Mac Jones playoff collapse doesn’t bode well for Buccaneers Kyle Trask
By Rob Leeds
What does a QB need in the modern era to succeed with the Buccaneers or elsewhere?
Before we jump into Trask and Jones, we have to establish what the preferable traits in modern NFL quarterbacks are. The game has changed dramatically in the past few years. Quarterbacks, often believed to be some of the smartest athletes in sports, need more than just their brains to succeed.
Gone are the monoliths of the past. Ben Roethlisberger today wouldn’t even cut it as a backup on most teams if he didn’t have a Hall of Fame career prior to his recent seasons. Slow with a weak arm isn’t a recipe for success any longer, even if it did work in the past.
No, modern quarterbacks need that same head for the game, but they also need athleticism outside of the pocket mixed with a huge arm. Early Big Ben certainly worked.
Looking at the current playoff quarterbacks, the Bills, Bengals, Raiders, Chiefs, Titans, Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals, and Packers fit this mold. The teams that don’t fit this mold are the Buccaneers, 49ers, Steelers, Patriots, and the Rams.
If you’d like, we can argue on Ryan Tannehill, but he is clearly more athletic than the five teams in the less-athletic category, giving a clear advantage to making the playoffs to teams with athletes at QB.
Obviously, Brady is an outlier from an athleticism outside of the pocket standpoint, but his arm strength keeps him relevant. Otherwise, the Steelers are massive underdogs, and the Patriots lost by a massive margin to a much more prototypical quarterback in Josh Allen.
The numbers speak for themselves. More teams rely on the new mold of quarterbacks to find success, and teams that take athleticism out of the equation start at a disadvantage.