Decisions Versus Execution

July 27th, 2024

Baker Mayfield chills on his ride after practice and meeting with media.

So Baker Mayfield had a subpar practice yesterday to cap Day 3 of training camp.

Afterwards, Joe asked Mayfield about his performance since camp opened.

JoeBucsFan.com: Do you feel like you’ve had a good first few days of camp? How would you evaluate yourself?

Baker Mayfield: I’d say yes, based on the operation. Today was probably the worst in terms of completions in the pass game with quarterbacks and receivers, but there was some good. It was just the most up-and-down day we had, I’d say that, and especially for me. But yeah, good so far. And you’re going to have those days where the completions aren’t happening, but as long as I’m making the right reads, making the right calls and doing those things, that’s what [training] camp is all about — ensuring that we’re on the same page on offense. And then the physical stuff will come.

So Mayfield feels good about making the right decisions in July and isn’t nearly as focused on completions. The logic is sound from a veteran quarterback, but it sure didn’t look pretty from him yesterday, especially on deep balls, as Joe documented.

Watching yesterday’s session, Joe was glad it wasn’t 2023. The way Kyle Trask was on fire would have been a great example of how a quarterback competition can be a distraction.

Ira Kaufman Talks Kyle Trask Conversation, Day 3 Training Camp Observations, A Look At Week 1, Todd Bowles Comments, A Special Save The Date, And Much More

24 Responses to “Decisions Versus Execution”

  1. JimBobBuc Says:

    I’m not a Bake hater, but Bake needs to be more consistent on the deep balls. Too many overthrows last year.

  2. Capt Jimbo Neal Says:

    Baker looked like Wolford yesterday, that ain’t gonna cut it, Baker.

  3. heyjude Says:

    Baker chilling out hydrating! Coach Bowles told them to make sure to hydrate. Baker sounds confident! Can’t wait. Go Bucs!

  4. Defense Rules Says:

    Baker’s at the helm; no excuses. There’ll be good days & bad days, but Todd & the coaches will be looking for progress. Run the ship aground though once the season starts, and we’ll have ourselves a $100 mil cabin boy instead of a captain.

  5. Fred McNeil Says:

    Oh, I wouldn’t start panicking just yet.

  6. Bee Says:

    Exactly DR

    No excuses for Baker this year. He got his money and is once again guaranteed to start. He’s got an above average defense and HOF receiver. He needs to be better but his deep ball accuracy looks like it will be low percentage again this year.

  7. JD Still Says:

    Trask having a poor day passing the first day of camp is not surprising, after all the recievers he was throwing to were mostly new guys who weren’t here last year , he was better the second day as he became more familiar with what those guys could and couldn’t do , and yesterday , he was absolutely on fire! But Mayfield , he was throwing to the same guys he threw to all last year and this , and there is no way to sugar coat it, so far he is not where he should be .

  8. ModHairKen Says:

    So now this is just going to be a “thing”? One person says “deep ball accuracy” and it’s just a part of the Gospel?

    Go back and look. First , what is a “deep ball”? How many “deep balls” were dropped? How many “deep balls” were missed because of pressure? How many were second reads because “deep balll” meant chance of INT was lower, with a small chance of completion? And how did Baker compare, this “deep ball accuracy” to past years, other QBs here with these WRs, and how did it compare to other NFL QBs?

  9. Kgh4life Says:

    Those deep shots are concerning, Baker and the coaching staff must address it.

  10. Dude Says:

    Back to back 48% completion pct games loading…..

  11. Dave Pear Says:

    All part of the Great Trashk Suppression Conspiracy. The Glazers are even in on it. They’d all rather punish the team’s performance by keeping the superior player buried with the bus drivers, thus also keeping him from having any trade value. They would all rather lose than see their #2 draft pick succeed. Makes perfect sense.

  12. Defense Rules Says:

    ModHairKen … ‘So now this is just going to be a “thing”? One person says “deep ball accuracy” and it’s just a part of the Gospel?’

    Precisely! Like everyone else, I saw Joe’s notes from yesterday indicating that Baker had a bad day throwing deep. I haven’t seen any stats however indicating Baker CONSISTENTLY throws a poor deep ball. One day doesn’t a career make (if it did, Joe probably would’ve cut Kyle Trask after Day 1 of Training Camp this year?).

    Deep balls to me are a very ‘iffy’ situation. It appears to be primarily about timing, and it doesn’t take much to throw a receiver’s route off, or for a QB to throw a couple feet too long or too short (or to get his arm hit while he’s throwing?). Personally prefer more of a ball-control strategy (short passes, running game, etc), with deep balls ‘set up’ and used selectively. And I think for the most part that’s how most NFL teams view deep balls (including Todd Bowles & our Bucs). Any QB who hits on even 50% of his deep throws is probably gonna command a lot of $$$ (assuming he can hit on the short stuff too of course).

  13. Pewter Power Says:

    You have to expect those days. Our defense has played us enough to catch on to the offense. He was off on downfield throws more than I liked last year so hopefully that changes. Kyle has better days than him last year so it’s not saying much

  14. Dave Pear Says:

    Just win, baby.

  15. jarrett Says:

    Ole Boy this is the last thing I wanna hear from Baker.

    Can’t believe we really locked in with this guy, we really taking a gamble. But atleast this team is relevant and has some interesting storylines in camp this year.

    Week One vs the Commanders LETS GOOOOOO

  16. #99 the big fella Says:

    Baker had one bad practice and it’s doom and gloom from the trask fans

  17. Badbucs Says:

    Season can’t start soon enough. Don’t start clutching your pearls over a practice or two. We made our bed with Baker. All we can do now is see what happens.

  18. ballwasher61 Says:

    Good times Bad times
    Ya know I’ve had my share……

    It’s called life, get a grip already, so he had a bad day.

  19. ballwasher61 Says:

    Oh and it was the 3rd day of camp yet he lit it up mostly on days 1,2 of underwear football?

  20. GoneGator Says:

    Geez 🙄

    Now is the time to throw incompletions or even interceptions. New receivers, new offense, new routes etc… everything is fine.

    Baker has elite arm talent (top 5 imo) and he’s going to light up the league this season with this team around him.

    Feel bad for all the haters and doubters who 2nd guess Jason, Todd and the countless others involved in the decision to make Baker our QB for the next few years.

  21. DavidBigBucsFan99 Says:

    Fanbois unite behind Mayfield’s bad practice! Protect his honor! Full steam ahead against his detractors! Just to point out, you all notice this Joe wrote and I quote

    “Watching yesterday’s session, Joe was glad it wasn’t 2023. The way Kyle Trask was on fire would have been a great example of how a quarterback competition can be a distraction.”

    No one ever wrote about Mayfield being on fire, just his his interceptions and struggles yet pear bottom Dave says it was a conspiracy yet Mayfield at times still played poorly through out the season but of course they ignore that. He has 6 seasons now and yet still has practices like this yet we’re supposed to blindly back this dude because you say so and call us names if we don’t. Fanbois get out of here with your foolishness. You best hope your crush doesn’t continue with his track record since he had a pretty good statistical year while playing poorly in many of his games.

  22. George Nostej Says:

    Oh my god! Mayfield had some missed deep shots in day 3 of practice?!?

    Time to start looking for a new qb.

    /sarcasm off

    Do people not understand practice is the time to make mistakes and learn and get better?! lol.

  23. Ed McSherry Says:

    It’s probably more productive to remember the “deep ball” completions last year, not the “overthrows” (he didn’t dink n’ donk that high total/yards stat last year), because: Baker was heavily pressured throughout the season and to his fight/scrambling credit did well to get-off as many deep ball passes as he did.

    Consider: Goff has the #1 rated O-line in the NFL, giving an inferior (to Baker) quarterback ooodles of time; and the Buccaneers could have won each game in which they were matched.

    Also, a “commentators of the national media” sometimes criticism of Baker: “Has trouble seeing the open receiver and switching from the “A target to the “B” (like the GOAT does so well).” Well, that’s kinda difficult to do when the pressure and pass-knockdowns are all over a quarterback on practically every obvious pass play.

    Hey, it comes down to the Buccaneers’ O-line, again.

    It’s not “like broken record” if it’s the truth of the matter.

    Baker with just, even a little more time (that we have reason to be greatly optimistic will happen this year), will erase any all of these Pre-season worries.

  24. Dave Pear Says:

    Ed bringing facts while Trashkophiles just say start him because…….because………because we want to see what we have in him. Ha.

    Haha.

    Hahahahahaaaaa.

    Bwaaahaaaahahahaha.

    BWAAAAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHHahahaNaha.

    Have a bustanut bar