Protection Is The Key For Baker Mayfield?
September 18th, 2023
Dangerous with time — and without it.
Joe’s old man used to say NFL starting quarterbacks are the [32] very best at their position. But not all have a key luxury.
Give any NFL starting quarterback time and he’s likely to burn a defense. Again, to quote Joe’s old man, it’s hard for a quarterback to throw after someone plants his arse in the turf.
That’s a secret to Baker Mayfield’s success suggests Ken Patra of NFL.com. Patra noted that so long as Mayfield doesn’t get his body jostled, mocked and robbed by a pass rush, he can play like he was a No. 1 overall draft pick.
Sunday was a reminder that with weapons at his disposal in Tampa Bay, Mayfield can still make plays when his head isn’t scrambled by pressure.
But Patra seems to be all wrong. Per NFL NextGen Stats, Mayfield was 14-of-17 for 223 yards and a touchdown when pressured yesterday.
Joe knows fans love few things more than to stomp their feet and howl at the moon how the Bucs’ offensive line is the worst thing mankind has ever invented. That’s simply not so.
The Bucs’ front line has given up one sack through two games. Damn good.
Mayfield has been elusive dodging would-be sacks this season. But he’s also demonstrated that he’s quite good when he gets time to throw.
September 18th, 2023 at 8:05 am
Oline is miles ahead of where I thought they’d be at week 2. They have looked very solid in both run and pass, and most importantly, are playing cohesively. Right now, I just want to see them clean up these penalties. The score would have been a bit more lopsided and the redzone efficiency better if we weren’t going backwards with something like 5 or 6 o-line penalties, all on promising drives.
September 18th, 2023 at 8:05 am
It’s only the first two games and people are saying Super Bowl? I like what I see, but let’s see what they do against Philly
September 18th, 2023 at 8:10 am
The Oline is doing well for the exception of penalties……holding & false starts yesterday cost us some points.
Like what I’m seeing from the left side……
September 18th, 2023 at 8:16 am
No 1 is saying superbowl
September 18th, 2023 at 8:20 am
One can dream
September 18th, 2023 at 8:24 am
i wonder if peter shraeger is feelin’ the bucs…
i’ll turn on good morning foozball
September 18th, 2023 at 8:27 am
The o line looks promising.
September 18th, 2023 at 8:34 am
Thank God for Baker Mayfield and his mobility and cool head along with a great match in the OC and perfect match!
The last two Buc QB’s would be eating dirt Brady and throwing up highlight reel picks .
MNF will tell the tale
September 18th, 2023 at 8:37 am
I was kinda pushing for Trask but as soon as Mayfield was announced at QB, he became our QB. And should be backed as such. Go Bucs!
September 18th, 2023 at 8:44 am
Do you know what I love about the offensive line play this season? I haven’t once heard, “Holding. Number 76. Ten yard penalty. Repeat first down.”
September 18th, 2023 at 8:46 am
Miricle Bucs
September 18th, 2023 at 8:47 am
So far so good. Big test of this team coming on MNF! We’ll see how they look against the Eagles
September 18th, 2023 at 8:55 am
O line is not good at run blocking but pass blocking is their strength and it helps Baker can avoid hits and sacks. He’s not Vick level of mobile but he’s mobile enough to annoy defenses.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:00 am
It’s true. I was at the game yesterday and said repeatedly to my friends that Brady would have been sacked during such and such play. He probably would have been sacked four times yesterday based on the pressure they put on Baker. The second Brady saw a defender in his face he would roll up into a fetal position. I get it, self-preservation, especially at his age. But it’s nice to see some escapability now.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:09 am
Baker has really impressed me so far this year. No so much because he’s playing lights-out, but because he’s making good decisions, protecting the ball well, and giving others a chance to make big plays. Can’t ask for more than that from a QB IMO.
Also very impressed with Dave Canales after yesterday’s game. He did a masterful job with his play-calling in keeping Chicago’s defense off-balance. Particularly liked that the running game improved significantly I thought, and that receivers were actually getting pretty wide open on the majority of the routes.
Still I keep telling myself that we started off last season 2-0 also, but then went into a tailspin after the injury bug hit. Personally I like our overall more balanced attack philosophy, but thankfully we’ve kept games close through the 1st half, pulled ahead in the 3rd qtr & managed to stay ahead thanks to a solid defense. Not a very big margin for error with that approach, and hopefully both our offense & defense continue to improve so we can gain a little more ‘flexibility’. Monday night’s game against the Eagles should be a good test.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:10 am
Yeah for the same reason Joe hollers that there’s no rule stating a RB can’t break tackles, there’s no rule stating QBs can’t scramble to save a play. Baker looks like Cam Newton in his prime compared to Brady last year.
Can’t wait to see how the Oline performs in a couple weeks with more chemistry and experience. Matt Feiler is also looking like another Licht hit.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:13 am
It really is a combination of factors. For starters, the play-calling appears better. Couple that with the play of the OL and Baker’s mobility, this offense looked pretty good.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:27 am
Someone commented that they were happy not to hear penalty #76. But #67 may be the new #76
September 18th, 2023 at 9:45 am
Baker is playing much better than I thought he would. There is still a ton of work to be done to be competitive as a playoff team. They need to finish in the red zone, work on run blocking, and as efficiently as he played Baker did not see two wide open receivers on doubles moves ( Trey Palmer/ Chris Godwin) in the second half that would have put the bears away. Keep growing.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:52 am
What jumped out me as I watched in a “Big Storm” beer haze kinda way…Baker’s arm strength and decision making are pretty extraordinary.
September 18th, 2023 at 9:57 am
Protection always looks better when you have a QB who can move. Bake knows how to shake, and Canales’ offense takes advantage his mobility.
Baker + Canales (2023) > Brady + Lefty (2022)
And it’s not even close.
September 18th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Most impressive Mayfield stat for me is 0 INTs
September 18th, 2023 at 10:17 am
We better hope Carlton is back for Monday nights game… Dean looked slow and shaky back there yesterday!!! Go Bucs
September 18th, 2023 at 10:24 am
The O-line did a creditable job, and that gave Baker enough time to pick up the direction the play would end up going.
The big thing is that he has matured and the system isn’t asking too much of him. He threw the ball away a few time where he would have tried to force it in the past.
That maturity impresses me, at the moment.
September 18th, 2023 at 10:29 am
Why is there a giant pink butt plug on the ads on this page?
Joe what is going on?
September 18th, 2023 at 10:35 am
@ Mike: Because it’s on sale..duh! Hahahaha!
September 18th, 2023 at 10:36 am
Bucsfanman
“It really is a combination of factors.”
How refreshing! Somebody who doesn’t need a simple single explanation.
Two things can be true at the same time or in this case 3 things.
I agree the credit should be shared primarily by the OL, Baker, and Canalas.
I would add Bowles as an accessory for allowing them the freedom to grow. If it’s true as reported that the Defense was told to expect to need to carry the team until the OL, Baker, and Canalas…ALL brand new…had some time to develop.
Before the season I wrote plenty of posts about why and how the Bucs OL should actually be good by the time the bye rolls around. That’s two more games to sweat out.
I had faith in Baker, I realized why he had his problems, injuries and cockiness and playing in BAD teams under a new OC every season. This year Baker has shown he has matured…still trash talking but walking away instead of publicly grabbing his crotch as he did to the Kansas bench while at OK, got a game suspension for that. His injured left arm doesn’t seem to be hampering his performance and he’s finally found an OC who gets him and knows how to use him.
Only TWO games but a lot to get excited about looking forward. This is not a mature, seasoned team with the chemisty of playing together for several years.
It’s a great blend of those seasoned veterans and HUNGRY unintimidated kids and as Timbuk 3 sang in the ’80’s…”The Future’s So Bright I gotta wear shades”
September 18th, 2023 at 10:40 am
@Mike Im not sure if still true but I remember Joe commenting in the past that he doesn’t have anything to do with most of the ads on side bars… it’s based on the online activity of the user….
September 18th, 2023 at 10:41 am
A Bucs Fan
Baker did not see two wide open receivers on doubles moves ( Trey Palmer/ Chris Godwin) in the second half that would have put the bears away. Keep growing.
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He also missed a wide open Mike Evans. If that pass was made, it would have put Evans over 200 with 2 TD’s
Mike S Says:
September 18th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Most impressive Mayfield stat for me is 0 INTs
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Careful what you say!
Mayfield nearly threw a pick in the first drive yesterday, luckily dropped.
September 18th, 2023 at 10:46 am
All of the sportswriters have to throw in a dig or backhanded comment about Baker. They can’t help themselves. It is vaguely political somehow.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:02 am
O line is not very good. Look at Dallas’s O line , no comparison. Wirfs had a mediocre game and he isn’t as good as Donnie at this point. Goedeke is a penalty machine. Mauc doesn’t look that dominating. Mayfield was pressured 17 times yesterday, but can scramble, has a fast release, and can get rid of the ball while escaping, hence no sacks. Hopefully the OLine gels against Philly and the Saints. Still lots of work to do.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:04 am
A Bucs Fan I can assure I have not been browsing anything related – no pr0n whatsoever. TEMU ad from google ad sense showing women’s clothing – but also showing this ahem “massager” with a suction cup base. Not blaming Joe here, but really? Google thinks this is mainstream? What woman would actually sit on that thing? They’re sure to blow out their o-ring. Yikes. Its degeneracy.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:08 am
Buc4evr not sure the offensive sky is falling. They’re staying away from penalties compared to the DSmith holding machine. Yeah maybe the weakest unit on the squad – but Bucs are 2-0. Lets not nitpick.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:08 am
According to NFL dot com:
“The Bears’ defense generated 17 team pressures on Baker Mayfield (50% pressure rate), but did not record a sack, tied for the sixth-most pressures without a sack since the start of last season.”
Baker just had a cool head in the pressure. Is it Canales? Is it a new Baker Mayfield? Is it luck?
Time will tell.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:10 am
A wise old football coach used to preach to us: “Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.”
Truthiness.
I like where this team is today, and I am pleased with how Mayfield has played and, more importantly, has led.
But we’ve been here before. With Fitzmagic. Those were truly heady times, and There Was Joy Throughout The Land.
And all came crashing down bigly. We traded multiple oskies with Fitz, for multiple oskies with ATM, and there was no joy in Mudville ever more.
I’d like a larger body of work, especially against top-tier opponents, before passing a more hardened judgment.
We will have it Monday night.
But it has been a fun start to the season. And I am surprised how well this coaching staff has prepared the team, including Bowles.
I love being wrong with a negative opinion, but there is still a lot of football to be played.
One. Game. At. A. Time.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:41 am
Sign Baker to a 6 year, $200 million extension. ($33.5 million per year)
To it now before he is worth $40-$50 million per year.
Just sayin’…. come on Jason Licht!
September 18th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Baker is Balling regardless of what the commenters are saying but the real test will come this week for the ones up front #gobucs
September 18th, 2023 at 2:33 pm
Baker is ballin regardless of what the commenters are saying and the real test will come this week for the 5 up front
September 18th, 2023 at 3:56 pm
Eagles 31 Bucs 17. Bucs O and D lines are finally exposed. Minnesota and Chicago were the perfect matchups for the Bucs. Both have weak lines on both sides of the ball.
September 18th, 2023 at 4:26 pm
With the way Baker is playing Canales is as good as gone next year.
September 18th, 2023 at 7:01 pm
So…..was it a planned QB draw by BM inside their 10, or a botched play? If it was called…..why???
September 18th, 2023 at 8:00 pm
Bakers head wasnt scrambled by pressure…it was scrambled by a revolving door of incompetent coaches/coordinators coupled with sub par o line and weapons. Give him Two stud WRs and a decent online to execute a plan not devised by freddy f’n kitchens and company….and u get what u see now
September 19th, 2023 at 4:41 am
I saw more pressure on Baker than I would have liked, but 17 pressures?
I don’t know what the stat geeks are calling pressure these days, but I am sure a few of those were not what I would define as pressure.
Go Bucs!