Skip Bayless On Baker Mayfield: “Hate Is So Thick And Toxic”
March 27th, 2023
Defends Baker Mayfield.
Skip Bayless actually feels sorry for Baker Mayfield.
The provocateur of FOX Sports, seen on the signature hollering show “Undisputed,” weekday mornings on FS1, came to Mayfield’s defense. Bayless has no idea why folks so despise Mayfield, but he thinks Mayfield’s personality rubs folks the wrong way.
And Bayless said in the FOXSports.com video that if Mayfield didn’t have that spoiled brat attitude, he never would have started at Oklahoma, much less been the top pick in the 2018 draft.
“He’s the NFL’s version of a wrestling villain,” Bayless said of Mayfield. “I get it. He can be smarmy, cocky, a showoff-ey.
“Baker Mayfield has done so much more than one fourth-quarter drive last year with the Rams. The Baker-hate is so thick out there right now. It’s so toxic. It’s unfairly obliterating all that he has accomplished.
“He has accomplished a whole lot. It just drives me nuts. … He had to be cocky because he wasn’t always the biggest kid or the most gifted quarterback. He had to play with a chip on his shoulder pads. He had to trash talk and bloat and grandstand. That propelled him. … He couldn’t just be humble and quiet.”
Bayless doesn’t want to see a contrite Mayfield because he thinks a mellow Mayfield means he is toast as an effective signal-caller in the NFL. Mayfield’s press conference last week as the new Bucs quarterback came off too humble for Bayless.
“I like his chances in Tampa,” Bayless said. “But maybe, I’m the last man on Earth who still believes in Baker Mayfield.”
If Mayfield can produce, that ‘tude he has will get teammates to eat out of his hand. Joe thinks the way Mayfield busts his tail, him having a little success will put Bucs fans firmly on board.
That is, if he can beat out Kyle Trask.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:13 am
Skip Brainless.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:18 am
Hes not Ric Flair but if his edge can be translated onto the field in wins, they’ll all accept him in whatever manner he needs to win. No eating out of hands required.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:19 am
WOOOOOHHH!!
March 27th, 2023 at 7:19 am
Never cared for pouty face Mayfield and never will, worse fee agent signing in the nfl.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:26 am
I can put up with most attitudes….as long as they win. Let’s see what he puts on the field for our Bucs.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:37 am
He’s a fake phony. Yes, talking about…Skip Baykerliss Mayfield.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:40 am
No surprise there, Skip has always shown support for all OK Sooner players bottom line is Baker Mayfield is not that good and to hype him up as if he didn’t underperformed with a loaded team and destroy the team all together to later been shipped around the league like a good 3rd string QB would. He played one good half of football for LAR, maybe it was cause the opposing DC didn’t think he was going to play IDK, but y’all out here acting as if in QB limbo LAR were trying to keep him because his “great play”, please!
Baker is what he is, a 3rd round talent getting drafted 1st overall for no good reason, lsimilar to Tebow getting drafted in the 1st.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:44 am
I don’t hate him.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:54 am
The only unconditional hate he’s receiving around here is from the shameless Trask/Gator fan club.
He’s a low risk, high reward signing. A veteran with starting experience who has been successful in the past. Going into the season throwing all the support behind Kyle Trask would have been foolish.
March 27th, 2023 at 7:57 am
K_bassuka – your comment is nonsense.
Mayfield improved each of his first three seasons with the Browns, got them to the playoffs for the first time in forever (30 years), won that playoff game. Then in his fourth season he suffered a terrible shoulder injury, but was forced by the stupid Browns to play through it instead of putting him on IR and getting surgery mid-season. Then the idiot Browns cut him.
Mayfield’s stats and performance was virtually the same as Tom Brady’s stats during TB-12s first three seasons … better, in fact (higher passer rating). But Brady took over a Super Bowl ready team, and Mayfield took over a basket case of a long time horrible team, and made them respectable.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:02 am
I am with you Skip! As a former Browns fan for over 50 years, I believe the Browns giving up Baker was a HUGE mistake. I also believe they spun false locker room stories and were too inept to make his passion work for them. I am no longer a Browns fan since the signing of the QB who remains nameless to me. I was ashamed of the Browns organization for the message they sent so I was a woman without a team. But now I will cheer on the Bucs and my fav Baker this upcoming season. I love his fire and passion for the game, his intelligence and leadership skills.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:09 am
Loothey Goothey Freaky Deeky, LFG BAKER
March 27th, 2023 at 8:12 am
Welcome aboard Sarah , that teams loss is our gain! And you have to be better than the Patriots transplants we have had around here for the past 3 years.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:36 am
Duane Says:
“Mayfield’s stats and performance was virtually the same as Tom Brady’s stats during TB-12s first three seasons …”
People on this site always make these generational comparisons but statistically and through what the NFL rules committee allows there are differences.
I believe there are comparable differences when looking at 2001 to 2003 and comparing stats from 2018 to 2020.
Football has become a league that is easier and easier to pass in each decade.
You are almost two decades different in comparison.
Between 2001 to 2003:
The most passing TDs any of those years were 36. There have been 32 instances since that time where a player has thrown more than 36 TDs.
Between 2001 to 2003:
The highest passer rating any year was 104. There have been 53 instances of quarterbacks with higher passer ratings since then.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:39 am
Scott Steiner has a 141 & 2/3% chance of winning the starting QB job… at sacrifice.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:39 am
Welcome Sarah, Joe Bucs fan is the most informative Buccaneers website there is for our fans and comes from two regular guy’s who love our Bucs plus Ira Kaufman Tampa Bay’s only pro football hall of fame voter. You should love it here
March 27th, 2023 at 8:40 am
I don’t know what to expect from Baker. I’m willing to give him a chance. If Trask beats him so be it. If not I’d love to see Mayfield win the South for us.
Sarah, I thought trading for Watson was about the stupidest thing the Browns ever did.
March 27th, 2023 at 8:59 am
Sarah
Mayfield does have a lower career passer rating than the much maligned Jameis Winston , but I look forward to a FAIR competition for the starting QB spot , and I believe drafting Stetson Bennet in 4th or 5th round would add depth and quality at the QB position. Welcome aboard this big pirate ship Sarah.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:01 am
We might not win a lot of games but we’ll have some fun sound bites.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:13 am
Can we stop throwing in the can he beat out kyle traskk for the starting job line? Trashk will be lucky if he makes the team.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:20 am
Welcome Sarah.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:22 am
Skip Bayless had to turn himself into caricature of a sports writer to stay relevant while print died, and to keep his place on our tv screens he just turns the cartoonish rhetoric up. The Spongebob of sports tv, if you will.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:27 am
Win and nobody cares about the bravado….lose and every mistake gets scrutinized. If Winston could have managed games well enough to make playoff appearances, his finger licking pregame speeches would get shrugged off as competitiveness but you lose and now you come off as a buffoon. Every guy on almost every roster was the best of the best from somewhere….they all have egos. If youre producing wins, if you’re getting the necessary results of your position, nobody cares. But if you’re the problem or underperforming, those guys aren’t listening to it. All that “rah rah” talk that worked in college with 18-22 yr olds is laughed at in the NFL. Antonio Brown had to be the biggest pain in the a$$ personality on the team but he provided an elite level of production….so we tolerated him.
March 27th, 2023 at 9:44 am
How can regular and normal people watch this Joker…..How can this guy even have a TV show……
Joe, pelase this Skip Bayless guy is bad taste…..
March 27th, 2023 at 9:59 am
Some folks aren’t too bright…
Given the circumstances and salary cap REALITY (a word some of you have trouble with) – Baker Mayfield was the best available option.
Jacoby Brissett was probably the 2nd best option.
The Bucs were never in a position to chase after Lamar Jackson, A Rodgers or even D. Carr. The people who kept pushing these stories really don’t know how to do basic math or were just completely ignorant or were just trying to throw out “click-bait”.
March 27th, 2023 at 10:00 am
oh christ – here we go with modereration bull spit again…
March 27th, 2023 at 10:18 am
This is from Fox? the paramount of hate and bigotry. Go figure.
March 27th, 2023 at 10:28 am
Thanks everyone! Glad to be here! Go Bucs!
March 27th, 2023 at 10:47 am
Agree with Skip as did I when he defended and supported Tom Brady when he was here.
Baker so far has not lost a game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
He is not that far removed from a season where they nearly got to the super bowl.
He is young, more mobile than Brady, has a very good armand has a chip on his shoulder and leaves it all out on the field.
He was the perfect signing by this organization. If he thrives then we can give him a long term deal and we can be set at the position for a long time. If he fails, he was signed for backup money off he doesn’t hit his incentives and we will likely be a bottom tier team with a chance at atop prospect at qb in next years draft.
I just don’t understand some supposed fans on this site who basically only complain about every move the organization makes that they don’t agree with. Last I check this same people are not employees anywhere as a coach or GM of an NFL team. So quit acting like you know better!
Baker you are now a Buc. Welcome to the team I will root for you and hope you can show case your potential!
March 27th, 2023 at 11:02 am
I’VE NEVER SAID OR THOUGHT …
“I wonder what Skip Bayless thinks?”
March 27th, 2023 at 11:05 am
Right. Meanwhile the slimy Saints, who were in salary cap hell like the Bucs, went out and got a proven veteran quarterback.
Hell yes the Bucs could/can get Lamar Jackson. Teams are allowed to backload contracts.
Joe’s lone issue with Jackson is injuries.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:13 am
If Kyle Trask gets a fair chance, look out NFL! It’s too bad they’ve chained his feet together with one hand tied behind his back while keeping him locked in One Buc Place during practice these past two years. I mean, it’s known that the Bucs would rather punish themselves and Trask fans rather than giving themselves the best chance to win.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:23 am
Skip has a problem. He speaks.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:24 am
“He’s the NFL’s version of a wrestling villain,”
———–
I wish this was true since I love heels!
But he’s not a heel, he’s an undersized journeyman jobber who is pretty boring to watch.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:25 am
Stopped watching Bayless and Sharpe couple years ago when I found out it was the Los Angeles show. They devoted to much airtime to the Lakers and Cowboys. I betcha they probably still do.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:45 am
Geno711 – your “generational” argument is nonsense. For example, last season Tom Brady had a passer rating of just 90.7, several points LESS than Baker Mayfields second and third season with the Browns half a generation ago.
Also, Brady did not slowly ramp up his passer rating – it remained stuck in the 80s and low 90s through his first 7 seasons, including a mere 87.9 the year before he zoomed up to 117, then the following season zoomed back down again even more to 83.9. The variance year to year for Brady is far greater than the margin between early Brady and early Mayfield.
Remember – Brady played on great teams that had been winning seasons and playoff games and a Super Bowl for many years, while Mayfield took over on literally the worst franchise in NFL history – the Cleveland Browns. The name Cleveland Browns became a humongous joke, like the early years of the New York Mets. And Mayfield turned it around.
Brady just went along for the ride in New England, and was mostly a “game manager” rather than a hot shot passer for most of his career. And he certainly could not scramble at all.
March 27th, 2023 at 11:55 am
@ Joe
“Meanwhile the slimy Saints, who were in salary cap hell like the Bucs, went out and got a proven veteran quarterback.”
The Saints had 12-14 different contracts they were able to restructure in order to gain cap space.
The Bucs had to pay Brady and other ex-Buc players over $75M in dead cap and once they cut D. Smith they only had 5-6 contracts to restructure.
The only cap saving moves the Bucs currently have left is restructuring S. Barrett and Mike Evans – or they could trade D. White or extend him.
I doubt the Bucs will want to restructure S. Barrett given the nature of his injury and age.
Extending Evans will free up @ $8-$9M… Same with D. White’s contract.
We had 23 free agents then cut 5 players then added 11 players via free agency.
Therefore we currently have 17 open roster holes with 6-7 draft picks who will probably make the roster that makes a total of 10 or so open roster holes yet to fill with very limited salary cap money to do so.
Baker Mayfield was the best QB the Bucs could afford in 2023…
Basic math bro.
March 27th, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Duane – OMG, someone still saying Brady was a system QB? I didn’t even know these people still existed. LOL!
Also, are you joking with quoting the old, outdated, nonsense QBr? What year is this, 1988? No one uses that number anymore. That method way overvalues completion percentage, meaning every weak armed or cowarderly d-bag QB in the world runs up their QBr with a bunch of 3 yard passes on 3rd and 17 (ie, Derek Carr).
So use QBR, for one, it at least adjusts for things like down and distance, doesn’t count a key 2nd and goal INT in the red zone the same as a half-time hail mary.
Also use your eyes and actually go watch Mayfield’s tape over the last three years, like I have, and you’ll see a QB who isn’t very good. Then watch Brady’s tape for the last three seasons, and then get back to me.
March 27th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
@ Joe
One thing I didn’t mention – the Saints only have $22.8M of dead cap space compared to the Bucs @ $75M…
That’s over $52M dollar difference.
Again – basic math.
March 27th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
Duane just showed that he has the IQ of a demented rabbit. Apologies to demented rabbits,
March 27th, 2023 at 1:33 pm
7 COACHES IN 5YRS, Went to a 4-48 team IN 13 games 13 not 16 broke payton mannings Td record won 7 games in his career his best reciever was jarvis laundry.Im three seasons he went from 1-16 to 11-5 and a no call helmet to helmet hit away from the AFC championship game,Never has had a coach EVER!!! It makes me sick how he gets trashed and hated all because of comercials and playing hurt,if he had went to a team like Allen and lamar went to that actually built around him he would be among the so called top Qbs thw man gets hated when if you look at the facts name me any qb that could have 7 coaches and 6 different systems to start there career????ILL WAIT ,THATS THE POINT FOR WHAT HE HAS HAD TO ENDORE CAN THE GUY GET SOME CREDIT AND FOE GOD SAKE PLEASE LET THIS BE TJE TEAM THAT STAMDS BY HIM HE DESERVES SO MUCH MORE CREDIT.THAMKS TAMPA FOR GETTIMG HIM AMD AS A NEW BUCS FAN GET YOUR POPCORN READY!!! GO BAAAAKER,GO BUCS
March 27th, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Are you effin people Bucs fans or what ? Let the man at least throw a pass in OTAs before you send him to Bucs hell. He’s got a ton of arm talent, and he’s never thrown to WR like he will have here in TB
March 27th, 2023 at 2:53 pm
keith he leads all QBs in INTs since 2018
No thanks.
March 27th, 2023 at 2:57 pm
Smooth Bay Rider Says:
March 27th, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Are you effin people Bucs fans or what ? Let the man at least throw a pass in OTAs before you send him to Bucs hell. He’s got a ton of arm talent, and he’s never thrown to WR like he will have here in TB
——–
He did have OBJ in Cleveland. While he’s absolutely overrated, that doesn’t mean he’s not a very good WR. Yes, the Bucs WRs are better, but even when Mayfield had OBJ, he didn’t use him.
March 27th, 2023 at 4:51 pm
This whole Baker attitude thing is super overblown at this point.
March 27th, 2023 at 6:52 pm
@Duane only one of two things are certain if you truly believe that, either you are delusional or related to Barker.
March 28th, 2023 at 8:36 am
I like Skippy! 😉 Glad to have a new Bucs fan on board!
March 28th, 2023 at 6:05 pm
Had to join the conversation here after Sarah’s post. She’s certainly not alone. I echo her post entirely as a same former loyal (had to be, right?) Brown’s fan for 54 years prior to 02/2022. Baker brought success back to Cleveland. Then they repaid him in the most disgusting way conceivable.
Many Bucs fans (but not us newbie ex-pats) are going to be pleasantly surprised when they see this kid in action for their team.
My take: This is an absolute win-win for both Bucs and Baker. The Bucs are a quality outfit with a new OC that will work to tailor an offense that leverages Baker’s strengths. That’s what the kid needs to light it up in Tampa! I’m excited to join the Tampa Bay fan ranks! Go Bucs!!!
Together with Sarah, I’d love to know how many former Browns fans have found a new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!