Smiles thinking how Baker Mayfield will torch defenses.

Don’t get Cody Mauch started.

Mauch is one of the coolest guys in the Bucs’ locker room. If he was a big partier, Joe is convinced he might be one of the most popular Bucs since Mike Alstott.

(Alstott was a legend when he was young, living and partying in St. Petersburg and hanging at the beach bars in south Pinellas. Joe saw with his own eyes, and heard plenty of stories too, of Alstott prowling watering holes in St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island.)

Alstott was — and is — a man of the people.

Joe can’t claim to have ever seen Mauch upset. But you could see Mauch’s body language last week turn to a big frown when he was asked about Baker Mayfield’s contract hassles.

Make no mistake, Mauch said, smiling again, Mayfield will take out his contract frustrations on opposing defenses.

“He’s going to go off,” Mauch said, flashing that trademark grin of his.

Also, don’t ask Mauch if Mayfield is a franchise quarterback.

“I mean, 100 percent he’s a franchise quarterback,” Mauch said. “He for sure is, and it sucks to see him go through this and whatnot.

“But it’s not gonna change his mentality, the way he plays. He’s just going to go and play ball. So [Mayfield’s contract hassle is] unfortunate, but I mean, he’s going to go ball out, and it’s going to get made right.”

So is the contract hassle going public, distracting the Bucs? Nonsense, Mauch said.

“It’s not a distraction on anyone else.”

Mauch and his fellow offensive linemen love Mayfield because he has their backs. Mauch was asked for his reaction when he heard Mayfield said the Bucs’ offensive line is a top-three line.

“It’s great to have him trust us just as much,” Mauch said. “We trust him more than anything back there too. I think we play well when we’re together – I would absolutely say that.”

Mauch also said Mayfield covers for one of the offensive linemen if they get burned.

“If one of us gets beat, ‘Bake’ is going to go make some plays back there,’ Mauch said. “It means a lot that ‘Bake’ has that much faith in us. [We’ve] just got to go out and keep getting better now – top three turning into the best offensive line in the league here.”

So Mayfield isn’t just a franchise quarterback, isn’t just the Bucs quarterback; he’s also the offensive line’s quarterback. And they have his back on and off the field.