Secret To Baker Mayfield’s 2024 Success?
July 4th, 2025
Production.
Joe still gets a kick out of the following, and it just goes to show how folks perceive things differently.
Last year Joe referred to the Bucs’ offense as dink-and-dunk. And it was. The Bucs rarely threw the ball farther than 20 yards downfield.
But Joe also added in the very same article that the offense was working and working really well, so how could one knock the results? Well, that didn’t go over so well with then-Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen who scoffed at Joe in a press conference for the dink-and-dunk reference.
But the offense was working!
Well, here is still another piece of evidence that Coen was running a dink-and-dunk offense. Only once since 2018 has a quarterback thrown for more passing yards by completing passes behind the line of scrimmage than what Baker Mayfield did last year.
Per NextGen Stats, Mayfield had 967 yards passing from completed behind the line of scrimmage. Only Pat Mahomes has had more since the start of the 2018 season. That came in 2021.
In fact, every season but last year since the start of 2018 Mahomes has led the NFL in passing yards on completed passes behind the line.
Joe doesn’t know how anyone could disagree the Bucs didn’t have a dink-and-dunk offense in 2024. And Joe also doesn’t know how anyone could disagree the Bucs offense was potent.
Add in the knowledge that Mayfield had a career year, maybe a short-passing offense suits his skillset best?
July 4th, 2025 at 11:40 am
Fascinating that almost a quarter of our passing yardage was to targets behind the LOS. YAC king Godwin and the RB corps probably mostly. Seems to be how I remember it…
July 4th, 2025 at 11:42 am
Also RB/WR screens were tremendously successful the whole season because the blocking has been so good. I’ve never seen our line (and everyone else!) block the way they did this past season!
July 4th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
When you’ve got guys like Godwin. Irving and White who can grind out tough yards and make defenders miss tackles after catching balls behind the LOS – its a sound strategy to employ a mostly short and medium range passing attack….. (IE: – Don’t fix what’s not broken…)
This gets the ball out of Baker’s hands quickly with a high percentage catch rate.
Mayfield has yet to show much accuracy as a Buccaneer on balls thrown over 20 air yards – despite having a premier long ball receiver in Mike Evans to throw to the last 2 years….
Baker definitely showed SOME improvement on long ball accuracy in 2024 compared to his pitiful completion rate on such passes (28%?) in 2023 – but I certainly wouldn’t call it a strength – yet….
Grizz is talking like he wants to take more deep shots this year – and I’m fine with that considering our weapons at WR. But the results of such attempts need to be monitored closely the first few games of the season – and the focus out the gate should still be to simply get the ball out of Baker’s hands quickly to one of his many receiving playmakers and let them make plays…..
‘Adjustments’ leading to more air yards and longer passes are great – IF those passes are being completed at an acceptable rate. But we already know Mayfield can thrive in this offense and with these weapons by getting the ball out of his hands quickly with shorter, higher % passes.
Grizz needs to focus on what we already know ‘works’ initially – with maybe a few more long balls strategically sprinkled in…. and if Mayfield shows he can be in the 45-50% range on balls longer than 20 air yards – then increase those attempts until you find the perfect balance….
July 4th, 2025 at 1:25 pm
All we need is 2-3 more attempts a game down the field when Baker judges the CB/safety is beat. Usually by Mike but McMillan and Egbuka both ran a high 4.4 forty yard so they can also get down the field with the route running chops to lose their man for a step or two. Palmer may not dress for games to be used here. Was surprised to read Jordan Love was the king of the long ball last year.
July 4th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
No OC or offensive HC likes to be referred to as dink and dunk. But watch Brady’s first 3 years. That’s what it was.
I think fans need to get used to the fact that QBs need to get comfortable in an offense before they start airing it out. It doesn’t matter that Baker was a vet when he arrived. Give him another two seasons and see if he can evolve into a down the field passer. I bet he does if he keeps the same offense.
Terrific move by Bowles to hire in house to keep the continuity.
July 4th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
When a pass is caught at the LOS (maybe even 5 yards downfield?), the OL are allowed by rule to block more than 5 yards past the line. A couple of times, refs picked up flags after initially calling lineman downfield. It was a good strategy by Coen/Cars to call these plays especially when you have backs like Bucky/White who are good receivers/yac guys, and lineman that are pretty mobile.
July 4th, 2025 at 1:42 pm
Again, Bakers completion rate for the deep ball in 2024 ranks 7th in the league. And I distinctly remember several being perfectly thrown and being dropped. 7th isn’t elite but it’s far from being “inaccurate”
July 4th, 2025 at 1:43 pm
I’m not sure I understand. Are we beotching because we don’t like what worked?
Are long bombs more important than W’s? Is there any single stat more important than a W? If it’s working I don’t care if it’s dink and dunk, no risk it no biscuit, or whatever! Just win baby!!!
July 4th, 2025 at 1:44 pm
Brady was the king of the short pass. Seemed to work fairly well for the GOAT
July 4th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
Hear hear stpete, hear hear
July 4th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Hopefully they will use Tez in their D&D attack. He is uncatchable in the open. Kind of like watching Bucky, only at the receiver position . This is going to be an offense like few have seen. Quick and dangerous. Cannot wait.
July 4th, 2025 at 2:12 pm
Who knew Pat Mahomes was just a dink and dunk guy?
Dink and dunk seems to imply a lot of completions for not many yards. The stat under question seems to measure lots of yards, instead.
July 4th, 2025 at 2:24 pm
In 2023 the line did not pass block very well. 2024 was an improvement but deep pass blocking is still a work in progress. Hopefully, in 2025 Baker will silence the remaining doubters by showing off his phenomenal deep throwing ability. Just once in awhile to keep the defenders back on their heels.
July 4th, 2025 at 2:51 pm
Shhhh, secrets. Running game, Mike, Chris and an indomitable spirit on 3rd down
July 4th, 2025 at 3:23 pm
Pickgrin nailed it.
Call it whatever you want, dink and dunk, spacial exploitation, or long handoffs. The name of the game with Baker is doing what he’s most efficient at in volume without risk off-timing, forced to multi-covered targeted, or more batted balls.
Arm strength is one thing, accuracy is something totally different and you need both to be an effective/efficient downfield passer. For all the Brady talk, he took time out at practice to fine tune his accuracy dropping long balls into buckets/barrells w/Trask & Gabbert. We don’t hear about stuff like that with this QB.
July 4th, 2025 at 3:37 pm
Gipper Says:
“In 2023 the line did not pass block very well. 2024 was an improvement but deep pass blocking is still a work in progress.”
That’s an excellent point Gipper. Its more about does Baker have enough time to cleanly throw a ball 25-30 yards downfield – than about CAN he throw a deep ball accurately with a clean pocket to throw from…