interceptions as a result.

FAB 4. More On Trask From Christensen

Earlier in the week I wrote a story about Kyle Trask and the Bucs’ feelings about his development during his rookie year. That story featured some quotes about Trask from quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen from an interview I did with him prior to the Bucs vs. Eagles playoff game in early January.

Christensen reported that Trask had worked hard in the weight room to slim down and become quicker in his movements with his feet and his release. Here is more from Christensen on Trask’s progress in that area and developing as young quarterback behind the scenes.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The strength coaches are working with his quickness and his weight and his body makeup,” Christsensen said. “It’s John Van Dam, who is a quality control coach, helping him with this or that. It’s his pocket quickness and his pocket efficiency movement-wise. Being able to move gracefully around the pocket with quickness and efficiency. That means staying loaded up and ready to throw the football. His movement within the pocket is the thing. He’s always been good throwing on the run. He’s always going to be a big ol’ guy, but him moving around the pocket efficiently – that’s the thing.

“It’s me staying out there 10 minutes after practice giving him a little extra. It’s him keeping the receivers after practice and me assigning him some things. Whenever everyone else is kind of finishing up it’s him coming up here and watching tape with me for 15-20 minutes every day. We keep pecking away. It’s a long season. Between all of those things, cumulatively it all adds up to a lot of time on task getting him in position where he can compete for a job one of these days.”

With Trask being the fourth-string quarterback he rarely got reps in practice behind Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin. And when he did get reps it was as the scout team QB running other team’s plays. The days where Brady would get a veteran’s day off would be when Trask got the most action in practice.

“Obviously the priority is getting Tom ready for the game, but we realize that he’s watching an elite class,” Christensen said. “He’s watching a master at work. There isn’t a period where we’re working with Tom that Kyle isn’t developing, too. They run hand-in-hand. Physically, we bring Kyle out early. There have been times where we’ve been able to get him in. He’s used some of Tom’s off days where he can keep working and that helps.”

Christensen said that Trask’s attitude was great during his rookie season. He never got discouraged with his role on the team or the lack of reps in practice. The fact that he shined in Tampa Bay’s preseason finale, completing 12-of-14 passes for 146 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions helped Trask head into a long season of inactivity with some confidence.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: USA Today

“It gives you a little boost heading into the season,” Christensen said. “For a guy like him in the season, part of it is just staying attentive and not being bored. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel as far as getting in a game. He’s been amazing at that. He’s done a really good job of staying steady without any dips. A lot of times you redshirt a guy in college and it’s tough because he knows he’s not going to play. It’s hard to keep a guy interested, and working and staying on top of it.

“It gave Kyle a boost going into a long, long stretch of not playing. And also probably confirmed in his mind, ‘Hey, I can do this.’ You probably come into the NFL and you have some doubts until you do it, and then that last game gave him a little jolt. ‘Hey, I can do this, and that was fun.’”

With hard work, Trask has put himself into position to have more fun in the 2022 offseason when he can once again operate in Arians’ offense rather than a scout team offense. And of course moving up the depth chart into the backup role would be even more fun.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• BRADY MADE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OVER 22 YEARS: Between endorsement deals and his NFL salary, Bucs and former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made an estimated $475 million during his 22-year career. Sounds like he finally made enough to retire.

• BRADY’S FOURTH QUARTER COMEBACKS WERE LEGENDARY: Bucs fans got to see some of Tom Brady’s comeback wins firsthand, including a 28-24 win over the Jets on January 2. Here is a montage of several of Brady’s more famous fourth quarter comebacks.

• PEWTER REPORT’S FIRST 2022 BUCS 7-ROUND MOCK DRAFT: Last week saw the debut of Pewter Report’s initial 2022 Bucs 7-Round Mock Draft. If you didn’t get a chance to read it with all of the coverage of Tom Brady’s retirement, you can click here to see who Pewter Report has the Bucs drafting.

• BUCS OFFSEASON COVERAGE CONTINUES ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. Pewter Report Podcasts will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday typically at 4:00 pm EST unless we have a special guest. Last week the Pewter Report broadcasted live from Mobile, Ala. with Senior Bowl coverage.

Scott Reynolds and J.C. Allen analyzed Pewter Report’s initial 2022 Bucs 7-Round Mock Draft on Monday.

Jon Ledyard and Kasey Hudson discussed Tom Brady’s retirement and the first day of the Senior Bowl on Tuesday.

Ledyard and Matt Matera continued with Senior Bowl coverage on Wednesday.

Watch the Pewter Report Podcasts live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (it’s free) and add your comments. We archive all Pewter Report Podcasts. So you can watch the recorded episodes if you missed them live.

There is no better time to listen to or watch a new Pewter Report Podcast – energized by CELSIUS – than Friday afternoon on the way home from work. Or early Saturday morning during your workout or while running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Report Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Report Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course the Pewter Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• BRADY HAS MORE SUPER BOWL WINS THAN ANY NFL TEAM: Out of all of the NFL records that Tom Brady broke in his legendary 22-year career, the fact that he has more Super Bowl wins than any NFL team is just stunning.