Bucs face Jets in largest age gap between QBs
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tom Brady was beginning his senior season at Michigan when he celebrated his 22nd birthday, a fresh-faced quarterback who was eight months away from being an unheralded sixthround draft pick.
It was Aug. 3, 1999 — also the day Zach Wilson was born.
“It’s funny because I think I’ve known that since elementary school or something,” said a smiling Wilson, the New York Jets’ rookie quarterback. “It was always something I thought was kind of cool.”
When Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to MetLife Stadium to take on Wilson’s Jets today, it will mark the largest age gap between starting quarterbacks since at least 1950, according to NFL Research.
That has happened a few times lately for the 44-yearold Brady, including when he faced New England’s 23-year-old Mac Jones in Week 4. And then again a few weeks later when he took on Chicago’s 22-yearold Justin Fields. Wilson is five months younger than Fields, so history will be made again today.
“It’s the same August birthday, but the cool thing is I think he was born in 1977 and I was born in 1999, so it’s 22 years later,” Wilson said.
“That’s just crazy, right, to play in the same game.”
Brady is 30-8 in his career against the Jets, including 1-1 in the postseason, but this is the first time he’ll play against them since joining the Buccaneers (11-4).
New York has at least two dozen players on its active roster that have never played against Brady. So it’s new territory for many Jets — some of whom might need to fight the urge to feel a bit star struck when they see the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
“To be able to witness that as you’re growing up, him win no matter the circumstance or situation and then to line up across from him, that’s something a lot of people dream about,” said 27-year-old defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who has been on the field against Brady twice while with New Orleans.
“Then to be able to do it, for a split-second, guys can really sit there and be like, ‘Wait a minute, that’s Tom Brady,’ ” he added. “It’ll happen to somebody, but when the bullets start flying, it’s football. It’s time to go win a game.”
Easier said than done, of course. Especially with Brady and the Buccaneers looking to improve their playoff standing from the NFC’s No. 4 overall seed. They clinched the NFC South title last week and are still in the running for a first-round bye.
But first the Bucs need to get past Wilson and a bunch of young bucks.
“He is Tom Brady, but you’ve got to treat him like a nameless, faceless guy,” Rankins said, “and go out there and go through your progressions, go through your keys and play football the way you’ve played football your whole life.”
Wilson set a few franchise records in the Jets’ 2621 victory over Jacksonville last Sunday — with his feet instead of his arm.
His 91 yards on four carries set the team’s mark for quarterbacks, and his 52yard TD run was the longest rush — scoring or not — by any QB in Jets history. It all contributed to New York running for 273 yards, the most by any team this season.
It might be a bit tougher getting the run game off the ground this week: The Buccaneers have the No. 2 rushing defense.