Freedom Blossoming For Baker Mayfield
June 12th, 2024
Bucs fans already learned that Baker Mayfield gets to hold the pen that, legend has it, once belonged to an old dude wearing a Kangol hat.
Yes, Tampa will see a more powerful Mayfield in his second Bucs season. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen made that clear. Today, head coach Todd Bowles took a moment to shed a more light.
“[Baker] has a lot more audibles on his plate than he did in the past,” Bowles said of his quarterback. “You know, he’s getting them down very good.”
Bowles added that he likes how Mayfield has been “checking to the right plays” through spring practices.
Joe suspects Mayfield loves having more control over the offense. What veteran QB wouldn’t?
Hopefully, it’s not more than Mayfield can handle.
Plenty of good quarterbacks over the years have been much better at executing under firm direction than their own decision-making.
June 12th, 2024 at 1:33 pm
I hope he does well
June 12th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Comfortable finally…
June 12th, 2024 at 1:38 pm
Still gotta clean his own game up, because he’s still doing stuff like this in the video.
June 12th, 2024 at 1:44 pm
Sounds like sandlot football to me. Maybe Licht should sign Andre Rison.
June 12th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
I agree that Baker improving or “cleaning up” hid game would be great! In fact, itd probably mean a Superbowl. While we’re daydreaming though lets remember that last season, to include the playoffs, he was really top eight in the league when you consider the goal…(As Switzer puts it: “just wim baby!”)
Lets also remember that to move up in the QB rankings, some receivers are going to have to catch some of those 38 perfectly catchable balls that were dropped last season…some o line players are going to have to block better, and a run game has to materialize. You see Brady won a Superbowl here, but he won it with a group that was hitting on all cylinders. He also failed to even win one at home playoff game with the group Baker had last year. We hope for the best, wish for the best and plan for the best, but to quote Brian Bozworth:
June 12th, 2024 at 1:53 pm
To win takes eleven guys on the field at a time who are all in. Committed completely and giving it their best. They have to be on the same page.
June 12th, 2024 at 2:12 pm
Profootballreference says the Bucs only had 25 dropped passes last season. That’s a far cry from 38 @Gene. Those 25 drops place the Bucs pretty much middle of the pack. Not great, not terrible.
17 teams dropped more passes. KC had the most, where Mahomes had to endure 44 drops.
June 12th, 2024 at 2:27 pm
The diehard Longhorn fan that loves Baker🤘🏼🏴☠️😭😭
June 12th, 2024 at 2:27 pm
As long as he protects the ball, doesn’t try forcing it, remains calm under pressure, makes good decisions, plays smart and within himself, then I think that is GrrrrREAT!!!!
June 12th, 2024 at 2:56 pm
This makes me ask a question. IF they’re giving Baker more power to audible do we not assume that the GOAT also had that power. After BA left wouldn’t Brady have had the vast majority of power over game planning and scripting as well as the ability to audible out of plays?
If true, and who doesn’t believe that Brady had more power than Leftwich why does BL get all the blame for the poor calls and Brady goes Scott-free? Just curious, not meaning to defend BL at all, just perhaps there was plenty of blame to go around! Bowles so called “run at all costs” offense, BL’s horrible play calling and game planning; it just seems St. Tommy could do no wrong and gets no accountability for offensive scheming and play calling.
June 12th, 2024 at 3:26 pm
Coen gives his QB’s multiple options for pre-snap changes, depending on the DEF alignment presented…(route adjustment options & run/pass options).
Expect a slow pace-of-play & for the O to use almost all the play clock, every single down.
At Kentucky, PoP was the only real complaint about how Coen operates is offense…Too slow for the college game & gave the opponents D’s all the time needed to get different DEF package players rotated in – not allowing the
O to exhaust the D with tempo.
June 12th, 2024 at 4:42 pm
Great photo. Looks like a champion. Or something.
June 12th, 2024 at 5:43 pm
@StPete
It’s not farfetched to think that, in fact our 2021 offense looked more like the 2019 Patriots than the 2021 Bucs imo in terms of play design and how our offense operated. Can’t go from one of the top offenses in the league in 2021 to being absolutely putrid offense we bore witness to in 2022 w/o there being some changes made(and not for the better). Not having Gronk also changed the game and tbh, the struggles started at the end of 2021 as soon as AB walked out on us in my opinion.
June 12th, 2024 at 6:04 pm
Agree stpetebucfan and Dude. Inquiring minds want to know now. Was it Brady or Leftwich. Who was really responsible for the play calling? Brady was having other problems in his life at the time too. Yes, once Gronk left, that changed the game and then AB’s big walk off did a number too. Leftwich is out of work now.
June 12th, 2024 at 6:26 pm
realistic-optimistic Says:
June 12th, 2024 at 2:12 pm
Profootballreference says the Bucs only had 25 dropped passes last season. That’s a far cry from 38 @Gene. Those 25 drops place the Bucs pretty much middle of the pack. Not great, not terrible.
17 teams dropped more passes. KC had the most, where Mahomes had to endure 44 drops.
………
So does that make the receiving corp in drops Middling, lake a few morons here like to say?
June 12th, 2024 at 6:40 pm
@R-O Saw your response to the original Gregory thread. And indeed it does sound like we have “something” in common. 🙂 So we can call a treaty and smoke the peace pipe.
@ONeill Don’t know if you wish to smoke the peace pipe with me and R-O but we can agree to disagree and still be Bucs fans. After all you have an excellent Irish name and I have a tattoo of a four leaf clover with the inscription “Luck of the Irish.”
R-O and ONeill IMHO are still Buc fans who we may disagree with although plenty agree with them as well. There are a few “trolls” scattered amongst us that still aggravate me but not R-O and O’Neill.
I’m so excited about the way this team looks right now there’s not a lot that bothers me anymore. And I’m even glad we have Trask, who knows the Traskers may be right, I’m not in denial of his ability, just that he has yet to outplay Baker but he hasn’t had a chance either. If Baker goes down, and his balls to the wall effort that we admire is also his achilles heel. Trask COULD become critically important.
I’m emotionally invested in the team but not which QB plays other than I think Bowles made the right call with Baker. But that’s just my opinion and we all know what they say about “opinions”. And yeah I can be one of those as well. LMAO
June 12th, 2024 at 6:46 pm
stpetebucfan Says; If true, and who doesn’t believe that Brady had more power than Leftwich why does BL get all the blame for the poor calls and Brady goes Scott-free?
Apply some deep critical thinking to that statement. Brady didn’t want to lose. He had a long track record and vast repertoire to to keep him from making the same mistakes over and over. If your premise is correct then Brady sabotaged that season.
June 12th, 2024 at 6:58 pm
If true, and who doesn’t believe that Brady had more power than Leftwich why does BL get all the blame for the poor calls and Brady goes Scott-free?
By the way that’s scot-free.
June 12th, 2024 at 6:58 pm
Baker is High iq. This freedom, within the system, to read and direct pre-snap, may elevate his play. I see a Stafford-esque year. This will also motivate the receivers to know the playbook, be where they’re supposed to be. F-up a route, cause an int, and number 6 will not throw you the ball, ala Brady and Ochocinco.
June 12th, 2024 at 7:43 pm
Love it. That’s Todd evolving! For real, that is giving up control. I am stoked.
Way to go Todd!
10 games baby, and I will have multiple crow barbecues and invite all of you tired of my cranking on Todd for his Jurassic Park philosophy on offense and charmin soft zone defense with the myriad busted assignments.
Go Todd. This is fargin excellent news.
Meanwhile, Trashk will be sent inside with “Introduction to the Playbook” assignments.
June 12th, 2024 at 7:53 pm
Very glad to hear this. I don’t know how many times watching last season I yelled at my TV, ” How can you runn the ball when there’s 9 defenders in the box?” And yet, that’s what happened. Hopefully, Mayfield can recognize play calls that will match what the other team is giving you.
June 12th, 2024 at 8:11 pm
Mayfield is a 6 year veteran with the most talent on offense he’s ever had – he will handle it and Bucs’ offense (barring injuries of course) should average 24 points/game or more.
June 12th, 2024 at 9:30 pm
He looks like the Karate Kid….
June 12th, 2024 at 9:34 pm
I called it when Baker was signed by the Bucs. I said many of the haters will be converted. I can’t wait to see how many of his remaining Buc fans haters will be converted after next season. Go Bucs!
June 12th, 2024 at 9:40 pm
It is possible that Trask could be great in the right NFL system. It’s unfair to say otherwise. But, I sure hope Mayfield stays healthy in Coen’s new system 🤞
June 12th, 2024 at 9:43 pm
Don’t worry if he goes the way his career has gone ifhe falters and doesn’t do well you fanbois will cry it was everyone elses fault that he had a new OC or something.
June 12th, 2024 at 9:51 pm
One thing about it….haters are like Democrats. No matter how wrong they are, they will go down with the narrative they married. Baker could get to the NFC Championship and clowns will still find an excuse to hate.
Bucs will be 11-6, or 12-5 if their defense is average to good
June 12th, 2024 at 11:02 pm
As I have stated, I’m not an Aint’s fan. I did however admire Drew Brees career. As many of you know I have proposed that Baker could become our Drew. But Drew had the benefit of Sean Peyton and their mutual relationship for a long time. I’m concerned that Baker may never have the same opportunity for continuity. If the revolving door of OCs continues Baker may suffer because of it. As much as I applaud the Glazers for finally building a solid foundation, I sure hope their vision statement is well thought out.
June 12th, 2024 at 11:39 pm
Citrus – fair point. But the dude just did 2023 with all those variables, let’s look at 2024. Reasonable to expect improvement, if not, the detractors have their narrative widened.
If he does improve and Coen goes somewhere else, well…as long as Todd hires someone compatible with Baker, why can’t the cycle just repeat?
2024 will teach us a lot.
June 13th, 2024 at 1:54 pm
Reply to realistic-
The # is a requote that included the playoffs, not just the regular season. Id have to recheck the source but, as I already checked the playoff drops on film its going to be +/- a few accurate depending on subjective of ” was that pass perfectly catchable”. Any way you slice the data, eleven members of the BUCS offense and eleven members of the defense CAN all play at least some better potentially. That said, My point is just that even three or four playing consistently even a little better could result in a Superbowl appearance…this team and fanbase should know the potential is there.
June 13th, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Also replying to Realistic:
I believe, from watching film and games that the drops were both Baker and the receivers. Sometimes Baker really fires the ball and receivers have to get used to that. ( A complain about John Elway in his early years as well) Of course some were just on the receivers…its a bit of a mix.
June 13th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Replying to Citrus:
Id have to say that you’re right, it is a concern: Every time Baker gets a mew OC every other offensive player does too! As Dave Pear points out, Baker handles it as well as any but what about the other players? Stability for a few seasons would surely pay big dividends.