Bucs Coach Fires Shot At Ex WFT QB Haskins

In an attempt to compliment Alex Smith, the Bucs coach takes a shot at Washington QB ex Haskins

Bruce Arians is trying to pay a compliment to the Washington Football Team. Really he is. But the colorful Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, in doing so, also took a shot at former starting QB Dwayne Haskins.

“We’re not playing a 7-9 team. We’re playing a 4-1 team. When Alex Smith plays they’re a 4-1 team,” Arians said on ESPN.

Actually, WFT is 5-1 with Smith is the QB of record. And as Arians gets ready to coach against Washington on Saturday night in the NFL Playoffs, that's really the point here - that WFT, when Alex Smith is ready to go, is better than its 7-9 record. Much better.

But then Arians added the dig.

“We’re not playing Dwayne Haskins,'' he said. "We’re playing Alex Smith.

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Haskins, of course, ended the calendar year by being stripped of his captaincy, stripped of his starting role, and stripped of employment, despite his status as the team's first-round NFL Draft pick in 2019.

READ MORE: Rivera Reveals Unusual Washington Football Team QBs Idea

Washington’s record was 1-5 in games started by Haskins. (And 1-3 in games started by Kyle Allen. The plan for Saturday is for Smith to start (even as WFT coach Ron Rivera is contemplating rotating the hobbled Smith along with Taylor Heinicke) ... so in theory, that makes Washington a "better-than-7-9 team.'' 

In trying to convince his Bucs that WFT isn't really a losing team, Arians shows smarts. But in mentioning Haskins? Arians is showing he's sort of a smart-aleck.