Baker Mayfield Builds Up Emeka Egbuka
February 6th, 2026
High praise from his QB.
Neither Baker Mayfield nor Emeka Egbuka had a great second half of the 2025 season.
If the two played after the bye the way they played before the bye, who knows, Joe might be in San Francisco now getting ready for a Bucs-Patriots Super Bowl.
Mayfield very likely was hurt and that’s why he wasn’t his best self, or even his average self. Egbuka, Joe has a strong hunch, got blasted by the dreaded rookie wall.
Still, the two were at the NFL Honors ceremony honoring the best in the NFL. Egbuka was up for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Fetching Colleen Wolfe caught up with Mayfield prior to the ceremony and Mayfield was proud of the rookie receiver from Ohio State.
“For a rookie to step in and be as professional as he is, I mean, I got a first-hand view of how he treats his body, the daily routine, how smart he is,” Mayfield said. “We asked him to do so much this year. [He] played every single receiver position, and as a rookie, to be able to handle that with the mental capacity, it’s a lot. That’s a lot on his shoulders.
“But he handled it really, really well. He’s obviously a stud. So, I mean, that’s my guy.”
When Mayfield and Egbuka were humming, there may not have been a better offense in the NFL. Then Mike Evans got hurt. Then the offensive line began to crumble with injuries. Then Mayfield’s linebacker mentality began to catch up with him.
And before you know it, the Bucs were watching the playoffs just like you and Joe, and the team was hunting for new offensive coaches.
Cross your fingers for 2026 that the injury bug has been exterminated.
Checking in with QB1️⃣ at NFL Honors 🫡
📺: NBC/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/s7SBPRonDH
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 6, 2026
February 6th, 2026 at 7:48 am
They both will be back.
February 6th, 2026 at 7:51 am
baker STILL needs to work on his ball security…
Baker has led the NFL in fumbles the past 2 years(13/2024, 11/2025)…im well aware he didnt lose 11 fumbles but either way his fumbles were drive killers resulting in negative yards…
he also led the NFL in INTs last year(baker fans will say he was tied with the lead lol)…
maybe baker staying healthy will improve his ball security idk…
but i would like to know, was he “very likely hurt” when he led the league in INTs and Fumbles in 2024?
GO BUCS!!!!
February 6th, 2026 at 7:56 am
hoping Zac’s offense has a minimum of 25 rushes per game…we need to keep baker under 25 passing atts per game…
GO BUCS!!!!
February 6th, 2026 at 8:04 am
Sling it 570 times, that’s gonna happen. Darnold led the league in picks THIS year, and he’s only favored to win the Superbowl. This year Baker went from 16 to 9, so there’s that. (I don’t count the two giveaways from Otton)
February 6th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Bucs need to add another starter EE is the only healthy starter
JMac has not played enough to know whether his neck injury will not be a reoccurring issue
February 6th, 2026 at 8:34 am
Recurring broken neck? Didn’t know that was a thing
February 6th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Amen 🙏 to that
February 6th, 2026 at 8:46 am
LVD on “Wake Up Barstool” this morning. I hate the whole repeating (“two times”) thing… Yeah, Yeah. Good Mornin, Good Mornin.
February 6th, 2026 at 8:48 am
“Weather the storm, man… Weather the storm.” Makes me wanna puke. Not even going to “LoL.” Just talk Fricken NORMAL.
February 6th, 2026 at 8:50 am
Beejee your
Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills are imaginary
February 6th, 2026 at 8:56 am
Good report. Preseason hype rating about a 5.
February 6th, 2026 at 9:06 am
Yeah, running the ball more this year would be stupid. We’ve saw how that worked out this year. And as good as I thought Irving was, he’s just too light in the @ss to be carrying the ball as many times as he was. He’s gonna need help. An emphasis has to be placed on fixing the passing game and throwing the ball more. Irving seemed to have more success on the screens. The running game was pretty bad this year down the stretch, not that the passing game was much better. But you have come from behind wins at the last second with no passing game.
February 6th, 2026 at 9:11 am
“Beejee your
Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills are imaginary”
You spelled LEGENDARY wrong!
February 6th, 2026 at 9:43 am
In order to have a shot at the post season, it seems apparent that the Bucs need to replace their ‘virtual’ backup QB with a real person.
February 6th, 2026 at 10:44 am
hey baker – keep your mouth shut. play out the season, don’t sign any ext. because mcvay will be calling for you next year. as long as todd the fraud is the hc/dc you have no shot of winning squat. i’m a big fan of yours , and i’d like to see you have a shot at a title. no chance in hell with this idiot. dumbest and most incompetent hc in any sport on earth.
February 6th, 2026 at 11:27 am
What NLK said, seriously doubt Stafford is back in ’27
February 6th, 2026 at 11:56 am
Putting a hard number on running attempts is funny. If Bowles defense gives up scores like this past season, we will be throwing a ton. Balanced offense is a team goal.
February 6th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I remember him taking some big hits throughout the year
February 6th, 2026 at 1:01 pm
As long as Bowles run the defense, the Bucs are going nowhere!
February 6th, 2026 at 1:27 pm
The Bucs have the league’s best head coach/ defensive coordinator hybrid.
2026 will be the year the Bucs ring up another Lombardi.
Super Bowles.
February 6th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Sure, McVay will be looking to add Baker just the same way everyone said that Jameis Winston was going to New England or Pittsburgh.
Ok to be fan boys for players – but acting like other teams see players the same way fan boys see the players is just juvenile.
February 6th, 2026 at 1:45 pm
You forgot to mention, and the special teams collapse and coaching putting players out of position. Go Bucs!
February 6th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
Baker needs to stay healthy I tolerate him because he is on the team like I did with Winston but when you start doing the same thing to help us lose instead of win it starts to get old I hate to say it but I’d rather have old man Flacco or Philip Rivers I need someone who sees the entire picture baker when healthy is decent almost pushing on solid the moment he gets a little injury he becomes a fumbling and interception machine I mean at least get someone to back him up for 2 ta 3 games because him playing hurt is on the same level as the defense witch is horrible
February 6th, 2026 at 3:12 pm
No bro. What we need is an adaptable offense that attacks the weakness of the defense, whatever that may be. They stack the box, we need to be able to sling it. They give us light boxes, we need to be able to run it.
That said, 25 rushes is not an unreasonable number to shoot for.
Less penalties, less negative plays, less punts. More sustained drives that end in points, especially when the defense makes stops or gets turnovers. That’s what we need – not an arbitrary number of runs or passes.
February 6th, 2026 at 3:37 pm
@tom petty says: What we need is an adaptable offense
Nawl, i disagree…that screams an offense lacking identity!!!
teams like the rams, seahawks, 9ers run the ball even if, ” They stack the box”…why?…because thats their identity!!!!
I’ll take it a step further and say we have an identity as a team, not just the offense…
we dont run well….we pass ok…we dont play special teams well….we stuff the run ok…we dont defend the pass at all….
the 2 teams playing in the SB both have identities…..great defense and running the ball…
GO BUCS!!!!
February 6th, 2026 at 3:49 pm
813bucboi, Maye threw for 4400 yards and Darnold threw for over 4000 yards. It’s a throwing league. I don’t think either teams identity is the run game.
February 6th, 2026 at 4:01 pm
The 2025-2026 New England Patriots offense, led by QB Drake Maye, balances an explosive passing game (4th, 250.5 yards/game) with a surging late-season rushing attack. Ranked 3rd in total offense, they rely on a 57% pass rate, though they lead the NFL in rush EPA/carry and explosive runs since week 15, becoming a dual-threat unit.
The 2025-2026 Seattle Seahawks offense is heavily driven by an elite, play-action passing game that ranks among the best in the NFL, complemented by a solid, albeit less explosive, rushing attack (114.3 yards per game). While passing is the primary engine, Seattle maintains a near 50/50 run-pass balance, often using two-running back sets with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
The “identity” is to attack the weaknesses in the defense – like I said. Nobody is pounding the ball against stacked boxes on a regular basis because it’s their “identity”. That would be dumb.
February 6th, 2026 at 4:08 pm
Thanks AI 👍🏼
In 2025-2026, the Patriots’ offense faced one of the highest rates of loaded boxes (7+ defenders) in the NFL, often forcing them to pass, despite a run-focused identity. While the run game struggled with consistency, early-season, or in crucial situations, the offense pivoted to explosive passing plays, utilizing play-action and Drake Maye’s strong arm to beat heavy front alignments.
The 2025 Seahawks offense, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, thrives on an explosive, highly efficient passing game (9.57 yards/play) that complements a frequently used but inefficient run game (3.7 yards/carry). Despite facing high rates of stacked boxes (8+ defenders), the team utilizes play-action to create massive downfield plays, often ranking near the top in passing efficiency despite fewer attempts.
February 6th, 2026 at 5:50 pm
Oh come-on, my Baker was sent to the Middle East to overthrow Iran got censored? It’s an old joke from the 80s that they used to say with Testaverde on Q105.
February 6th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
Rod. It’s an old joke that I haven’t heard. Nice.
February 6th, 2026 at 9:04 pm
813bucboi, Baker tied with Cousins in total interceptions in 2024 with 16 but a fair minded person would look at interception pct. His pct was higher than anyone would like but the fact is Cousins pct was 3.5 and Baker’s was 2.8, tied with Dak and Flacco. Drake Maye’s was 3.0 and Will Levis was 4.0. There were others higher as well but they played sparingly so we won’t count them. When a quarterback fumbles it’s usually due to being sacked or trying to run. Sacks can be drive killers but the fumble itself is not the drive killer, it’s the sack. If the fumble is lost then obviously that’s even worse but most of Baker’s fumbles didn’t result in loss of possession for his team.
February 6th, 2026 at 9:19 pm
BTW 813bucboi, Baker has the 5th best touchdown pct to interception pct ratio since 2023. That would seem to be significant I think.
February 6th, 2026 at 9:37 pm
Kenton Smith Says:
February 6th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
Rod. It’s an old joke that I haven’t heard. Nice.
———–
I have no idea why I remember that, it was just some throw away line – maybe it was Tedd Webb, I don’t remember if he was on there that early or not. But in any case it stuck with my entire life – and I’m glad I can finally use it again as we have things happening in Iran and a QB who overthrew e2 by a mile in that game in LA when e2 was wide open for a TD. So the tie in to this story was a natural!