Baker Mayfield Wants To Play Smarter
July 25th, 2025
“Just be you, Baker.”
The last couple of years Baker Mayfield has been fire. If he stays on that same level, who knows what the Bucs will do?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mayfield has interceptions. Led the league with 16 last year, tied with Kirk Cousins. Mayfield also threw 41 touchdowns.
Joe will take that touchdown-to-interceptions ratio any day.
Still, Mayfield wants to cut turnovers. One could argue a turnover last January cost the Bucs their season. Yesterday, Mayfield explained he spent a chunk of the offseason reflecting how he could play smarter, and maybe save a turnover or two (or more).
“There is going to be an errant throw that, obviously, I am not trying to throw it to the defense, but I just miss it,” Mayfield began. “Physical mistakes are going to happen. It is more the decision-making.
“Those are the ones that when we talk about situationally, how to be aggressive, where are we at in the field, and what are we looking at. Those are the ones that I am really trying to fine tune that. That’s always a work in progress.
“It is hard to simulate that unless you are really going scrimmage-type feel in practice, but in mindset, mentally, and we are we at on our practice field. Even though we might be in the red zone, are we really practicing in the red zone? I can treat it mentally like that.”
Joe has discussed this before. Bucs quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis wants Mayfield to take less hits. He’s 30 now and those hits add up harder and quicker for a guy that age. But by changing Mayfield, don’t you also change his spirit and who he is as a baller? Mayfield didn’t get to where he is being timid.
Shoot, just this week on the “New Heights Podcast” with the Kelce Bros., Mayfield said the Bucs were the first team that didn’t try to change him.
Mayfield said both Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles told Mayfield from Day 1 to be himself.
Look at the results.
Joe would rather ride with the wild bronco and deliver the mail fast than ride the tame the horse and get less production.
July 25th, 2025 at 6:15 am
Yes. Let’s look at the results. 2 back to back seasons with playoff loses due to turnovers but Joe loves the TD to INT ratio. The jokes write themselves.
But hey, don’t change anything and expect different results. Sounds like a great plan. In the first 2 days of camp Baker has thrown what 6 picks and 3 pick 6s? But some fans love a wild bronco ride….
July 25th, 2025 at 6:41 am
If the Defense shows up, Bakers mistakes will be cut down, won’t be forced to make throws . I’m not a Winston fan but the guy played from behind all the time because of bad Defense (Mike Smith 🤮) and no running game. We have a running game and this Defense is going to show up big time this season. SB Baby !!!
July 25th, 2025 at 7:04 am
Bee, 2 back to back seasons with playoff losses due to turnovers. That’s redundant Bee. So you already sound like a moron. Keeping track of underwear football interceptions confirms it.
July 25th, 2025 at 7:05 am
‘playoff loses due to turnovers’
It’s not just a single play that actually determines a game. We take the time that a play occured and claim IT was THE play that changed the game.
What about all the other plays? Scrw a single play I do not wish to have to win on a single play I want the Bucs to pound the opposition so the game is virtually decided by the start of the 4th Q.
It takes ALL the plays to get to the single play and yes turnovers can change momentum and are very important but if the TEAM is play well in all three phases of the game, complementary football as D.R. likes to call it the Bucs will not have to worry about a SINGLE turnover.
IE If Liam’s vaunted offense had been half as good against the Commanders as it was for much of the regular season it would have never come down to a single game ending doinked FG that went through instead of wide.
July 25th, 2025 at 7:25 am
@kenton
It was 5am when I wrote that, you know what I meant. And yes, I keep track on what will contribute to this team losing playoff games. One play can decide a game depending on when that play happens. And when you have 4th quarter turnovers in consecutive seasons, in losing games, it makes me pay attention to see if the player is trying to fix it.
Baker says he wants to fix it so he knows there’s a problem. If the offense only score 10 points in the first half in a home playoff game while averaging 25+ all season, that’s a problem too. This team has a lot to work on.
July 25th, 2025 at 7:50 am
Blaming that fumble on Baker is stupidity. ALL he can do is take the snap and turn 90 degrees to the right. Did he DO THAT? Yes. JMac was on the wrong line, happens. ALSO stupidity to fret about picks in training camp. Where else are you going to experiment, test your limits?
July 25th, 2025 at 7:55 am
well as a bucs fan i am glad baker doesnt want to play dumber.
July 25th, 2025 at 8:04 am
Good morning Mr. Trask.
July 25th, 2025 at 8:08 am
Bee, I am a bit sensitive when I wake up and after my stroll around the yard with my old hound I settle out here on my front porch and after going through the local morning news I quickly punch up JBF because I’m getting fired up for football. I’m an addict and it’s my fix. Sorry about the name calling. I’m really sensitive about misinformation- false narratives defining individuals or entities. I watched that almost destroy a young QBs dream. I know all of Bakers fans are just very happy that Tampa is giving him a chance. I know he is working hard on the turnovers. I went to the Detroit game. Didn’t miss a snap of the Commanders game. And the narrative is Baker folds late in playoff games? Anyway, Sorry about the name calling. That’s on me.
July 25th, 2025 at 8:43 am
Baker – improve your reads of the defense and look off those safeties.
July 25th, 2025 at 9:22 am
Good morning Joseph
You know I had to say something since you got my case for hold the ball too long in OTAs. Meanwhile Bake is throwing pick-6s and you don’t complain at all. I mean where’s the love?
July 25th, 2025 at 9:27 am
Kenton
No worries. We just see it differently. Let’s see how it all plays out this season. I’m hoping for the best.
July 25th, 2025 at 9:29 am
along with leading the nfl in INTs baker also lead the nfl in fumbles….
darn right he has to play smarter….and BETTER!!!!
remember folks, joe didnt want Americas QB Jamies Winston to leave town because he tossed for 5k yards…ignoring his 30ints lol…..
GO BUCS!!!!
July 25th, 2025 at 9:32 am
Brady was the best QB we ever had at situation quarterbacking.
Winston was the worst.
Baker seems a little closer to Brady and fortunately much more concerned overall about it than Winston.
July 25th, 2025 at 10:06 am
“There is going to be an errant throw that, obviously, I am not trying to throw it to the defense, but I just miss it,”
What are you doing to improve though, Baker?
“Physical mistakes are going to happen. It is more the decision-making.”
Yea he’s addressing turnovers as a problem, but I don’t hear much problem solving in this nor did I get that from his presser yesterday. Almost like he danced around it.
Fairest assestment I can make, INTs will be apart of Mayfields’ game no matter how good/bad a game he’s having.
I tried to find how many times in his career he’s had stretches of >3 games w/o an INT and it’s only happened once. Back in 2020
July 25th, 2025 at 10:15 am
Years ago Orel Hershiser faced a top RH bat in spring training. Threw a fastball up and in taken deep for a dinger.
Faced that batter later that season in the playoffs. Same location, but a sinker. Routine groundout.
Don’t want Baker to have a bad TC. Do want him to experiment and set things up for when the real bullets fly.
July 25th, 2025 at 10:35 am
The team need to improve their Turnover Ratio
So, we need less Giveaways and more Takeaways
Baker need to get to single digits INTS
And the defense need more INTS
July 25th, 2025 at 10:50 am
well put Joe!!! let Baker Bake-its a gr8 deal of his edge and what the TEAM itself LUVS about him–everyone 4gets that Mahomes had 15 interceptions last year and he did NOT run in 3 and get 41TD—-im SURE Baker can cut some of his interceptions down-but, DONT TRY 2 CHANGE Him with his RUNS and His AGGRESSION COACHES!!!
July 25th, 2025 at 5:40 pm
I absolutely believe that he can play smarter. Not just the turnovers either. He will unnecessarily keep plays alive where you can live another down. Now the 49er play I get because it was game over if he didn’t extend. But in the middle of a close game in October….not all plays are equal. Eventually he’ll get blown up and Trask will be playing.
If he can dial up a little Brady mentality and learn to kill a play quickly rather than risk himself and/or others, he’ll be so much better. Situational game awareness.
July 25th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
Obvious. Yep.
July 25th, 2025 at 9:12 pm
He doesn’t have to play smarter he’s the goat the best quarterback that ever existed in the NFL. It’s the coaches fault the defense fault the o line fault the runningback fault is why he never won a Superbowl. And also I’ve heard on other sites that Baker Mayfield has been throwing ints left and right but it wasn’t his fault.
July 26th, 2025 at 1:21 am
Bucs will continue to suck at situational football in 2025.
July 26th, 2025 at 8:23 am
I absolutely agree with Joe’s take on this. I wouldn’t mandate anything to be cchanged by Baker. He is all heart with no back down from whatever the moment is.
July 26th, 2025 at 10:30 am
Just getting rid of all the fumbles would be a big boost. Some of the INT’s are probably unavoidable, but still can get the numbers down a bit working on deep accuracy.
July 26th, 2025 at 2:38 pm
Baker Mayfield needs to practicing one thing in training camp and that’s situational football 2 minute drills all training camp.