Significant Arm Talent Edge For Baker Mayfield?

August 23rd, 2023

Former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms shared what he learned talking to people with the Jets about Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield, as well as what he was told when hanging out with Bucs officials on Hall of Fame weekend, when his old teammate Rondé Barber was inducted.

Simms works for NBC Sports and opened up a bit on Pro Football Talk live today.

Simms said he reached out recently to Jets contacts and asked how Trask looked in practice against the Jets last Wednesday. Simms said he got good reviews on Trask but they came with an asterisk. “‘He’s physically not Baker, he can’t throw it like Baker,'” Simms said he was told.

The Tampa types raved weeks ago about Mayfield’s arm talent popping in training camp, Simms said, and that it surprised them.

Combine the playmaking talent with an inexperienced offensive line, Simms added, and Mayfield was an obvious choice after showing he can adapt to a similar system quickly in Los Angeles last season.

57 Responses to “Significant Arm Talent Edge For Baker Mayfield?”

  1. Hodad Says:

    Ok, lets go. Don’t need to sell Baker, he’s our QB. Get behind him, or root for another team. Baker was the first pick in the first round. Trask was the last pick in the second round. Of course Baker is the more gifted talent that’s why he was drafted so high. He’s also a quick twitch guy a better fit for this offense.

  2. Mike S Says:

    Whatever Joe. Baker is garbage. No amount of lipstick will pretty up this pig.

    You going to wax poetic about Baker’s arm talent after the Bucs get shellacked week 1?

    Nobody will care.

  3. Defense Rules Says:

    Joe … ‘Combine the playmaking talent with an inexperienced offensive line, Simms added, and Mayfield was an obvious choice after showing he can adapt to a similar system quickly in Los Angeles last season.’

    Got it; ‘obvious choice’. So apparently the Joes believe that Todd Bowles made the right choice. Good to know. t

    Two things: 1) The “Simms added” in the middle of that sentence covers the before and after. So that’s what Simms was saying.
    2) Yes, Joe also believes Mayfield was an obvious choice for Todd Bowles, as Joe has written many times for months.

  4. westernbuc Says:

    Like I’ve been saying. People who hate on Baker because of their own biases are just regurgitating what the mass media tells them. Baker has elite arm strength. I’m happy Trask is developing, because he was looking like a waste of a pick before. In my mind, our QB room is solid for this year when NO ONE expects us to be good. If they’re right, we reset and draft a guy next year.

    Everyone acting like we didn’t just live through the greatest three years of Bucs football needs to wake up.

  5. Defense Rules Says:

    And Mike, this season will be more about the Bucs’ defense than their offense IMO. I’m convinced that we can have a winning season (say in the range of 10-7) & possibly win the NFC South IF 3 things happen: (1) we stay reasonably healthy; (2) we give up no more than 20 PPG average; and (3) we generate a Turnover Differential of around PLUS 10.

    Obviously #1 is out of our hands (hey, it’s a physical sport), but #2 & #3 are within our control as a TEAM. Obviously the offense plays a role in both of those.

  6. Jack Clark Says:

    I’ll give Todd Bowels kudos if he can pull off a winning season with Baker Mayfield’s sorry as

  7. Dwayne Cone Says:

    I can hit a 325 yard Drive but it’s across the next Fairway.
    Sure he can throw it a mile but if it’s 5 feet over the receiver and 8 yards deep you don’t get a free drop.

    He has a nice touch at times.

    Hey Simms there is 50 minutes of tape on Trask last week. Good or Bad. Watch it. Thought I even heard Rodgers let out a MMM when Trask sent that 36 yard frozen rope to Jarrett in the 4th.

  8. GenocideD Says:

    I think baker can manage the game enough to make us competitive. I’m also happy we got to see trask. I thought he looked pretty good at times and it’s good to know see hv him if baker goes down.

  9. chark Says:

    Youtube and watch baker mayfield’s top career plays posted mar 16, 2023 and tell us that he sucks . He has very high end ability. Yes he has had turnovers but his years in cleveland were pressure packed unrealistically for being drafted into a 1-31 browns program. I’d say his only failing was in carolina. Rams everyone knew used him in desperation and were gonna go back to stafford. The hate and bias by some against him overrides their ability to actually rate him honestly. He has been in shootouts with mahomes, hebert, and lamar when ravens were good and on many occasions he drove his team down and the browns defense let the other team score. Can you honestly say he has been put on stable good teams..jarvis landry was all pro like with mayfield. Browns have talent but tough division and coaching chaos feo baker..haslem should have stayed with him but he was infatuated with watson.

  10. Costa Rica John Says:

    I like Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. As long as both are with the Buccaneers I’m going to be rooting for them to do good. If they leave the Bucs I’ll still be rooting for them except when they Play the Bucs.

  11. Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:

    The guy leads all QBs in INTs

    It’s hard to get around

  12. chark Says:

    I like Trask also just think Baker is a better qb…season is gonna be rough if off line cant pass protect and run game is dismal. If oline plays bad we will probably see both qbs play and all the hypothetical assessmants will be put to rest .

  13. Beej Says:

    The Jets are ALL lying. Clearly, they’re part of the conspiracy

  14. Smoothbayrider Says:

    Mike S Says:
    August 23rd, 2023 at 1:41 pm
    Whatever Joe. Baker is garbage. No amount of lipstick will pretty up this pig.

    You going to wax poetic about Baker’s arm talent after the Bucs get shellacked week 1?

    Nobody will care.

    SMOOTHBAYRIDER Says :

    Don’t be like Mike

  15. Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:

    DR again I am struggling with the logic here. Getting the guy who has thrown the most INTs when the priority is ball control is a difficult thing to reconcile.

  16. Cobraboy Says:

    The QB battle is over, and Mayfield won. It may have been pre-ordained…we will never know…but the competition made both him and Trask better.

    One [positive I always liked about him is that he has the ability to keep plays alive, something missing in QB play last season. And when he does scramble, his eyes are always downfield and not looking to run first.

    He’s the guy and I’m hoping for a truly majikal season where the planets align and 2023-24 gets emblazoned in Bucs History as The Year Everybody was Wrong. I’m skeptical, but the wish is alive.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think our HC is up to a majikal season, but True Majik could overcome that.

    Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn.

  17. Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:

    SmoothBrain the point is all the arguments are moot if the Bucs lose.

    Then:

    A) The QB will get blamed.
    B) If you are losing games might as well get your younger QB reps.

    Enter Kyle Trask

  18. The Beer Whisperer Says:

    Baker Minefield, will be fine…. He can sling the rock.

    That’s part of the problem…. He slings it everywhere.

  19. DS Says:

    Why does it matter we are a running team lol

  20. Jeff’s grandpa Says:

    Some grown ass men love to bitch and moan apparently

  21. Buc4evr Says:

    I thought Trask looked like he had the stronger arm and threw a longer, tighter ball? Maybe I haven’t seen enough of Mayfield yet, but we will know in a few weeks.

  22. pmarcello Says:

    Sick and Tired of all the couch potato neck beard trolls making fools of themselves bashing Baker.It stinks to high heaven. My advice to you fools trashing a fine young in his prime all American Heisman winning gutsy crappy QB1, BAKER MAYFIELD. I have lived in Fl. for 24 years and have followed the Bucs since Tony Dungy was here .Alstot and Lynch are my favorite all time Bucs.But I believe Baker is soon going to be everybody’s all time Buc.That includes Marcia [Brady].
    Oh yeah Marcia is what we call your falsly deified so called Goat where I come from because we watched the whiney cry baby wuss benefit from the Kraft?Goodell/Belicek Cheatriot system.
    Think I’m off the wall and sideways with that radical postulation?
    How many times did you witnes this scenario? Late 4th Quarterv ,the Pat are down and it 3rd and long . Brady doe the same move over and over . He fire it down field to the sideline or the end zone and suddly pass interference i called and the next thing you know it is 1st and 10 at the one. Can win a lot of championships with that kind of miraculus luick.
    Quit crying about Brady being gone . The fact is he stunk last year and the Glazers bought the super bowl for him by signing Gronk who really made the difference.
    Well now he is gone and your GM has gone out and found you a young tough talented scrappy QB who doesn’t blink.
    I watch him and I am reminded of Bradshaw,and Thiesman,and Montana,and Marino, and Warner!
    Go Baker! Go Bucs. hock the world! All you troll get ready to dine on CROW!

  23. lambchop Says:

    And NFL scouts and personnel are never wrong. LOL.

  24. K_bassuka Says:

    So according to Joe and this 🤡 having a stat line of: 2‐3 record 82/129 63.7% comp 850 yards 4 TD 2 INT and 17 sacks in 5 games with LAR qualified as “quick success”?

    This team is doomed!

  25. Allbuccedup Says:

    Bwahwahwahwah!

  26. Trask sucks Says:

    Trash needs to go back to his trailer park and watch Deliverance

  27. Gus Says:

    The plural of anecdote is not data.

  28. SlyPirate Says:

    OLD TAKE – WATCH THE GAME
    I wasn’t a Trask fan … Then I watched preseason game 2. Trask made EVERY throw. Wide out, slant, bomb. He was making quick reads and accurate throws, and a lot of times into tight windows while under duress.

    I kept hearing/reading, “Trask has a weak arm.” Old adage. It’s not true. Watch the game. His throws have zip.

  29. Gus Says:

    Buc4evr Says: “I thought Trask looked like he had the stronger arm and threw a longer, tighter ball?”

    He does. Joe even said it during training camp. But now Joe’s gotta put lipstick on a pig and so he goes out and finds people who say what he’s looking for.

  30. Aceofaerospace Says:

    I’ll gladly feast on crow if Bowles turns in a winning season. I just don’t see it happening.

  31. Mostly Peaceful Trask Fan Says:

    I saw recently a clip of Dilfer talking about his time in Tampa.

    Fans were throwing binoculars at him after games and booing him in restaurants.

    This ain’t a QB retirement home.

    Fans here are serious too.

  32. Gus Says:

    So Joe heard from Simms who heard from someone who said that … bwahahaha … this is multiple hearsay and laughable.

  33. Brandon Says:

    Dumb fans. Mayfield had one of the highest ball speeds ever at the Combine at 61 mph. Call Baker what you want, his arm strength is elite. This is news to me because I’ve never seen it first hand but if he threw 61 mph, the dude can flat sling it.

  34. Don’t tell me it’s raining Says:

    Man the haters are extra wound up today. Mr Weak Arm Dink and Dunk is the worst quarterback in human history and Trask threw for more yards!

    (Per ESPN) Trask has thrown one 38 yd pass for his career long in a preseason game, against guys you won’t likely ever see playing in the NFL.

    Mayfield long:
    -2018: 71 yds
    -2019: 89 yds
    -2020: 75 yds
    -2021: 71 yds
    -2022: 75 yds

    Those long passes were being defended by actual NFL players, while more actual NFL players were trying to get to the QB.

    Trask total passing yards:
    (preseason): 31 yds
    (Regular season): 23 yds

    Mayfield (reg season): 16,288

    Last and certainly most important: ***MOXIE***

    Trask: 80%
    Mayfield: 100%

    It was close guys but Mayfield just has more Moxie, so we had to go with him.

  35. Don’t tell me it’s raining Says:

    **In Trask defense, the 7 got inadvertently deleted. It was supposed to be 317.

  36. Weldslinger Says:

    I’m over some so called bucks fans trashing what about to be the best QB in there history the false narrative on this dude is sick to a ex life long Brown’s fan that watch the guy be in the worst position in history and Excel and the dude gets trashed when he literally changed the team into winners with no WR IN TOP20 NO D AND 4 SYSTEM IN 4 YRS NAME ME ANY QB IN HISTORY TO DO WHAT HE DID WITH THAT BS HOW COME THATS NOT TALKED ABOUT IF YOUR LEARNING NEW SYSTEMS EVERY YEAR HOW CAN YA EXPECT HIM TO COMPARE TO ANYONE THEY ALL HAVE HAD ELITE WEAPONS STABLE TEAMS SAME COACHING HURTS AND TUA BOTH WERW TRASH TILL THEY GOT 2/3TOP WR NOW ONE SEASON THERE ELITE BAHAHAHHAHAHA WATCH 6 WITH THESE WR HE WILL BE BETTER THAN. 95% Y’ALL KILL ME DONT LOVE HIM LATER

  37. StretchOMatic Says:

    After reading all of Joe’s practice notes this offseason….Mayfield’s tipped passes at the line of scrimmage is concerning.

  38. JD Still Says:

    If you watched the so called competition you know Mayfield did not win it , he was either gifted it or more than likely he was promised it as part of the deal to get him to come here, the powers that be were so infatuated with pudge that thought all they had to do was sell Trask that it would be a fair competition figuring their savior would easily beat Trask but then something terrible ,(for them),happened, he lost in every single metric , completions, ball control, leadership , that they said Mayfield and Trask would be judged on , so they moved the goal post , they actually said, well , practice really doesn’t count that much it’s how they do in the preseason games, so they tried to beef up Mayfield’s completion stats , having him throw only little 5 yard dinks , even when it was 3rd and eighteen so with his 8 completions he was able to amass a grand total of 64 yards , while Trask was only able to squeak out a measly 320 yards of offense during his play , so once again the goal post had to be moved , Trask doesn’t fit our offense they then said, Really? How is that metric measured? Mayfield’s 64 yards is a better fit than Trask’s 320 yards of offense in a system that no one has yet even seen or used ? I call BS on this scam! I feel a warm liquid running down my back and it ain’t rain!

  39. BucaneroJim Says:

    Next, we will be told Mayfield has a stronger arm than Brady… so, bow and kiss the feet of BM… lol. Spin, spin, spin – that said, I hope Mayfield and Trask (if needed) produce for our Bucs. Both BM and KT are underdogs at this time… the Bucs are underdogs… pretend to be a whaling ship (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).

  40. HC Grover Says:

    This is gettingt comical.

  41. Craig Says:

    Trask has grown into a new body, that means a reworking of his mechanics.

    It doesn’t mean he has a lesser arm, just that he needs practice to not overthrow his former rainbow lollipops.

    I think a guy 5 inches taller, 40 pounds heavier, and it great looking shape would have any problems with arm strength against a relative pipsqueak of a QB.

    There will soon be no reason to grandstand for our chosen one. We will be able to see it, both the good and the bad.

  42. Ex-Browns02 Says:

    Bucs faithful are going to be entertained this season. Newcomers Mayfield and Tucker(!) are going to surprise the TB naysayers. Tucker is the perfect addition to a non-solidified front. He’s got this patience that’s impossible to teach. If the intended hole doesn’t happen, he’s often able to create an alternative opportunity. That 4th down run we witnessed against the Jets — that’s Tucker’s MO. Just check out his Syracuse tape.

    And — Baker has really helped Kyle to up his game. He has looked solid. We should feel good about the quarterback room at this point. Wolford has been playing good as well — I hope that they have a roster spot open for him.

    Go Bucs! Fire it up in MN!

  43. Don’t tell me it’s raining Says:

    So Mayfield played 1.5 quarters (4 series) in one preseason game and threw for one TD. Trask played 4+ quarters (9 series) in two preseason games and threw one TD. Mayfield played less than half the amount of series Trask played and scored the same amount of TD’s, with a much higher RTG I might add (132.9 to 91.7). But none of that matters now. All that matters now is passing yards. Well dang, somebody needs to tell Roger Goodell about the new rules. Because if I’m not mistaken, I believe Brady threw for more yards in 15 games last year, than the opposing QB. So we need to have our record updated 15-2. You know, because of the passing yards thing.

  44. David Says:

    Joe,
    You got your wish. Trask somehow is qb2. Who cares about Baker’s stronger arm even if it was true. Accuracy is what important which Baker lacks. The king of pthroing picks for the last three years.

  45. BA’s Red Pen Says:

    The 17% would say Trask has the arm talent of Brett Farve, the scrambling ability of Lamar Jackson and the creativity of Patrick Mahomes.

  46. RGA Says:

    If Baker and Kyle lined up to throw for distance, my money is going on Kyle.

  47. Larrd Says:

    The QB and offense seem made for one another. Baker can be really good. He and the coach seem like the same type, too. And Jarrett and Palmer look surprisingly good. Fast. Reports on Goedeke keep improving. I am excited.

  48. gotbbucs Says:

    Arm strength was never an issue with Mayfield.

    I’m trying to keep an open mind. I don’t think it was the right choice for the franchise in the long run. I think Mayfield can get a team to the playoffs every three or four years on a last place schedule and easy out of conference opponents. Just lucky right now that the NFC South is down right now. Carolina won’t be down for long and New Orleans is always a problem.

    Most of us have proven that we can survive on very little success with this team, but there needs to be some hope sprinkled in there on occasion. This doesn’t feel like one of those occasions to me. I hope I’m wrong.

  49. Usfbuc Says:

    Both QBs have their positives and negatives.

    Baker was always going to get the job once he was signed. In order for Trask to get the start he was going to have to blow Baker out of the water and he didn’t do that. I do think Trask from reports by the Joes did better in practice and he played well in the preseason games but he didn’t dominate.

    I do think based on both QBs just kind of being okay that Trask has the higher upside and I hope we get a chance to test him in a real game this season.

  50. dalvincookrules Says:

    Baker is a shorter, fatter, less talented version of Jameis Winston. JW couldn’t cut the mustard here, so why are people high so on Baker Maysuck?

  51. Buddha Says:

    Jamie’s never took a team to the playoffs.

  52. RGA Says:

    Those that criticize Jameis Winston say they would not welcome him back because he throws too many interceptions. I’m sure there are many of those that are Baker Mayfield fans. Those same people don’t realize that Baker Mayfield threw more interceptions then Winston in the five year span that Mayfield has been in the league. The scarier stat is that Mayfield has thrown the most interceptions than ANY QB in the NFL in the five years mayfield has been in the league. That’s our starting QB, hand picked by Bowles.

  53. RGA Says:

    Winston was our first round draft pick and run out of town for turning the ball over, now we’ve found a guy to lead our team that turns the ball over more the Winston. wonderful!
    I’m surprised this team went this direction over an up and comer with upside over a guy with a poor resume.

  54. steele Says:

    Since he became a Buc, where has Mayfield demonstrated this “significant” arm talent? Both he and Trask have been mixed bags, neither clearly superior to the other. If this entire “QB competition” was just a sham, and it was Mayfield’s job all along (thank you Bowles, thank you Rah Rah Canales), okay, everyone’s time has been wasted, especially the very ripped off Trask contingent. So here it is, boys. It’s Mayfield and Rah Rah Canales, total Bowles crapshoot. The dumpster on the horizon is closer than it was few days ago.

  55. Daniel Dream Says:

    Guy took the Browns from 0-16 to the playoffs as soon as he was drafted. All the haters are insane. Mayfield was injured his final season in Cleveland and shouldn’t have been playing but did because the trash conman owner Haslem was so insanely committed to the creepy stalker Watson that only a Super Bowl would have prevented that travesty.

    The Bucs get gifted the #1 pick in the draft who has already won in the playoffs and out-dueled some of the best QBs in the league- they get a sure top 10 QB for nothing while the Browns go back to last place because of idiot Haslem- and still some of these so-called Bucs fans are so clueless they complain about it! Why are people so crazy?!? I’ll be cheering for the Bucs this season apparently, but it will certainly get on my nerves when some of these so-called fans get to enjoy winning because of Baker after they’ve been trashing him non-stop.

  56. Wild Bill Says:

    Hmm short squat loser who bounced all over the NFL vs tall athletic younger guy who was delibertly not trained or utilized while Brady’s ego would not allow it. Genius planning by the Bucks, haha. It’s their own fault they are stuck with a high mileage poor performing used car at qb vs taking an inexperienced qb buried on the bench for two years because Brady demanded his old war horse buddy be his backup. The Bucs made their own bed. Now weeping and wringing their hands while forced to chose one questionable starter over the other! Such a deal!!!!

  57. MelvinJunior Says:

    Weldslingser: You mean, Milwaukee… Is that who you’re talking about?