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Tom Brady knows the way from rookie backup to championship starting quarterback arguably better than anyone in NFL history, and that bodes well for Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Kyle Trask.
Brady started off as a sixth-round draft pick and fourth on the depth chart in New England before winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots followed by another with the Bucs. Good news for the future of the Bucs, Brady sees Trask on the path to NFL success.
“Kyle’s doing a great job. From the day that he got here he’s a very hard-worker,” Brady said in Thursday’s press conference. “Kyle’s out here early, stays late, works with the younger guys. All the things that you’re really looking for in a young player.”
Tampa selected Trask out of Florida with a second round pick this spring. He could one day succeed Brady, 44, after retirement.
Brady credited coaching as a key part of Trask’s progress so far — especially from quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen. The longtime coach has worked with many elite quarterbacks besides Brady such as Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck in previous stints with the Indianapolis Colts.
“Clyde works extremely hard with him to get him ready to go,” Brady said. “You really don’t know what you don’t know at this point. You’re one year in or two years in or three years in or five years in, and as somebody who’s 22 years in, what I knew at five years in is very different than what I knew at Year 10 and very different than how I feel now.”
“You’ve got to be able to retain a lot of information and you’ve got to be able to improve the weaknesses in your game as well as maintain the strengths in your game,” Brady added. “But it’s just constant development and it’s really up to each individual, not only Kyle but I’d say a lot of young players — that’s what you see.”
Brady to Start Preseason Opener, Trask at Fourth String
Brady will start on Saturday in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at 7:30 p.m. Trask will take snaps in the game eventually as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart behind Brady, Blaine Gabbert, and Ryan Griffin.
“It means a lot. Growing up, watching NFL football, having the chance to play in any kind of game, I’m super excited,” Trask told the media. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play and do the best I can.”
Trask said he didn’t know how much he will play.
“All I know is that I’ve just got to go out there and make the most of my reps,” Trask said.
Trask also has a chance to do something a Bucs rookie quarterback hasn’t on in his debut in recent years — lead a scoring drive. All four Bucs rookies since 2008 fell short of that according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman.
Trask Embraces Brady’s Example
Brady shared a few nuggets the rookie could take as advice going forward during Thursday’s press conference.
“If you want to be doing this job for a long time you’ve got to make it a huge priority,” Brady said on Thursday. “You’ve got to put the work in, you’ve got to listen, you’ve got to be humble enough to learn,” Brady said about approaching the game as a rookie. “You can’t think you know everything. Football is too difficult of a game and it’s not an individual sport. It’s a coordination between a lot of different people.”
Trask confirmed he learns all he can from Brady.
“You can definitely tell in his preparation, really honed in on every detail of the game,” Trask said in the press conference. “It’s definitely just nuggets you can take away to try to implement into your lifestyle on and off the field.”
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