Game 1 Vs. Day 1 Impressions
May 7th, 2024
Baker Mayfield
Is it possible Baker Mayfield won over teammates faster than Tom Brady did in 2020?
Absolutely not. Not only was it legendary Brady walking into One Buc Palace, but he was taking over from a sloppy quarterback the team couldn’t rely on to protect the football. It was easy for every Buccaneer to hand over his football soul to Brady.
That’s why such a big deal is made at One Buc Palace about Mayfield being able to command the Bucs and lead the team from Game 1 last season.
Joe didn’t write “Day 1” because the Bucs, by design, didn’t set up Mayfield to be “the guy” from Day 1. He had to compete for a starting job with Kyle Trask.
So many Bucs types come back to opening day last season against Minnesota. Despite all the fire-you-up, that’s-my-quarterback moments captured by NFL Films thanks to Mayfield being mic’d up, apparently there were more.
Rachaad White talked about this on Green Light With Chris Long, referencing Mayfield getting after the Vikings physically and with trash talk that didn’t make it to the mic’d up segment.
“He was talking sh*t like, ‘ Yeah, take that. Yeah, take it. Yeah, take that. And it was just funny to see. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s our guy,” White said.
Joe hopes Mayfield can keep his fire lit, only because it seems to mean so much to his teammates.
Joe’s not sure the Bucs have another player who can rally the team emotionally. Mike Evans probably could step up but it would be out of character for him.
Perhaps that’s why Buccaneers GM Jason Licht told first-round pick Graham Barton, in a Buccaneers.com video, that the goal was for him to lead his prized offensive line.
“We pride ourselves on the culture that we have here, especially in that O-line room, And you’re not just fitting it, you’re gonna drive it,” Licht told Barton. “And that’s what makes you the player that you are.”
May 7th, 2024 at 8:40 am
Bring on the Falcons!
May 7th, 2024 at 9:07 am
Mayfield would give a spit and sweat and snack- filled cuss-out.
Barton would give a Sir Francis Bacon soliloquy.
It’s football. Let Mayfield carry the pi$$ & vinegar fire…
May 7th, 2024 at 9:10 am
Bringing back Mayfield was, in my opinion a brilliant move. Yea I love his fire and competitive nature. Love his trash talking too. But what is overlooked I think is, bringing back Mayfield changed the entire draft for the Bucs. They did not have to reach for a QB and were free to go get some much needed parts. No trade ups, (McCarthy anyone?) just sit back and be true to your draft board. That was huge.
May 7th, 2024 at 9:51 am
“Group hug in the shower “ Ha! Ha!
May 7th, 2024 at 10:40 am
“Mayfield had to compete for a starting job with Kyle Trask.”
LMAO. That was the biggest hoax since the Russia Collusion Hoax. Mayfield was promised the starting job by Bowles when he signed with the Bucs. The “competition” was held only because the Bowles thought Mayfield would blow out Trask. Didn’t happen. As Joe himself wrote on two separate occasions AFTER training camp had ended, Trask “outplayed” Mayfield in training camp. That of course didn’t stop Bowles from gifting the job to Mayfield anyway and naming him the starter in preseason game 1. Bowles kept his promise to Mayfield.
May 7th, 2024 at 10:57 am
Comrade JUAN is accurate about the sham competition.
May 7th, 2024 at 10:59 am
“LMAO. That was the biggest hoax since the Russia Collusion Hoax. Mayfield was promised the starting job by Bowles when he signed with the Bucs.”
You need a new tin foil hat. Yours is coming a bit loose.
All that doesn’t matter, anyway – the decision, however they arrived at it was the right one. That’s all that really matters.
May 7th, 2024 at 11:01 am
Good thing he did too!! After all, not many qbs could have taken a team that was supposed to win 4 games to 2 deep into the playoffs. Can you imagine what will happen when the team is picked to win 8 games!?!?
May 7th, 2024 at 11:32 am
Juan is correct.
But I understand why he gifted Baker the job. He couldn’t risk his career starting Trask coming of a bad season with the goat. If Trask played poorly then he’d get criticized for not starting the vet QB. Trask would’ve had to do what Baker to did to help Bowles keep his job. Trask never got a fair shot being drafted behind the goat who only wants a vet backup.
May 7th, 2024 at 12:02 pm
I think they liked Tom a lot off the bat and in year two. They turned him out once he started screaming everyone down about commitment when he’s dipping out of training camp for two weeks, clearly seeing ghosts not wanting to take a hit, and then going to the Craft wedding instead of being with his teammates MID SEASON. IMO
May 7th, 2024 at 1:14 pm
I wonder what username JAUN used to post under…
🤔🤔
May 7th, 2024 at 2:01 pm
If the choice is between a good trash-talker and a good QB, give me the good QB.
There’s too many would-be-Napoleons around here getting hot in the pants over this arrogant JV QB, simply because he puffs his chest out and talks smack.
Perform in crunch time and I’ll change my tune. That INT against DET was typical BM. Same with his complete no-shows against NO and CAR to end the regular season.
Can he muster more than 2-4 quality games per season? I have doubts. At least Licht didn’t give him a Daniel Jones contract.
May 7th, 2024 at 2:21 pm
Baker has plenty of room for improvement , but we are way ahead of where we were last year at this time .
May 7th, 2024 at 2:54 pm
Baker was the perfect QB after Brady. He is humble and well respected. Even a good amount of Browns fans still hope the best for him. They were not happy with his replacement. During the pro bowl Baker won MVP. I think he will do even better this season. Go Bucs!
May 7th, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Hey realistic, instead of concentrating on 1 play out of 500 try thinking about it as BM took an 0-16 team to the playoffs in what the first time in like100 years or Tampa Bay wasn’t supposed to win more than 4 games and BM took them to within 1 game of the superbowl. Try looking at the big picture like the people that know what’s going on do, there is a very good reason they do it like that. It’s why they are paying BM $100 million, the big picture.
May 7th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
“unbelievable Says:
May 7th, 2024 at 1:14 pm
I wonder what username JAUN used to post under…
🤔🤔”
Two
May 7th, 2024 at 4:14 pm
If the Bucs locker room cares more about having a relatable bro, than they care about winning, then that says everything.
Anywho, I want my franchise QB out f-ing super models and doing commercials for million dollar watches, not living in a dump of a stadium in a dump of a city.
May 7th, 2024 at 6:05 pm
Oh Rod Munch…. cry harder, quit trying to live vicariously in the world of NFL QB’s.
May 9th, 2024 at 9:54 am
I played this game for about seven years. I am sure there were guys who needed the QB/team leader to help get them amped during a game but I was never one of them. It all came from within. I was one who quite Honestly was more apt to tell them to leave me the flip alone with all the Rah Rah stuff. That is extremely cleaned up BTW.
Jaymiss was just plain embarassing.
LOL Rod…Thanks for the laugh.
Go Bucs!