More Mayfield “Moxie” Talk
September 8th, 2023
Joe is sick of the word “moxie” when it comes to the world of the 2023 Buccaneers.
It’s been everywhere since Baker Mayfield arrived and it won’t go away.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines moxie as “energy, pep” or “courage, determination” or “know-how.”
Hey, isn’t that Jameis Winston or Kwon Alexander?
Mayfield has lots of moxie, says head coach Todd Bowles. Bucco Bruce Arians loves marrying “moxie” with Mayfield, too. Heck, Mike Evans even went there yesterday.
“A lot of energy, a lot of moxie, great ball placement, and super-competitive, so I love that about a quarterback,” Evans said of Mayfield.
Moxie, moxie, moxie.
Everyone values moxie, it seems, but how much do they really value it?
Joe wonders if Bowles hired offensive coodinator Dave Canales because he has lots of moxie (the energy and pep kind) and Bowles knows he has displayed little moxie in his head coaching career?
Maybe that’s part of what has drawn Bowles to Mayfield for years. Perhaps it’s why Bowles wasn’t interested in handing the ball to Kyle Trask — because he didn’t have enough moxie to complement Bowles’ moxie shortage as a head coach?
Consider what Bowles recently told TampaBay.com about Mayfield and moxie for a story this week.
“The other guys [in the 2018 NFL Draft] may have had better arms but [Mayfield] was the only one who had the demeanor to fit New York City and you’ve got to be a different guy to fit New York City,” Bowles said. “Sometimes the intangibles of a guy gets overlooked. The moxie. The gathering of the guys. They were going to follow him.”
The NFL is full of players with moxie. Joe’s not sure it means much unless it comes with consistency.
The Jameis moxie was a waste of time. The Mayfield moxie seems to have led to inconsistency and a few rocky football relationships. When Joe thinks of quarterback moxie, prior to this season, Joe thinks of former Bucs QB Jeff Garcia.
He overachieved and found his way to four Pro Bowls (including one with Tampa Bay) after coming out of the Canadian Football Lague at 29 years old. Garcia had fire and determination, and he could lead and do it all on the field including scrambling and sacrificing his body. Of course, Tom Brady had moxie, too.
Joe hopes the “moxie” adjective soon fades away from Mayfield and gets replaced with “accurate” or “efficent,” or “winner.”
September 8th, 2023 at 12:58 pm
It’s also called fronting. That’s what I loved about Tom Brady. There was no ra rah in the man. Substance.
September 8th, 2023 at 1:03 pm
The Detroit Lions just beat the team with the best QB in the world.
Great defense, a successful run game, rushing the passer and solid special teams.
It can be done.
September 8th, 2023 at 1:08 pm
You forgot to mention a GREAT HC, we don’t have that or many of the other things mentioned.
September 8th, 2023 at 1:15 pm
@Marine
What a game. It’s insane how good Mahommes is even with the defense playing lights out and his WR’s screwing him.
Kadarius Toney had one of the worst WR nights I can remember. Single-handily gave the Lions a pick-6 on what should have been a catch for positive yards, and had multiple horrible drops – one being him wide open for a big gain late.
September 8th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
It’s week 1… chill
September 8th, 2023 at 1:19 pm
I dont blame the refs, but my Lord it was blatantly obvious they were trying to help KC win that game. The RT was offsides half the game and not lining up correctly… 31 other teams, thats a penalty each and every time.
September 8th, 2023 at 1:20 pm
It can be and Was done Marine.
BUT… There is a HUGE NEED in Kansas City for Far Deeper selection to throw to. Missing one player shouldn’t Cripple a team as much as it crippled the Chiefs.
One man and All Scrubbs there after = a LOUSY STRATEGY…
I bet they are ALL OVER the waiver wires today after “confirmation” that the left tackle is a liability and the receiver selection is Sub Par at best…. SUCKS FOR THEM because a QB MUST HAVE “reasonable” targets to throw to, or otherwise WHAT’S THE POINT IN HAVING THE BEST QB IN THE GAME?
September 8th, 2023 at 1:50 pm
@ Lord Corn/Obvious/USMC
It was a great game.
The Chiefs definitely missed Travis Kelce. Chiefs WR K. Toney had a rough game for sure and our old pal Donnie Smith showed why he is no longer a Buc… He gets tired, he gets beat and he holds. Same old Donnie.
It is always nice to watch the Chiefs get beat…
September 8th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Hey Joe, seems like most of your impressions of BM come from what you read in the media that loves to bash on him. Moxie is what it takes for a rookie qb to come into a game at the end of the first half down by 14 on a team that has won one game in its prior 37, none in its prior 19, and lead them to their first win in 635 days.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:19 pm
Joe, Mayfield is about more than moxie, he’s also full of spunk – and don’t underestimate his gumption. That’s what you’re missing.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
JCLV Says:
September 8th, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Hey Joe, seems like most of your impressions of BM come from what you read in the media that loves to bash on him. Moxie is what it takes for a rookie qb to come into a game at the end of the first half down by 14 on a team that has won one game in its prior 37, none in its prior 19, and lead them to their first win in 635 days.
———-
Yeah, Mayfield is a regular Gary Huff, who QB’d the 0-26 Bucs to a blowout win over the Saints. You think some guy without moxie could have done that? No, you need buckets of moxie to do that! Gary Huff used that game to propel himself to an assistant managers gig at Burger King, where he showed a lot of pizzazz, single handedly increasing store earnings by 6% by introducing cheese fries.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
The NFL player I fondly remember as having the most “moxie” was Doug Flutie.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:29 pm
Moxie is a two edged sword.
And YEAH! That was a great game last night.
Nervously looking forward to seeing the Lions on Orange Sunday. Well, we should be well rested.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
D-rok, oh yeah. Flutie was amazing to watch.
September 8th, 2023 at 2:38 pm
Lions didn’t win that game, the Chiefs lost it.
Lions offense scored 14 points vs a Chiefs defense missing its best player. If the Chiefs WR’s could catch the ball, the game wouldn’t have even been close.
Lions are the same losers they’ve always been – but I like when a terrible city like that actually has hope, since it’s fun seeing them get crushed by reality.
As for the Chiefs, what do you think they’d give us for Evans right now? I’d say at least a 1st is on the table, at least.
September 8th, 2023 at 3:19 pm
defending world champs, stinking it up like that at arrowhead. ugly.
Not the way to open season for sure.
September 8th, 2023 at 3:45 pm
There is a very old soft drink/soda that was born in Maine. It was called Moxie. It tasted AWFUL, but many in that State still love it. You couldn’t pay me to drink one.
September 8th, 2023 at 4:52 pm
moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie moxie
Yea it’s kind of annoying you know like Americas quarterback, you said it for about 3 years!!! 5+ years–Joe
September 8th, 2023 at 5:40 pm
Citrus County- I’ve seen Moxie for sale around here, but never tried it. I just read it as tasking like root beer but with a bitter bite. That sounds awful.
Also there’s a fact that a synonym for moxie is spunk, and I don’t want to drink canned spunk, carbonated or not.
September 8th, 2023 at 5:45 pm
Right on Joe,
Moxie means crap if you can’t win in NFL. Therefore I am 100% sure Baker doesn’t have it.
September 8th, 2023 at 7:56 pm
Hey Rod…NO canned spunk for me either !!!
September 8th, 2023 at 8:03 pm
Rod…I lived in Maine for 25 years before moving to FL. To the best of my recollection, Moxie was created by a Pharmacist in Lisbon Falls Maine about 100 years ago. I tried Moxie (1971) at a store in Lisbon Falls that was once that Pharmacy. It is NASTY. My Maine wife hated it and everyone I knew hated it, yet there is still a big fan club that loves it to this day.
September 8th, 2023 at 8:13 pm
Thanks for the chuckle Rod.
September 8th, 2023 at 10:09 pm
I can’t believe there is no hip-hop artist called Mock Z yet.
September 9th, 2023 at 5:52 am
Is your Maine wife better than your secondary wife, or do you just name them by States you have lived in?
Gotta ask, how many places have you lived lol?
September 9th, 2023 at 7:54 am
“The NFL is full of players with moxie. Joe’s not sure it means much unless it comes with consistency.”
Been saying this all along Joe.
If moxie alone won football games and limited INTs Jaymiss might still be here and maybe have a ring.
Go Bucs