Bucco Bruce Arians: Baker Mayfield “Willed” Bucs To A Win
September 16th, 2025
Spreads Josh Grizzard love.
As we all know, Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians makes a weekly Tuesday in-studio appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
As one can imagine, Arians is in very good spirits after the Bucs pulled out a hard-fought win in Houston last night to begin the season at 2-0.
“Baker just willed this team to win the game,” Arians said.
Arians absolutely hit the nail on the head there. Mayfield just took the ball and basically told his teammates, “Follow me.” You could feel the energy in the offense build after Mayfield converted that fourth down on a 15-yard run.
What amazed Arians most was the Bucs were able to run the ball despite their starting tackles being lost to injury and having center Graham Barton playing left tackle.
Not counting Mayfield’s 33 yards rushing was 136 yards rushing combined from Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. The Bucs’ running back duo averaged five yards a run.
(People like Joe who took the over on Mayfield and White’s rushing yards were very pleased last night.)
Arians gave Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard props for sticking with the run game despite the Bucs’ offensive line being a mess due to injuries.
Arians referred to Mayfield as a “head coach-maker.” Asked by McAfee about the credit Dave Canales and Liam Coen get for turning Mayfield’s career around, Arians quipped, “I think Baker might have turned their careers around.”
You can see Arians’ take on the Bucs’ win in the video below.
"Baker Mayfield willed the Bucs to win that game last night..
I thought Josh Grizzard did a great job calling plays"@BruceArians #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/NmwnTPMg8a
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 16, 2025
September 16th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Hats off to coach Carberry too. The Oline was wounded but determined.
Baker is baking at the moment.
LFG!!!!
September 16th, 2025 at 12:53 pm
But Bowles kept it Close!. Can he keep it close this week too?
September 16th, 2025 at 12:59 pm
Spot on about love for Carberry.
Now about the special teams incompetent……..
September 16th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
2-0 is certainly better than being 0-2 which they could easily be if things didn’t go right like Atlanta missing that FG or the Texans making the 2 point.
HC Grover I hope they can blow out the Jets, but I don’t see it….another close win though possibly if things go the right way.
Go Bucs!
September 16th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
If Tristan Wirtz is available in week 4, the Bucs could legitimately beat the Phillies and be 4-0.
September 16th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
BA can go back to his retirement spread in GA. Hate to rain on his parade, but this was a TOTAL team effort, even with the ST stinkeroos. Sure Bake fired up the team, but the Defense was already playing fired up. So was the much maligned HC (on here). Talk about gutsy gambling. No, hopefully the entire Bucs posse won’t have a major emotional relapse. Jets are coming in here next Sunday, and they’re a pro club with something to prove. Go Cardiac Bucs, 3-0!!
September 16th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Oh it was definitely a TEAM effort and TEAM win 100% but… ol Bake came up with the runs, the passes and the decisions and Grizz the plays that won it in the last minute on a top 5 defense. He would not be denied!!! Laid his body on the line for his teammates over and over again–100% CLUTCH BALLER!! 🏴☠️😎
September 16th, 2025 at 2:49 pm
Wirtz? Phillies? Are you on the right blog?
September 16th, 2025 at 3:05 pm
Carberry for president man.
These line shifts are genius when it comes to running the ball.
Yeah, Heck needs work pass blocking, but that will probably never be his forte.
We have to live with it and scheme around it.
This O Line is still stacked and we only need them healthy for the playoffs.
September 16th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
I will disagree on Wiz kid calling plays, I think it’s been a mess the first two games – but in large part because of the offensive line. But I will give Gizz credit for being willing to take what the defense is giving him – and for the second week in a row his play calling improved as the game went along, but he’s got a long ways to go to get to Coen’s level, but he’s on track to be better than Canales.
For Baker, two weeks in a row, two game winning drives. He played great when it mattered, and is doing it with some awful offensive line play. Once the line is healthy, if he keeps it up, and can get it done in the playoffs, he’ll be here a long time.
September 16th, 2025 at 3:35 pm
I said it earlier Coen’s offense last year took a while to get rolling as well, it’s early yet.
September 16th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
ballwasher61 Says:
September 16th, 2025 at 3:35 pm
I said it earlier Coen’s offense last year took a while to get rolling as well, it’s early yet.
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I’m not dissing Grizz by any means, the offensive line injuries have blown up most of the play calling as the pressure rate has been ridiculous so it’s hard to get a rhythm going.
But for Coen, I’ll disagree. The Bucs offensive look great in week 1 last year. Then, like Wiz kid is seeing now, the Bucs lost Luke in week 2, and Sucke was so bad, he tanked the entire offense, and while the Bucs won in Detroit, the offense didn’t look good. BUT, if you went beyond Sucke single handedly blowing up the offense, you could just watch how Coen set things up, how he had Detroit completely off balance, and you just knew this guy was really good. Wiz Kid could still get there, but again looking beyond the execution, to the playcalling and order, etc – Grizz doesn’t seem to have much of a plan it doesn’t seem. He’s not really setting things up as well compared to Coen. BUT, again, I’m not dissing Grizz, he’s making adjustments to take what the defense is giving him, and we’ll know a lot more once Wirfs and Luke is back, which is hopefully sooner than people think, as in hopefully vs the Jets.
September 16th, 2025 at 5:00 pm
Munch emerges from his hole lamenting that Mayfield made him look bad again. Munch will be contrite until Baker’s next INT–which will happen. Some people have an eye for talent and then there is Munch who just doesn’t. Let’s see Baker perform behind a top flight line which he has never had. Don’t even mention Browns 2021 line which didn’t include Joe Thomas who was retired.