Baker Mayfield Explains Key To Success
October 8th, 2023
Hat tip to Bucs defense.
Baker Mayfield is having a career resurgence.
The way he has been playing through four games in his first season in Tampa Bay, Mayfield is beginning to look like the No. 1 overall draft pick he was in 2018.
On Friday, Mayfield was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show and was asked why he’s playing so well. Mayfield basically said if you survive a training camp facing a Todd Bowles defense, you should be ready to rock when the season starts.
“I keep crediting the defense,” Mayfield said. “Practicing against them in training camp, Todd is bringing a ton of different blitz looks.
“It was training for me. Not just learning the offense but where were my answers throughout [the hailstorm of blitzes and exotic looks]. It was kind of thrown to the fire in training camp.”
Not only does Joe think that is pretty cool to learn, it makes sense. If you can handle a Bowles defense day after day after day for three or four weeks, you should be OK when real games roll around.
Guess the football cliché “iron sharpens iron” is a real thing with Mayfield and the Bucs defense.
October 8th, 2023 at 8:09 am
My one hang up here is he got too involved in the media early in Cleveland. I see he’s starting to do more interviews and media with his most recent success in Tampa… let’s hope he stays the path of remaining 100% focused on Bucs football and not his own brand.
October 8th, 2023 at 8:16 am
I’m sure the last year or 2 has given him some much needed humbling
October 8th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Success? The Bucs have won THREE games and got dismantled by the Eagles. Pump the brakes on all this greatness. Much more to prove against quality opponents. A Wild Card round loser (even as a division winner) is not good enough.
October 8th, 2023 at 8:56 am
A Bucs Fan
I understand your concern. Reports surfaced that some of his teammates in Cleveland envied his instant fame which he converted to that series of commercials. Perhaps they envied the additional $$ they did not get. Perhaps they were fired up by the locker room cancer OBJ. Perhaps he was still truly immature.
I guess if his success continues we’ll find out. But as Baker himself has pointed out the Bucs management and team are about winning not the BS that happened in Cleveland.
One thing is for sure. The Bucs are truly blessed to have two of the very best WR’s in the entire league on the field and no comparison off the field. ME13 and CG are the polar opposite of divas like OBJ or AB or the jerk in Philly AJ Brown.
With 5:11 remaining in the game and the Eagles leading 31-7, television cameras showed coach Nick Sirianni talking to Brown on the bench. Sirianni indicated afterward that Brown, who had three catches for 22 yards on six targets against New York, was frustrated over a lack of touches.
Meshawn Johnson famously wrote..”Get me the damn ball” but he did it at least in the belief it would help his team win. How can a guy gripe in a freaking 31-7 rout?
Baker won’t have to put up with that kind of crap on the Bucs and not only ME13 and CG but the influence they have on Palmer and Devin Thompkins.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Here is a post or question for the other old dudes here…Citrus and D.R. I’m talking to you! LMAO
I think comparing one athlete to another is sometimes tasteless and a disservice to both athletes but sometimes it does create a decent illustration.\
So who remember Fran Tarkenton? Who actually got to watch him play in real time? D.R. and Citrus you guys are old enough.
That’s who Baker is starting to remind me…he’s an inch taller and 15 lbs heavier but that’s a bit of a wash considering Baker plays against much larger defenders than Tarkenton. But Fran had the same magic pocket awareness and ability to scramble although he wasn’t a true RPO kind of guy when plays broke down, just like Baker he could really scramble and wing it on the run.
How about it old dudes. See any similarities?
October 8th, 2023 at 9:02 am
“T. McGee Says:
October 8th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Success? The Bucs have won THREE games and got dismantled by the Eagles. Pump the brakes on all this greatness. Much more to prove against quality opponents. A Wild Card round loser (even as a division winner) is not good enough.”
Winning the division and losing to the Wild Card team is a LOT further than the wizards of smart were expecting us to go. Owing to all the cap cap money we’re getting rid of this year, winning 10 or so games IS the Super Bowl for us
October 8th, 2023 at 9:06 am
OK do to the LIONS what they did to the Stanks.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:06 am
“So who remember Fran Tarkenton? Who actually got to watch him play in real time? D.R. and Citrus you guys are old enough.”
I started watching in ’71 or so, remember him, Stu Voight, Chuck Foreman, those great defenses
October 8th, 2023 at 9:27 am
Of course, I recall Tarkenton. He played for the Vikings when they played home games in blizzards. I’ve compared BM to Sonny Jurgensen. You old fogies 🙂 remember him?
October 8th, 2023 at 9:28 am
Beej
It’s premature but doesn’t Baker’s style remind you of Tarkenton?
And you just elucidated another opinion that makes total sense.
The Vikings had a GREAT Defense!! 2 HOFers and 17 Pro Bowl selections for Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Jim Marshall!!! What a freaking DL those guys made.
Like the Rams “Fearsome Foursome”
“The Purple People Eaters”. Again for old farts will remember the “hit” song by Sheb Wooley “The Purple People Eater” which inspired that nickname came out in ’58.
I love nicknames. What about the Bucs D? Any ideas…I went to today’s hit songs and Doja Cat has “Paint the town red” which makes a great sign for RayJay but not a great name for the D.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:29 am
T. McGee this team just had the greatest player of all time retire, we’re in salary cap hell and had to use late round draft picks and undrafted free agents to fill out the roster. Most analysts were predicting the Bucs would be lucky to win more than a few games. They also predicted that Baker Mayfield would be horrendous and many of us fans were concerned at the very least. If they win the division and get bounced in the playoffs I would definitely consider that a great success.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:38 am
Great answer. Baker has actually learned things now in his 6th season. Your greatest assets are your brain and your arm. Sure run when they give it to you but get out of bounds or go down after the easy yards are taken. Quick thinking, accuracy, and a cannon arm are your gifts. Don,t try to be a halfback also.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:45 am
C’mon…
It’s been FOUR games!
Talk to me after like 12.
I am happy with Stiff-Arm’s play so far, outside a bonehead int vs. the Aint’s. But the non-casual jury is still out.
Let me see how Canales/Stiff-Arm perform when DC’s game plan for what they have done so far.
That said, I do give Licht kudos for coming up with a so-far viable solution for when The GOAT is gone and the team is deep in 8th Circle of the NFL’s version of Dante’s Hell.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:46 am
They will be rested and recovered from muscle strains by Detroit. In Orange. Ready to show Philly was an anomaly. The coaches will have had time to assess what worked in 3-1 and what didn’t and to have studied Detroit.
This will be a moment to show they are a Top 10 team.
It’s on everyone but especially Bowles. Have them ready.
October 8th, 2023 at 9:52 am
Baker Mayfield is having a career resurgence so far this season. Actually, it began with his 5 game stint with the Rams as a replacement for their injured starter. He’s doing well.
He is NOT lighting up the scoreboard or the stat sheet, however. The Bucs offense is only 20th ranked in points scored (incluidng one pick six) and Mayfield is only the 18th ranked passer in yards. The Bucs pass on only slightly less than 52% of the snaps, being a near perfectly balanced offense.
The main reasons why the Bucs are in first place in the NFC South is not Baker Mayfield. It is the defense (ranked 7th in points allowed, and with a takeaway ratio of 10 to 3), and the offense not turning the ball over to the other team. Baker is on a short leash, he won’t be putting it up 40+ times a game. He is doing what his coaches want and need him to do, which is to not lose games.
This is fine – there is no problem with this. But some overenthusiastic Bucs writers and fans are already claiming he is Pro Bowl caliber – he’s not. There are many way better quarterbacks who are asked to do more, and they do it very well.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:04 am
Fran the Man was a lot quicker and slipperier than Baker. But Baker is thicker, that shovel pass TD wouldn’t have happened with Tarkenton he couldn’t have got out of that “big ugly’s” grasp. Similar types of pocket movement though
October 8th, 2023 at 10:04 am
Duane nobody is claiming he is a pro bowler. He is playing a like a quality NFL QB though. He also is playing better than just a game manager as you are suggesting.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:11 am
LOL, was awesome watching those big lumbering slobs of the 70’s chase Tarkenton around the backfield.
Of course, NOWadays those big lumbering slobs run 4.6 40’s
October 8th, 2023 at 10:13 am
Tarkington played in a different era for a different coach. When the season was over Bud Grant went fishing and hunting. Football was his part time job, and his focus for just a few months out of the year. Now it’s a full time job. I haven’t watched Baker enough to say a comparison with Tarkington is accurate, but we should be so lucky.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:15 am
Trying to grab Fran was like trying to grab smoke, it looked like it was right there and then it was gone. Tough to lose 3 Super Bowls , but none of those games were particularly close. For many years Fran owned the record for being the only QB to throw for 4 TD’s in his first NFL start , until 2015 when Marcus Mariota tied it against………..wait for it………..Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:50 am
Duane: You and others make it seem like Baker never played really well in his career. Get real. In 2018 he broke the rookie record for TDs with 27 and he did it in 13 games! 2020, 11-5 with playoff win and he should have been a pro bowler that year. So, been there, done that.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:56 am
Some are saying it’s only bin 4 games. Come on y’all that’s a whole month of playing. I don’t see BM6 changing his play. Why would he ? He’s not trying to be Superman , he’s playing with in the system and is taking what the defense gives him. 1 really bad Winston int thru 4 games is showing he’s matured from years past. At least I hope this is the BM6 we get all year.
October 8th, 2023 at 11:02 am
So many experts everywhere nowadays
October 8th, 2023 at 11:07 am
@1#bucsfan: More evidence casuals don’t realize opposing DC’s get paid to game plan, too.
Any single player can be stopped.
The challenge is figuring out what DC’s will do and be ready to counter them.
4 games ain’t crap, especially 4 games where there was not a lot of film to understand trends and tendencies.
I still remember Sam Whche’s 5-dash-2, and the inglorious Bucs 2008 collapse, losing the last 4 games.
3-1 is nice and all, and it’s been fun to watch. But the season is very, very young and we aren’t in the meat of the schedule yet.
October 8th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Sort of. Short runaround quarterback. Tarkenton was much more of a scrambler, especially in his early days. In later years, he was a much better passer.
Mayfield doesn’t scramble as much but he seems more aggressive with his running than Tarkenton.
Maybe a better comparison stylewise — and Joe hates making this because it is heresy on face value — would be Roger Staubach. NO, Mayfield can’t remotely throw as well as Staubach, an all-time great. But Staubach was a controlled scrambler. As far as style of play, that’s more like Mayfield.
Let Joe be clear: Mayfield cannot throw like Staubach. Very, very few can/could.
October 8th, 2023 at 11:15 am
You guys obviously know very little about Fran Tarkington. He was considered the first real “modern” running QB. The Vikings were a mess. He demanded a trade. Ended up with Giants. Didn’t go all that well. Ended up back with the Vikings. He had 1/2 the arm of Baker. I saw him in Cleveland in ’75 or ’76. Beat up the Browns something like 42-7. He threw nothing but lame arching passes to Chuck Foreman. Baker doesn’t play ANYTHING like Tarkington. Go watch a couple games on U Tube !!!!!!!!!! Danny Baker Buc Esq.
October 8th, 2023 at 11:33 am
Staubach works for me Joe. I had forgotten about Roger “The Dodger”.
Again for everybody…Joe stated unequivocally we’re just talkng about style points not passing ability or even running ability. But I now remember him well and Joe is correct.
October 8th, 2023 at 12:05 pm
@TMcGee…
what’s your axe to grind?
Why not stop predicting negative theories, and go with positivity?
October 8th, 2023 at 12:22 pm
T. McGee Says:
October 8th, 2023 at 8:56 am
Success? The Bucs have won THREE games and got dismantled by the Eagles. Pump the brakes on all this greatness. Much more to prove against quality opponents. A Wild Card round loser (even as a division winner) is not good enough.
——————————————————————-
6 months ago many on JBF were predicting a top 5 pick. Now a playoff loss would be declared a failure?
Jeez, this fanbase.
October 8th, 2023 at 5:16 pm
stpetebucfan; How about it old dudes. See any similarities?
As a very young fellow I tried to follow all the teams of all sports and that was not nearly as easy as it is today. I always earned money mowing lawns, cleaning gutters, washing cars etc. Trying to save left little for things like Baseball cards, Hot Rod mag., sports mags., and such. I got my news from where I could for free. So, while I followed as many teams in NFL, MLB, NBA as I could my info was limited. I certainly remember all the big teams and big names but when it comes down to specific performance and stats…blank. Purple People eaters, yeah, but do I remember how Tarkenton played ? No, I only recall that he was good and I liked him. I remember many names and teams from the 50’s and 60’s and can’t say I was devoted to just one, I liked many of them.
Growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta I never had a hometown team to follow. The Braves and Falcons arrived in 1966 and the Hawks in 1968 ( I think).
I was gone in 1969 and never returned. Living in Maine for about 25 years I was a fan of Boston Sports but distantly as I still was in the habit of trying to follow all the teams.
That explains my general but not focused approach as a fan. Until I adopted the Bucs in ’76. They are my longest continually followed team and are now my hometown team
October 8th, 2023 at 5:59 pm
I was hoping for average QB play at best. We are getting just that. Lfg
October 8th, 2023 at 7:15 pm
Fran Tarkington is a hall fame QB, there is absolutely no comparison to Baker Mayfield, none!
October 8th, 2023 at 7:25 pm
UKBuccaneer Says; 6 months ago many on JBF were predicting a top 5 pick. Now a playoff loss would be declared a failure?
Jeez, this fanbase.
I couldn’t agree more. It seems to me that is the result of such an unstable franchise since its inception. In spite of many years of having some great and some HOF worthy players the fans have been jerked around with controversy, mismanagement, and never ending coaching carousels.
The TWO Super Bowl wins are only a partial payment.
The fans have endured television blackouts and every other conceivable controversy.
BUT, the fan base has remained loyal in this area despite decades of disappointment and shattered hopes. I think the 1979 season and following 20 years left a permanent mark.
That is why I view this current team and front office as the best hope for stability and reward for those many that deserve it.
October 8th, 2023 at 7:44 pm
From the Bible, not the NFL…just say’n!
Proverbs 27:17
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
October 8th, 2023 at 8:02 pm
Tarkington was magically in avoiding sacks and getting balls to his receivers. Mayfield is pocket savvy but is no Tarkington.
October 9th, 2023 at 5:19 am
“Not only does Joe think that is pretty cool to learn, it makes sense. If you can handle a Bowles defense day after day after day for three or four weeks, you should be OK when real games roll around.”
Agreed Joe. This whole thing occured to me after he faced all those blitzes against the Vikings. It was rough but he handled it. He had probably seen very similar ones in practice.
Go Bucs!
October 9th, 2023 at 5:32 am
Fran Tarkenton was the original scrambler. If i remember right he would run around for what seemed like forever and rarely take a sack.
Staubach learned to just throw the ball…for health and longevity. Baker should do more of that BTW.
Exactly what I have been reminded of while watching Baker thus far.
Go Bucs!
October 9th, 2023 at 10:20 pm
Ah…the negative vibe…it’s so productive. Thankfully the team completely ignores all this garbage. According to these idiots…we already have won as many as we were going to all year. Shhhhhhhh…your prediction abilities suck