“Smart” Moves
April 5th, 2023
Praise from a peer.
Joe loves these nuggets that Mike Sando throws out.
The long-time and well-connected NFL columnist for The Athletic has a deep reservoir of NFL sources among coaches and suits. And Sando often writes stories using unnamed sources to critique other teams.
It gives Joe and all fans an interesting perceptive on the Bucs.
Sando’s latest is no different. He got NFL suits on the record to comment on each team’s moves during the free agency season. And it seems someone not working for the Bucs is impressed by how Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht maneuvered his way through a crushing salary cap and losing the greatest quarterback of all time.
Timing can be everything, and in the Buccaneers’ case, the timing is interesting. They’ve got a roster in need of a reset, millions in dead money counting against their salary cap and a second-year coach who might need to win sooner than later. And they play in an NFC South division that might be as wide open as any in the NFL.
“They could have been more aggressive in restarting it, but I thought the deals they did were all smart,” an exec said.
Bringing back Jamel Dean and Lavonte David were smart moves. So too was an inexpensive signing of defensive tackle Greg Gaines.
Also, Licht may have found his future quarterback. Sure, it’s way too premature to say that Baker Mayfield will re-sign with the Bucs win a competition with Kyle Trask. However, if Mayfield returns to the form of his early years with the Browns, the Bucs may very well have found their quarterback for, say, the next five years or so.
April 5th, 2023 at 4:30 am
Mayfield was mostly trash in his early years with the Browns. He had a season under 60% completion rate and tons of INTs.
YOU DO REALIZE BAKER MAYFIELD HAS AVERAGED LIKE 230 YARDS PASSING PER GAME FOR HIS BROWNS CAREER, RIGHT?
April 5th, 2023 at 5:01 am
If we go to the 50/50 offense that Bowles seems to prefer we (insert qb name here) probably won’t even have 200 yards per game
April 5th, 2023 at 5:02 am
Man let’s have a storm beer and you show me the mayfield tape that you watched! Look the browns were good that year because of defense and a running game! Show me the last good not great player that’s was on 4 teams in a calendar year! The NfFL doesn’t let great players hit the streets!
April 5th, 2023 at 9:29 am
Baker is as least as good as Brock Purdy! Rebuild the o-line to at least very good. Scheme the offense to his strengths. Get the run game to at least proficient, and if the defense can get off the field, all will be good! Easier said then done of course.
April 5th, 2023 at 9:39 am
Trash to the Dumpster — just STFU. Take a jar of bacon grease and your Trask pictures and lock yourself in a closet.
April 5th, 2023 at 9:56 am
Very smart moves this offseason! starting off the offseason 55mill plus over the cap, they e somehow found away to keep an competitive roster still intact all while making under the radar big signings…given another great draft this year Licht could be up for executive of the year again!
April 5th, 2023 at 10:14 am
You can 100% tell by the moves we’ve made that there’s a plan in place and ways to go about ensuring the plan is adhered to. 100% beats reading the doomsday prophecies of fellow Bucs fans that started after our season ended.
April 5th, 2023 at 10:32 am
with the Browns, Baker has had the luxury of two of the best RB’s in the league when healthy, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, also at one point he had WR’s OBJ and Jarvis Landry along with a solid TE in David Njoku. They also had a solid defense. The Browns just lacked real leadership and winning culture (plus the pressure of not making the playoffs for such a historical team). Baker can thrive hear with less pressure but also less of a running threat.
April 5th, 2023 at 10:50 am
Trask To The Future … Cleveland was a run first offense with Chubb.
April 5th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
It’s all in the atmosphere, Baker might break out in this new offensive system and bam, quarterback for the near future. We don’t know what we have until the first 200 snaps. Don’t be mistaken, we need a third and fourth quarterback. The third one preferably very competent.
April 5th, 2023 at 5:22 pm
Mayfield has all the physical tools and then some. Unfortunately, he lacks it between the ears but beggars can’t be choosers.
April 7th, 2023 at 2:07 pm
Here is SCOREBOARD on what Baker Mayfield accomplished at least ONE year in the NFL! The major variable of course is the team and competition…are the Bucs as good as the 2020 Browns? Do the Bucs face similar competition. Those are indeed some variables someone could consider but the numbers are the numbers!
Overal Record 11-5-0 Completed 305 of 486 attempts 62.8% 3563 yards 26 TD’s 8 Ints 1.6 Int % 75 yard longest 222.7 yards per game Sacked 26
In the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield went 21 of 34 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns during the 48–37 win, leading the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season, and the Browns’ first playoff road victory since the 1969 season.
Bottom line – Mayfield has had a checkered career so far with injuries and even a bout with Covid. No matter what can be said about him however in 2020…just THREE years ago…Mayfield was VERY SUCCESSFUL taking a totally horshspit franchise to the playoffs and a first round win over bitter rivals.
The equivalent performance for the Bucs in 2023 would be like winning 11 games and then going to New Orleans and punking the Saints in the first round of the playoffs. Would that be a satisfying enough accomplishment for Mayfield?
Am I saying he’ll do it…nah to many variables to say how he’ll do but his OWN record proves at least he CAN DO IT!
April 7th, 2023 at 2:16 pm
BTW Somebody made a very valid point about the slew of great Brown’s draft choices…high pics with talent and a brief period of great defense. But let’s be truly honest. Like the Bucs of Old the Browns of the Mayfield era sucked big time with awful…just AWFUL coaching!
But don’t just go by my opinion. Let’s just look at the numbers again. You ARE what your record says you are!
2022 7-10-0 4th — AFC North
2021 8-9-0 3rd — AFC North
2020 11-5-0 3rd — AFC North (ONLY WINNING SEASON IN THE 4 years!) ( Hard to believe given the other three season LOSING records Mayfield gets zero credit for talent or leadership of a losing culture!
2019 6-10-0 3rd — AFC North