Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Battle Lines Are Drawn

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

If only quarterbacks were like pitchers. The more decent pitchers a major league team has, the more depth it has. In the NFL, the adage is if you have two quarterbacks then you don’t have one.

The Buccaneers went for broke when they drafted a quarterback of the future in Josh Freeman when they moved up to get him in the first round. This is vaguely familiar to what was said about Josh Johnson in last year’s draft, when they selected him in the fifth round. So we have a quarterback controversy for the future and one for the present.  

Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich are in a heated battle for starter of the 2009 season. You couldn’t pick two players more polar opposites then McCown and Leftwich.

McCown is a pure athlete who has the NFL quarterback pedigree (although it might be as a back-up). He will make plays on bootlegs and through scrambling like his predecessor Jeff Garcia.

Last season, McCown had as many passing attempts as running back Earnest Graham. However in 2007, McCown had some success. He completed over 67 percent of his passes in 139 attempts. He didn’t complete many long passes but that wasn’t asked of him in Gruden’s west coast offense. 

Byron Leftwich has a huge arm which he showcased at Marshall, which led to him being selected in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. However his lack of mobility, long wind up, and injuries all factored into his release by the Jaguars. This relegated him to back up duties for the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Ben Roethlisberger went down with an injury, Leftwich’s number was called.

When duty called, Leftwich showed he still could contribute. In front of his hometown in Washington, DC, Leftwich threw efficiently and accurately to propel the Steelers to a victory last season.  In his 36 attempts during the season, he completed 21 passes (58.3 percent) for 303 yards, two touchdowns while going interception free.

What it boils down to is what philosophy Raheem Morris would like to exercise. The Buccaneers invested heavily in center Jeff Faine in hopes to sure up their offensive line. Once seen as a problem, their offensive line could be one of their strengths.

If a pocket passer is what Morris prefers, Leftwich should get the nod over McCown. Whoever is selected as the quarterback should be handing off to the plethora of capable running backs that the Buccaneers have.

As for the youngsters, Freeman and Johnson, we’ll see you next year.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?