Collision course
Mayfield on the move, but Bucs want him to avoid needless hits
TAMPA — So much for flying under the radar, Baker Mayfield.
The Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback and 2107 Heisman Trophy winner, discarded by three NFL teams in a calendar year, had all but disappeared from the national consciousness until he played his way back into relevance by getting Tampa Bay off to a 3-1 start.
Mayfield was everywhere during the Bucs’ bye week, fulfilling many media requests.
He did “The Rich Eisen Show,” a podcast with former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and “The Pat McAfee Show,” and was the guest picker for ESPN’s “College GameDay.” Then, during the Oklahoma-Texas broadcast, he was cutting it up with actor Matthew McConaughey on the sideline during McAfee’s simulcast.
To top it off, Mayfield’s Oklahoma Sooners beat the Texas Longhorns 34-30 in Dallas.
“It was so much fun,” Mayfield said. “If you’re a fan of football, ‘College GameDay’ is something you watch every Saturday. Just one of those things you get up every Saturday and watch as a kid, and to be able to get up there and make picks with those guys, it was so much fun.
“There’s nothing like the Oklahoma-Texas game in the Cotton Bowl. A good outcome. That always helps. But yeah, it was awesome.”
Mayfield has always done some of his best work on the move. His ability to extend plays was on full display during his game-sealing 5-yard touchdown pass to Deven Thompkins in the Bucs’ 26-9 win over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 1.
“The O-line on that play was great,” Mayfield said. “They try to protect me for as long as they can. We had a little bit of man coverage but a lot of droppers in between. They almost double-, triple-covered Chris [Godwin], and Trey [Palmer] was going to have a touchdown coming across, and there was a collision in the end zone as well.
“Then I was trying to make a play. Looking back on it on film, I probably could’ve stopped in the middle and thrown it to Rachaad [White] when he was standing by himself. I made it a little bit harder and a little bit more fun.”
Whether it’s extending plays or stiff-arming Minnesota Vikings defensive back Byron Murphy in the Bucs’ 20-17 season-opening victory, telling Murphy to “get his weight up,” coaches have encouraged Mayfield to do a better job of getting down or getting out of bounds to protect himself.
“They’ve mentioned it one time in the Minnesota game,” Mayfield said. “There was one unnecessary hit right on the sideline. But it’s just about being smart. I know that. I’ve been there, taking unnecessary hits and putting yourself in harm’s way.
“They’ve mentioned it one time in the Minnesota game. There was one unnecessary hit right on the sideline. But it’s just about being smart. I know that. I’ve been there, taking unnecessary hits and putting yourself in harm’s way. But when the game is on the line, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
— Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers quarterback
But when the game is on the line, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
“Obviously, I want to play on time. You have your plays on time. You practice it. You get them on time out there on the practice field, but things happen in the game. So your guys have to stay alive. The offensive line has to block as long as they have to. But you’ve got to make it work somehow.
“It never goes as perfectly as scripted on the practice plan to the game field, but you have to make it work.”
Coach Todd Bowles said he embraces Mayfield’s ability to extend plays but wants him to avoid unnecessary hits.
“You want him to move from the pocket at times when the pass rush gets to him,” Bowles said. “He’s got to make plays, but he’s got to be smart about it and know when to get down and when the game is on the line, when to take that chance as a quarterback.
“He’s been smart about it, for the most part. There’s one or two hits I didn’t like that he kind of took a chance on, but for the most part, we trust him to make the right decision.”
The Bucs have done a good job of protecting Mayfield, allowing only one sack per game, which ranks second to the Chiefs (0.3). Much of that has to do with not just the play of the offensive line but the fit between Mayfield and the new offense under first-year coordinator Dave Canales.
“It kind of fits his game,” Bowles said. “It’s kind of like he was in college — some half-rollouts, the boots, some dropbacks. It’s not like he’s handicapped. He can throw the football. He can throw the deep ball. He can play from the pocket. He’s a good quarterback. I don’t think that needs to go unnoticed.
“At the same time, he understands this offense. It fits him. He’s been around a couple teams since before he came here. He’s matured a lot, and a lot of it has to do with timing. It was perfect for us. As a leader, it was perfect for us, and as a team. I think it fit both parties.”
On Wednesday, Mayfield was honored by teammates by being voted one of the Bucs’ eight captains.
Though Mayfield said it takes contributions from everyone “to steer the ship the right way,” the key for the Bucs this season may be whether he can keep his hand on the wheel for all 17 regular-season games.
Already, Aaron Rodgers (N.Y. Jets), Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers), Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts), Jimmy Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders) and Daniel Jones (N.Y. Giants) have missed or will miss at least one game.
There was nothing wrong with bye-week Baker being on the move, but the Bucs would like to see him curtail some of those forays from the pocket Sunday.