Baker Mayfield “Betrayed”
November 17th, 2024
Let down by Bucs defense.
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense are getting the job done. The rest of the team (aside from perhaps kicker Chase McLaughlin)? Not so much.
In fact, Mike Sando of The Athletic believes Mayfield’s done such a good job and the rest of the Bucs’ non-offensive players have not, that Mayfield is one of the most “betrayed” quarterbacks in the NFL.
Sando, a long-time NFL columnist, has hatched a stat that demonstrates how a team is wasting its quarterback play. To score well means team must have quality play from its quarterback and trash play from the defense and the special teams.
In this “QB Betrayal Index,” Sando has Mayfield as the third-most betrayed quarterback. No. 1 is Lamar Jackson. No. 2 is Joe Burrow.
Sando listed the Baltimore Crows’ combined defense/special teams rank as No. 32, the Bengals’ at No. 31. Sando ranks the Bucs’ defense/special teams as No. 29.
Sando types that Mayfield should be getting more credit. And if not for Mayfield’s play, Sando adds, the Bucs might be looking at a very high quality draft pick in the spring.
The Buccaneers are 4-0 when they finish with positive EPA on defense/special teams, but 0-6 otherwise. That is typically the hallmark of a team featuring a win-with quarterback, as opposed to a win-because-of QB. But with four of those defeats falling into the extreme betrayal bucket, Mayfield deserves more credit. He has generally kept Tampa close in four extreme betrayal games, but the Buccaneers lost 36-30 and 31-26 to the Falcons, 30-24 to Kansas City and 41-31 to Baltimore in those difficult-to-win matchups.
The difference between Mayfield/Burrow and Jackson? Baltimore is winning. The Bucs and Bengals are not.
November 17th, 2024 at 12:27 am
Time for dead snook and occasional local pontiff to come in and try to blame Jason Licht, the hot dog guy at RJS, and Jon Gruden for the failings of Yuccaneer Lovie and his Cover Who zone defenseless.
November 17th, 2024 at 1:31 am
“the hot dog guy at RJS”… well done Dave lol
November 17th, 2024 at 2:34 am
Theyre gonna wait until its too late……to fire todd….and while we have a chance…..its stupid….but go ahead Jason and Glazers…..you’re losing us
November 17th, 2024 at 2:38 am
I cant even stand watching this f n mess anymore….Baker and the rest deserve better than this
November 17th, 2024 at 3:11 am
Algo has taken over for the night it seems. Doesn’t Algo ever get out for the night to have some beers? Jeebus Crumbs.
November 17th, 2024 at 4:03 am
can baker please fight jake paul next……..yes
November 17th, 2024 at 4:11 am
Congrats Joe. By promoting such a ridiculous made-up stat like Sando’s ‘Most Betrayed Quarterback’ you’ve officially joined Fruit Loops Pear in the ‘Least Analytical Minds in Bucsville’ category. Hey if you can make up categories, so can everyone else.
JoeBucsFan was always fun, even during the ‘dark years’, because there were always a substantial number of commenters who really loved the Bucs (like I do) and were able to keep relatively open minds about positives & negatives on all sides of the ball. Reading their more-analytical comments ‘kept hope alive’ so to speak, even during losing seasons. Those commenters are dwindling significantly, unfortunately.
I never liked the word ‘haters’ because it describes so very very few. But those it does describe tend to wallow in their own self-generated cesspool of life and work hard to drag everyone else down to their level. Seeing too much of that nowadays. Maybe the Joes should try to be more like The Sage?
November 17th, 2024 at 4:44 am
In agreement, Baker does deserve more credit. Yes, the Ravens are winning more games and not Bengals/Bucs. So much to that too. And we both have good QBs.
November 17th, 2024 at 5:58 am
He once made outstanding points based on statistics. He’s now given in to his own emotion and decided to wave the white flag on reason. That’s too bad. And I am not talking about Sando, I’m talking about one of our own. Who kew the Fruit Loop brigade would end up being the one making the most sense.
Baker is our QB and Bowles must go.
November 17th, 2024 at 6:31 am
It’s been obvious the defense, and STs have been letting us down. Baker has been playing well, but he didn’t help us win any games by throwing some costly picks in some of those games either. No one is blameless for this 4-6 record.
November 17th, 2024 at 7:01 am
No point in this article. Certain that Baker doesn’t feel “betrayed.” He just keeps trying to do what needs to be done to win football games. This kind of article doesn’t help that cause. The headline makes it sound like those are Baker’s sentiments when they are clearly not. Hopefully, Bucs get some competent defenders next year. This problem is more than a coaching or scheme issue. Bucs defense lacks speed, tackling ability, and desire. Model should be The Steeler’s. With Highsmith and Watt everyone is reminded of how QB pressure is paramount. Consider ATL games where statue Cousins just stood there long enough to have a ham sandwich and pick the Bucs apart.
November 17th, 2024 at 7:08 am
“Sando ranks the Bucs’ defense/special teams as No. 29.” Seems generous.
November 17th, 2024 at 7:44 am
We lost 2 top receivers before the trade deadline, and decided to do nothing about it. Spending on a quarterback, then asking him for miracles isn’t as foolproof as we hoped.
November 17th, 2024 at 7:53 am
@Hodad… agreed, the blame is all around. Our defense allows other teams to march down the field to cap a win. Our offense does not, when given the chance. SF gave us missed FGs and then 3 PFs in a row. They tried to give us the game. Yes, our defense is killing us, but Baker and the offense is not closing out near win games either.
November 17th, 2024 at 8:13 am
Doug, The team put to much faith in a rookie receiver who is injury prone and can’t get on the field and they also believed in a 2nd year receiver who regressed
November 17th, 2024 at 8:20 am
It’s not that complicated. Bucs have a superlatively poor defense validated by stats, choking in crunch time, and As defense rules pointed out a serious problem defending a league leading number of fourth downs. There’s an argument to be made this is truly the worst defense in the league.
Why? 3 Hugh reasons:
1. Bowles is a bottom 10% DC.
2. Injuries including a disproportionate number of non-contact injuries (hamstrings and calf’s)
3. As good as Licht is at finding offensive talent in the top and middle rounds, he is equally, if not exceedingly poor on the other side of the ball. And totally clueless when it comes to drafting edge rushers.
Plenty of blame to go round. Bowles and Licht, obviously. But don’t leave out the four strength and conditioning coaches and the plethora of Bucs medical staff.
November 17th, 2024 at 8:23 am
Baker was paid, this tired D has been made, and it is the fans who have been betrayed.
Joe, I do like how you refer to the qb “betrayal” stat as “hatched,” because it is just a bad egg filled with drama
November 17th, 2024 at 8:26 am
Don’t think this site’s purpose is to “keep hope alive” or to “help the cause.” We want accurate reporting on what’s going on and insight into the why’s. (Some look for fortune-telling Swamis and Fantasy gurus; most can do without that).
For us longtime sufferers from Buc-itis the present state of the team is familiar, but reversed. Tampa Bay was known for years as pairing stout defenses with inept offenses. From the end of the Doug Williams era to the start of Dungy we were sometimes adequate on one side of the ball but putrid on the other. (In the Rock Star era we got worse and so were woeful all around).
Now the pattern is repeating itself in reverse. Baker HAS become an elite weapon; IMO his bad games this year were caused by making up for the collapse of the defense. He certainly has shown special qualities we need like escapability and adaptability. Not many qbs would adjust well to so many different offenses in such a short time.
Our team defense in the past has been built on speed, especially up front and in the LB corps. This team doesn’t have that now. It’s slow, and they make up for their deficiencies with a lack of size and strength, too. Bad combo.
Much of the blame goes on the 2021 draft. Licht picked people for special teams instead of future starters. In what world does K.J. Britt say “starter”? And don’t get started on the 2nd round qb, much less the #1 pick. Of course cap hell hurt and the unexpected need to replace the OL was a bummer. But the string-and-bubble gum approach is most obvious with the lb/safety clusterf. And for this year any answers will come if at all from the practice squad — ours, or maybe other teams’.
And that’s the way it is.
November 17th, 2024 at 9:22 am
Been following Baker’s career for 10 years now. I’ve been a Bucs fan for a year and a half- since Baker got here. Almost 70 years old and played and watched football all my life. Enjoyed watching my 4 sons play football years ago. Watching the grandkids playing football now. Boys took me to Detroit for last years playoff game- tied in the 4th qtr we lost. But I saw something that day. We were a good team. We’re actually a better team now. I’m not about to write us off for this season just yet. We’re very close to being as good as anyone in this league. And Baker definitely doesn’t feel betrayed. He’s pissed that if he’d made a few more plays we’d be over.500. Rare to see a team with NO drama for 2 years. No drug busts, no women beaters, no whiners. And some here don’t have the patience to let our season play out? Sad really.
November 17th, 2024 at 9:35 am
K.smith I 2nd that post this site is a real Bunch!
November 17th, 2024 at 9:40 am
KentonSmith,
All good points. Bucs will rally in back half of season. The big however is that this defense is not playoff ready. Licht did a spectacular job rebuilding the O line in a couple of years. The line is just now finding itself. There have been some interesting pieces added to defense like Izzy, Tykee and McCollum but without speed at linebacker and EDGE pressure Bucs aren’t going anywhere even if they miraculously make the playoffs this season. Confident that Licht is making his list and checking it twice to figure out what defense personnel should look like next year. Understand the frustration with Coach Bowles who is a genuinely good man. Others on this blog need to understand that without defense personnel changes it doesn’t matter whether it is Belichick, Lombardi or Bowles this team isn’t going anywhere. Big changes in defense are coming.
November 17th, 2024 at 9:43 am
Licht has always been a below average GM who got real lucky Brady came into town and recruited his players. Brady was the best GM this franchise ever had. Unfortunately, BA sabotaged the Bucs with his succession plan forcing Bowles on us. Glazers have to realize nothing will change until a new HC comes in and does a serious overhaul of the defense. Until then, it’s not worth watching this defense choke week after week.
November 17th, 2024 at 10:12 am
As a “real” Baker fan and true Bucs fan I concur with this analytic. We all can point to his mistakes blah blah blah and short comings on the field but the man has done all he is physically capable of doing to win these games and Blowles has blown every opportunity to help him win games that he has tried in earnest to win. Blowles is a horrible head coach and defensive coordinator because he refuses to make in game adjustment as well as making team adjustments that make sense and help the team win. He has his head in the sand and is blind to the uselessness of his defensive schemes and strategies. We should’ve known this was going to happen after Brady’s last year here.
November 17th, 2024 at 11:12 am
Baker was a sub-.500 quarterback before joining the Bucs. Guess what he is with the Bucs? Yup! … Sub-.500 … 13-14 … Time to move on from this two-year experiment to save Todd’s job and start developing a Super Bowl contender!
November 17th, 2024 at 11:29 am
I applaud you, Kenton.
The job Licht and even Todd, after the SB and being in CAP hell has been nothing short of amazing. We have done well up until this year (so far). This year has been plagued with injuries and a huge storm. I do feel that we should find a younger DC but Todd has done a good job in keeping the dregs of a team he has ATM competitive. I have found these last games to be entertaining and exciting.
I, too, have deplored some of Todd’s schemes and time management but I can’t think of another head coach we could get who could do better.
November 17th, 2024 at 11:48 am
Kinda sad seeing Baker at his prime and fighting for nothing. Our defense cannot stop a parked car. yes, we score. But the opposition always scores more.
November 17th, 2024 at 1:01 pm
Churrasco first off you don’t get rid of a qb that’s top 3 on every statistical category for a qb with him in 1st for 2 of those categories, quit being a hater and place the blame where it goes, on the sorry defense, that plays soft zone, leaves the middle of the field open, and can’t get off the field when they need to
November 17th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Chad take off your fanboi panties getting all worked up calling a man a hater because he’s not in love with Baker like you. If he was against Baker because he’s white or short or married to a beautiful woman then yeah he’s a hater. Yeah what churrasco said is a lil shortsighted in a team oriented sport and we’re saddled with a sub par coach who gave the G.O.A.T. his only losing season BUT what he said isn’t a lie when it comes to Baker’s record as a starter. Fanbois dig into their feelings so quickly
November 17th, 2024 at 6:14 pm
Nope, what he said about Baker’s record as a starter cannot be disputed. What can and SHOULD be disputed is using a QB’s record as any indication of their talent at all.
Mahomes would have 2 wins, at most, with the Bucs defense. Brady would never have won a single Superbowl if the Pats and Bucs defenses in those years were as bad as this year’s Bucs team. Bucs would have one loss, at most, this year if they had the Chiefs defense.
Team game. You can name the number of QBs who have has a Superbowl winning season singlehandedly on less than one finger.
November 17th, 2024 at 8:09 pm
Baker inherited a 1-31 team in Cleveland so obviously had a couple bad records to start. Before leaving there, he came within one dropped pass of leading them to the zconference championship. Think the Browns regret ditching him now?!? You bet they do!
November 18th, 2024 at 7:45 am
Mayfield , Most betrayed? He isn’t even the most betrayed quarterback on the team!