Getting Baker Mayfield Ready For The Season
August 16th, 2024
Todd Bowles has confidence in his quarterback.
Back when Todd Bowles was a player, it was not uncommon for training camps to open right after the Fourth of July. Teams went away to some directional school for camp, had two-a-days and there was no such thing as underwear football.
Now, teams don’t hit that much in camp. Underwear football is sprinkled throughout camp. Teams use their home facility. Two-a-days are banned.
So the goal of the NFL as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st Century is to get the players to Week 1 healthy. If that means soft practices and not playing in worthless preseason games, so be it.
And yes, that includes quarterbacks.
So yesterday Bowles was asked how Baker Mayfield can be fully Washington-Ready if he (maybe) only plays in one preseason game? Mayfield is not expected to play the Jags on Saturday.
Bowles seemed to suggest this concern is overblown and that quarterbacks can be fully prepared just from practice.
“I don’t think it’s hard to get them ready to play,” Bowles said. “Between the practices against the opposition and the practices against ourselves, [Mayfield] should be ready to play and [have] seen everything.
“It’s just the timing and the mental part that they’ve all got to get down and get used to playing 60-something plays a game as opposed to 30 or 25 in practice.”
Well, if a guy is only used to about half the snaps he’s going to take in a regular season game, is that being prepared?
Then again, did Mayfield, running a new offense with new teammates, look unprepared when the Bucs beat knighted Kirk Cousins and the Vikings on the road to start the 2023 season? Mayfield had the Vikings defense figured out by halftime when he was reading their calls and then alerting his Bucs teammates at the line.
Mayfield sure was ready to rock and roll when he trucked a defender on a keeper for a key run in the fourth quarter.
August 16th, 2024 at 4:39 am
Rookies need the most reps (So does Kyle if he is our back-up), not really worried. And Coen had a much smoother install than Canales did last year on top of it.
August 16th, 2024 at 6:06 am
Looking across the league and the latest McCarthy injury, we are so lucky to have Baker. This will be his 2nd season with us and he will do even better. He is fine not to play yet.
Agree with LetsBucs. Rookies do need the most reps including Trask and even Wolford right now. Coen is the real deal. Liking what we all see so far.
August 16th, 2024 at 6:07 am
Sorry, but practices and scrimmages ain’t 11-on-11 full speed games. They just ain’t. MLB players don’t get ready for the MLB season by facing 80-mph pitchers in spring training. They just don’t.
August 16th, 2024 at 7:48 am
The vets usually get some reps in the final preseason game. Cuts have already started and the coach knows who he’s keeping. The rookies have to play these games to prove themselves. Just basic football common sense. Duh.
August 16th, 2024 at 8:04 am
all he needs to do is go to the ray jay with 13 and the rest of his receivers and play catch when nobody’s there, visualize the game and execute during the game, isn’t that what tb did?
August 16th, 2024 at 8:47 am
Mayfield will be ready. Todd? Not so sure. He’s starting to talk out of both sides of his mouth.
Wish someone would ask him what he’s going to do differently to cover a slant, stop 3rd and long, and ensure his players know their assignments in his Fourier transform blitz packages.
#AsToddMayNotHaveEvolved
August 16th, 2024 at 9:37 am
Baker stinks like Dave Pear, Mr. Unemployed
August 16th, 2024 at 10:14 am
Trask would have had the Minnesota D figured out mid-1st Quarter pfffffffffffft
August 16th, 2024 at 10:39 am
@JK
The Bucs were 20th in points scored in 2023. Only 12 teams were worse. I would bet the house that if Trask had those numbers you’d be saying he can’t figure out defenses and should be cut. Am I right?
August 16th, 2024 at 10:58 am
Bro can’t you detect clear sarcasm……….
Mayfield will have MVP #s this year
August 16th, 2024 at 11:14 am
The idea that you can only get ready by playing games is completely false. If your practices are run correctly, and you do some scrimmaging or practicing against other teams, you can be 100% prepared without ever playing a game.
August 16th, 2024 at 11:24 am
If you crave the playoffs, mediocrity, and zero chance of ever winning the Super Bowl then Baker’s your man!
August 16th, 2024 at 11:37 am
I can’t wait to see Coen’s system with the way this offense played last year Baker Mayfield brought in top 10 quarterback type numbers Mike Evans top receiver numbers and yet we were the lowest scoring offense because canales was still trying to figure things out maybe he is still trying to figure things out I feel like we will be scoring a lot more in the first quarter and we’ll have a better sense at finishing teams this year compared to last season
August 16th, 2024 at 11:38 am
We have played pretty well on opening days under Bowles. I’m not worried….yet.
August 16th, 2024 at 1:10 pm
BigBucsFan nails last year’s problem and offers the solution for 2024.
Thanks, Big.
August 16th, 2024 at 3:43 pm
Show Me the TDs, I bet Baker wins a Super Bowl before you do. It’s easy to be armchair QB. A little tougher with 3-5 steroid crazed 280-300 lb animals with only 1 goal per play. Pound you into the turf.
August 16th, 2024 at 4:04 pm
J McCosh –
Soooo, are you saying that Baker doesn’t throw any ropes in practice?
August 17th, 2024 at 6:39 am
Dave queer. Shut up when Baker starts throwing picks you will blame everyone but him lol 🤣🤣. You’re a Baker cheerleader 😂 how many more excuses you’re going to give him this year ??
August 17th, 2024 at 6:44 am
Bigbuc. And he choked when the game was on the line. I can’t wait until the season starts as well. I’m tired of the Baker boys pretending he’s a great quarterback. Even though he’s played on 4 teams in 6 years good to great quarterbacks don’t play on that many teams in 6 years. Baker Mayfield is Garden Michew 2.0 . NFC Championship or bust no more excuses for your hall of fame quarterback!!