Bullish On Baker Mayfield
June 26th, 2024
Not everyone hates.
You’ve read this many times and probably will continue to read it until the season starts in September. The vast majority of national #NFLMedia are down on the Bucs because they just don’t believe in Baker Mayfield.
But not all in the media.
While sometimes-humorist Adam Rank of NFL.com is not a believer in the Bucs this year, Rank is not sour on the Bucs because of Mayfield.
On the contrary. Rank seems to think Mayfield has turned the corner on his career and if the Bucs have a good season this fall, it will be because of Mayfield, not in spite of him.
I would like to believe we are just now starting to see the Baker Mayfield we expected when the Browns selected him with the first overall pick in 2018. Think about this: The Browns traded him to Carolina after mortgaging the future on Deshaun Watson in the 2022 offseason. Baker was eventually released and ended that season with the Rams, leading them on a 98-yard game-winning drive against the Raiders on a Thursday night in December. He then signed with the Bucs, throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, both career highs. He got a bonus for leading the team to the playoffs and signed a three-year deal worth $100 million this offseason. … … Mayfield’s time in L.A. seems to have helped him reach the initial expectations many had for him.
Joe also likes the reunion of Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen and Mayfield. It seems Mayfield’s professional resurrection began when they were together for six week or so in 2022.
Now it seems Joe kicked a hornet’s nest twice this week referencing the Rams offense with Coen. and how stathead Warren Sharp documented how awful that Rams offense was.
Those stories touched a nerve with some Bucs fans.
The silver lining to those two stories was that when Mayfield took over for Matt Stafford in 2022, the Rams offense actually improved. So maybe there is a bit of magic between Coen and Mayfield.
That would be awesome if it turns out that way again.
June 26th, 2024 at 12:10 am
As a franchise with two Super Bowl victories
Why are Bucs brass so excited about winning the division at 9-7 and coming short of the NFL Title game ?
We set our standards too low
Super Bowl or Bust
June 26th, 2024 at 12:31 am
Don’t think they are. Think they are excited about the future will bring. They are somewhat confident they can go further in the playoffs.
June 26th, 2024 at 12:57 am
Baker is a bridge QB. He won’t take the Bucs to elite status but he’ll generate some buzz while the team rebuilds through the draft.
Honestly I’m leaning towards Bucs not making the playoffs this season.
Cousins + Falcons = 11 wins. I don’t think the Bucs get to 11. If they get in it will on 10 wins and a WC.
Anyone who has heard team Glazer gve interviews you know what the org’s philosophy and beliefs are. Winning is cyclical. They have an expectation to go through struggles in downturns. They cap their risk during that period. Baker was a catch lightning in a bottle move that cost them no draft capital. Evans is an iconic player they paid him to keep his name in the wall. The Head Coach is in his meat year of the contract.
Really this is year two of the rebuild. They’re playing with house money. Knowing the Glazers they keep Bowles through 2025. No need to make any moves unless a name comes available – and even then it’s a big IF. In order for Baker to be anything more than a bridge guy scoring needs to be way up from under 19 PPG. Forget stats, Baker has figured out how to dink and dunk to numbers that look decent without really having a high scoring offense.
His game needs to become explosive – Bucs need to be a scoring team. In order for that to happen Mayfield has to bring an intermediate passing game. It can’t be dink and dunk with and an occasional deep ball.
Overall though the glass is half full. These last couple of drafts have been strong. We’ll see what happens with this oline. Worst case Bucs are a .500 team. Best case 11 games (more like 10).
June 26th, 2024 at 12:58 am
Bucs report 4 weeks from today.
June 26th, 2024 at 1:34 am
Baker with a run game and an interior OL of football players instead of matadors will do wonders for Baker and the Bucs.
25ppg. 10 wins minimum with Jason’s awesome roster.
#AsToddEvolves
June 26th, 2024 at 1:42 am
Coen got to the Rams in time for their Super Bowl hangover, along with a legion of injuries suffered by their offense. In other words, I don’t believe for a second that Coen was at fault for the Rams 2022 season woes.
June 26th, 2024 at 2:25 am
Baker is money. Playoffs passer rating of 106.3 is plenty enough to take any team to the promised land. It is up to those in charge to put a team together around him to get there. Those that don’t see this don’t know football. 106.3 is better than many quarterbacks have played in playoffs through to superbowl. Cohen is giving Baker more responsibility on changing the play at the line of scrimmage. Get ready the doubters are about to be shown what Baker is really made of.
June 26th, 2024 at 2:31 am
@dave pear
Exactly.
Worst offensive line in the NFL two years in a row!
June 26th, 2024 at 4:01 am
Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan … ‘Really this is year two of the rebuild. They’re playing with house money. Knowing the Glazers they keep Bowles through 2025. No need to make any moves unless a name comes available – and even then it’s a big IF.’
Agree on this actually being ‘year 2 of the rebuild’ but 2022 gave us some very nice pieces to start with (Goedeke, White, Orton, McCollum, Camarda). The Glazers remember full well the results of the 10-year, 2009-2018 period when we had 4 different HCs … and coaching staffs … that ended with a combined 55-105 record with ZERO playoff games, because that was on their watch. In the 5-year 2019-2023 period since then, the Bucs sport a 48-35 record with 9 playoff games under our belt & 1 Super Bowl championship. That’s a dramatic turnaround.
There are a number of reasons for that turnaround IMO, but 2 stand out in particular. One is great drafting, plus we’ve brought in some quality free agents to supplement that. The second is coaching staff stability that’s resulted in quality development of our younger players. They’ve been developed to ‘fit the system’ I believe, and it’s paid off handsomely.
June 26th, 2024 at 6:41 am
@Jarrett
We are not excited’ for that. We have and always will be a championship minded team. Is that we won the division, cleared cap, drafted phenomenally, discovered a franchise qb, in what was our ‘down’ year that has us excited.
Oh and did it for a third time in a row. All the down to earth, no more Brady preseason talk got quiet. It’s that and the outstanding future rahead that we take pride in.
Nobody believed but Bucs know who they are… it’s lining up perfectly again as we aim for 4 straight.
Go Bucs!!
June 26th, 2024 at 7:42 am
Canales was learning on the fly as OC for the Bucs. His inability to get the running game brought large criticism from Bucs fans and media.
Coen was coached by Sean McVay and was a successful OC in Kentucky and actually running a potent running game.
I believe the Bucs will improve this year and win between 10 to 11 games this season. Light has been drafting well and the Brady effect is thieving in Tampa.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:01 am
Jarrett Says:
As a franchise with two Super Bowl victories
Why are Bucs brass so excited about winning the division
^^^^^^
Because I despise the Saints. Winning the division 3x and counting just rubs their nose in it.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:38 am
Cousins = 11 wins in Atlanta?
Nah.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:41 am
DR yeah the Bucs have drafted well. They keep adding good players.
Hopefully that trend continues with this draft class.
Speaking of that period of lean years…
Two big things IMO caused that drought.
Mark Dominik couldn’t draft his way out of a paper bag (and Licht had some definite early struggles during his learning curve)
Some of the Bucs coaching was unintentionally comedic. 2009-2018 was rough.
Bad players + bad coaching = bad football team
June 26th, 2024 at 10:49 am
ModHair don’t be shocked. They have good skill position players and a half way decent defense.
Cousins QB rating has been damn good since 2015. It’s not a fluke.
Unless he falls off the cliff, if he puts up 100+ rating the Chicken Hawks will be no slouch team.
The NFC will not be won by default this year. If the Bucs are going to take it they will need more than 10 wins.
June 26th, 2024 at 11:37 am
I can tell a lot by watching the meaningful pre-season games. I’m awaiting those in August. GO BUCS!
June 26th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
Why all the hate on Cousins? His career passer rating is 98.2, which is astonishingly high, and much higher than Baker’s 88.1. And Cousins was over 100.0 in 4 of the 5 most recent seasons. Baker has never sniffed 100.0.
June 26th, 2024 at 12:38 pm
ModHairKen … ‘Cousins = 11 wins in Atlanta? Nah.’
IF Cousins makes it through all 17 games, there’s a very good possibility IMO that the Falcons win 11 (or more) games. BUT … that’s a big IF. Last season he only made it halfway through (8 games) and now he’s coming off an Achilles injury. He claims that he’s pretty much healed up, is practicing & could play right now if need be.
The drive that his injury happened on was interesting. He was sacked twice on that drive, and the Packers had also been charged with a Roughing the Passer call on the 2nd play of that series. He took a beating IOW (Vikings OLine folded?). The question this year will be ‘Can the Falcons’ OLine protect him well enough to make it through the season?’ Falcons QBs took 40 sacks last season (same number of times that Baker was sacked here behind our supposedly horrendous OLine).
June 26th, 2024 at 1:47 pm
I do not think it is necessary for Baker Mayfield to be considered elite to be able to lead the Bucs to a SuperBowl win. The total team around him is what matters most.
June 26th, 2024 at 2:19 pm
I’m keeping my powder dry until I hear more on this team from Mike S and that wrestling guy who knows everything.
June 26th, 2024 at 4:40 pm
There are a lot of reasons Baker was named top college QB since 2000 by SI. Great competitor, rocket arm and terrific leadership skills. Year 2 in Tampa will prove the naysayers wrong. Mayfield will establish himself this year as an elite QB. Anyone who saw him lead the inept Browns back from 1-31 knows he is already elite. Glad that Licht recognized the importance of building a Brady like O line. Hoping that Mauch is greatly improved in year 2. Still need a tight end who can block. Really important in Red Zone. Otton has a long way to go to provide meaningful help to running game and QB protection support.
June 26th, 2024 at 6:32 pm
That Rams team that Baker took over had so many dang injuries. He was lucky to win even one game with them.
June 26th, 2024 at 10:35 pm
Goedeke don’t get enough credit to me he played good last year and he’s only going to get better if he stays healthy.
June 27th, 2024 at 8:59 am
Baker Mayfield is a good quarterback. All this “His career was resurrected by Canales” or “Resurrected by Coen” doesn’t fly with me. A good QB like Mayfield needs weapons and a culture of winning to succeed. In LA he had the culture, led by McVay a very good offensive coach. Last year, he had ME13, CG and R. White for reliable weapons.
I saw Canales’ impact on our offense last year as minimal. Coen didn’t call plays in LA for the most part and both are relatively inexperienced. (Coen has the edge and is an upgrade over Canales IMO).
There are very few Tom Brady’s out there who can win with guys like Chris Hogan or all if the other no-name receivers he won with. In fact one could argue that some recognizable names only got that way because Brady was throwing them the ball (Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, etc) who were nothing before Brady and nothing after.
Baker is as solid as Goff, Cousins, etc if not more solid. His career and or ability wasn’t “resurrected” as much as it was pulled out of the mediocrity surrounding him on the field and on the sidelines.
If our o-line is improved and his weapons stay healthy, I have every reason to believe that Coen will work out well with Mayfield and he might even have better numbers this year than last year. Especially if the D gets quick stops, turnovers, etc to give the offense more possessions per game.
June 27th, 2024 at 9:24 pm
The only way we win more with Baker is if he stops playing poorly in the first half and can get us more often into the endzone on the first drive of the game. His stats would’ve have been much better if he didn’t flopp so much in the first half. He is part of the reason for our slow starts. If he tightens this up and improves I can see us winning more games and going further into the playoffs.