We Love What Baker Mayfield Does For Us

The Bucs have gotten a few of the NFL’s finest quarterback play within the final half-decade. Sure, plenty of that got here from the best quarterback to ever play the sport in Tom Brady, who was the person beneath heart for 3 seasons from 2020-2022.

Now, it’s Baker Mayfield’s flip to place up numbers and lead Tampa Bay on a deeper postseason run. By his first two seasons on the town, it’s arduous to argue it has not been the best-case state of affairs for Mayfield and the workforce. He has not solely revived his profession however has grow to be an above-average sign caller bordering on elite standing.

Talking on the NFL Annual Assembly in West Palm Seaside, Florida earlier this week, head coach Todd Bowles shared simply how a lot he loves the best way Mayfield performs and carries himself.

Bucs Need Baker Mayfield To Be Himself – Even If That Comes With Errors

Baker Mayfield took his recreation to the following stage in 2024.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

After having a profession 12 months beneath former offensive coordinator Dave Canales in 2023, Mayfield was even higher final season enjoying beneath offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who has now moved on to be the pinnacle coach of the Jaguars.

Working Coen’s offense, Mayfield put up a career-high 4,500 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns whereas competing 71.4% of his passes, trying like a modern-day gunslinger within the course of. Counting on fast recreation to get the ball out effectively to his weapons, he was in command and keep away from the a number of dud performances he had throughout his first 12 months in Tampa Bay.

Nonetheless, it was not all excellent.

One facet that the veteran quarterback will look to enhance upon is throwing interceptions. He tied for the league lead by throwing 16 of them, which was up from the ten he threw the 12 months earlier than. Whereas Todd Bowles desires to maintain the soccer and see the interceptions be cleaned up, he additionally acknowledges letting the chief of the offense do what it takes to win. If which means throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions however securing the win, Bowles won’t be complaining.

“That’s primary,” Bowles stated concerning the precedence of enjoying mistake-free soccer because it pertains to Mayfield’s interceptions. “We’ve all the time acquired to maintain the soccer – that’s primary. Once you play like Baker performs, you’re going to have a mistake right here or there. We’d like to chop that down some if we will, however we’re not going to hinder his play. We love the best way he performs, we love what he does for us…And for the turnovers that he gave, we’d by no means be in playoff place if it wasn’t for him within the first place. We’re wonderful there, we’ve simply acquired to wash up some issues and he is aware of that.”

Baker Mayfield Was “The Good Man” For Tampa Bay After Tom Brady

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

When Tom Brady retired following the 2022 season, there have been plenty of doubts about how the Bucs would transfer ahead. Would they regress into the workforce they have been earlier than his arrival, and into one other darkish period that adopted after Tampa Bay’s 2002 Tremendous Bowl win?

That was prevented due to the work of the entrance workplace ushering in one other wave of younger expertise and the teaching workers teaching up the younger gamers introduced in. Whereas that was essential, so was discovering a long-term reply at quarterback.

Baker Mayfield picked up the place Brady left off and is the newest signal-caller to expertise a profession resurgence after issues didn’t work out with the workforce that drafted him.

“The very first thing is we allowed him to be himself, primary,” Bowles stated. “You’ve acquired to go to the workforce that has the precise system that sort of matches you. Typically, you play on groups the place the system doesn’t fit your needs. Baker discovered the precise place on the proper time. We tweaked the system on the proper time after Tom [Brady] left as a result of they have been utterly totally different techniques.

“To return in and have a system that matches you [where] you’ll be able to nonetheless be your self and [it] lets you develop and course of and blossom, I feel is vital. Baker introduced as a lot to us as we dropped at him so far as bringing management and persona in our constructing…Him understanding the sport and us have the system that matches him and a spot that matches him, I feel it was marriage.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and HC Todd Bowles – Photograph by: USA As we speak

With a forged of gamers round Mayfield that has fashioned one of many league’s youngest rosters, the workforce wanted a pacesetter who may relate and ingratiate himself into the locker room.

Whether or not it’s the bond he shares with the offensive line, the chemistry he has fashioned together with his extensive receivers, or his fiery playstyle that will get all the guys motivated to play arduous, one can’t query the relationships he has constructed throughout the constructing and his match with the group.

Todd Bowles had the prospect to fulfill him earlier than the 2018 NFL Draft when he was the pinnacle coach of the Jets. Though Mayfield went first total and New York pivoted to pick Sam Darnold with the third choose, he loved attending to know him then and felt like he was the precise man on the proper time to steer the workforce to the place it’s now.

“Having a previous relationship with him helps, clearly, attending to know him, so I already knew him from that standpoint,” Bowles stated. “Jason [Licht] had really feel for him as nicely, so we thought he was the proper man for what we wanted on the time.”