Kyle Trask’s biggest obstacle may not be Baker Mayfield
3 min read
Kyle Trask (2) courtesy of bucpower.com
Is Baker Mayfield already the starter?
For whatever reason, it seems the collective decision-makers over at One Buc decided that Baker Mayfield could be a pretty darn good quarterback if given another shot. Why that is, I cannot tell you; it escapes me. Maybe it was the fact that they could get a not-so-long-ago number one overall on the cheap for one season — a starter with experience who had a very brief encounter with the post-season. Maybe that, coupled with the fact that Dave Canales has a good record bringing out the best in his quarterbacks, plays into it, just as the team has seemed to believe in and talk up the addition of Mayfield. It has also not given Kyle Trask any love or verbal support, or certainly no belief in the skills that caused the team to draft him in the second round and declare that he would take over for Brady after sitting and learning from the GOAT. I understand the whole competition for the job aspect of it — competition can never hurt the process. To me, it seemed as if Mayfield already had the competition won before it began, in One Bucs eyes. I think many Bucs fans will tell you that very same thing if asked. The drafting of Kyle Trask for some time now has almost seemed like a Public Relations move for the Gator Faithful donning red and black on Sundays.
Winning the minds.
In my opinion, Trask will not only have to edge out Baker Mayfield in pre-season, but he must play, without a doubt, better than the former Brown. Not only best-ing Mayfield in stats and success but also, he must surpass that and get past the preconceived notions of the coaches and front office to win the job. That may be more than he is able to do, being that he doesn’t have a single regular season start under his belt. As so many say, “It is what it is” Trask is aware of what he is up against, and I think he has it within him to possibly rise above it all. Then again, Trask lacks the experience against first-team opposing defenses in real regular season play, which will be hard to overcome. One thing is for certain: Mayfield is in a fantastic situation to waltz in as the starter when the regular season commences. As long as he isn’t obviously worse than Trask, he should become the starter. It’s a great situation for him, and he knows it very well — I’m sure. Whoever wins out, there is a chance that the loser of the battle could be pressed into service at some point during the 2023 season, being that the team may find itself spinning its wheels in the win/loss column. When the 2023 season comes to a close, we should all know in our minds who the starter should be: Mayfield, Trask, or a 2024 drafted rookie. This thing should get interesting real quick. Go, Kyle Trask, Go Bucs!!
