Baker Appreciation Headquarters
June 15th, 2024
Teammate speaks.
A lot of Bucs fans think just because a guy attended Duke University, that means he’s more perceptive and smarter than most of his peers.
Joe doesn’t buy that, but certainly Bucs first-round pick Graham Barton out of Duke seems like an intelligent and reasoned young man.
So Joe appreciated hearing Barton share perceptions of Baker Mayfield on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week. Per Barton, allegience and respect for Mayfield flow freely at One Buc Palace.
“It’s so apparent how highly everybody in the builiding thinks of Baker who’s been around him for some time now. It’s cool to see and it speaks volumes to who he is,” Barton said. “I’m just excited to continue to work with him and see what we can do coming up.”
Barton also praised Mayfield for showing him a lot of patience, especially because Barton hasn’t played center in three years.
Mayfield knows that reality comes with its own learning curve, Barton said.
It’s so ideal for a team’s quarterback, whether he’s a superstar or Josh McCown, to have across-the-board respect from the organization. Mayfield has that, and it’s a reason he got his receiver buddy on the roster and lots of freedom within the offense.
June 15th, 2024 at 10:26 am
All this emphasis on intelligence and smarts. What are they doing? Going on Jeopardy or playing football? Football smarts are one thing, Phi Beta Kappas are anothe.
June 15th, 2024 at 10:35 am
Didn’t think I’d wake up today and see anyone complaining about intelligence on a football team. Every recent article has been about how football smart and generally intelligent this team is. Of course it’s still underwear football, but when the proverbial ish hits the fan, I can’t imagine a smart player panicking.
June 15th, 2024 at 10:40 am
No, you’re crazy.
June 15th, 2024 at 10:53 am
When I think of Duke I think of the Duke Lacrosse scandal. There is nothing to like about Duke or makes a player more intelligent just because he went to Duke. When the pads are on Barton is going to get some real education.
June 15th, 2024 at 11:04 am
@ I May Be Crazy But
Think about watching 9 or 10 y/o kids playing football. It’s really just alot of running around and not very organized.
All the talk about intelligence means that the players can recognize and understand what they’re seeing. Instead of just trying to out run the other team (like DW running wide open past the play).
Defensive players are smart enough to figure out what play the opposing offense is goung to run. Offensive players are smart enough to figure out where the pressure on the quarterback will come from and adjust to pick it up.
It can be broken down by position but suffice to say an intelligent football player is far more valuable than a extremely athletic player that has no idea how the game is played.
June 15th, 2024 at 11:09 am
“Joe doesn’t buy that”
I do. There is no question that football players at “academically elite” D1 schools like Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Duke, Stanford, Cal, etc., have higher average ACT/SAT scores than football players at “athletically elite” D1 schools. It’s why those “academically elite” D1 schools tend to struggle on the field and win few if any championships.
June 15th, 2024 at 11:13 am
What do you expect a rookie to say about his team’s starting veteran quarterback? He’s not respected? He’s not a leader? Come on.
So silly. He could say nothing. He could talk about Baker on the field only or how fun he is. The question wasn’t, ‘What does the building/organization think about Baker?’ But Barton went there on his own. Joe found that noteworthy.–Joe
June 15th, 2024 at 11:19 am
Nationally, Duke led all Power 5 institutions with its 98 percent GSR (graduation success rate within six years of admission) and tied for sixth nationally. Only Columbia, Bucknell, Harvard, Villanova and Yale were above Duke.
Duke offers full scholarships to only 34% of its football players. Division 1 nationally is 57%.
Duke student athletes are required to attend class and excel academically. Student athletes nationally are required to take two classes (six hours) of classes per semester. That’s nothing. Large rodents could handle that load, but not at Duke where Basketweaving 101 is not offered.
Of course, we don’t watch football as a scholastic endeavor. We watch to admire their superior physical skill sets.
But to suggest Barton is not smarter than most of his peers … Sorry Joe, you’re wrong.
June 15th, 2024 at 11:22 am
I’m glad I don’t have that radio station because I would have just HAD to listen to his interview. He says “you know” so many times that my teeth would be ground to nubs when he was done speaking. He doesn’t seem like a fast learner to me, and we don’t know his grades at Duke, but if he can play football and keep his mouth shut he is fine with me.
June 15th, 2024 at 11:42 am
Cricket, yes, those common colloquialisms of his annoy me as well. And I should know. I was called out on that too in the past. And I’m in an academically inclined field. Once it was pointed out, gently, by a peer, I was then able to work on it and basically eliminate it.
But to some of the points above, a player who goes to a school with higher academic standards is generally going to be more intelligent. Of course, that means nothing if the player himself isn’t a superior athlete which Barton seems to be. So the bottom line is superior athlete at his position, plus smarts. Particularly in the pivot, that’s a good combination.
June 15th, 2024 at 12:00 pm
007—
I believe common colloquialisms are an athlete’s defense mechanism (especially young rookies) against saying something stupid, or mistakenly offensive toward a person or group. They are not only encouraged by coaching staffs, they are taught in athlete-media relations meetings, kinda like the media speaking lesson Crash Davis gave Luke Lallosh in ‘Bull Durham.’
A perfect example of a player who failed to attend, or ignored the meetings, would be Aaron Rogers, who interminably suffers from Foot-in-Mouth disease.
June 15th, 2024 at 12:55 pm
I have said it from day one how lucky the Bucs were and how lucky Baker was that it worked out for both of them. We have a good team playoff proven. That’s ready to make the next jump. All we need is a pass rush. Pass Rush. Let’s get Baked. Go Bucs!
June 15th, 2024 at 12:59 pm
I like where this team is. I like where Todd is. Yeah, I said it. He is evolving.
LFG!
June 15th, 2024 at 1:27 pm
Brate went to Harvard. He was a smart guy and played well.
Barton seems to have the whole package, intellect, commitment, and athletic ability. Getting that feeling, he is a winner among other rookies too. So happy he and the others are being candid about Baker. Baker is the real deal. We are lucky to have him.
June 15th, 2024 at 1:56 pm
You mean the Duke lacrosse scandal where Duke ended up paying the players they drug through the mud and ended up paying them $20 million each
June 15th, 2024 at 2:13 pm
Everyone knows UNC is better than Dook.
June 15th, 2024 at 2:45 pm
Barton is smarter , not just because he graduated from Duke , but because he excelled academically at Duke and received ACC scholastic accolades.
June 15th, 2024 at 3:31 pm
Barton sounds good, the way he seems to put the word respect out there towards Baker. And he looks like a pretty good guy and I think he’s gonna great. He’s just gotta keep his head on the playbook and play mean. I like this pick!!! Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
June 15th, 2024 at 6:26 pm
It’s really cool that his teammates and people who really know football appreciate Baker. I hope he and his team improve and stay healthy. 🤞
June 15th, 2024 at 6:37 pm
Quick shout out to Trask. For real, it must really suck to be stuck behind the greatest NFL QB of all-time then get stuck behind the greatest college QB since 2000 (according to SI) who happened to be drafted #1 by the absolute worst organization, turn them around, play hurt for them all season, and then unceremoniously get dumped at Carolina. For all you Gator fans, I sincerely hope Trask gets his chance somewhere and shines. Trask seems like a great teammate and class act.
June 15th, 2024 at 6:49 pm
How many games would Brady have won in Cleveland and Carolina?
June 15th, 2024 at 9:56 pm
So I’ll throw my alma mater under the bus. I went to University of Cincinnati and when I was growing up across the river the Bearcats had a great hoops program.
Oscar Robertson is the most famous player but they didn’t win their first National title until he left.
One of the stud players on that team which won consecutive national titles, 60-61 season repeated in 61-62 was a guy named Tom Thacker. What a player, kind of a pre Michael Jordan type at 6-4 he could sky and shoot lights out. He was also a true cement head.
They always keep the “slow learners” in cake course but rumor has it Thacker aced on P.E. course getting an A in swimming. Problem was he was literally afraid of the water. LMAO
June 15th, 2024 at 10:11 pm
Don’t feel bad. I still love The Boz and still ready to fight anyone who says Bo Jackson ran him over, lol.
June 15th, 2024 at 10:19 pm
This is why I try my hardest to give the Florida Gator grads a pass with their ridiculous takes. 🙂
June 16th, 2024 at 8:35 am
Barton is stupid to get concussions and bad knees for the rest of his life when he can be a lawyer then a senator right now.
June 16th, 2024 at 10:45 am
^^ he can make buckets of cash now for the next 5-10 yrs and still have 30+ yrs for law/politics (see Brad Culpepper). Also, whether or not he plays football, bad knees for men over 50 is not uncommon. Enjoy it while you can
June 16th, 2024 at 10:55 am
“When I think of Duke I think of the Duke Lacrosse scandal. There is nothing to like about Duke…”
Hater. How is this your first thought with so many years of excellence with Coach K, the institution’s economic impact for Durham, the high academic standard for ALL students (including athletes), the school’s research contributions (medicine, policy, environment, business.. ), etc? Come on man, you can’t let 1 negative headline skew reality.
June 16th, 2024 at 11:27 am
Welcome to fanboi headquarters where a slightly above ok to good qb(15-17th place) who has never put together good back to back seasons is compared to the greats like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and others to make them feel good and to prove their point. Where they lose their minds because not all Buc fans are in love with said qb because he barely “beat” out a 3rd year qb who’d never started a game and disappears in the first half of games so fanbois call them haters. Where moxie and “get your weight up son!” makes him a great qb
Shane Callahan Brady would’ve done the same thing he did here if he was in Cleveland and Carolina. Cleveland’s offense and defense would’ve given him at least 1 Super Bowl win and he would’ve retired after one season in Carolina. Like I said fanbois try to compare Baker to Brady to make him look better.
June 17th, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Lol @ DavidBigBucsFan99! Get a cup o jo or a beer, relax, thats it, let the anger melt away…now, pick up the remote, watch last season again…this time ENJOYING all of the good plays made by the team. No, let the mistakes be mistakes, but ROOT FOR your teams players this time. Now enjoy the playoffs as well, enjoy the success and know that by virtue of a few plays left on the table, that your BUCS have a ceiling that includes ANYTHING, including a Superbowl win, if they play up to potential. There, now you should be in a pretty good place to enjoy the upcoming season. 🥰
Everyone be sure to send him hugs so he knows he’s loved despite his learning disability.
June 17th, 2024 at 2:29 pm
In all seriousness, Baker was great for the Browns, he changed their expectations to WINNING. No one could help Carolina until they changed their management. Baker was great for the Rams, those guys came together again and started having fun and being more competitive while he was there. Baker has been GREAT for the BUCS who went from no viable QB, expected to be terrible, and in salary cap hell, to winning not only the division again but advancing to the divisional round and being competitive there as well. Baker and the offense played so well at times that it exposed the defensive backfield, o-line, linebacker and run game deficiencies in blinding lights as those areas of need became obvious as contributing to loses while Baker and the receivers put up some pretty impressive numbers. The BUCs GM and staff didnt miss the fact either, and took steps to keep what worked and fill meeds in the off-season. Despite the few haters stewing in their misery, the BUCs look to be a contender again this season. Go BUCS!
June 17th, 2024 at 2:58 pm
Baker Mayfield 2023:
Passer rating 94.6, Yards 4,044, TDs 28, Ints 10.
Mayfield became the first Tampa Bay passer ever to throw for 300-plus yards and at least three touchdowns in a playoff game (vs. the Eagles), and he duplicated that feat in Detroit. Mayfield’s first two playoff games as a Buccaneer produced two of the four highest passing yardage totals in the team’s postseason history( source: Scott Smith, senior writer for the Buccaneers) He also is fourth among all active NFL QBs with an 100.4 playoff passer rating average.
If you cant appreciate that for $8 million in an NFL QB, this ain’t your game, go watch soccer. The truth is that Baker is exactly who we want as our BUCS QB and he got our team to the playoffs, and darn near the Championship round while the passing game covered for other deficiencies in the team. The truth is that in 2023 Mayfield didnt just play better than most rookies, he played better than veterans who were getting paid much more than he is even now. For BUCs fans, Baker appreciation is easy!