The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a future, that much is certain, but the question is who will be a part of it?
Lose against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and the list of current Buccaneers who will survive the offseason may get significantly shorter.
Aiding the Panthers in trying to make that theory a reality will be quarterback Bryce Young whose present isn’t all that great, but knows he has at least a few years to get things right before he’s at risk of losing it.
“A lot of poise,” coach Todd Bowles recalled seeing from Young the first time the two teams met. “He’s one of the best scramblers I’ve seen this year. [He has] a lot of poise. He’s going to be one of the best to ever do it once he’s done playing.”
In the Week 13 Tampa Bay victory Young had Carolina up 10-7 at one point before two touchdown catches by receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans gave their team a lead they’d hold onto for the win.
Bowles’ recollection of Young’s scrambling ability stems from his efforts in extending plays and from what he’s seen on tape because the young quarterback didn’t have any rushing yards against the Bucs while completing fewer than half his pass attempts for 178 yards and an interception.
On the flip side, running back Chubba Hubbard had 104 yards rushing on 25 carries in a losing effort for the Panthers. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72846832/1777604917.0.jpg)
“Obviously, he’s a good [running] back and they’ve got a huge offensive line,” Bowles said of Hubbard and the Carolina rushing attack. “They run the ball very well – they do a good job at that. We’ve got to make sure we read our keys and play team ball.”
Being on their keys, play, and bringing the right amount of energy for what is essentially the Buccaneers’ first playoff game of the season will be important.
Containing a dangerous scrambler like Young and rusher like Hubbard will be critical.
Do all of those things, and Tampa Bay will have another home game to prepare for in the NFL’s Wild Card Round next weekend.