“I Got A Little Cannon”
April 26th, 2025
Man, Emeka Egbuka, the very shiny new first-round toy receiver of the Buccaneers offense, sat on the edge of his seat when discussing one of his passions.
That would be one of Baker Mayfield’s favorite sports: baseball.
Speaking to Pro Football Talk at the NFL Scouting Combine, Egbuka lit up when talking about his baseball career that wasn’t.
“Very serious [baseball player], in all the schools I was considering going to, like my short list of schools, I talked to all the head baseball coaches and they said I’d have the opportunity to do both if I went there. So it was no different for Ohio State. But I was robbed of my last two seasons of high school baseball. Junior year was because of COVID and then senior year I early enrolled [in college]. So I kind of missed those last two years but there was MLB scouts at my games; I was invited to MLB combines.”
Egbuka, a centerfielder, was asked his arm strength and said, “I got a little cannon.”
He noted he can throw passes and can use his arm in the NFL. Egbuka explained he threw a pass against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl and “it was a dot.” There was no completion, he said, but Ohio State was awarded a pass interference penalty.
Joe loves how Egbuka is steaming with confidence without being cocky. Cool dude.
If you see a young man driving a Mercedes AMG around town soon, that might be him. #NIL
April 26th, 2025 at 3:37 pm
The Browns just can’t stay away from dysfunction. Look for Deon to complain loud and hard if Shadeur does not start right away. And what if Watson comes back? The mess continues.
April 26th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
They could still have Mayfield if they weren’t stupid. 🤣
April 26th, 2025 at 3:56 pm
If the Browns kept Baker, and he didn’t have Evans and Godwin to throw to, and he was playing in that boring, awful run-first Cleveland offense, he’d still be considered a bust.
April 26th, 2025 at 4:10 pm
Joes’s got a little cannon also
April 26th, 2025 at 4:38 pm
Trick play time?
lol oxycondoms
April 26th, 2025 at 4:40 pm
“he’d still be considered a bust.”
Rod do you live in a freakin cave?. No internet where you live?.
Rookie season…Mayfield became the first player since Fran Tarkenton in 1961 to come off the bench in his debut, throw for more than 200 yards, and lead his team to its first win of the season.
In Week 16, Mayfield completed 27 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 26–18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, earning him American Football Conference (AFC) Offensive Player of the Week. He also won the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week fan vote for the sixth time.”
Mayfield helped lead the Browns to finish the season at 7–8–1, THEIR BEST RECORD SINCE 2007. He finished with 3,725 passing yards, and surpassed Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson for most touchdowns thrown in a rookie season with 27.
While Mayfield was considered by many to be the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2018, the award was won by Giants running back Saquon Barkley. No shame there an NO talk of a bust!!! On the annual Top 100 Players list for 2019, Mayfield’s peers named him the 50th best player in the league, one spot behind teammate Myles Garrett. So is it your contention Rod that you know more than the actual NFL players?
Mediocre but not horrid second season and then came the THIRD!!!
In the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield went 21 of 34 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns during the 48–37 win, leading the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season, the year before Mayfield was born. It was also the Browns’ first playoff road victory in 51 years, way back in 1969.
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayfield threw for 204 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception during the 22–17 loss. He lost to Mahomes!
Overall, Mayfield finished the 2020 season with 4,030 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through 18 total games. He was ranked 71st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
On October 7, 2021, it was revealed that Mayfield was playing with a partially torn labrum which he suffered during the Browns’ Week 2 victory over the Texans. Mayfield continued to play with the injury until reaggravating it in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals. Due to the injury, Mayfield was ruled out for the Browns’ Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos, missing his first game since taking over as the Browns’ starter in 2018. AND THAT IS WHAT YOU MUST THINK MAKES HIM A BUST?
A couple of cups of coffee with Carolina and then LA before resurrecting his career in Tampa. You said it was not going to happen because he was a BUST!
Then after his exciting and successful first season including a first round playoff win YOU forecast it was luck and he couldn’t put two seasons together.
HE WAS WINNING WITH THE BROWNS UNTIL HE GOT HURT.
Rod I like you and I’m actually getting embarrassed for you. Rule #1. When you find yourself in a hole STOP DIGGING!!!
April 26th, 2025 at 4:45 pm
stpetebucsfan – What was the deal he signed with Tampa… how many teams did he play on in a year, wasn’t Tampa his 4th team in 12 months?
Stop with your nonsense revisionist history. If he wasn’t considered a bust, he’s not taking a $4m prove-it deal. Why not just be happy for him, why try to change the past to make it look like he was never considered a huge bust and failure. If he didn’t go through that, he wouldn’t be here today.
April 26th, 2025 at 4:59 pm
I remember waiting for my pizza when I’d heard we signed Mayfield. I was elated. All the other QBs we were looking at were strictly mediocre. Brissett is the only name that I can pull out of the air right now. Baker would either be great or blow up like a bomb. 3rd best signing Licht ever made behind Shaq and Brady and just ahead of Gronk. Alright, maybe three way tie. Good stuff. Now get me an ILB.
April 26th, 2025 at 5:00 pm
@Marky Mark
The Bucs do alot of dysfunctional things, too!
April 26th, 2025 at 5:05 pm
Baker Mayfield haven’t lead this team to a conference championship game yet and him helping us win a trash division while losing 5 and 6 games in a row and then at the end of the season we beating a bunch of teams that’s playing for draft position ain’t that great. And then to knock out of the playoffs in the first or second round ain’t good especially when you are one of the main reason why we lose ain’t good. NFC Championship or bust no more excuses for Baker Mayfield he has to get it done. The bucs has given him everything a good running game, good o line, with good receivers and they drafted the best receiver in the draft . Baker Mayfield has to at least get us to the NFC Championship game. Because this offense is set up perfect for a rookie quarterback next year!! Go bucs!!
April 26th, 2025 at 5:06 pm
Respectfully, Rod, I never thought he was a bust. I thought he got drafted by the crappiest team in the entire league and nobody was going to lead the aptly named Brown’s to the promised land. Their destiny will always be the outhouse. Put on a better team he might just prove himself. And he has
April 26th, 2025 at 5:09 pm
@stpetebucfan
Don’t be to hard on Rod you’d be cranky to if you had a qbr chart up your a**
April 26th, 2025 at 5:13 pm
Oneilbuc, if the defense could just stop somebody on 3rd and 15 once in a while Baker can definitely pull a Brady now and then to get us exactly what you’re asking for. I don’t think we’re asking for anything beyond our reach here either. Here’s to meeting Phillie in late January.
April 26th, 2025 at 5:46 pm
Baker is a no quit gamer. He will play hurt if you don’t pull him. He will try to keep a play alive when he should rocket the ball into the ground five yards from a receiver or airmail it out of bounds. But, his never say die play produces some spectacular results as well as a few ugly plays. And, with well designed plays, he produces very good results.
One of Egbuka’s strengths is his anticipation and quick recognition of a QB in trouble as well as his uncommon ability to quickly find a way to give his QB an out.
The selection of Egbuka seems to reflect insight into Baker’s traits.
Hopefully, play design and play calling this year will better account for Baker’s traits and not set him up to fail like in Dallas on consecutive first and long, second and long, and third and longer plays – putting him in the shotgun with no motion or play action.
Instead of the pitiful “help” Otton gave Baker in Dallas after brushing like a butterfly against the Edge rusher and then jogging down the line on the called route with the charging edge rusher blocking the passing lane, Egbuka will leave his route and find a passing lane his QB can use to get rid of the ball.
Hopefully, the Bucs teach all of their receivers to recognize when Baker is in trouble and not just try to get open, but to actually find a passing lane that Baker can use. That should be part of the film study and the route discussions.
Baker is a very good QB. He has some traits that can make him spectacular. But, if coaching, play design and play calling do not account for the downside of Baker’s traits, the results can be ugly sacks and turnovers.
Baker is not Brady. With Brady, it was, “I don’t like this. Too bad that immediate pass to the sideline was ten yards over the receiver’s head with his back turned.”
Baker will always be, “I can make this work!”
April 26th, 2025 at 6:51 pm
Fred McNeil Says:
April 26th, 2025 at 5:06 pm
Respectfully, Rod, I never thought he was a bust.
——–
You might not have thought that, but the rest of the NFL did, which is why he was on 4 teams in a 12-month span.
It’s not a dis, I don’t understand why people get upset by that. One of the best stories anyone can tell is about guys who went from having it all, to being down in the dumps, and then having to rebuild themselves. You don’t sign a one-year prove it deal unless you have something to prove.
Baker bet on himself and cashed in on that – that’s a great story. Just saying he was never anything but the greatest but everyone was against him … why would anyone want that to be their story?
April 26th, 2025 at 10:06 pm
I don’t think anyone can be objective about Baker. Its irrational. You love him or hate him. The lack of interest had to with his cockiness. Hmm same as shadeur.