Jim Rome Defends Baker Mayfield
September 11th, 2023
Heart.
Clones! You won’t believe who is pulling for the Bucs.
Yesterday, the Bucs had two different Baker Mayfields. In the first half, the guy every person it seemed outside the Tampa Bay area warned us about showed up in Minneapolis.
Mayfield, through the first 28 minutes, was really bad.
Then, something happened at the two-minute warning of the first half. He didn’t exactly turn into Dan Marino but the gritty Mayfield seemed to will the offense to life starting with a 14-yard completion to Chris Godwin followed by Mike Evans’ first two catches of the day, including a touchdown. If the Bucs were going to go down, Mayfield wasn’t going down with the pirate ship easy. At all.
He fought and scrapped and stiff-armed and opened up his body to punishment to keep moving the chains. Fun stuff.
This caught the eye of popular sports radio personality Jim Rome of CBS. He took to Twitter to defend the Bucs quarterback.
Maybe this is what Bucs coach Todd Bowles refers to when he says Mayfield has “moxie?”
It was cool how Mayfield fought his tail off to make sure the Bucs went home with a win.
No, Mayfield is not the most talented quarterback in the league. Probably not in the NFC South. But the man has heart. That tends to rub off on teammates.
Just watch how the Bucs defense and defensive coaches react to this ballsy run. Joe shared the video below yesterday but it’s worth another look. Check out the reactions from Devin White, Larry Foote, Vita Vea and Anthony Nelson.
BAKER GIVING EVERYTHING
đș: #TBvsMIN on CBS
đ±: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/1ua1zPS6rP— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023
September 11th, 2023 at 5:19 am
Not sure if having Rome on your side is a good thing. He also loved Jameis Winston
September 11th, 2023 at 5:25 am
It would behoove us it seems, to continue doubting Baker Mayfield for the rest of the year. So long as he is in âprove the haters wrongâ mode, he plays closer up to his potential, scraps and fights for victories. The second everyone starts praising Baker, his play cycles back through the evolution and he goes back to normal sub-par play (until the haters come back out and we begin anew again).
Break the cycle! Employ psychology everyone! Keep doubting Baker! Heâs (not) the man!
September 11th, 2023 at 5:45 am
I didn’t like Mayfield’s early game. Then I realized how much pressure he was under on nearly every pass. He did a great job of getting his passes off. When he had time, he looked fine. The OC has to figure out how to see all those blitzers and block them. Mayfield surprised me with his “moxie” and overall ability. Now, I like him as our O leader. Keep it up.
September 11th, 2023 at 5:49 am
I said it when the Bucs first got him. They are lucky that he was available for them to add to their team in replacement of Tom Brady. This guy can play. He wants a home. This may be a perfect marriage.
September 11th, 2023 at 5:52 am
Said it before. The Bucs are lucky that Baker was around. This may turn out to be a great marriage for the Bucs and Mayfield.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:17 am
Mayfieldâs receivers had some easy catches dropped early on ! Evans dropped a sure six points ! Kleptocracy let one go right through his hands in the end zone early ! Regardless it took Baker a while to get it going , but he delivered when it mattered most ⊠fire the cannons !
September 11th, 2023 at 6:18 am
I thought he played well in the 1st half. He put some throws on hands several times and they werenât completed. Ko Kieft has stone hands and Evanâs shouldâve pulled down that bomb.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:26 am
So Baker corrected his wrong doings by putting his body in harm ways and you want us to get hype over it and completely forget that if he was playing just average the team could’ve had at least a 10 point lead at that point with no need for the play?
It was refreshing to see the defense and special teams play the way they did and that’s what Joe should be writing for the reason of our first win, not Barkers few good plays. But anyway, hope he gets his head straight and plays better from this point on. Let’s go Bucs!
September 11th, 2023 at 6:36 am
Not a bad point JSmalls, pressure from the Vikings was heavy in the first as well.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:37 am
Letâs not go crazy here. You cannot count on three turnovers and an idiot neutral zone infraction to hand you four points every week.
Although the start was slow, and the running game stunk, itâs worth giving the defense props for halftime adjustments and Mayfield credit for hanging in there after an awful start. In todayâs NFL itâs nearly a must to have a QB who can get an occasional first down with his legs. Other than age, itâs another reason why Tom Brady is no longer playing. Good run by Mayfield. That, with Godwinâs great catch, sealed the victory.
Jim Rome? Is he still around? Perhaps he likes Mayfield for his mirror image ability to reappear after teams, or radio stations in Romeâs case, have tossed you by the wayside. Is Rome still clinging to the old, worn out schtick, âHave a take and donât suck?â
A win is a win, but this win will feel slightly better should Minnesota hang with or upset the Eagles this Thursday night.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:49 am
This oline is looking bad baker was under pressure most the game.
He did well enough to win but I would say the offense was blah and play calling didn’t impress me.
I would of prefer to see more screen plays and slant routes..
The run game is the still garbage..
Defense did their job..
They need to be able to get pressure with 4 more and tidy up in zone coverage allowed to many broken coverages..but made up with turnovers and 2nd half of great play
September 11th, 2023 at 7:01 am
It doesnât matter what Baker does the occult of Trask wonât be happy and will bring it back to Jameis Winston for some reason. Occult members, stop being butt hurt and enjoy a victory Monday with the rest of us Bucs fans.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:18 am
Well, @JA, it wasn’t all luck. Winfield’s hit and Izium’s pick weren’t giveaways, they were stone takeaways. And the running game was just good enough to negate Minnesota’s pass rush in crunch time.
I don’t think 10-7 is crazy for this team.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:20 am
The Vikings have a much improved defense this season – that has been the one area of weakness from last season’s 13 win season, because the offense was great. So the fact that it took most of two quarters for Dave Canales and his players to figure out how to counter the pressures they were bringing should not surprise at all. A lot of quarterbacks would have merely wilted under that kind of pressure. The running game also was not going well in the first half.
I would not say that Baker Mayfield was ever untalented. A player has to be talented to win the Heisman Trophy. But the real question is, what is the mental makeup of the player that allows him to adjust to the NFL game and the much bigger/faster defenders in the pros vs. college ball. There were a lot of questions about Baker Mayfield’s mentality coming into this season – was he a scrapper, or would he wilt? Would he be aloof from his fellow offensive players as it was charged that he was in Cleveland? Or would he develop a good working relationship and trust with his linemen and skill players?
I think that what we saw yesterday, albeit just one game, showed that Baker Mayfield has been underestimated by a whole lotta “experts”.
There will be adversity this season, games that will be lost that should not have been lost. Mayfield is going to fail to take care of the ball from time to time, at least. All of that was the same with Tom Brady under center too. So while it is easy to rah rah for Baker Mayfield today, we fans will be challenged throughout this season. All it will take is for one woulda, coulda, shoulda game for the knives to come out for Baker Mayfield, Dave Canales, and Todd Bowles.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:27 am
Baker Mayfield won the game….won his teammates….won most fans….and apparently, some of the media…….keep it up, Baker.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:56 am
I’m not sold yet. Baker looked terrible the first half. If it wasn’t for the D getting 3 turnovers we lose the game going away. Hope to see improvement next week.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:57 am
Duane: Youâre probably one of those kids who never appreciated Christmas. You probably thought, âYeah, Santa brings us presents, but he really should be thinner.â Mayfield and Canales adjusted to Floresâ defense yesterday. You should adjust your attitude and just enjoy the win. Oh, and Mayfield will show that heâs one of the Top 10 QBs in the League this season.
September 11th, 2023 at 7:59 am
Mayfield had zero pocket to work with. Mayfield had purple in his grill all day long. But Mayfield sucked anyways?? Not many QBs would have been successful with that protection. Mayfield extended many plays with his guts, athleticism and determination and kept us in that ball game. When the man gets decent play from his O-line and still throws bricks then all you TraskFanBoys may have a point. But until thenâŠgive it a rest!
September 11th, 2023 at 8:02 am
That should have been a penalty for a clothesline tackle too
September 11th, 2023 at 8:09 am
Baker has always had that “dawg” in him. He’s not a human highlight reel but the kid usually gives it his all.
Game 1 is usually not great offensively due to limits in camp, limited preseason snaps, etc. We have a new QB, new o-line in a new offense with a new OC. Great win and lots of time to improve.
Don’t believe me? Ask Joe Burrow how his Game 1 went against Cleveland. 82 yards passing, zero TDs, zero ints. LOL
Also, hats off to the rookies who showed up big time and to the whole team for being disciplined with regard to penalties, especially the o-line who resisted the urge to hold even when being pushed around a little. I don’t think I heard Cody Mauch’s name called once and for a rookie on the o-line, that’s a very good thing!
September 11th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Can’t expect a guy to come in with a new team and offense and just light it up.
Even Brady struggled a bit the first few games here.
Given the circumstances a damn good performance by Baker.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:38 am
âRack-âem!â
September 11th, 2023 at 8:38 am
I don’t believe anyone is mentioning Trask BA. Just you. Everyone’s backing the Bucs.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:40 am
Make sure to throw in some articles in this week trashing Mayfieldâs first half. Seems he plays best with a chip on his shoulder. Canât praise him all week. đ
September 11th, 2023 at 8:50 am
Really happy for Baker. Hope he has a great season
Only real concern was Hainsey.
His low snaps will get Mayfield killed
September 11th, 2023 at 8:51 am
Our Special teams were outstanding, our kicking game was lights out, as was our defense, though they made a few errors that need to be and can be corrected, ( mostly letting Cousins get outside of containment on misdirection roll out passes where he was able to leisurely complete a good portion of his 330 yards of passing , thatâs going to be disastrous when we come up against quarterbacks who can run and pass if it isnât corrected), the offensive line did well pass blocking , the run game started off well, had some nice gains at the beginning of the game, but once the defense saw Mayfield was only going to throw short passes , it compressed the field, ( only one completion was over eleven yards ) they tightened up, shutting down the run, and forcing us to pass, where Minnesota ate our lunch , but still it was a win and a good start.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:08 am
I’m not sure why people are excited about Baker. If we didn’t have three takeaways and he had the stats he had any other NFL team would run him out of town. An NFL starting quarterback that can’t pass for 200 yards with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are you crazy?
September 11th, 2023 at 9:12 am
loved hearing Tiki laughing when that play happened. Baker hit a switch with that Td drive to evans and he was cooking. week 1, lets go beat the bears
September 11th, 2023 at 9:31 am
The biggest thing needed right now is for the O-line to gel. That will give Baker, or Trask a lot more pocket time.
The more pocket time, the more time for the WRs to make a play. Right now there is only time for check-down work.
The line might even be better if they focused on run blocking schemes. Developing a running game will keep defenses honest in ways that will also make play action work better.
Right now it is a work in progress, and the first step was the drive that finished the first half. It looks like Baker flipped a switch, but it was the O-line that did the heavy lifting.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:41 am
Got to say Baker balled out on a couple of runs after being chased out of the pocket. And he took a big hit he knew was coming to get that first down. That was a play Brady would never have made. Baker has some true grit! Hope he gets off to a better early start next week.
September 11th, 2023 at 9:47 am
Baker looked bad in the first half for the same reason Daniel Jones looked bad the whole game: really big defenders in his face
September 11th, 2023 at 10:24 am
dbbuc711 Says:
September 11th, 2023 at 8:02 am
That should have been a penalty for a clothesline tackle too
————————————–
I’ve been wondering about that hit, too. If Mayfield was a few inches taller, he would have been taken to the hospital with a broken neck.
September 11th, 2023 at 10:42 am
Rewatched the entire game and then rewatched the offensive snaps again, and if Evans doesn’t drop passes and Otton doesn’t drop (or they rule the not “fumble” an actual fumble) Mayfield’s start to the game is better than I initially thought.
Mayfield had started to get a rhythm going and the Evan’s drop on the long ball and the Otton “fumble” killed that drive and the stretch that followed was poor with Mayfield being inaccurate.
The two minute offense let the QB play outside the structure of the offense (and playcalling) which were problems in the first half. After that QB and the playcalling jived much more with Canales half-time adjustments.
The most troubling element is how much worse the running game looked on the replays, and specifically #1 White. The run calls and timing were also suspect.
Canales, even in the second half was very streaky in calling. 3 Passes>3 runs 3> passes. I’d like to see more early integration.
Play action was 25% in the first half and 50% in the second half.
Flores is a top level DC, so a lot of the struggles cannot be extricated from the defensive calls as well- showing cover zero and then dropping 8 happened numerous times.
September 11th, 2023 at 11:37 am
Our fans should chill on anointing him king.
The Vikings lost the game plain and simple, they had two turnovers where they could have had points. And one of their turnovers had us immediately in the red zone.
Baker looked awful until the Vikings decided to play prevent defense right before half. He looked a bit better in the second half, but ended the the day with 175 yds passing against a defense that wasnât good against the pass last year.
The positives were we didnât turn the ball over, and he ran hard at the end of the game.
September 11th, 2023 at 11:45 am
ONE CONVERTED “EXPERT” AT A TIME
We’ll start with the bottom of the barrel and work up.
September 11th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
I was on mayfields ass for most of the first half half n would of stayed on it but he did have that light come on and he seen the writing on the wall âdo it or get kicked aside againâ lucky for him n us he shifted gears đđ
September 11th, 2023 at 2:42 pm
Baker missed throws in the 1st half. Looked terrible.
September 11th, 2023 at 2:45 pm
Wyoming Joe – You completely whiffed on what I wrote above. Believe me I took nothing negative from the game yesterday including Mayfield’s performance, even his first half performance when he was just getting warmed up.
My comment was directed at the fair weather fans who are crowning Mayfield a saint today, but the first time he throws an INT or the Bucs lose a game with him under center they will immediately declare that they always knew he was a bust.
I love all Bucs wins, and hate all Bucs losses, like most fans …. but I don’t overreact to short term production, whether good or bad. A good season is one in which the Ws outnumber the Ls. But you cannot judge a season or a team based upon a single game.
I distinctly remember Tom Brady’s first game for the Bucs, losing to the Saints (and lost to them a second time later that Super Bowl winning season). The fair weather fans immediately jumped on that loss and both losses to the Saints that season to declare that Brady was washed up, over the hill, was cruising for a fat paycheck, etc.
I still remember Mike Evans’s second season with the Bucs when for a time at least he led all WRs in the league in dropped balls. And believe it or not, lots of idiotic Bucs fans were suddenly declaring him a bust and demanded that he be cut or traded. Ignoring the fact, of course that he still had another 1,000+ yard season (1,206 yards) that year, and the fact that Mike Evans is a possession receiver – one who regularly goes up to grab contested balls because he gets double teamed a lot.
Every single player and coach in the NFL is subject to that kind of short term narrow minded judgmental standards by too many fans as well as sports analysts.
Of course you’ve heard the old saying, that “NFL” stands for “Not for Long”. Not only what have you – player or coach – done for me LATELY, but WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME IN THE LAST 5 MINUTES!
September 11th, 2023 at 3:51 pm
I legit forgot Jim Rome existed.
When I read his tweet, I have to do it in the Jim Rome voice.
OUT.
September 11th, 2023 at 6:37 pm
Clowns blame Mayfield for non existent run game on a team that was horrible last year. You morons are at home getting fat and non athletic while this guy is still playing and doing well for being on yet another terrible team. Put him in Dallas and they go to the super bowl.
September 11th, 2023 at 8:25 pm
I guess Baker ainât no âChrissyâ Everette, lol.
He did great to avoid more sacks and any turnovers in the first half. The protection seemed terrible. Goedeke was getting run over. Then everyone settled. Leadership!
September 11th, 2023 at 8:48 pm
I’ll say it again…at 3-1 I’ll start to believe.
Until then, this game was a gift.
Thank you MN. We’ll take it.
September 11th, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Joe, can you tell us if that early bomb to Evans was a drop or a pass defense? I never saw the replay up close.
September 12th, 2023 at 3:04 pm
The talent has always been there, just like the haters. Few recall that he broke Peyton Manning’s rookie record for TD passes in just 14 games.
September 12th, 2023 at 4:38 pm
been reading all comments for months now nothing changes with the same loud mouth know it alls.i see every QB in this league rarely has lites out play for all 4 1/4’s usually 1 half or the other u expect BAKER to be perfect every min of every game doesn’t work that way Evan mahomes lost his opener.as I watch these games it’s like the same crowd says the same crap no matter what. so what do I call j.Allen he also has 3 intercepts a fumble & all around bad game I don’t c his fans ditching him like he is a bum but u bucs trash u r own team mates WTF& who is Kyle ?
September 12th, 2023 at 4:49 pm
Let me say also that browns fans were in awe of BAKER from day 1 who wud thought those morons running the show there wud ditch a QB that brought life to a lifeless team that hadn’t won a game in 2 years then lie to him release him & pay a freaky weirdo a ton of money that isn’t even aloud to play for the 1 at 11 games & didn’t do diddly when he did start.so I am 100% happy Tampa was smart enough to grab BAKER before anyone else was able welcome Mayfield to the bucs