“It’s OK To Punt The Ball Every Once In A While”
July 28th, 2025
Baker Mayfield speaks.
Can Baker Mayfield pull back a little bit of the wild man within?
That’s a goal for Mayfield, so he told NFL Network yesterday.
Mayfield acknowledged he want to evolve in his game. And he feels that comes with the territory when you’re a very experienced quarterback.
“Eliminating things quicker, recognition of certain schemes we’re getting on offense, and just for me, the main focus is turnovers,” Mayfield said. “I think just with the way our team’s built, I think our defense is going to be really, really good this year, so eliminating turnovers. It’s ok to punt the ball every once in a while. Yeah, we want to be explosive, we want to score a lot of points, but ending on our own terms.”
Joe wonders if Mayfield playing loose with the ball last season (he led QBs in fumbles and interceptions) had a lot to do with the Bucs’ struggles on defense.
Mayfield’s comments here lend credibility to that line of thinking.
July 28th, 2025 at 12:24 pm
better to lose the gun slinger mentality and be conservative if it would cut down 30% of his turnovers
July 28th, 2025 at 12:33 pm
“had a lot to do with the Bucs’ struggles on defense.”
A LOT? Really? The defense sucked without any help from Baker!!!
AW went down, as the jjoes have reported the Bucs lost 3 of the 4 games Dean was in the whirlpool, there was no edge rush, again bemoaned repeatedly by the Jjoes…if it wasn’t for Baker’s heroics which cost some turnovers for sure, the Bucs wouldn’t have won more than a half dozen games.
Why are we all so obsessed from the past. Yes you COULD learn from it but I see and incredibly STEEP learning curve here at JBF.
We don’t need to keep looking for reasons when we’ve already found them 1000x over. The D sucked. The personnel in the defensive backfield either lacked talent or experience or in most cases BOTH! Given who lined up it’s a miracle the Bucs ever made the playoffs, and did it with a guy as HC doing two jobs!!!
NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED!
July 28th, 2025 at 12:35 pm
The defense wasn’t affected much by Mayfield’s turnovers. They allowed the same average number of yards (341) in games where the they committed 2+ turnovers as games with 1 or less. The Bucs allowed 25.5 points per game when they turned it over more than once, 22.6 points when they didn’t. That’s it.
July 28th, 2025 at 12:37 pm
There should be a note for all of Mayfields turnovers that happened in the 2nd quarter. He usually pulled out of the 2nd quarter blues for the rest of the game and won. Meaning many of the turnovers didn’t amount to losses.
July 28th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
“Bucs struggles on defense” were the result of bad defense. Mayfield had nothing to do with missed tackles, Kirk Cousins throwing for 9 TD’s and 500yrds/gm, etc. Tom Brady first full 7 years in NFL INT’s=86. Baker Mayfield first full 7 years in NFL INT’s=90. Not many of Mayfield fumbles in 2024 last year resulted in loss of possession. Mayfield and everyone else who is a Bucs fan wants ZERO turnovers. That’s not going to happen. Getting tired of this endless song.
July 28th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
I wouldn’t say it’s a Baker problem specifically, but yea turning the ball over on offense directly effects the defense whether they’re playing well and even more if they’re not playing well.
Two things you miss out on offensively on drives that end in turnovers, are scoring opportunities and allowing the defense to regroup on the sideline.
Gotta clean that up. You want to make the most of your opportunities, not turn them into good field position/scoring opportunities for opponents.
July 28th, 2025 at 12:41 pm
One turnover, is one too many
It don’t matter when they happen
You’re taking your offense off the field, killing drives
July 28th, 2025 at 12:44 pm
“Normally it’s Ok to punt” that is how it SHOULD be!!!! But last year , when the D couldn’t stop anyone or get to the QB AND our punter had trouble catching the ball and punting,,, there was no real reason to punt last year,,, this year may be a lot closer to normal,, A real D and a real punter!
July 28th, 2025 at 12:44 pm
If he regresses to say 30-35 tuddies, 6-12 INT’s and our defense doubles in Interceptions/Turnovers/Sacks then I wouldn’t complain as long as me make it to the NFC championship game.
July 28th, 2025 at 1:03 pm
Hopefully our new punter from Denver, Riley Dixon, can deliver. His stats last year were better than overage but not great. He won’t have Denver’s high, clear air but have the high humidity here.
22nd in gross punting average,
10th in net average,
16th in touch back percentage,
15th in percent of punts inside the 20
July 28th, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Two Punts in the First Half ( only punts in the game) and a Fumble in the Second Half (only turnover in the game) were the Difference in the Wild card Round.
You could say that the Bucs were +1 in the turnover department as the Bucs Defense forced two turnovers on downs. Once at the edge of the Red Zone and one deep in the Red Zone. Ten Points denied.
But it’s the Defense’s fault because they could not hold and the Commanders on the final drive when they kicked a field goal to win?
Forget about the point in the game where the Bucs had the ball and the opportunity to go up 2 scores or at best getting a FG and requiring the Commanders to score a TD. Mayfield put it on the ground.
If the Bucs defense would have been facing the Commanders on second down and the Commandos needing a 19 yard TD on the final play Bucs would have advanced.
Bucs Defense did enough to win and Bucs Offense did not in a win or go home game.
July 28th, 2025 at 1:09 pm
“Why are we all so obsessed from the past. Yes you COULD learn from it but I see and incredibly STEEP learning curve here at JBF.”
He’s literally had a turnover within calander year that’s helped cost us a game.
For all the fans that sighed a sigh of relief during that goal line stand ithe Commanders, just for Baker to cough it up <60 seconds later and you're talking like it's old news.
You care about the past in football, because you cannot improve if you can't key on when, what, & where you fell short.
Football is a complimentary game, and as far as our 2024 season saying our offense "carried" the defense is surface level nonsense. They also put the defense in some messed up positions.
Late in the first ATL game down 27-30 after a Tavierre Thomas blocked FG, offense had the ball for 3 and a half mintues before Bucky fumbled in the 4th quarter. Defense got the ball back 4 plays later on a David INT, offense goes 4 & out in < 30 seconds. Our last 2 drives in a 3 point game on offense were a turnover and a punt, yet fans of this team will maintain its all defense.
some of us know not to listen to that noise, it's just surface level observation being used to explain the entire season. Which is kind of nuts in my opinion.
July 28th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
When everyone keeps bringing up the 13 fumbles they never mention that only 2 of them were turnovers. That doesn’t mean self recovered or bobbles are insignificant. They can sometimes blow up a play and stop a drive. But they are not the same as a turnover. Most of the top qb’s last season lost more fumbles than Baker did.
July 28th, 2025 at 1:31 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
July 28th, 2025 at 1:09 pm
Late in the first ATL game down 27-30 after a Tavierre Thomas blocked FG, offense had the ball for 3 and a half mintues before Bucky fumbled in the 4th quarter. Defense got the ball back 4 plays later on a David INT, offense goes 4 & out in < 30 seconds. Our last 2 drives in a 3 point game on offense were a turnover and a punt, yet fans of this team will maintain its all defense.
some of us know not to listen to that noise, it's just surface level observation being used to explain the entire season. Which is kind of nuts in my opinion.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kirk Cousins had career highs for yardage in at least one ATL game not to mention his 9 TD's in 2 combined games. He had enough time in the pocket to read your comments on JoeBucsfan, but you are right it's not the defense fault that they couldn't cover, rush Cousins, or make a tackle. It was Mayfield's fault. Don't need any lectures from you on "complimentary football." Defense is supposed to be the compliment to a high scoring 2024 explosive offense. Defense was flat out horrible last year. Everyone but you seems to grasp that.
July 28th, 2025 at 1:51 pm
Idk about that. The punting was worse than turnovers at times last year. Not making excuses for the D, but they played on a lot of short field while short handed
July 28th, 2025 at 1:55 pm
“Defense is supposed to be the compliment to a high scoring 2024 explosive offense. Defense was flat out horrible last year. Everyone but you seems to grasp that.”
Even with all you typed out, we lost that game by 6 points. literally showed you our last 2 offensive possessions ended in a turnover and the other went for a punt, so “high scoring” IN SOME GAMES, but not every single game. You’re making a generalization off season total to try to “excuse” our situational shortcomings in a game we need 3 points to tie and we did everything BUT score on our last 2 drives.
Again, a large sweeping generalization “offense good, defense Bad” to try to explain ALL of 2024 is surface level recollection.
We played ATL twice, had a total of 4 turnovers in those two games and lost by 10 points combined with a combined -3 turnover difference.
Just teams that lose the turnover margin by -2 on average lose the game they’re playing 89.3% of the time.
Turnovers are anti-good. Trying to “but but the defense” just means you’re ignoring the impact of turning the ball over, willfully in some cases.
July 28th, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Brady brought that mentality to Tampa after the farce of Jameis Winston.
Brady said: “Any drive that ends in a kick is a good drive”
First time I saw this was the early 2020 game with Green Bay at home.
I believe Green Bay was up 10-0. Brady had a drive that moved the ball a little and it was 3rd down. Maybe 4, 5 or 6 yards to go.
The TV screen seemed to show an outlet pass available for the 1st down but it was across the field. Brady Chunked it in the ground, a pass that Winston would have tried to make and maybe make it, over 50 percent of the time.
However, it was early in the game, and Brady’s decision, was more simple. Don’t risk a pass early in the game that maybe had a 10 percent chance to be intercepted and returned.
Simple play, but one I had not seen in years with Winston. 100 percent chance Winston would have thrown that ball.
July 28th, 2025 at 3:10 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch,
You give new meaning to the greater fool theory.
July 28th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
Before making a judgement about the impact of offensive turnovers on the defense, get the facts straight about how many actual turnovers there were between interceptions and fumbles. We know Baker threw the 16 picks, I have yet to see anyone say that he lost 2 fumbles. Those that want to only mention 13 fumbles are being disingenuous and may have an agenda. He had 18 turnovers total in the regular season.
July 28th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Now make your judgements
July 28th, 2025 at 3:45 pm
Skins game was tough , 69 plays to 44,,, Time of possession 35.5 to 24.5,, Total punts for opposition 0, turnovers opposition 0, penalty yards W 39 TB 65,, Jeeze by the look of this it’s a miracle we only lost by 3
July 28th, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Sticks & Stones fella, sticks and stones
July 28th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
@Warren Brooks Lynch
Careful bro…. If you make too much sense, and it threatens the narrative some have repeatedly expressed, you’re going to get labeled as a trouble maker 🤣
It IS unfortunate some people have to reduce everything to hero/villian terms ie Offense great/defense bad….. Coen great/Todd bad…. Bucky great/Rachaad bad etc etc etc. but that’s the way it is around here.
July 28th, 2025 at 6:42 pm
A debating fine point. Going back and forth from the specific to the general gets you in trouble. IE Debating a SEASONS performance with the results of ONE game means you do not get it! ONE game…DOES NOT = ONE SEASON. illustrating a season with one game is simply fallacious and wildly incorrect.
This is true of ALL stats!!! The smaller the sample the less accurate! ONE play is not much to learn from. One Game slightly better but both fall woefully short of looking to an entire season to make pronouncements! Tom Brady threw an early int . into the end zone in the playoff game against the Cowboys. Is THAT why the Bucs lost? Is Brady a choker? Of course NOT! It was ONE play!
July 29th, 2025 at 7:42 am
“Joe wonders if Mayfield playing loose with the ball last season (he led QBs in fumbles and interceptions) had a lot to do with the Bucs’ struggles on defense.”
Not sure what the numbers say but I do not recall him throwing many on our side of the 50. I could be wrong though. Fumbles come from his habit of holding the ball too long. His turnovers last year were a problem though.
Our defense not forcing punts was a much bigger problem to this fan.
Go Bucs!
July 29th, 2025 at 8:45 pm
Recording tonight. –Joe
July 29th, 2025 at 11:50 pm
If Baker knew his defense could force a punt every couple games, maybe he wouldn’t feel so pressured to score a touchdown every play.