Coaching The “Micromanaging” Out Of Baker Mayfield
May 14th, 2024
The recent words of former Bucs ironman left tackle Donovan Smith sparked Joe to think deeper about the arrival of Baker Mayfield last year.
Smith, who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs last season, joined the A,000 Hours Out Tha Mud podcast and talked about how Andy Reid is telling his players daily to be themselves at work.
“One thing he sit there and say everyday, he don’t talk much, that dude say, ‘Let your personality show. Come to work, be yourself,'” Smith said of Reid. “Don’t come in here all uptight and think you gotta, you know, be whatever. Let your personality know. But just know, ‘Alright, I need this on the back end.’ You’re going to put in the work physically and mentally, but then, yeah, be yourself.”
Smith said Bucco Bruce Arians was the same way but other coaches are not.
“It’s micromanaging,” Smith said, presumably of other head coaches for whom he’s played (Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter). “It’s just the way coaches feel. They feel like if everybody not on one accord that they don’t got no control.”
At One Buc Palace, it’s been said many times in many interviews that the Bucs pounced on Mayfield when he was signed and ordered him to be himself.
Not only did Todd Bowles like and appreciate the kind of teammate and leader Mayfield was at other teams, but Bowles didn’t want Mayfield to spend a second thinking of Tom Brady or even trying to act like him in any way.
As Bowles said recently on The Rich Eisen Show, Bowles told Mayfield that Brady was like a used pair of shoes no one will wear again. So break in your own new shoes, he said, learn to walk in those and they’ll fit just fine all season.
Joe thinks it runs deeper than that. Bowles had to know Mayfield came from situations in Cleveland and Carolina where being himself wasn’t always encouraged and embraced.
Bowles likely knew the Bucs were cooked before opening day if he didn’t get Mayfield believing he was free to do his own thing.
Now the Bucs have a Pro Bowl quarterback wielding a lot of power. And they’re damn happy to have him.
May 14th, 2024 at 5:06 pm
Break out the mayo, gold chains, shades and a tanning booth
May 14th, 2024 at 5:13 pm
The Toddster gets a top score for being the counselor, psychologist. Life coach.
He’s got a winning record in that category.
May 14th, 2024 at 5:20 pm
Can someone please decipher what that guy said?
May 14th, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Most people fail by being someone they’re not. It’s not natural. How can you get better if you are not being true to yourself.
Todd Bowles is a smart guy which makes a good coach. The Bucs are his team, and he understands being true to yourself will always bring out the best in you.
May 14th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
A used pair of shoes? The greatest names of this game aren’t discarded old shows, jack.
May 14th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
Shoes*
May 14th, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Do you think AB? was being true to himself? Hell yeah. Wanna see?💩
May 14th, 2024 at 6:12 pm
Smith is the luckiest average LG in the league that gives no extra effort.
May 14th, 2024 at 6:23 pm
Get that man a job in the booth asap.
May 14th, 2024 at 6:28 pm
Is Smith still with the Chefs? Baker will be a happy man having Big Bart in front of him. Be interesting to get Bake’s take on Barton after the first OTAs. Be sure to ask Joe.
May 14th, 2024 at 6:35 pm
Smith is a Tackle.
May 14th, 2024 at 6:36 pm
Uh, the actual life coach from this team moved on to Carolina in case you forgot, Dave.
May 14th, 2024 at 7:10 pm
BakerFan Says:
May 14th, 2024 at 5:20 pm
Can someone please decipher what that guy said?
E
No Ish! It is painful to read or listen to someone who can’t speak proper English especially born in America with a College education
May 14th, 2024 at 7:27 pm
4 years at Penn State and he embarrasses the School with every word he says. It’s painful to read much less have to hear live. KC can have him and the Bucs were better the second he left.
May 14th, 2024 at 7:29 pm
Sorry SB, didn’t see your comment, but we’re definitely on the same page lol.
May 14th, 2024 at 8:16 pm
The whole problem with the world is that they remember so much of the past that moving forward is kinda impossible. Todd Bowles is probably a way better person than a lot of people give him credit for. He didn’t have a team in New York but some people only really know the words coming out of their mouth. And the Jets are still not a team. Bowles showed a lot last season. And I look forward to this one. So if all you are is a hater, the world will never be right. Bye Bye…
May 14th, 2024 at 8:19 pm
Welcome to the Bucs Devin Culp and All the other draft picks that signed today.
Awesome to get all that out of the way so quickly.
May 14th, 2024 at 8:50 pm
Mayfield probably couldn’t be in a better place for his mentality. Now he’s matured beyond getting into fracases stirred by the media wanting clicks..
May 14th, 2024 at 9:17 pm
Pro Bowl MVP. Shake and bake baby
May 14th, 2024 at 9:38 pm
Does that mean Mayfield moves into RayJay?
May 15th, 2024 at 3:30 am
I would take anything from Smith with a grain of salt.
Ironman? He didn’t play hard enough to be hurt. Laziest left tacklle in the game. Could have been so much more.
Go Bucs!
May 15th, 2024 at 4:37 am
I could see Koetter being a micromanager. I’d believe Lovie was if his defense showed anything.
May 15th, 2024 at 6:54 am
Koetter was a trash coach I still don’t understand the love that Koetter gets by Joe . The guy had Dvonta Freeman blocking and making tackles on special teams 😂. As soon as he left Freeman became a top 5 runningback back than and Matt Ryan became a MVP when he left the Falcons. Then once he went back Freeman and Matt Ryan regress bad under Koetter but this web site loves him . Lol 🤣🤣
May 15th, 2024 at 6:54 am
Marble mouth Boopiddy
May 15th, 2024 at 7:07 am
No excuses for Baker Mayfield this year I don’t want to hear he has a new OC or it’s Todd Bowles fault. And garbage time yards don’t count you can’t play bad for 3 and a half quarters then when it’s 3 minutes left and the defense is playing prevent and he takes what they give him and he puts up a few yards and maybe even a TD dose not mean Baker played good. You guys did that last year. And I will say again 35 tds with 10 picks without garbage time yards I would love to have Baker Mayfield back to be the bucs quarterback. If he plays like Jerry Golf I would be happy to keep Baker. And I don’t think no real bucs fan hope he fails at all. But we have to call it like we see it and I don’t care about him having a couple of bad games. But he has to play better than he did last year.
May 15th, 2024 at 10:44 am
Hey Joe, you know who else was a pro bowl alternate? Gardner Minshew. You can stop holding pro bowl alternate replacement to such high merit, any day now.
May 15th, 2024 at 11:25 am
Put a sock in it Oneilbuc
May 15th, 2024 at 12:05 pm
“Pro Bowl Quarterback “? Wow , now if we can only get flag football put on the schedule !
May 15th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
I am glad the Baxter came to Tampa. I hope he can continue to resurrect his career and become the great player he was meant to be. It’s his team now and he is the indisputable leader of the club. Go Bucs.
May 15th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Baker fan. I’m sure you and his wife are the only ones who think Baker will go into the hall of fame right now. So I don’t expect you are his fans to agree with any criticism of Baker Mayfield I get it. But this is a bucs fan web site not a Baker Mayfield fan site. You need to go start a Baker Mayfield fan page this site is for bucs fans.