The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be NFL’s first team to start a rookie quarterback this season, with Jalon Daniels getting the nod in relief of the injured Baker Mayfield.
It’ll be a unique challenge for offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to try to scheme up an effective game plan for the undrafted rookie quarterback. Luckily, the Bucs offensive coordinator has experience adapting his play calling to a young quarterback on the fly. In his time with the Atlanta Falcons, Robinson had to adjust his offense as the team turned to both veteran Kirk Cousins and young quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at different points.
Despite being desperate for a victory at 0-3 and without their franchise quarterback, there is no panic coming out of One Buc Place. The organization is projecting confidence in Daniels’ ability to come in and breathe some much-needed life into this team.
Zac Robinson believes Jalon Daniels can provide a spark for the Buccaneers
Robinson has been enamored with Daniels since he entered the building, naming the young quarterback the biggest standout of rookie minicamp back in May.
Robinson has gotten a chance to coach Daniels all offseason, and ultimately chose the rookie as his backup quarterback. There may be no bigger fan of Daniels in the organization than the Bucs offensive coordinator, and he’s got zero doubts about his quarterback.
“If there’s a guy that I’ve been around that’s been this young to go knock out an opportunity it would be JD… He will not be scared. He’ll go in there, he’s got juice he’s got a ton of confidence… there’s a different energy level when he was playing in those preseason games. Anticipate that exact same thing, but at the end of the day when the football is kicked off at 1 o'clock, it’s football to him," Robinson said.
Robinson mentioned the energy shift when Daniels was in at quarterback, and the “juice” that the rookie brings. Perhaps he can provide the spark this offense desperately needs.
“Obviously his journey and how quickly it escalated throughout training camp was a credit to him doing a great job with his opportunities. So he’s got a fun opporutnity… I’m excited for him. I know the rest of the team is excited for him and looking forward for a great moment for him. It’ll be really cool to see the guys rally around him.”
The coaching staff and players are fully behind Daniels. Now, it’s time to see he can take advantage of his opportunity and lead the Buccaneers to their first win of the season.
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