Chris Godwin: Carlton Davis Was Right
January 17th, 2024
Better than many think.
Remember last summer? Bucs corner Carlton Davis finally got fed up with so many saying the Bucs would stink because Tom Brady retired.
Davis went off to Tyler Dunne of GoLong.com saying “We’re going to wreck sh*t.” Davis, correctly, pointed out that the core of the Super Bowl winning Bucs of 2020 is still on the roster. They just had a new quarterback.
Apparently, all those slights before the season have not been forgotten. Albert Breer said the Bucs are winning because of the same reason Brady came to the Bucs: a roster swelled with playmakers.
And Bucs receiver Chris Godwin echoed to Breer what Davis said this summer, only in slightly more polite terms.
“It wasn’t like the nucleus of the championship team wasn’t still here,” Godwin says. “It wasn’t like we didn’t have talented guys that worked their asses off. People were just writing us off from the beginning.
“Like we’ve been saying and preaching all year, last year, we came into the season, and people expected us to do a lot of things. You don’t win games on paper. You win them on the field. We just didn’t play well enough on the field last year. This year, same thing, but it flipped.
“People wrote us off in the beginning. We were like, That’s all right. We know the games are played on the field.”
Hey, if this is the motivation the Bucs need to keep bulldozing their way through the playoffs, more power to them. Maybe Joe should type up articles asking if the Bucs paid for their tickets to go to Detroit on Sunday?
Davis and Godwin are not wrong. The Bucs had and have talent. They did need a quarterback. And it sure looks and feels as if Baker Mayfield has found an NFL home in Tampa.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:45 am
Joe says….And it sure looks and feels as if Baker Mayfield has found an NFL home in Tampa.
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Watch out Joe, you will have the Baker Haters crash your system with the usual drivel of why Trask should start.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:46 am
The Eagle game should all all but the most wacked out Trask loyalists that Mayfield has what it takes to QB this team. Maybe not perfect but very good for this Buc team. Go ahead and draft a long shot QB in the 3-4-5 slot, however, do NOT let Baker get away.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:54 am
Why bring up Trask? 99% of the time Baker fans are the ones bringing up his name.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:59 am
I’m still not sold on Baker being the guy. Consistency isn’t his strong suit
January 17th, 2024 at 11:03 am
Trask has had the best job in the NFL, backing up Brady and winning a Super Bowl, now backing up a playoff team. If we never need him to win games, that is a good thing, right?
January 17th, 2024 at 11:07 am
I do hope we keep Mayfield. Helped give us and identify. Tough sob too. Trask will get a shot sometime. Aaron Rogers sat behind Favre 5 years.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:09 am
Going in the Bucs have something they did not have all year…stability. The Lions secondary is vulnerable too. The Bucs can win a close game here. 2 more to get to the Super Duper Bowl. Many Bucs have been there and done that, the Lions have not. Bucs win on a long FG at the last minute.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:13 am
If you did a cursory search on Google for the comment archives on this site you would see the opposite is true. You have been one of the biggest Trask cheerleaders all season. We all know that somewhere down inside you resent the Bucs found success with Mayfield.
Thankfully the only thing people inside One Buc care about is winning.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:22 am
If anything, Baker and Brady have shown us how great our WR corp is. They took TB12 out of retirement and Baker out of the scrap heap and made them top QBs.
Evans has that impact on every QB. Just wish he show up for a playoff game.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:29 am
If Carlton Davis tackling was the same as his mouth, we will have Charles Woodson as our CB
January 17th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Drome^ 100%! Where are all the Trask gator boys now? They all had big takes the past couple of weeks…. loser fans with blue and orange glasses. Go bucs, go baker!
January 17th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Very happy for baker. Keep it rolling!
However, do we not forget that he was an afterthought as a QB a few months ago, and glad he’s balling now. Good for him. Keep winning!
I didn’t see anyone bring up the backup QB’s name in the comments until it was a “baker boi”.
lol glad we are still playing and have something to fight about.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:31 am
^ Yup, Evans is basically quarterback-proof. Doesn’t matter if it’s the GOAT, Baker, or scrubs like Mccown and Mike Glennon… Evans will feast more often than not.
I’m looking for him to have a HUGE game against Detroit after being relatively quiet the last 3 weeks. He’s due.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:32 am
One playoff win is not a “pound your chest, I told you so” and I will gladly eat crow if Baker keeps winning! Go Bucs! It would bring me extra joy if we won a Super Bowl.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:33 am
@D-Rome, I have nothing invested in Trask. All I’ve said about him is how do you pick a guy in round 2 and never put him on the field. It’s a headscratcher for me. Other than that, I don’t care about him. My biggest concern is the erratic play from our starting QB. And, I call it out in my posts. How is that cheerleading?
January 17th, 2024 at 11:36 am
Davis, Dean, Kancey are on the field and not on the injured list.
YaYa , McCollum and Britt have emerged as playmakers
The OLine is playing better, despite interior deficiencies and Canales is improving.
Bucs are peaking at the right time.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:38 am
Trask will be fine. Mayfield is our guy, Trask is our guy, Wolford is our guy. Any further childish crap is futile, petty, and insecurly pathetic.
IT’S ADULT TIME NOW. PUSH ON!
We have an adult game to root for and one h3ll of a chance to make More History. Let’s talk about that and the idea of us seeing our top 2 receivers far more involved.
Let’s talk about 6 to 8 fantastic passes that where dropped that were on the receivers. Was it ALL of the receivers that failed to do their jobs? Because what was Clear was that 90% of those dropped passes were on the receivers.
It’s a good thing Baker had his best game because he most Definitely could have had easily another 100 passing yards on Monday night. Easily. And add another touchdown or two to that talley while you’re at it. Baker throws like he did Monday, and the rest of the team shows up and plays like we KNOW they can, the “Coaches” DON’T BLOW IT,…. WE WIN THIS GAME ON SUNDAY as a PROVEN, TAKE IT ALL, GUARANTEED THREAT TO ANYBODY STANDING IN THE WAY!
Hands down and drop the mic!
January 17th, 2024 at 11:40 am
The only cheerleading I’ve seen has been from the Baker die-hards. They tell us how well he played every week, even when he played poorly. There’s no honesty in their posts. And if anybody criticizes him in any way, the posse comes out like West Side Story.
I try to be honest. If he plays well, I say so. If he plays poorly, I say so. Seems innocuous, but not around here.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:46 am
It’s actually funny to see Bucs fans trying to cope with success that runs against their internal narrative of “Bowles sucks. Baker sucks. Canales sucks. Rachaad sucks.” Those players and coaches just made magic happen with a total beatdown of last year’s Super Bowl team. Ease up and be happy for a change. Jeesh
January 17th, 2024 at 11:47 am
Realistic…. My biggest concern is the erratic play from our starting QB. And, I call it out in my posts. How is that cheerleading?
Do you call out the offensive line folding like a cheap tent, even in the philly game I saw the interior line just collapse. Playing behind an offensive line that does this causes hurry throws and passes not on the mark. Now I am not blaming it all on the line, but there is enough blame to go around. To me that is why they stuck with Mayfield, they knew it was not his fault all the time. Happened to Brady also, last year.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:47 am
I did not want Baker. I did not think Baker could lead a successful team. I am man enough to say I was wrong.
You have to hope Baker enjoys the career resurrection and the love he is getting and gives us a discount as he will get some large offers.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:48 am
Evans dropped several passes during the season that would have been touchdowns or long gainers. If he would have caught those, he would be first team all-pro with probably 17 TDs, and Baker would be an MVP candidate.
I am not complaining. It’s amazing how he gets so open so often and he makes plenty of great plays, but Baker’s been far from erratic this year. He’s been lights out, considering the lack of a running game and all the drops. Mentally tough, as well as physically.
As much criticism as they get, when both Dean and Davis are healthy the defense is pretty good.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:49 am
@BakerFan, you obviously haven’t been reading my posts. I’ve called out the interior OL all year.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:49 am
Debating the backup quarterback when we’re going into the Divisional Round is stupid.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:54 am
We could go all the way.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:55 am
realistic-optimistic Says:
January 17th, 2024 at 11:49 am
@BakerFan, you obviously haven’t been reading my posts. I’ve called out the interior OL all year
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Guess I have not seen them as much as I have seen the inconsistent of Baker posts. I just say there are reasons those things happen. Time in the pocket and open passing lanes, I will go with Baker any day of the week. Watched all the games this week and if you compare QB play, the Bucs are not giving up anything in that area.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:57 am
Dear “consistently ” folk:
Name me a NFL QB who is GREAT, EVERY game.
I’ll wait
January 17th, 2024 at 11:57 am
I believe any average QB could take this team to the playoffs. Actually I’m putting it the wrong way. This team would take any average QB to the playoffs. There was a lot games the defense drug Mayfield to victory this season. Mayfield is a mystery to me. I’ve only watched him this season. But he disappears in half’s and entire games but then has games where he is down right awesome. What scares me is in the playoffs you have to show up every game as a QB. That is where Mayfield fails. I’m not saying he has to be GB type performance. But he can’t be panthers and saints performance either. Those games had the season on the line. Pressure was there and he failed. The D bailed him out with the Panthers tho.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:05 pm
Since76 Says:……
Duly noted on what you believe. I just disagree, this team has been all over the road this year except on special teams.
It is not always the QB fault but sometimes they all lay an egg. Mahomes in Denver scored 9 points and Lost. Anyways I will say that you have earned your opinion if you have been a Bucs Fan Since 1976
January 17th, 2024 at 12:07 pm
well, I predicted 35-17 bucs last week, was close! This week, 38-14 bucs. Y’all haven’t seen Baker bake yet.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:09 pm
If you could get past your hang up on draft order then it’s really not that difficult to figure out. After winning the Super Bowl the Bucs were playing with house money with regards to the draft. They felt they had a window to not only win another Super Bowl but potentially draft a replacement for Brady. You want to do what Green Bay has been doing for 20+ years and that’s drafting a QB when you don’t need one. The Bucs were a play away from going to back to back Super Bowls but they didn’t because of a coaching decision, not because who they drafted that season. Picking up Kyle Trask in the 2nd round was a great pick. It was a gamble pick and he’s an important part of the team.
However, there’s clearly something the organization has seen since 2021 that they (the organization, not just Bowles) felt they needed an experienced veteran. Licht gambled again and it paid off in a huge way. This team is two wins away from a Super Bowl appearance. Trask plays an important role as a backup. He’d better be ready because you never know. As it stands, Baker is not under contract for next season but Kyle Trask is.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
76, goes the other way too. Immediately the Houston game came to mind. The quarterback did everything he could to get us in position to win and the defense crapped the bed with only seconds left on the clock.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:15 pm
We seem to be pretty healthy for this time of year
January 17th, 2024 at 12:16 pm
I love how the haters are already trying to move the goal posts. They will flood the comments if the Bucs don’t beat the Lions. To me this team has wayyyy exceeded expectations. This is just gravy now! The season is a success in my book and we’re going to be even better next year when we get cap breathing room. Re-sign our guys (minus 45) and keep beefing up the lines and lookout NFL. We have our qb for the next 3 years folks!! No way the Bucs don’t keep Baker. Something special is brewing! Go Bucs!
January 17th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
we will win against the lions. and make it to the superbowl, I just hope the 9ers lose somehow along the way
January 17th, 2024 at 12:21 pm
Here is a conudrum, what happens, if the bucs make the superbowl? All of a sudden, Baker is top contract, as a free agent..lol. You can bet, bucs are in negotiations right now.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
@D-Rome, I agree with everything you just said. Neither of us knows what goes on behind closed doors at OBP, so we have no idea why a 2nd round pick never saw the field. But we both know Bowles has had eyes for Baker since the 2018 draft. That’s no secret. Not sure any QB on our team would have had a legit shot at starting after Bowles got his hands on his guy. And that’s fine for a HC to do. It’s his team.
For me, I need to see a string of good QB play before I can forget his bad history before this season. Otherwise I’m still afraid he’ll revert after a big payday. He was not able to string together more than 2 consecutive good games this season. So IMO the jury is still out. He hasn’t shown me enough (yet?).
January 17th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
007 yeah That’s the one game the D lost. Mayfield did very well that game. But it’s been lopsided with Mayfield’s poor performance in most losses even the ones where the Defense got scored on late. The Defense in a lot of most games played well enough to win Baker did not. I like Baker and his attitude. I like his toughness . I’m seeing what he can do in the playoffs. I hope he plays well every game. We’ll see. Lfg Bucs
January 17th, 2024 at 12:35 pm
This is lining up wonderful for next year too. Amazing job by the Bucs to play through the caps and such win the NFCS and have a shot at Super Bowl. From Bowlzo to Super Bowles. 2 more games.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:40 pm
Win and we have something to talk about
January 17th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Just win baby
January 17th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
I am NOT a Baker hater OR Trask lover, I just call it like I see it.
The ONLY thing I don’t like about Baker is his inability or should I say he hasn’t connected on the deep ball.
Im NOT talking about once or twice but consistency.
He has a strong arm and reminds me of when Jameis used to air out long balls with a flat trajectory.
That is usually IMO when you see the guy LATE.
This is not an attempt to bash Baker but someone I notice.
Here is an exercise for the Baker supporters.
What do you wish he did better?
Or do you truly think he is the perfect QB?
I believe that is the MAIN issue with IN SEASON complaints (Trask Mob).
Why cant people voice opinions with what they see without being labeled?
A good bit of posters on this site came with Baker and I got a say, most of you are childish!!!
January 17th, 2024 at 1:21 pm
Everyone posting on here, who has been a loyal fan since the 1970s, has the right and the credibility to post their opinion. Bucs are 2 games away from the SB. This is Bowles’ first year as HC with the talent of the Bucs’ organization. So, I don’t get the constant, negative flame wars. Criticism is legit; personal insults on a fan board are BS. Others have commented, so I am writing my 2 cents, too. Go Bucs!!
January 17th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Realistic optimist, im sure your astute qb talent evaluation would obviously out weigh any evaluation the coaching staff has made on Trask during his time on th
January 17th, 2024 at 1:35 pm
On the practice field. I forgot draft status guarantees play time in this league… just a thought?
January 17th, 2024 at 1:39 pm
Mayfield holds an immeasurable intangible. This is his team. Every buccaneer to a man will tell you “Baker’s my quarterback .” Re sign Mayfield and you will also re sign Lavonte, Winfield, and Evans.
Bucs have been up and down this year. Some of the downs have been crushing disappointments. Some of the ups far exceeded expectations. Through it all this group has remained close. Mayfield’s leadership is the reason.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:02 pm
“BuddhaBoy,” Trask never won a Super Bowl… He wasn’t part of that team. He was drafted in the 2nd Round in the draft following the Super Bowl.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:33 pm
In truth, and I hope this doesn’t have a jinx effect – the defense has been playing really well since the first Panthers win. Even in the L against the Aints, it was Bowles, Canales’ offensive regression to The Turtle that doomed us.
Whatever Todd has been eating since Eagles week, let’s hope he keeps eating it for the offense.
Keep letting your giraffes be dinosaurs on defense (LOL, I know it was elephants being antelopes).
The defense could truly almost carry the team on Sunday. Everyone is healthy, Diva and The useless safety “#23” whose name I can’t even remember because he’s just a big bag of suck. The creative use of Zyon is impressive and our two rookies – YaYa and Kiancey – Ooh La La.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
PS – it would be nice if our DBs and LBs could actually catch a football. I guess the same could be said for Bucs pass catchers.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:44 pm
BillyBucco – fair question – I will give you a LONG answer.
I’ve been watching Baker since his first year at OKLA (wife is an OKLA grad). He has always had the ability to escape the pocket and make a late throw, or run for yardage. In college, he was extremely accurate on the long ball throws. BUT, he had a good supporting running game, a good to great offensive line, and a wizard coach who knew how to maximize his strengths.
Baker’s greatest ability is his ability to convince his teammates that they are NEVER out of the game.. He literally lifts their play more often than not.
When he first came to the Browns, the knock was he’s too short, and cannot process more than one read. This despite his scoring off the charts on the football IQ tests, and literally everyone says his ability to process and retain information is exceptional.
In Cleveland he had two good seasons – his rookie year and 2020. In both years, he had a good running game and a good to great o-line. And he was very successful. He had time to make his reads, and there were some batted balls, but no more than most QBs. A good o-line keeps the opponents far enough outside the pocket that they defenders cannot disrupt the pass. TBs line is only “ok” at this.
The other years, the o-line was very injured, or he was really injured. With predictable results. Carolina was possibly more of a dumpster fire even than Cleveland. The Rams had a good o-line, but were playing their 4th and 5th string WRs…
Here in TB, he has had essentially no running game, and a o-line that has been wildly inconsistent. Some games they look great, other games they look like they are on roller skates being pushed back into the pocket. And the first-time OC was learning how to call plays, not just for Baker, but ever.
The things I would like to see Baker improve:
1) Sometimes he relies too much on his arm cannon, and tries to force a ball into double coverage or good coverage. Fortunately, Evans and Godwin both are GREAT at 50/50 balls, so that has not hurt him as much this season as it has in past. Confidence is great, but it can and will bite you sometimes. He is MUCH improved this year.
2) He needs to learn to recognize that a play has gone to crap quicker, and just dump the ball off. He tends to try to hold on, escape, and make a play, and sometimes it even works. But sometimes it results in a worse outcome.
3) I don’t know the play call, so I cannot say who his read is, and where he’s supposed to be looking. I know some people keep saying he’s “missing wide open receivers”. OBJ was constantly saying that, but I watched all those games… OBJ was never as “open” as he thought he was, or he was late to the pattern, or he ran the wrong pattern, or the play was designed to the opposite side of the field. OBJ is a prima donna.
Having watched the All-22 for every game this season, I don’t see as many “wide open receivers” as some others do. In fact, most of the time, I see very little separation at all. or the “wide open” guy is on the back side of the play, while Baker is clearly looking front side. But it looks to me as if he is making his reads, and quicker than I’ve seen him do in past. But with an average of under 3 seconds to scan, he’s not hitting the 4th read. And to me, he’s not dumping off to White or the Tight End as often as he probably should. You should take what the defense is giving you, and when they are doubling ME and CG, that means White or Otten, or even Palmer/Moore (which he did this week).
He has grown a LOT since his rookie season, and I think he’s coming into his prime. Canales is starting to figure out what actually works for him, and that will only get better. IF we can find a center and a left guard, we’ll be in GREAT shape on offense. And Licht seems to be a master of finding those guys.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:46 pm
Admittedly, I did not expect the Bucs to find a rhythm late in the season & win the weak NFC South…Expected a 7-10 yr…(1st time OC play caller and Baker’s career on life support…Who wouldn’t expect another down year?)
Glad I have had to eat some crow…Look forward to Baker getting a well deserved “Geno Smith like” 3yr deal from the FO in the off-season. Still need to draft a QB on Day 2-3 to develop behind him…Traskcan ain’t that guy.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:50 pm
I would agree with the sentiment of this article if they were correct. Ryan Jensen
and Ali Marpet were pretty significant pieces of that core team. So was Ndamukong Suh to our defense. Those missing pieces are missed just as much as Brady IMO.
I don’t know if Carlton’s original statement was prior to Ryan being out for the season with injury or not.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:15 pm
I really hope the Bucs aren’t taking victory laps after winning a wild card game. It’s great the Bucs did that, but the Eagles were a team failing, in a downward spiral. The Lions meanwhile are the exact opposite, and they’re not going to start booking their vacation plans in the middle of the 2nd quarter, they’re going to come out with their hair on fire.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
IMHO the Bucs have enjoyed an amazing freaking year overcoming many challenges.
The biggest challenge was to develop some consistency.
New OC…NEW QB…NEW OL…New #1 RB who had yet to show his talent
The youngest roster in the league thanks to salary cap hell.
Just look at those challenges and how this team, this organization fought through those challenges to IMPROVE. Nobody can deny the Bucs are a far better team now than when the season started. Have they reached their max. We may find out in Detroit.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:20 pm
realistic-optimistic Says:
January 17th, 2024 at 11:40 am
The only cheerleading I’ve seen has been from the Baker die-hards. They tell us how well he played every week, even when he played poorly. There’s no honesty in their posts. And if anybody criticizes him in any way, the posse comes out like West Side Story.
_______
How about this realistic guy? The 2023 data is out there for Josh Allen Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, Pat MaHomes, Jalen Hurts and he still won’t relent? That’s OK, Stafford, Hurts, and Prescott will be watching on TV this weekend. Gotta wonder what is wrong with people who feign expertise about NFL QB’s and can’t just say; “I was wrong.” They have been wrong the entire season, yet they pretend notwithstanding a season of statistical evidence otherwise. In truth, they don’t know what they are talking about, It is actually comical to listen to these screwballs like realistic -optimistic. Most of them want to be taken seriously, yet the more they comment the more absurd they sound. Kudos to Baker, the ultimate man in the arena, who shrugs off the naysayers and just plays. His teammates get it. Realistic-optimistic you are better served by sticking with crocheting.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:40 pm
@LANshark
Just an excellent well thought out BALANCED post.
My son lives in Columbus. He’s a big Browns fan or was until the drafted Watson.
He gave me the same review on Baker as you just posted!
He’s overseas now somewhere in the Middle East. He can’t tell me because we have a hot war(he doesn’t say that but as a Viet Vet I think when our guys are getting killed in action it’s a war!) going over there…two heroic Navy Seals gave their lives to help stop the Houthis. His text to me this morning ended….
“Baker!!!!! Go Bucs.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:54 pm
BillyBucco Says:
Here is an exercise for the Baker supporters.
What do you wish he did better?
Or do you truly think he is the perfect QB?
I believe that is the MAIN issue with IN SEASON complaints (Trask Mob).
Why cant people voice opinions with what they see without being labeled?
————-
Your lack of self awareness is a wonder to behold.
A) Look at the last line I quoted above. You are actually complaining about being labeled when you just labeled Baker supporters as potentially thinking he is perfect. Thats just another way of saying we are irrational because humans aren’t perfect in anything.
B ) Isn’t it amazing that only a few days after a playoff win we have people like you complaining about labelling when we didn’t hear a peep out of you before even when baker supporters were labelled “fake fans”, the always mature “nut huggers” and “morons”.
Seems to me pretty obvious – you don’t have a big problem with labelling until Team Hate was proven wrong by a playoff win. Now you come in here trying to rewrite (lie about) history like the Trask brigade were just so nicely wondering what the down side of Baker might be,
January 17th, 2024 at 3:58 pm
Stpetebucfan – I lived in Columbus for years, now in Dayton. I also (was) a Browns fan all my life, until the Haslams decided to drop all morality and acquire DePervert Watson. I have 8 daughters and step-daughters. I could not look them in the face and support that.
Baker has had a really rough start to his career. I love all these guys saying “he’s a loser cause his overall record is terrible… as if what team he’s on didn’t have a HUGE influence on that – Browns were HISTORICALLY bad before he arrived, and the Panthers were even worse if that’s possible.
I also had a son in USAF who could not tell me where he was, or what he was working on. I wish him good luck and good hunting.
January 17th, 2024 at 5:15 pm
realistic-optimistic
You’re doing a lot of damage control on this post. bakerfan and bucsfaninOregon set you up bro, the only time anyone cares about Trask is when baker has a bad game like every quarterback on the nfl does. Trask is done here so hopefully the organization sees what’s going on among fans and exiles trask with sneak vaughn. Very few fans expected a divisional game so hope this is the last Trask reference because he’s contributed nothing on the field.
January 17th, 2024 at 7:19 pm
LANshark
I also lived in Dayton for awhile which is where I met his mom. Alas it didn’t work out…MY fault..I’m accountable for my youthful mistakes.
He ended up in Columbus but is itching to move South to here or S.C. Like you he pretty much bailed on the Browns with the Haslem era.
Good luck to your son wherever he is.
January 18th, 2024 at 9:44 am
LANshark –
I commend your pros and cons breakdown of Baker as relatively accurate considering you are obviously a big personal fan of Mayfield.
Except for the part where you tried to play down the # of Baker’s throws batted down at the LOS as average….
Mayfield literally leads the NFL in balls batted down since coming into the league in 2018. Its definitely an “issue” and unfortunately, just something that has to be lived with if Baker is your QB.
When asked about that unfortunate stat last year by Panther’s media and if anything could be done about it – Baker jokingly replied “Yea – Lay on an inverted table – Get taller. Thanks Mom and Dad.”
January 18th, 2024 at 10:50 am
Pickgrin:
Not sure exactly where you got those numbers – I tried looking it up, but could not find that specific stat. What I do know is that height is not the determining factor in passes batted down. Distance between the QB and the Defender is the true determining factor – when the defender is kept further away, the number of batted passes drops dramatically.
As an offensive line coach, I am VERY aware of this, and teach my guys to not give ground freely. We have very few passes batted down, even when I had really short QBs on middle school teams. I also teach my guys to “punch” the gut if/when a defender tries to get their hands up and jump to block a pass. The “punch” is perfectly legal, and highly effective in keeping their hands down.
So, I keep hearing this “most batted passes” stat – would love to see a reference for that somewhere.
January 18th, 2024 at 10:51 am
So, no, I don’t think it’s something “that has to be lived with”. Teach your O-line properly, and it becomes a non-issue