Sharp Football: Baker Mayfield A Tier-Five Quarterback
June 4th, 2024
Misleading ranking.
At first glance, this appears to be a slap in the face to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. But pulling the onion skins back, it’s almost a compliment.
Do you think Dak Prescott is a good quarterback? How about Jared Goff? Well, Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis has Mayfield in the very same four-quarterback tier as those two.
That’s good company for Mayfield.
…Mayfield set career highs in completion percentage (64.3%), passing yards (4,044), and passing touchdowns (28). As a result, Tampa Bay rewarded Mayfield with a three-year contract this offseason worth up to $100 million.
Hribar believes one hiccup for Mayfield this season could be the loss of Dave Canales to Carolina. While Joe is confident Liam Coen will do a solid job, look what happened to Geno Smith when Canales left for the Bucs. Smith cratered.
It’s not crazy to think any quarterback may regress after a career season, which Mayfield did have in yards thrown and touchdown passes. The trick for Coen is to make sure Mayfield doesn’t regress much, if at all.
June 4th, 2024 at 5:30 am
I expect the Bucs offense to be better this year. Mayfield can surely improve upon last year’s play, and I think the OC will be better.
As far as rankings go, does it really matter? It’s about winning games.
June 4th, 2024 at 5:45 am
That’s a great point. BUT….
In life, we All have to hold “ourselves” up. Believe in ourselves. BE YOUR OWN MAN.
Canales IS a wonderful “rah rah” guy. Whisper sweet nothings in an ear to turn that frown upside down.
But in life…. It’s time to grow up. Be a MAN. Does Tom Brady rely on someone to turn his frown upside down OR does a guy like Tom bring his own sunshine with him?
All the “Grown” Men and Women know the score. We all know that at the end of the day….. You’re gonna HAVE TO believe in yourself. Pick yourself up. ESPECIALLY when things get tough.
Baker is a father now. More than that, he seems to be aware of “himself” and I believe his own character is strong enough to take on life’s ups and downs with some grace and Plenty of confidence. He’s also familiar with the new OC and they seem to have had a good working relationship before Canales came along.
Baker is going to be JUST FINE without Canales. And one thing is FOR SURE….
Geno Smith is No BAKER MAYFIELD!!! Geno who? Never even heard of him until he was lightly mentioned on these pages…. BUT I’VE HEARD ABOUT BAKER MAYFIELD FOR YEARS!
Just Saying…
He’s gonna be just fine without rah rah Canales.
June 4th, 2024 at 6:26 am
How utterly pathetic to give Canales so much credit for BM’s success with the Bucs. Carolina will find that out the hard way. Look forward to that.
June 4th, 2024 at 6:33 am
I wish I could express the disdain I feel loud enough for the entire NFL and its so called sports journalists to get a sharp pain in their auditory nerves!
BULL SPITT!
Do not get your logic Joe.
Go Bucs
June 4th, 2024 at 6:37 am
I’m not as astute as some of you guys. What was it that Canales did to improve Mayfield’s play?
June 4th, 2024 at 7:04 am
I’m really not buying Canales as the new qb whisper some try to make him out to be
June 4th, 2024 at 7:41 am
“The trick for Coen is to make sure Mayfield doesn’t regress much, if at all.”
How’s about worrying less about regression and focus on improving. Does Baker still not workout with a throwing coach in the offseason?
June 4th, 2024 at 8:03 am
Yawn, I couldn’t care less about some dweeb’s fantasy football rankings.
June 4th, 2024 at 8:28 am
Canales held Baker back. Panthers are in trouble.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:05 am
Very well said Obvious
June 4th, 2024 at 9:17 am
I have hope that he can get better, but there were so many red flags last season.
He had horribly bad starts, he lost six straight games in the middle of the season, and on the biggest stage he got lost.
Still I have hope, but he needs to prove it to me.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:21 am
Canales helped Baker get his confidence and his mojo back, which had been eroded after hears of Cleveland and the Panthers stint, nothing more, nothing less. His contribution was appreciated but I don’t think he is a big loss now that Baker is back to his normal self.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:33 am
This is Baker’s second year with the Bucs. Prescott has been with the cowboys for 8 years and only one a single divisional playoff. Baker won it in his first year here. Jared Goff is a very good QB with a ceiling, which is why the Rams traded him to Detroit, where he is doing very well in the system. Baker has a higher ceiling, which is why he was drafted #1. Surround him with some playmakers, besides Evans and Godwin, and give him a solid running back to balance out the game. He’ll do just fine. Go Bucs.
June 4th, 2024 at 9:44 am
Baker is a B, B- talent with A+ Leadership skills. We can and will continue to win with him. Mike’s getting another 1000 and 10+ TD’s.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:20 am
The hiccup is not losing Canales. It is having to learn and get on the same page with another new offense and play caller. Tough enough for a QB to do year in and year out like Baker has had to do every single year of his career. Harder still, for an entire offense.
I would not be surprised if the offense has another slow start to begin the season.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:30 am
Fantasy football ranking is not worth even mentioning…unless it’s a slow news day.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:46 am
SO JOE, WHERE DOES BAKER REGRESS?
YARDS?
Baker only threw for more than +300 yards in 3 games last year. It’s difficult to throw for less than 250 in the NFL. I don’t see Baker regressing from yards. Especially with Coen moving Godwin to the slot.
RECEPTIONS?
Evans, Godwin, Palmer, White, and Otton solid receivers. Coen will open up the passing game.
COMP%
His career average is 62%. He threw 64% last year.
TURNOVERS?
Baker averages 10 INTs a season. He threw 10 last year. I don’t see a huge variance in this number.
I don’t see it.
June 4th, 2024 at 10:59 am
Good to see him in tier five. Sadly they have Watson in the same tier. I don’t agree that losing Canales will have ripple effects. We have Coen.
Surprised to see Trevor Lawrence in tier two. So much talk about him of late. The tier that gave me the biggest laugh, tier seven: Cousins, Stafford, Rodgers, Carr, and Smith. Calling them the golden oldies!
June 4th, 2024 at 11:02 am
Baker succeeded IN SPITE of Caneles!! Leftwhich 2.0
June 4th, 2024 at 11:03 am
He could be Tier-5. It just depends on how this upcoming season plays out. I would currently, have him as a Tier-4, but could jump to Tier-3, or fall back to Tier-5 based off of his play. It’s fluid. Mahomes is Tier-1 all in a class of his own. Then, you have Burrow, Allen, Rodgers, & Lamar as Tier-2’s… And, Stafford, Goff, Stroud, Hurts, & Herbert as Tier-3’s. The Tier-4’s, I would have Purdy, Love, Cousins, Dak, Tua, Trever, & Baker. I’m not counting Caleb Williams yet, since he hasn’t played a single snap. Will be interesting to see what Jayden Daniels & Anthony Richardson can do!
June 4th, 2024 at 11:12 am
BM6 will play as good as his O-line! If the OL play improves, so will This offense! IMHO.
June 4th, 2024 at 11:20 am
I would add Watson & Kyler Murray as Tier-5.5’s for now, since I forgot all about ‘em before actually, reading this dude’s list.
June 4th, 2024 at 11:34 am
I also think BM will be better this year. Really liked what canales did but Liam comes with a lot more experience and hopefully with Barton and Liam the run game will get better which in return will only make BM better.
June 4th, 2024 at 11:41 am
Fantasy tiers… it truly IS just fantasy.
Agree with MelvinJunior. And those three rookie QBs in tier 3 is ridiculous. Only one of them will probably be an elite quarterback and it’s possible more than one of them will end up being a bust. These guys can go any direction… fully unproven going to bad teams.
June 4th, 2024 at 11:56 am
Middling QB.
June 4th, 2024 at 12:00 pm
I have seen Mayfield head to head with Mahomes with superior teams(OU) and inferior teams(Browns). Believe me he balls out and it will not surprise me one bit if Bucs beat the Chiefs when they play.
June 4th, 2024 at 1:15 pm
Canales wasn’t even the Coordinator for Geno. That’s like giving Lewis credit for Mayfield. I tend to believe the talent around Geno was worse with a harder schedule. People make way too much out of Canales leaving. It’s dumb. Baker made Canales and covered up a ton of deficiencies, not the other way around.
June 4th, 2024 at 3:24 pm
Absolutely right BillyBucco. I don’t think Baker has too worry about missing Canales as much as Canales has to worry about missing Baker, Evans and Godwin so much. Especially since his owner has a renowned itchy trigger finger.
June 4th, 2024 at 5:12 pm
I do think Baker Mayfield is going to improve this year. Especially with some continuity with the players that he’s already familiar with on an offense despite Canalis leaving for Carolina.
June 4th, 2024 at 7:13 pm
If he is middling, what does that make your no Heisman winning, no Mahomes beating, back up qb Kyle Trask?
June 4th, 2024 at 7:29 pm
These are the same illuminariaies that said Baker would never be an nfl starter again.🤣
June 4th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
There is only ONE stat that matters!!! W’s!! I don’t care about Baker’s “stats” in 2024 other than improving that W total to at minimum 10 perhaps 11.
IF he makes that improvement then I could care squat how the Bucs got there or how much “glory” Baker gets for it. OTOH if Baker balls out and puts up better stats but regress to just 8 wins and miss the playoffs that will truly suck.
By all appearances the team is far better this season than last. Young players who contributed now have a year more experience, all the critical vets have been signed with the exception of Wirfs and that deal will get done.
The Buc have a demonstrably better OL. That will help Baker. The Bucs have improved at 3rd WR even down to the 4th with Palmer who now has a year experience and perhaps a new OC who knows how to use him properly.
The D has also improved with a year’s experience for Calijah, and YaYa and the addition of Chris Braswell and the return of Whitehead to replace the horrible Ryan Neal! Britt has a year under his belt and LVD is still balling out.
On paper at least (we won’t know for sure until they start playing the games) the Bucs appear to have improved significantly.
Baker does not need to carry this team. He simply needs to LEAD it. Just win baby I do not care about any players freaking stats…1000 yard runners or receivers…that’s all frosting…I want the cake…win at least 10 and better still 11 games! That would be PROgression!
June 5th, 2024 at 12:00 am
All these morons haven’t bother to look at what Canales was actually doing the first 8 games offensively. He was headstrong about a running game that never existed and when he decided to let Baker sling it more on 1st down…. Wa La! Suddenly he’s a genius and getting contracts. Lincoln Riley made his whole career on Baker Mayfield
June 5th, 2024 at 12:07 am
Geno Smith did not crater. Completion % & TD % dropped, but did not crater. Smith’s completion % was higher than Baker’s in 2023. Smith was also better in yards per attempt & yards per game. Smith led the Seahawks to an 8-7 record vs 9-8 for Mayfield.
Canales leaving had minimal impact on Smith. Instead of worshipping at the church de Canales, maybe give both QBs credit for being good for their teams? Smith was good against a stronger schedule in Seattle in 2023.
June 5th, 2024 at 3:20 am
2023 NFL Quarterback Index
Baker ???
Comp % 64.1 67.7
YPA. 7.4 7.0
Pass TD. 34 33
Int. 12 15
Rush TD. 1 0
Pass YDS 19 games. 4730 4972-12.7 more yards per game
Now who is the mystery qb that Baker compares so very close to??
Patrick Mahomes
June 5th, 2024 at 9:19 am
If you look at the regular season totals from 2023 Mahomes has 8 passing yards more per game not 12.7. And in the passer rating Baker beats him 94.6 to 92.6. I thought you haters considered Mahomes elite but not Baker. You know you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
June 5th, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Can only improve on offense after 2 years of lousy run run run into wall wall wall
June 5th, 2024 at 6:11 pm
And when you peel baCk Baker’s you know what you’ll see all of the fanboi nation screaming “NO FAIR NO FAIR!!!!” 😥😢😭🤬
June 5th, 2024 at 6:30 pm
To compare Faker to Mahomies is one of the most laughable things next to comparing him to Brady. What it is is what it ain’t. You fanbois grope Baker so hard you are such clowns. Baker could NEVER not even on Fantasy Island take the team Mahomes had last year and win the Super Bowl! You “dudes” are worse than middle school cheerleaders with your insufferable love for a never been great qb named Mayfield grasping at straws trying to prop him up against two of the greatest qbs ever