Josh Grizzard Doesn’t Believe Baker Mayfield’s Injuries Have Caused Turnovers
January 1st, 2026
Covering for Baker Mayfield?
The NFL, as we are told daily, is a business. Therefore, Joe can smell corporate-speak when he hears it.
On Tuesday, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield pushed back (just a little) when he was asked if his beat up body is affecting his accuracy. He didn’t deny he’s injured but he wasn’t ready to say the picks are coming due to his injuries.
Yesterday, Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard pretty much said the same thing when he was asked if Mayfield’s picks are due to his beat up body.
“I wouldn’t necessarily put [that] on a couple of the interceptions as of late,” Grizzard said. “He plays the game very hard, as we see. … Ultimately, you don’t want to see him take those shots. Being able to get hit in a game like that is not something, of course, we want to see.
“But, at this point in the season, everybody is so banged up.”
Almost sounds like a rehearsed answer. Why does Joe say that? Because that’s damn near verbatim what Mayfield said on Tuesday, that he can’t use an injury as an excuse because everyone is beat up after Christmas.
So Joe turns to former Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians. He’s much more of a straight-shooter. On Pat McAfee’s show this week, Arians said he thought Mayfield was injured more than the Bucs are letting on and at the same time, the picks have spiked.
So, Arians was saying without saying he thinks there is a cause and effect there. Seems very probable.
The thing Joe would like to know is, if Mayfield really is that hurt that it’s causing him to throw so many picks (and maybe that is also why Grizzard has transformed his offense into a 13-year old girls’ sleepover pillow fight with short screens and passes behind the line of scrimmage) why is he on the field?
If Mayfield is so hurt he’s dragging the offense down, Joe thinks it is fair to ask why is he playing?
Love the gung-ho fight in Mayfield, but sometimes being smart trumps grit.
Eh, it’s probably too late to ask that. Clearer minds at One Buc Palace should have had Mayfield take a week or two off to heal up so he could have been more effective in December.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:09 am
Ryan Day is available.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:09 am
Baker Mayfield sucks along with defense. Joebucsfab continues to propagate that Mayfield is a franchise qb! These guys are in the click bait business and only a fool cannot see that. The tape does not lie!!
January 1st, 2026 at 12:14 am
I said this yesterday. The final decision of who sits and who plays is on the head coach.
The decision should be based on who gives the team the best chance to win.
If Coach Bowles thinks Baker gives the Bucs the best shot at winning we either have a head coach that isn’t paying attention or we have a serious problem in the quarterback room.
Either way, I hope the Glazers make significant changes Sunday morning.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:21 am
Timon, give it a rest about Baker sucking. Compare his stats over the past three years with any other QB in the league: he’s second in TD’s and third in passing yards! I do, however, agree with JOE that he should have been shut down for a couple weeks to heal a month ago.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:33 am
Jameis would have won 2 of the last 3.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:38 am
HOW many new names are you 9 year olds gonna create?
January 1st, 2026 at 12:51 am
Didn’t you see Bridgewaters noodle of an arm earlier this year, Joe? Mayfield could chuck the ball farther than Teddy even if it was in a cast! Thank Todd for that bust of a signing.
January 1st, 2026 at 12:56 am
It really doesn’t matter if he’s injured or not, it’s too late for that now
It mattered 3-4:weeks ago, but it’s water under the bridge now
It’s time to focus on 2026, it’s a new year
The season will end this weekend or be extended
Either way, there’s a ton of work that need to be done at One Buc Place
I’m sure the Glazers are evaluating everything and everyone
We’ll see what happens
January 1st, 2026 at 1:16 am
That would require coaching, leadership, a GM with h8s finger on the pulse of his team and bright enough to protect his bosses’s investments. GM fail–>HC fail–> OC fail–>putting player in position to fail–> player fails–> fails to earn big payday–> team sees how mismanaged players/team are–> players QUIT on coach/team–> team fails/loses. Licht does not deserve to be overlooked by the turk
January 1st, 2026 at 1:33 am
Gizzard is one and done, we know it, he knows it, Baker knows it. Even if perennial loser Todd Bowles is not fired then the season losses will be blamed on Gizzard and Baker having injuries. Imagine Bowles getting to keep his job, nothing absolutely nothing then to look forward too. The combine, the draft, free agency all of it is meaningless.
January 1st, 2026 at 2:05 am
Baker lead the NFL in interceptions last year during a career year.
What if he’s just a very inconsistent quarterback, and that’s why everyone has given up on him until now. If he loses 5 in a row, with the playoffs on the line in every game, and gets everyone fired, who in the world would ever trust Baker with their jobs? What if he is, simply, not that good of a quarter – a streaky guy who can get on a few hot streaks, but then go on long cold streaks.
Also, how exactly do you hurt your non-throwing shoulder on a non-contact play? So many questions.