Byron Leftwich Named Buccaneers Starting QB

Byron Letwich has been named the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, over backup QB Luke McCown. The decision was made by Tampa Bay's rookie head coach Raheem Morris. Leftwich will make his first start for the Bucs, next week in the regular season opener, against the Dallas Cowboys.

Leftwich was a free agent at the end of last season, after the Pittsburg Steelers did not re-new his contract, and the Buccaneers signed him to a two-year deal. Leftwich was expected to be the starting QB before preseason, but because of McCown's success in the preseason, there was a competition made between the two, that Leftwich won.

The 29-year-old Leftwich, was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. He did not get a lot of playing time in his rookie season, but in his second season with the Jags, Leftwich had more playing time and was having a great season, before injuring his ankle. Leftwich re-injured his ankle in his third NFL season, and had surgery on it, making him miss the rest of the season. Backup David Garrard replaced Leftwich and had a strong season. The following season, Garrard was named starter, and Leftwich was cut by the team.

The Atlanta Falcons would sign Leftwich in 2007, and started the season as backup to Joey Harrington. Leftwich saw little playing time, during his time in Atlanta, and would be released the following season. Leftwich, next signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburg Steelers, and became backup to Ben Roethlisberger. Leftwich will finally be the starter, after being mostly on the bench, for the past two seasons.

The Buccaneers are coming off a disappointing 2008 season. They started the year off great, with a record of 9-3, but lost their last four games, to finish the season at 9-7. The Bucs missed winning their division, and missed the playoffs as well. The Buccaneers have made big waves in the off-season. They fired head coach Jon Gruden, and replaced him with Raheem Morris. Tampa Bay also released many veterans, including Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Garcia, and Cato June. They also traded Kellen Winslow and signed Derrick Ward from the New York Giants.

Leftwich will be entering his seventh season as a professional quarterback, with his fourth NFL team. He has gone back-and-forth between being a starter and backup, throughout his NFL career, and has a career record of 24 wins and 22 losses as a starter. His career numbers stand at 54 touchdowns, 9,624 passing yards, with 38 interceptions. Leftwich earned his first Super Bowl ring at Super Bowl XLII, as the Steelers backup QB. The Buccaneers hope that Leftwich can take them to the postseason, a place they have not been to since 2007.