Baker Mayfield Somewhat Slow To Bail The Pocket
June 19th, 2026
Calm amid the storm.
Joe believes if Baker Mayfield can get this number down a little, it will go a long way to helping Mayfield stay healthy down the stretch.
Last year Mayfield was bad down the stretch as the Bucs lost seven of nine games and blew a 6-2 start, missing the playoffs.
Mayfield was hurt, yet the Bucs thought a banged-up Mayfield was a better option than a healthy Teddy Bridgewater. The gamble blew up in their faces.
(Joe has typed the following many times and will type it many more: If you didn’t trust Bridgewater to give Mayfield a week off to heal, then why the hell was Bridgewater even on the roster?)
Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians often says, “You put a quarterback in harm’s way, harm will find him.” And that caught up with Mayfield. Still, Joe was surprised by the following number. Only 21 percent of the time when Mayfield went back to pass last season did he leave the pocket, per the Twitter stathead @fb_insights.
And in Joe’s mind, that was very low when you consider the Bucs’ offensive line was a trainwreck with a terrible rash of injuries.
So if Mayfield only left the pocket basically two times for every 10 dropbacks, with a healthy offensive line and maybe a better offensive coordinator, Mayfield might be able to cut that in half, certainly by five percent.
So Joe has to give Mayfield credit. As bad as the interior of his offensive line was, Mayfield didn’t panic.
June 19th, 2026 at 7:29 am
Now how often did he leave on THIRD downs?
June 19th, 2026 at 7:49 am
“Mayfield was hurt, yet the Bucs thought a banged-up Mayfield was a better option than a healthy Teddy Bridgewater. The gamble blew up in their faces.”
Definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
June 19th, 2026 at 7:51 am
If he wears high heels he might be able to see over the line…
Every DC in the NFL with a brain in their heads knows how to best disrupt Baker.
Pressure right up the middle. He doesn’t handle it very well.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:14 am
YESSSSS. It’s the single most thing that DRIVES ME absolutely CRAZY about his game (and thinking). It. Makes. NO. SENSE. I’ve mentioned it right here, I don’t know HOW MANY times. HE. CAN’T. SEE. And, he just STANDS THERE. With ALL that traffic literally all around him, and within barely a FOOT seemingly, right in front of HIS FACE. It’s fricking STUPID. And, then he gets all bent up like a FREAKING PRETZEL, or something else AWFUL happens. It’s just not his game. And, it’s why we CANNOT sustain drives in the first-half of ballgames. I don’t know if he just trying to PROVE that he can do it ALL from the pocket, or WHAT!? But, HE CAN’T. It’s terrible, and is WHY he struggles soooo many times, throwing for 100-yards, and putting any TD-drives together, in the FIRST-HALF. He just friggin STANDS THERE, holding the ball FOREVER. Drives me NUTS. It’s STUPID. And, pointless. It’s NOT his game. He HAS TO make much much ‘better and quicker’ decisions about knowing WHEN to leave the friggin pocket. AND, eliminate all the distractions, and just FOCUS on HIS OWN PLAY. Shut the hell up and just be PREPARED. Has to have MUCH BETTER instincts. I just don’t see HOW the Bucs can extend HIM. I really don’t. It doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing to gain. It would be catastrophic, without SEEING this season FIRST. I mean, come in… You. Have. The. Freaking. TAG. It’s what it is FOR. 💯
June 19th, 2026 at 8:17 am
I wonder how many times he was waiting for a receiver to get open in man coverage?
June 19th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Well, it’s the single most thing, other than all the BS running around and leaning cockeyed ‘helmet to helmet’ up against and opposing team’s players, and head-bunting O-Linemen, & all that fake ‘childish’ (inorganic, forced, and created) NONSENSE. Just get your ass UP and back to the HUDDLE, and RUN THE NEXT GD PLAY. Enough. It’s Embarrassing FOR YOU.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:29 am
@ purplebeard – NO. Much more like, he’d already MISSED HIM when he was wide ass OPEN. Because, he missed the READ and was LATE. Always inventing the EXCUSES.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:31 am
Lol! What qb ” handles the pressure right up the middle”? That pressure also blows up the run game? Collapsing the pocket is the number 1 thing to accomplish in every defense in every team!
June 19th, 2026 at 8:33 am
He bailed out more quickly in the first half of the season and as the hits piled up he became more reluctant to run. The data is likely skewed and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy o-line. This season will hinge on line play on both sides of the ball.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:34 am
Melvin junior
Thanks for reminding me why I rarely read these articles anymore.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Mayfield is NOT going to beat you from inside the pocket like that. Definitely NOT consistently. He’s just NOT. He can’t read the Defense pre snap, and doesn’t make quick enough decisions. Nor is he accurate enough from strictly standing inside the pocket. He has to move to be able to find the throwing lanes. It’s got to be ‘quick’ passes while in RHYTHM. You don’t want HIM holding to to the ball, and having to THINK. It’s BAD NEWS when that happens. I mean, you’re just asking FOR IT. It will eventually catch up to him. Every. Time.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:41 am
@ purplebeard – Get your (adult) ‘feelings’ hurt over a professional athlete!? LoL
June 19th, 2026 at 8:43 am
@ steve
TB12 seemed to know how to handle it…
As do most successful QBs and OCs.
No doubt it’s why our GM spent a 1st round pick on a Center.
Let’s hope that investment finally pays off in 2026.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:44 am
One thing I have noticed: trolls never seem happy unless they can make others feel miserable.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:49 am
Just because you left the pocket, doesn’t mean you HAVE TO ‘run-it’ and take a HIT. The QB-position is VERY WELL protected nowadays! You can ALWAYS, get rid of the ball, OR run outta bounds. IF YOU’RE SMART, poised, calm, under control, and have good INSTINCTS. It doesn’t have to be all Helter Skelter, at ALL times. Especially, when you make QUICK decisions (on WHEN to abandon and leave the pocket and WHEN to friggin GET RID of IT).
June 19th, 2026 at 8:56 am
@ purplebeard – Wow. I am sorry that hearing TRUTHS about a ‘professional’ ATHLETE makes you “miserable.” But, that is a “YOU” problem (and sounds-like, it needs to be addressed). But, you are correct. IF you are going to take ‘opinions’ and again TRUTHS (from absolute total strangers) PERSONALLY… Then, YOU DON’T need to be here.
June 19th, 2026 at 8:56 am
I guess I’ll never figure out what motivates a troll. Of course, if those trolls feel some satisfaction in being the “spoon that stirs the pot”, then that is their reward. I won’t argue the point.
Go, Baker! Go bucs!
June 19th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Jalon Daniels will be the starting QB in 2027
June 19th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Steve V. Says: Says:
June 19th, 2026 at 8:31 am
Lol! What qb ” handles the pressure right up the middle”?
QBs that can escape the pocket lol….QBs like Herbert, Allen, Lamar, Nix, Daniels, etc lol….
Baker aint tall and he isnt as athletic as most make him out to be….
Pressure Baker up the middle and he isnt fast enough to escape around the edges…DCs round the NFL know this
GO BUCS!!!!
June 19th, 2026 at 9:14 am
I’m a Baker supporter. I think he’s a solid QB that can win games. BUT, he still gets happy feet WAY too often in a clean pocket. He gets over hyped to start big games.
I’m hoping with all his experience now and with an OC who can scheme up play action and improve the running game, that Baker will take that next step. The next step is relaxing in a clean pocket and consistently hitting the open WR, not being too jacked up in big games and taking off quickly when the opportunity presents itself.
This is why I think not handing Baker a huge contract until we see him consistently perform this season is the smart play.
I still believe in Baker, but I also think he needs to improve in those areas to take the step from middle of the road QB to a consistent winner.
June 19th, 2026 at 9:15 am
@ purplebeard – YOU call someone a “troll” because THEY don’t agree with YOU. Okay, gotcha! I would hate to be THAT insecure in my own beliefs, to be made to feel that way. That ALONE, should tell you that you are WRONG. You CAN’T argue the point made, so YOU attack the ‘messenger’ of the point given. Again, gotcha! So, how bout just DO BETTER, by NOT making ‘empty’ statements that you can’t back up. Cause, that’s not MY problem. I mean, YOU said it. NOT ME. I only ‘countered it’ and it was obviously TRUE. Otherwise you wouldn’t had gotten SO bent out of shape over it, and then been SO defensive. You had nothing.
June 19th, 2026 at 9:21 am
@ Fanofdabucs Says: “he still gets happy feet WAY too often in a clean pocket.”
SO TRUE. And, it makes me believe that MAYBE he’s panicking (or just looks like he’s panicking), while trying to find a throwing lane, and we just can’t ‘see-it’ from the tv screen’s angle!? Idk!? It’s the only thing I can think of.
June 19th, 2026 at 9:22 am
A few words from Ed Reed
June 19th, 2026 at 9:29 am
@ 813bucboi Says: “Baker aint tall and he isnt as athletic as most make him out to be….
Pressure Baker up the middle and he isnt fast enough to escape around the edges”
That has A LOT to do with it! He gets STUCK. That’s why he has to be prepared and have much better INSTINCTS, to make ‘quicker’ decisions. And, YES… He is soooo awkward when he runs. It is definitely NOT pretty. LoL.
June 19th, 2026 at 9:35 am
I have yet to hear a suitable reason for bringing in Bridgewater. Dude was a stiff and well past his prime.
June 19th, 2026 at 9:38 am
I don’t know why my post disappeared to about just getting his ass back to the huddle and running the next play, instead of jumping up in opponents faces and head-butting O-Linemen (after a 6yd gain LoL)!?
June 19th, 2026 at 9:49 am
@ NerdsAreCool Says: “Jalon Daniels will be the starting QB in 2027”
WHO!? LoL
June 19th, 2026 at 10:01 am
IMO, baker should really study Drew Brees…as much as i hate the guy lol, he was a great QB at his height and limited mobility…
his foot work was elite, he was decisive and got the ball out quick and was able to stay healthy until the end of his career….
but baker isnt humble or mature enough lol….he has too much grit and moxy lol
GO BUCS!!!!
June 19th, 2026 at 10:02 am
Purple I posted this the other day. My take on things:
3.28, we understand that to be a true troll you must not only constantly be contrarian, you must also be ceaselessly negative. So kudos. In the service of what, however? It’s the off-season. All indications are we had a pretty decent draft. We currently have as good a chance of making the playoffs as every other team. We’ve got a QB in the top half of 32. We have an o-line that should be top 10 or better when healthy. More weapons on the offense. We lost an icon, two of them actually, but both aging and clearly on the downside of their career. We’ve replaced them with young talent. No one’s in love with the coach, but he’s been to the playoffs a few times and won a super bowl as a coordinator of a suffocating defense. One that had the personnel to be suffocating. We may be entering that area again. And so again, it’s the off-season. Like most fans, we tend to try to look at it as glass half full. I guess I wonder why you choose to be nothing but negative. Seriously. You can hold all the same biases and still have some iota of optimism. It’s to the point where I can’t imagine you’re even a fan of the team. But yet here you are, day after day, basically copying and pasting the same crapola. You must be fun at parties.
June 19th, 2026 at 10:05 am
813, I agree with your Brees take. It’s fairly analogous. I’d love it if Baker were humble enough to do things like that. And who knows, perhaps he is now. Earlier? No way. But he clearly has top shelf arm talent. If he could marry that with the precision and decision making that made Brees what he was, he truly improve. He’s here for at least another season, so let’s see what happens.
June 19th, 2026 at 10:10 am
Melvin: you are NAILING IT. He can’t read a defense. Brees and prime Wilson height was not a issue, for Faker it is. Faker plays that wreckless, hero/panic ball because he HAS to employ that style. Ppl will forget about the WIDE OPEN receivers you miss if you truck somebody on a gutsy first down run. Every year he ranks amongst the worse QBs operating from a clean pocket. 6/8 years he was 25th or lower (usually lower) in completion %. The other 2 years he was 19th and the low impact,fluke season of 2024 when he was 3rd or 4th. He’s never had a bad line here- even with the injuries most sites have this line ranked middle of the pack. The year in Carolina the line was middle of the pack.ost if his time in Cleveland his line was elite and he was still ….Baker. I looked it up. 2020 Cleveland had 4 OL to make all pro or the pro bowl and #5 made the all rookie team lol. Everyone had their line ranked #1 and the next year it was right near the top. It’s actually staggering the amount of young pro bowlers Baker has got to play with on offense in his career. And I mean guys 24-28 years old. He’s just not that good. At his very,very,tippy top best he is a Temu Dak Prescott. Empty calories stats.
June 19th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Melvin, once again you have been surgical this morning. 813, I never want to hear Baker and Brees ever mentioned again. Id take Brees RIGHT NOW over Faker Will Fail. He’s closer to Gardner Minshew (who beat him head to head here in 2023) then Brees. Baker is a decade Ina after a heavy volume college career and still suffers from poor mechanics. Great,he has a strong arm..That same strong arm got passed around 4 times when he was just 27.
June 19th, 2026 at 10:29 am
We should spend a 2 on Soresby!
June 19th, 2026 at 10:39 am
Baker seldom throws the ball away. TB 12 knew when to do it and did it often. Opposing linemen know this about Baker too. He is often in a collapsing pocket surrounded by oncoming linemen, but refuses to bail out on the play. Zac needs to teach him throwing it away is not the worst that can happen. Holding the ball too long is worse. Some play-action and players in motion might help too. Baker did fine with Coen. Last year was an abortion.
Baker is not that far off. He has to eliminate the couple of terrible plays per game that he makes trying to be a hero and the sometimes inexplicable errors. Throw the damn ball away. Those few plays make all the difference between winning and losing. He has the physical skills. If he can get his mind right and the Bucs can provide a decent pocket, ’26 can be entirely the opposite of ’25. It won’t be easy.
Go Bucs!
June 19th, 2026 at 11:25 am
purplebeard Says:
June 19th, 2026 at 8:56 am
I guess I’ll never figure out what motivates a troll.
++++++++++++++++
Attention.
Trolls are sociopaths, and are narcissistic. They want everyone responding to them.
Especially angry responses.
The way to deal with them is – don’t deal with them. Do not respond. Ignore them, and do not even read their posts.
Just scroll on by their posts.
June 19th, 2026 at 11:45 am
jcscycles: “….The way to deal with them is — don’t deal with them…..” Thanks — this is proven wisdom.
purplebeard, Steven007, jc: Thank you for your support of logical and rational thought and debate!
June 19th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
“If you don’t like being chase by bears, don’t get caught holding the ham”
-Coach Canales
June 19th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Bye Baker Bye Bowles Says:
June 19th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Melvin, once again you have been surgical this morning
No one reads Mr Caps – MelvinJunior – anymore except Melvin himself. So at least we know one more of his sock puppet accounts.
June 19th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Melvin and a few others on here have BDS – Baker Derangement Syndrome.
Melvin has it so bad, that he does multiple post proving the fool he is. Melvin take a pill and quit typing to yourself.
June 19th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
My favorite throw from last season was to Tez against the 9ers. It was from the pocket and he looked to at least two reads before he came back to tez. The ball was a bit long but tez made an incredible catch.
But objectively Melvin is making valid points. Bakers accuracy seems to be much better when he’s on the run and moving around with quick short passes rather than moving defenses with his eyes sitting in the pocket and delivering the ball on schedule. When Grizzard decided we needed more deep shots that was probably a bad call in retrospect. Coen seemed to play exactly to bakers strengths.
If BM can get a little better from the pocket and we can find a coach that knows how to move him around with short quick passes and get the ball out quickly he can have a really good back half of his career.
But taking too many shots and holding on to the ball isn’t going to do him any favors.