Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take the field for the first time under Lovie Smith, while their opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars, will debut rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Bucs fans can catch the radio broadcast on 98.7 The Fan, while Jaguars fans may do the same on 1010 XL.
While eager fans will get to see Bortles tonight, they will only see him with the second unit as Chad Henne, the presumed Week 1 starter, is set to take the first team reps. Despite his lofty draft spot, No. 3 overall, the Jaguars are determined to bring the prospect along slowly. The move isn't surprising, considering Bortles hasn't taken a single snap yet with the first team.
At Central Florida last season Bortles surged past preseason top picks Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater with a huge year-he threw 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions to go with 3,581 yards and a BCS Bowl win over Baylor.
Last season with the Jags Henne threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (13) but managed a respectable 3,241 yards in 13 starts.
The Buccaneers will have a competition for their starting quarterback gig as well. Incumbent Mike Glennon, who threw for 2,608 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine picks will battle free agent acquisition Josh McCown, a career backup that dazzled in Jay Cutler's place for a few weeks last season with the Bears.
McCown was 3-2 in his five starts with an amazing 13-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
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