Rookie Backup QB History Isn't on Their Side: Jalon Daniels Gets His Shot for Bucs

With Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, and Jimmy Garoppolo all off the table, the Bucs' plan B for replacing Baker Mayfield is Brett Rypien — signed to the practice squad, not the active roster — while undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels makes his first career start Sunday against Green Bay. Rick Stroud lays out a sobering stat: since 2024, rookie quarterbacks are a combined 56-89, and the backup quarterbacks who've actually won games around the league this season (Case Keenum, Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, Drew Locke) all share one thing Daniels doesn't have — real NFL experience. Rick and Steve debate, half-seriously, whether a Bucs fan should even want a win right now given a stacked, quarterback-heavy draft class, before agreeing there's too much season left and too bad a division to consider punting on it. They also dig into where the blame really lies for Tampa Bay's offensive collapse — Baker's tendency to extend plays into sacks and holding penalties, Zach Robinson's predictable play-calling, an offensive line that isn't as bad as it looks — and note the one thing working: Chase McLaughlin hasn't missed a field goal all year. A mailbag question revisits why Mike Evans really left for San Francisco, and Rick makes the case that Evans saw a closer path to a Super Bowl elsewhere as his own mortality became real after his first-ever injury-shortened season.

The back half looks ahead to a jam-packed week: MLB's wild-card round (Yankees leading Boston, Padres and Braves both winning thrillers), the NHL's opening night, and the Lightning's regular-season opener Thursday at the Rangers, plus a scheduling headache with the Rays' ALDS Game 1 and the Lightning's home opener both landing Saturday night. Rick and Steve also mark the sixth anniversary of Tampa Bay's first boat parade and pitch (not entirely jokingly) a stadium renovation tribute to Tom Brady's Super Bowl trophy toss.

Segments:

• Jalon Daniels named starter; what backup-quarterback history says about his chances against Green Bay
• Is the offensive line really the problem, or is it Baker Mayfield and play-calling?
• Mailbag: Why did Mike Evans really leave for San Francisco?
• MLB wild card round recap: Yankees-Red Sox, Padres-Cubs, Braves walk-off win
• NHL season opens; Lightning open Thursday at the Rangers, home opener collides with Rays ALDS Game 1
• Sixth anniversary of Tampa Bay's first championship boat parade
• Sponsor: Breitling Boutique, International Plaza

Timestamps:

• 0:09 – Bucs' backup QB plan revealed: Brett Rypien to the practice squad, Jalen Daniels named starter
• 2:27 – Why experienced backups matter: Case Keenum's big Monday night
• 4:15 – Rookie QBs are 56-89 since 2024; should a Bucs fan want a loss right now?
• 7:00 – Is the offensive line really the problem, or is it Baker Mayfield and play-calling?
• 16:23 – What Daniels has going for him: 50+ college starts, calm demeanor
• 17:36 – Backup QBs went nearly undefeated this weekend; the risk the Bucs took at QB2
• 22:46 – Sponsor: Breitling Boutique, International Plaza
• 24:13 – Sixth anniversary of Tampa Bay's first championship boat parade
• 28:33 – Mailbag: Why did Mike Evans really leave for San Francisco?
• 33:22 – Mailbag: Where does the blame fall for the Bucs' offensive struggles?
• 39:12 – MLB wild-card recap: Yankees-Red Sox, Padres-Cubs, Braves walk-off win
• 40:10 – NHL season opens; Lightning-Rangers Thursday, Saturday scheduling conflict with Rays ALDS Game 1

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