Baker Mayfield Raves About “Opportunity” Bucs Have Given Him
March 22nd, 2023
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield.
Joe thinks it is fair to suggest this season will be Baker Mayfield’s last chance to demonstrate he’s a quality starting quarterback.
Listening to Mayfield yesterday on the “Rich Eisen Show,” ayfield may realize this as well. Mayfield several times gushed about the “opportunity” in Tampa to flip his career around.
“Normally in an opportunity like this, it is because bad things have happened,” Mayfield said of joining the Bucs. “No, it’s just because the greatest quarterback of all time happened to retire.
“It is one of those opportunities, I think, would be kind of stupid not to take.”
And while the Bucs are giving Mayfield an opportunity, Mayfield made sure to explain to Eisen that he is battling competing Kyle Trask. “Whatever that role is we both end up [with], it will be all geared towards winning,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield also raved about all his new weapons.
“I know my Texas guy really well,” Mayfield, a Texas native, said of Mike Evans, also a native of the Lone Star State. “We’re not best friends but we will become really close.
“[The Bucs] still have the key pieces they had when that won the Super Bowl here. I’m excited to see what this offense can become under [offensive coordinator] Coach [Dave] Canales and see where it is headed and how these weapons can be utilized.”
Mayfield wound down his interview with Eisen going back to the opportunity the Bucs have afforded him.
“If I am able to play well enough to get extended here, that is awesome,” Mayfield said. “That means things went truly well here.”
That’s the way Joe sees it. If Mayfield cannot take advantage, then it just means the Bucs will draft a quarterback a year from now.
If the Bucs do well, that means Mayfield likely has done well and that means the Bucs have found their quarterback for the near future, and perhaps beyond.
March 22nd, 2023 at 2:51 am
Joe were either of you guys at the club where the bouncer was able to prevent the guy with a devil mask from entering? Crazy!
stay safe! keep Ira safe too!
March 22nd, 2023 at 4:42 am
I have not been a Baker fan on the football field but he is a Buc now.
I am willing to give him a chance. I am afraid that he is more Jameis Winston like than not, but heck I gave Jameis 4 years before I totally soured on him.
March 22nd, 2023 at 4:56 am
Geno711 … I feel exactly the same way. But if Canales & Bowles just anoint Mayfield as the starter, and don’t have a REAL COMPETITION between Baker & Kyle (and whoever else we pick up), then both coaches will have lost a lot of respect in my eyes.
March 22nd, 2023 at 5:44 am
Exactly, and since Bowles job may be on the line, he has to pick the one that will keep progressing through the season. Trask will have to beat out Mayfield convincingly in order for Bowles to go out of his comfort zone and start an
inexperienced QB, IMO.
March 22nd, 2023 at 6:07 am
Speaking of Bowles comfort zone, he will have no friends in the stands if he doesn’t overcome some of his conservative tendencies. Let the team play to win
from the opening whistle on offense as well as defense. Eliminating the sluggish first halves on offense is the key to a winning season, IMO.
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:00 am
QB is a huge unknown for Bucs this year, should be interesting!
They should add a QB early in the draft or Clayton Tune out of
UH in mid rounds.
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:24 am
Arians/Brady offense got stale eventually teams figure out what you’re doing and to lose 2 elite options Gronk/AB, last year was doomed from the start, but this year is terrifying and exciting at the same time, the expectation is we are going to either crash n burn or be middle of the pack, that being said, the best thing for this franchise is for Trask to win the competition and be the type of player we can continue to build around, Baker has already shown multiple times that he is average at his best that’s highly unlikely to change
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:25 am
It won’t matter which QB wins the starting job if we can’t improve our running game.
And, the QB is part of that…….from what I can see….neither runs the ball well.
‘
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:46 am
TBBF … Jameis didn’t run particularly well either. Kinda just enough to buy time to let the opposing team get into position so he could throw the ball to them.
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:49 am
BTW just thought of 2 interesting comparisons for our 2 QBs, Mayfield has thrown 64 INTs & been sacked 170 times. Trask has thrown 0 INTs & been sacked 0 times. Advantage Trask???
March 22nd, 2023 at 7:52 am
Bob in Valrico … ‘Eliminating the sluggish first halves on offense is the key to a winning season, IMO.’
Yea verily. it was hard enough to claw our way back WITH Tom Brady. Gonna be even harder without him.
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:01 am
I want Trask but willing to see if Baker can outplay him
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:09 am
I’m his biggest fan now as I am of Trask also. Let the best man win.
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:13 am
Given the price tag and availability of other QBs ( Lamar Jackson is a hostage )…this is best case scenario for The Bucs. Even better than a triumphant return of Winny…who a handful of peoples here were hoping for…
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:23 am
Best man wins in camp/preseason.
However, you’re already seeing the seeds of next Trask fan club war cry – “It wasn’t a fair competition”.
Here’s one more prediction- whichever QB wins the job, you can be sure they’ll be on a very short leash. Neither one will get the full season to ‘figure it out’ if they’re struggling.
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:27 am
Her is excited to be here. Nuff said.
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:49 am
Rock Bottom. Bowles record shows him to be a regressive coach. Things get worse every year a team is under The Bowles Curse. Mayfield is on his last stop before skid row. Why anyone would get happy about a Mayfield led collapse is past me. Even the GOAT could not overcome Bowles Blunders.
March 22nd, 2023 at 8:58 am
I just can’t get used to seeing his face
March 22nd, 2023 at 9:23 am
Hey what about a QB by committee?
Baker for passing
Trask for running
It works in college and the Saints tried it too….
Oh that’s right it NEVER works – never mind; forgetaboutit
March 22nd, 2023 at 9:42 am
Upon watching some Will Levis tape, I actually wish he were the one competing with Trask.
March 22nd, 2023 at 9:44 am
Skeptical but willing to give him a chance. More concerned about the OLine depth, TE play and LT now that Donnie is gone. Bowles as our HC certainly does not help.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:05 am
You know, I’m not against Mayfield or any potential qb that helps us get to the Bowl. I just know deep in my gut it’s gonna work and we’re once again wasting time. In my case, valuable time.
I’ve always dreamed of a franchise qb for us and finally came to realize that there is only one way that ever happens. We’ll, with the exception of finding a geni lamp and rubbing out the Ultimate Winner showing up at our door, slumming to prove a point (Tom Brady). Of which he certainly DID! The difference between Brady and any of these others is that he didn’t bounce around from team to team with a losing record. He came in as the Ultimate Winner. That won’t happen again. Not by choice in any case.
With that said, the only way is to draft your own from scratch. And as ALL of said since I started to check out blogs concerning my team, the buccaneers organization has FAILED MISERABLY time and time again to develop a QB at any level. From what I can tell, the best attempt and effort given was Winston. You can’t change bad habits if someone isn’t willing. He wasn’t. Many times he CLEARLY ignored what they were trying to teach him. That’s on tape.
Trask is PROOF that All the rumors are true as far as the Bucs organization of BLOWING IT! They should never has waisted this man’s, and the fans opportunity. It “seems” Clear that they are guilty of neglect Once Again. Trask is STILL the best opportunity of actually having the coveted and rare franchise changing unicorn on the roster currently. Mayfield should be the backup and Trask should be forced into proving if he’s the real deal. Brady wasn’t capable of bombs until he figured out how to throw them.
In any case without our own franchise qb, nothing is going to change ever. Bowles is interested in saving his career and rightfully so. And because of that fact, it feels like a fresh, new path to the familiar “den of depression” and back to the most losing professional sports organization know to man.
Tanking IS NOT the answer ever. The answer is to fight tooth and nail with what we have in Trask and have a VERY CAPABLE backup like Mayfield if Trask isn’t capable of being the franchise qb. Not the other way around.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:13 am
Playing for his career and a nice payday after the season. He should be highly motivated.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:22 am
It’s impossible to predict what the future will bring. Mayfield could play great, taking the job from Trask … then get thrown onto IR at some point between training camp and the playoffs. Ditto for Kyle Trask.
Look, all Bucs fans should wish the very best out of both Mayfield and Trask, because it is very plausible that we’ll need both this season … or next season.
Who would have predicted successfully Mayfield’s path to where he is today? Nobody.
But I certainly do believe that the Bucs have what it takes to surprise a lot of the naysayers who predict a disastrous, or at best a mediocre result this season. I do not predict that they will over perform, but they certainly have the talent and coaching to overperform the quite low expectations most have for this team.
Pretty sure nobody predicted the Eagles in the Super Bowl earlier this season, with Jalen Hurts a candidate for MVP.
March 22nd, 2023 at 11:35 am
The Trask Suppression Conspiracy is on full display. He won’t ever get a FAIR COMPETITION, verily.
March 22nd, 2023 at 11:47 am
Give the man a chance. Let’s hope he flourishes here in South Florida. Go get em Baker. Go Bucks.
March 22nd, 2023 at 1:38 pm
Guzzie it was three you forgot our dominant All-Pro, Pro Bowl, LG Ali Marpet.
March 22nd, 2023 at 10:20 pm
I guess I’m a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan now. We’re just glad to get the chance to see Baker play again, I’m sure he will play well enough to win the starting job. He just needs the team and fans to support him when he does. This is the best team he has ever gotten the chance to play for. This is going to be the funnest season ever. Go Bucs! Go Baker!