Baker Mayfield Doesn’t Need To Be A Hero
September 8th, 2024
No need to be Superman.
Joe admits being fully unaware of what to expect this year from Baker Mayfield.
He had a career year last year in this Joe’s opinion. (The other Joe makes a different case.) Just by law of averages, a regression seems realistic. Now “regression” doesn’t mean collapse. Say, 200 yards less passing and/or two fewer touchdowns thrown.
Over at the PFF tribe, John Kosko seems to think the biggest question for the Bucs this season is how Mayfield will play.
Was Mayfield’s success in 2023 due to the team around him, with Dave Canales putting Mayfield in positions to succeed, or is he ready to take his game to the next level?
Well, if Mayfield was carried by his teammates, isn’t that a good thing? What quarterback wouldn’t want to throw to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rachaad White?
Frankly, Joe doesn’t believe Mayfield has to be Josh Allen for the Bucs to win. Just get the ball into the hands of your weapons and let them take over.
And if the Bucs run game is that much improved, then that’s another element letting Mayfield know he doesn’t have to try to outdo himself.
Pregame With The Annual Season Predictions Episode On The Ira Kaufman Podcast. Ira’s Got 20-Plus Bucs Predictions.
September 8th, 2024 at 2:16 am
PFF out of the equation. Same core. Good new additions in horses.
Cohen is more apt than Canales imo.
I Love that the media sleeps on us. I mean, what shapes Elections?
September 8th, 2024 at 2:17 am
Wow. Cancel Culture nowadays.
September 8th, 2024 at 2:18 am
Not sure what “Trigger” word got that erased but Not surprised
September 8th, 2024 at 2:19 am
GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gonna prove ’em wrong on Offense for sure.
Defense is the constant worry these days. Polar opposite from when I grew up a fan
September 8th, 2024 at 4:43 am
The “reversion to the mean” slop is just a lazy word-dump IMO. Brady didn’t “revert” that I remember, nor Manning nor Farve nor . . . You get the point.
The hidden question is: What is Mayfield’s “average”? Came into the League as #1 pick with college cred and crazy arm talent. (Probably overdrafted by a woeful Cleveland organization). First year up (for rook above), second down, third way up, fourth injury redshirt, fifth new toy discard plus multiple moves, sixth year up. So three years up, one down, two incomplete. That’s the stats
Then there’s the personal factor, and in particular the ability learning curve. Fran Tarkington used to write down a quarterback’s first three years in the League as a training period. Then in the fourth year he thought the player had to take it on himself to become good or great, no matter the coaching or obstacles. (That’s why Fran got real down on Josh Freeman: he saw the team making excuses for a player who wasn’t putting in the time or the work). So Mayfield is past the journeyman period now and his performance is on him. Not the “too many coaches” excuse or the “changing systems” dodge. Assuming health, it’s all on him now.
Personally, I like what I see. He has talent — a necessity. He has done “it” by getting to and winning in the playoffs. Seems he has the dedication and at least some intangibles to make himself a next level qb. With the apprenticeship phase over we now get to see the “real” Baker, whatever that may be.
I think we’ll discover the mean is pretty high. And that the statistical “reversion” claptrap is three standard deviations of nonsense.
Here’s hoping.
September 8th, 2024 at 6:28 am
Do most NFL QB’s follow up a career year with another career year? No, but, do most NFL QB’s set their career year on their first year with a new team? Also no.
Conventional wisdom tells you that players usually get better their second year in an offence, not worse.
September 8th, 2024 at 6:31 am
SB … ‘Defense is the constant worry these days.’
Offense appears to have better depth early in the season SB, but I think the starting talent is roughly equivalent. Losing both Kancey & Hall to injuries for today’s game is obviously concerning (they’re both starters), but Gholston’s played before & hopefully 1 of the other DLinemen (Greene, Brewer or Stille) will step up.
Sure would feel a lot more comfortable though if the Bucs defense would add at least 1 quality veteran DLineman, OLB & ILB to the stable.
September 8th, 2024 at 7:06 am
Its going to be fun rubbing it in the naysayers faces all year. Mayfield excels in 2024. Time for “the experts” to get their comeuppance.
September 8th, 2024 at 7:34 am
Baker: “Follow me, my lads!”
Buccaneers: “Oh Captain, my Captain!”
Magic!!
September 8th, 2024 at 7:51 am
Was Brock Purdy carried by HIS teammates?
September 8th, 2024 at 7:53 am
Joe don’t think there will be any regression. The Bucs pass offense has been in the the top 10 since 2017. Thats the first year of the Evans Godwin combo. I think that has a major part in it . Throwing to stud WR.
September 8th, 2024 at 8:20 am
SB has it right. Offense needs to carry the load for a 10 win plus season with the pass defense as vulnerable as it’s been.
And, Lou — excellent summary and analysis of Baker. I was a huge Tarkenton fan back in the day, as a NY Giant. Unfortunately his lesser years as a player because those Giants teams, except for a 9-5 season in 1970, were subpar. Glad that history looks so favorably at him, he truly changed the game for many athletic QBs to come later.
Go Bucs, score points, cover a slant, stop 3rd and long. Win.
September 8th, 2024 at 8:37 am
Hope KJ Britt can play Dline
September 8th, 2024 at 8:47 am
Yes Baker will need to be a weapon for this team to make it’s mark.
The defense is going to give up passing yards in bunches.
When Bake tries to be a hero turnovers happen.
September 8th, 2024 at 8:52 am
Aristotle: ‘The whole is more than the sum of its parts.’ is a good way to describe why Baker was a better QUARTERBACK last year.
Based on the Bucs 2023 performance I’m expecting an overall better performance not just from Baker but the entire Bucs team (bearing any significant injuries).
September 8th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Lou – nice job. I think we’ll look back at 2023 and see it as Year one for Baker Mayfield.
Tom Brady was a 6th round draft pick and chose to become great. The best I’ve ever seen. Baker started at the top but was nowhere near great in his first few years. Not all of his fault but you also make your own breaks. I think Baker did a good job last year. Let’s hope he can improve.
Personally, I think he has a great chance for 2024 to be his career year. A regression in 2025 when his starting WRs are a year older is likely if I’m correct but not this year. If Coen is competent then I think we’re in for a fun year. If healthy.
September 8th, 2024 at 9:05 am
OHBuc — well said. The tools around him — improved running game and pass pro — contribute to the idea that Baker has his best season yet. Let’s go Bucs.
Score points. Run for 120 yards, pass for 300. Win.
September 8th, 2024 at 9:29 am
If Baker stays healthy and the offensive line is better than last year, this should be a good season. It’s not a strong division.
September 8th, 2024 at 10:08 am
“Baker Mayfield Doesn’t Need To Be A Hero”
Welp, he wasn’t a hero last season, 8-8.*
* McLaughlin got us into the playoffs.
September 8th, 2024 at 10:38 am
churrasco must not have watched the Packers or Jags games.
September 8th, 2024 at 10:47 am
@Dave Pear
Two games a season maketh not.
September 8th, 2024 at 11:05 am
Neither does one game
September 8th, 2024 at 11:14 am
HAHAHA. “Career Year last year.” Such a myth.
As @churrasco so accurately stated in another thread, not only was Mayfield’s QB rating in the lower half of the league last season, in a breakdown of performance BY QUARTER, Mayfield was near the bottom of the league for Quarters 1, 2, and 3. His 4th quarter numbers were bloated due to playing against soft defenses in more than half our games when the game was already out of reach.
Anyone that actually WATCHED most of our full games last season knows Mayfield wasn’t all that good. His stats are very misleading.
Yet this site has idiots like Dave “body shaped like a” Pear that loves to rail at Trask every chance he gets AND thinks Mayfield is some great QB.
Oh and Davey boy… your facts on Trask at UF are totally off. I saw your post in another thread that he only broke those records because he was throwing to NFL WRs/RBs/TEs. Many of those players have been disappointments in the NFL. Furthermore, Trask racked up those gaudy stats and records against many top SEC corners that now start in the NFL. So your facts are completely FALSE.
As for this narrative that if Mayfield isn’t great than it proves Trask is worse holds no water. The NFL is about politics at times. The whole league knew there was no starting battle in camp last year and that Bowles, on the hot seat, was going with Mayfield no matter what and was most likely promised to him and his agent anyway to get him to agree to the cheap 1-year prove it deal.
We all know Trask hasn’t had a fair chance to play with the starters. Trask may turn out to be an NFL bust, who knows. But no one can truly say yet because he hasn’t had a chance yet. Anyone saying otherwise needs to stop watching the NFL.
September 8th, 2024 at 11:34 am
I don’t see Baker as a top tier dominate qb. I do see him as a tough, gritty competitor. If team around him is substantially stronger this year Baker will not have to make heroic performances. Good solid mistake free qb play should be enough given the weapons he will have. The o line will be the key. The Bucs are dam good at the skill positions now. Having enough time to make his reads will be crucial. If the o line holds up and blocks above nfl average and the run game is effective Baker could have a career year.
September 8th, 2024 at 11:53 am
Lou
Great post! Measured and well thought out and expressed.
Trasktothefuture
From yesterday and your Baker hate. You claim that a dozen UNIDENTIFIED NFL suits opinion should be viewed as less. You said, “Big Whoop. So a short QB likes another short QB? Big surprise.”
So you dismiss a future HOFer who actually played the freaking opinion with the same challenge of height who puts his name on his opinion in favor of a dozen anononymous “suits” opinions.
No wonder you love Trask! LMAO
September 8th, 2024 at 11:54 am
OOPS opinion should be position More coffee please.
September 8th, 2024 at 12:06 pm
Write a longer post next time, Trashk to the Stupid. You need to up your fog index to compete with the varsity. As apparently escapes the walnut brained wonder, we don’t select who starts. The pros who get paid $million$ do that.
Baker is the starter, Trashk is barely hanging onto the end of the clipboard.
September 8th, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Anonymous? You can look up the names yourself. They’re listed as the GMs of all the teams in the NFL that passed on giving Mayfield even a small contract before last season.
In addition, plenty of experts and pundits that Joe has even quoted on this site many times, aren’t impressed with Mayfield and don’t think he’s elite.
So yeah it’s nice Brees likes him but ultimately that doesn’t mean much.
September 8th, 2024 at 2:11 pm
@Dave Pear – LOL. Now you’ve completely proven your intellect, or lack thereof. I post FACTS and you’re crying that I made a post that was “too long”?
Hahahahaha. Never let some facts get in your way. LOL.
And what’s with all the immature name calling? “Trashk” ? So stupid. I notice you constantly lash out at other posters here and call them names too. Major projection, buddy.
September 8th, 2024 at 8:07 pm
Baker didn’t need to be, but he was anyway today!
September 8th, 2024 at 11:04 pm
U people r not really mature u argue over the qb on this team don’t we know who is qb1 qb2 qb3 it’s that way for a reason u people obviously didn’t watch the game today morons I tell u MORONS
September 8th, 2024 at 11:05 pm
Trasktofu/re u complain bout baker every post ;UT we all complain bout simpleton like u daily u r a loser
September 11th, 2024 at 4:44 am
Well, big jim said it before PS. so looks like a 4000 plus, 30 plus and 10 less season for baker this year just like big jim predicted, plus I kept telling everyone that baker is the best faker. plus lots of new fans too that baker brings along the way. baker doesn’t know how to fail when he’s in a structured system, go bucs