Baker Mayfield: “Blame Me; Don’t Blame Todd”
December 17th, 2025
Baker Mayfield
Sort of a roundabout and somewhat strange answer by Baker Mayfied today to a question about head coach Todd Bowles.
The query came from Sage of Tampa Bay Sports and JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman.
Bucs fans who watch national NFL programming or listen to local sports podcasts and radio, or read Bucs blogs, know there’s a ton of chatter about Todd Bowles’ job security. Across social media fans are calling for Bowles to be fired.
The fan landscape is ablaze and will be, Joe believes, until the Bucs can win two consecutive games again this season.
The Kaufman-Mayfield exchange is translated verbatim.
Ira Kaufman: Baker, when things go south, the head coach usually takes the heat. So what’s your message to the Bucs fans that are trying to suggest the team is tuning out Todd Bowles?
Baker Mayfield: I mean, that’s always a tricky slope. You lov’em when the defense is getting all the sacks and the turnovers, and then a game like [Thursday], like I said postgame, it comes down to the offense. You’re up two scores, you have the chance to put the game away and you don’t. The easy thing to do is point at the defense because its a situation — it’s the last thing you see in the game. But if you look at the whole game, you look at the way it played, blame me. Don’t blame Todd.
Ok. Mayfield is accepting every aspect of blame. But why did he respond to the question saying it’s “a tricky slope?”
It almost seemed like Kaufman set Mayfield up with a layup, where Mayfield could reply with something like, ‘That’s nonsense. Todd’s our leader and an excellent head coach.” But Mayfield didn’t say that.
What made this intriguing to Joe is Kaufman asked Mayfield roughly the exact same question three weeks ago and Mayfield also gave a roundabout answer without even mentioning Bowles. (For those interested, it’s at the 9:20 mark of this video.)
Odd.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:02 pm
obviously, baker lacks the killer instinct he’s always talking about lol…
up 2 scores and Baker tosses an INT…
great leadership baker..great killer instinct
GO BUCS!!!!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:08 pm
Noble sentiment Mr. Mayfield (no sarcasm meant). But it is Todd’s defense that keeps puking all over the field.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Baker knows football better than those of you who talk like this is the Tampa Bay Bakeneers. You think he doesn’t know what the situation called for and what his play got him? Taking accountability isn’t enough for me tho, cut that s&^t out Baker!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:10 pm
IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON TO A NEW ERA OF BUCS FOOTBALL.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
That question that Ira posed was no layup. Baker answered half brain dead it sounds like. These two, Bowles and Baker, have been through one up and down season. They both think it’s their fault that we’re 7-7 and it is. They’ve both sounded a little brain dead lately. Good, it means this is bothering them.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Fire Bowles!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:14 pm
Don’t worry bake, I do blame you. Todd isn’t holding the ball at the end of games
December 17th, 2025 at 3:16 pm
Bucs Reality Check. It’s just now the Dawn of a new era of Bucs football. I’m happy that you’re sad to hear that.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:18 pm
3rd & 28!!!!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
“3rd & 28!!!!”
Turning the ball over after starting at your own 40, up 28-20!!!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:21 pm
IT’S ACTUALLY BOTH
Bowles is the HC and Baker is the QB. If the lockerroom is lost, those two are 100% to blame.
THE REAL BLAME GOES TO …
TB12, NFCS, & Coen. Coen was so good at his job that he saved Bowles’ job for an extra year. TB12 saved Bowles in Year 1. The paltry NFCS saved Bowles year 2. Grizz is horrible. Bowles can’t hide behind a good coordinator. Actually the real blame goes to Arians for forcing Bowles on us.
OUR MISSING SAVIOR
The player I’m super curious about is AWJ. This is the real story. AWJ burst on the schene and helped win a Super Bowl. When he’s on, he’s an absolute game changer. 3 seasons ago he single-handedly closed 3 games the Bucs should have lost. If he was health last year, we would have beaten WAS.
What happened? Doesn’t it feel very Muscle Hamsterish (RIP). I hope he hasn’t turned the wrong corner.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Baker has had some missed opportunities and made some bad decisions lately. I’m not defending Baker but I think, other than ME, the whole team has under-performed from last season. To pick one player and make them responsible for the entire team’s effort is ludicrous. Most of the losses have been by a few points. How about singling out a player that dropped a pass, a player that fumbled, a player that missed a tackle, a player that was out of position, a player that was offsides and cost the team 4 points. And the list goes on and on. This is a team failure.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:32 pm
hey joe……sybau Ha!–Joe
December 17th, 2025 at 3:35 pm
Fire Bowels
December 17th, 2025 at 3:41 pm
Dude looks like he aged 10 years since September. How many painkillers do you take to last the season in his position? What’s he going to say? “Yes, we’ve tuned out ol’ dude.”
December 17th, 2025 at 3:47 pm
Todd would never say that in defense of his players.
I’ve never once seen him take the blame for his wide open Swiss cheese pass defense.
And it won’t change until he’s shown the door.
35-34
December 17th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
Bowles wins division and 1 playoff game and gets a 5 year extension 😉 Just to piss you guys off !!!!
December 17th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
Bowles , Baker , Evans , Godwin, Lavonte . Vea, Winfield all need to go just blow it up like the Saints and Falcons you can see how much better those teams are.
December 17th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Yes, blame Bowles – along with Licht and the analytics people and the game manager and Grizzard and Baker.
But, remember that Licht built this team! And, he built it to be an offensive powerhouse, injuries or no injuries.
Even with the injuries, the offense is still the strength of this team! But, the strength is not the “risk it, biscuit” offense the Bucs keep trying to play.
Averaging over 4 yards per carry, with rarely two bad plays in a row, the run game is the strength of this team!
The Bucs just have to run 60-40 and split the runs evenly three ways instead of forcing the majority of snaps through the least productive running back – (Irving since he came back from his injury).
The defense is “good enough” – if – if the offense uses its run game strength to play Ball Control Offense.
The unreliability of the passing game makes it the team’s greatest liability, not the defense.
Sure, the passing game hits some lucky streaks with several completions in a row and occasional big strikes. By all means, pass on 30% to 40% of plays, specially on 1st & 5, 2nd & short, and 3rd & short in four down situations.
But, 50% of pass plays end up as interceptions, sacks, completions for loss or no gain, and incompletions.
Two of those in a row and the Bucs are facing 3rd and long. And, as the Bucs almost always pass on 3rd & long, teams are destroying the Bucs on 3rd and long!
The Bucs usually average over 4 yards per run.
Except for goal line stupidity, the Bucs rarely have two runs in a row for a loss or no gain.
And, the Bucs periodically rip off the kind of runs needed to convert 3rd and long.
It was recently noted that Godwin finally converted the Bucs first WR passing two point conversion.
Despite all of the failures passing for two point conversions this year, the Bucs have been oblivious all season to the idea that RB’s averaging 4 yards per carry might convert a two point conversion.
The Bucs defense has been criticized for failing to prevent the Falcon’s game winning Field Goal drive.
The best defense’s in the NFL do not give up that drive – not because they play better defense, but because they are not on the field.
The best defense in the NFL is the one on the sideline with a lead while the Ball Control Offense runs out the clock.
Thursday night, after the Falcon’s final timeout, on 2nd and 14, any run play that stays in bounds takes the clock down to the minute warning.
Any run play on 3rd down that stays in bounds takes the clock down to 1 minute and 20 seconds.
The Bucs are as capable of picking up a first down on those two runs as they are on two pass plays. The Bucs had already picked up that many yards on consecutive runs in the game. Do it one more time, and the game is over.
But, even if those two runs fail to pick up a single yard, the Bucs punt with less time left than the Falcons needed to cross midfield, and the Bucs win!
Someone in the Bucs organization must figure this out!
December 17th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
Blame Todd
December 17th, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Last season. Baker looked great and the defense was trash. This year Baker has had problems, The offense has had problems. The defense is still trash.This team has a top down problem. Coaching. Coaching. Coaching.
Once that gets addressed then they can get a clearer view of the lay of the land. Not just with the QB’s but with all positions. We saw how Mayfield played when Coen was here. Making any sort of evaluation on Mayfield as things stand right now is a fools errand. A waste of time. I even see it on this site. One minute he’s a choker the next minute he’s a baller next minute he sucks. As I said before it’s akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Complete waste of time.
Until the top down problem gets fixed all the rest is an exercise in futility. Now having said all that. It doesn’t matter a bit what we say on this site. No bearing on reality. Might be fun for some. In the mean time…
The Glazers are on the clock.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:15 pm
Just start coming through in the clutch, like you did early this season, Bake. The rest will take care of itself.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:18 pm
All the talent on this team just being wasted. Over the last 4 years wasted with guys that can do so much more. You saw how good this team was at the beginning of the year up to the bye week with a bunch of injuries. As everyone starts to heal, the wheels are just flying off as we head off the cliff! Just wasting this team with horrible coaching. Had a guy in the MVP race, #1 power ranking and people starting to come back from injury and you turn all that into missing the playoffs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team fall off like this
December 17th, 2025 at 4:33 pm
Baker wants to say what he thinks, but cannot. The FO propaganda machine coached him before he spoke. Its so obvious. I am not buying another ticket, merch, nothing, until this nightmare is over. This Bowles lead team has been above average at best. They can never compete against real competition. Winning the last few NFCS division titles has not meant anything other than they are the tallest midget. The worst part is Licht thought it was great and couldn’t get past the paint job to see the engine is roached. These fans are not stupid and see this is nothing more than a good ole boys club covering for each other. Glazers need to wake up before they feel the financial pain of all of this.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Great video – Baker “Staying true to who we are.” He really is calm at the podium. He just wants to win the games.
I noticed Mike Evans video press conference on the side view and brought that one up afterwards. In the beginning of the press conference, it sounded like he was looking for Ira and someone said that he had been there.
Mike is such a great guy. Sounds like the team is together on winning. Go Bucs!
December 17th, 2025 at 4:40 pm
Admirable that Baker is willing to fall on the sword, but it’s BS.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:40 pm
Improvements on the defensive side of the Bucs are needed to advance deep into the playoffs. Identifying weaknesses is painful and takes time.so the Bucs ownership and coaches need to prioritize the 2026 draft and free agency.
They have spent nearly double on the offensive vs defensive side in 2025. They need to do replicate their 2025 performance to the defense in 2026. Do that and they could be a legit NFC contender.
Come on Licht and make lightning strike twice.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:50 pm
Miller they have not missed playoffs yet not even if they lose this week. With every one calling for Bowels job seems like fans would rather see team lose so Bowels is replaced. I am a Bucs fan so for me there is never a reason to root for a Bucs lose.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
I’m not sure Joe. Could it be that the way Ira framed the question for Baker to respond to the fans about Bowles, he didn’t want to respond to the question or come off like he’s ragging the fans? Baker is in a tough position there. I thought he responded the best way he could because as bad as the team has been playing and being coached, he hasn’t been playing well either since the Lions game.
December 17th, 2025 at 4:58 pm
Nice try by Baker…but that Falcon’s loss was totally on the defense. Total collapse.
December 17th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
This offense did a good enough job in quarters 1-3. They kept our defense off the field. That’s our to ticket to win, the offense has to score when they have the ball, and draw the game out to keep our D off the field.
We screwed that up in the 4th on offense. We all know the D sucks. The team knows this as well. Do your job offense…
December 17th, 2025 at 5:26 pm
QB not supposed to call out coach.
December 17th, 2025 at 5:45 pm
I didn’t realize that Baker is responsible for putting that embarrassing defense on the field.
December 17th, 2025 at 6:04 pm
If it wasn’t for Baker we would have FOUR MORE losses on our record and Blows would be as good as gone after this year! He should buy Baker a Maserati for Christmas
December 17th, 2025 at 6:15 pm
We’ll definitely blame you for things you do wrong on offense, Baker, but Todd Bowles is allegedly a defensive guru and is in charge of the defense.
The defense for this team has been bad for many years, so that is why Bowles is taking the heat. The entire game they sucked.
Everybody knew before the game that there were only two players to stop – Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts – and the Bucs’ defense could not stop either one of them. Thank goodness Drake London wasn’t playing or they might have put up 40 on Bowles’ defense.