Bucs Searching For “Second Nature” Execution
July 29th, 2025
When Baker Mayfield was on NFL Network this week lamenting the Bucs offense screwing up “the timing timing of a jet sweep” and “communication on a cadence of third-, fourth-and-short,” the national audience likely didn’t know what he was referencing.
Joe did.
Those were the crushing mistakes in the Bucs-Commanders playoff game 6 1/2 months ago. Each costly error involved rookies: receiver Jalen McMillan on the sweep and center Graham Barton on the fouled up snap.
Now, those guys have a season under their belts and the entire Bucs offense has returned. Mayfield said the team is exploring what he believes is the offense’s next level: mistake-free execution.
“How good can we get it, though, where it’s truly second nature?” Mayfield said.
The “second nature” line really stood out to Joe. It sums the situation up well. It’s Year 2 of a very similar offense, albeit with a new playcaller, and every offensive starter is back along with many backups.
That should cut mistakes organically, but Mayfield said the team is working hard at it, as well.
“It’s always the little thing that come back to bite you,” he said.
Famliarity, however, doesn’t always mean improvement. The entire Bucs offense returned in 2021 and the team scored about one point less per regular season game than it did in 2020. No, Joe is not counting Antonio Brown’s Week 17 meltdown as it relates to the points totals. Those 2021 Bucs scored 41 points without Brown in Week 18 to close out the season.
Joe’s heavy focus is on the Bucs defense. If the offense can stay close to what it produced per game last season, it’s good enough to be a Super Bowl unit. It’s the defense that has a long, long way to go.
July 29th, 2025 at 5:37 pm
Got to blame the last OC for that play call near our own endzone. Hopefully Griz will be smarter than putting a rookie wide out in that situation. I’ve rewatched some of last years games, and I saw two other jet sweeps run with J Mac, and they went nowhere. Odd he went with that play call there. Had Godwin been there, it would’ve been another story.
July 29th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
Tampa Bay Bucs vs Washington Commanders playoff,
Rachaad White 3 touches the entire game, 3 kickoff returns
Sean Tucker Zero touches, Zero kickoff returns
One of the best blocking and receiving RBs in the NFL
Basically limited to return duties, he did catch two screens for 15 yards. He should’ve had at least 6 screens, 8 carries.
You use your best blocking back for the play action pass
It’s a Buc life
July 29th, 2025 at 5:45 pm
Complimentary football. Can’t just rely on the Offense when the Defense can’t even get the other team to punt the whole stinking game. Both squads are going to make mistakes, but the whole team has to overcome them.
July 29th, 2025 at 5:47 pm
Did you hear the story about Baker calling the defenses?
Baker figured out which person on the other team that was signaling the defensive schemes (cover 2, cover 3, etc). I thought teams used helmet speakers but maybe redundancy. He reviewed the signals and the coverages on the sideline using the tablets. Then, he’d wait until the signal came in and adjust play and his reads accordingly.
That’s definitely one way to reduce errors.
July 29th, 2025 at 5:48 pm
the offense wasnt the problem last year. mistake free offensive football and 33 points a game and they can still get bounced from the playoffs real quick.
i appreciate bakers leadership and taking responsibility but i dont see much mea culpa from the defensive players, or coaching staff for last year.
maybe i just dont look hard enough.
July 29th, 2025 at 5:56 pm
“Second nature” is also about “muscle memory”. After a 17 game season it is important to rely on these things as being automatic and of high precision of execution. You have to be on the top if you are truly going to make a Super Bowl run.
Our team is currently a long way from this. I am so happy that such things are in the mind of our quarterback, Baker Mayfield, now.
Go Bucs!
July 29th, 2025 at 6:04 pm
If the kick had doinked our way and we had found a way to pull that game out, I’m sure the Commandos would have found mistakes that were made on their part. Since they won the game they didn’t have to go looking for them. The point is no team ever plays a perfect game and can always look back and find mistakes that were made.
July 29th, 2025 at 6:09 pm
The Bucs offense had opportunities to keep Washington offense off the field. But they failed to do so, bad playcalling, dumb mistakes, and the wrong personnel on the field. Rookies playing more than veterans on offense..
July 29th, 2025 at 6:17 pm
A few mistakes are always going to be made but you’ve got to make plays and we didn’t make enough, especially on defense. The 2023 defense would have made enough plays to turn that game imo.
July 29th, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Some disciplined, detail oriented coaching might just help.
July 29th, 2025 at 7:04 pm
The defense does not have “long, long way to go” IMO.
I know that isn’t some people’s way of thinking about it but…
If the defense continues what it did for the last half of the year we lead the league in PPG.
Our pass yards allowed was not good – can’t deny that but it’s been shown that statistically pass yards allowed is not a very important stat compared to other stats. Having said that I expect that stat to improve.
Arguably more important stats for D:
Run defense
Red zone defense
Explosives allowed
3rd and 4th down defense
Turnover differential
Turnover diff was a definite problem last year…we obviously need to flip the script on that.
I don’t think we have far to go at all on defense – we are very close to a kicka$$ defense. The personnel that we’ve added (if we can avoid serious/multiple injuries), along with our vets should be enough to get us there. 💪🏼
July 29th, 2025 at 11:34 pm
Well, well, well, the tables have sure turned now!!! Who was involved in both of the crushing mistakes in the Washington game? Oh, it was the “rookies” in both cases…
Its went from ” I screwed up on the jet sweep” to keep the team playing together during the game, to 6 months later “The offense screwing up the timing of a jet sweep”.
Sure doesn’t sound like it’s all on our franchise quarterback now. I figured with enough time, the TRUTH would filter out. And now it has!! The TRUTH always feels good!!! Now you know!
July 30th, 2025 at 9:18 am
So, the timing was off on the play.
It is clear that Baker moves his right foot back, signaling for JMac to start his approach to the QB for the jet sweep.
However, the Bucs clearly snap the ball late.
Look at the replay, JMac is already past the right tackle when the ball is snapped.
While it is certainly possible, this was JMacs fault (maybe he started to soon — I do not think so), it appears more likely that the ball was just snapped too late.
Seems like more the fault of the center/QB than the receiver.
What then happens after the late snap — Baker looks panicked in trying to get back to the spot where the handoff is to take place and viola — the fumble occurs.
I am happy for another explanation if they have one.
As for Hodad comment that he saw two other Jet sweeps by McMillan that went nowhere — I HIGHLY DOUBTED that comment.
Pro football reference shows that McMillan rushed the ball during the regular season 4 times for a total of 43 yards.
Then looking at the game logs — he had 1 rushing attempt in 4 different games:
1 game — 1 attempt for 6 yards.
1 game — 1 attempt for 9 yards.
1 game — 1 attempt for 11 yards.
1 game — 1 attempt for 17 yards.
That is the opposite of Hodad’s “nowhere”.
The unhealthy posting of not considering that Baker was a part of the bad play at a key moment of the playoff game — just seems to be Baker apologists on this site.
So, I saw this week so far:
1. Shepard would have done better on that play (despite him actually being on the field for over 50 percent of the plays in the Washington playoff game and having no catches or rushes).
and
2. Hodad suggesting that McMillans jet sweeps were unsuccessful all season.
3. Joe, correctly pointing out that on the All – 22, that the play was set up for success for another decent to large gain if the fumble did not happen.
Let’s not rewrite history for favorite players or dislike of coaches.
Let’s just try to figure out why the timing was off.
July 30th, 2025 at 12:10 pm
Lakeland nailed it.
During our last 4 games including playoffs, they basically shelved Rachaad White. And you know what happened? Our offensive production plummeted in 3 of those 4 games, and we lost 2 of them.
July 30th, 2025 at 12:50 pm
geno711. I don’t know about apologists or whatever you’re talking about but it is obvious to anyone that has ever played the game of football that our QB put the ball on the ground. He said the same. I’ve said that since the beginning. We got outplayed. Their QB is probably the only QB I’d trade for in the league. He’s a very special talent and we didn’t manage to win. Tuff Shi.. I think more than anything our OC shat his pants. Bucky’s best rushing game all year and we barely beat Carolina in Overtime. 2 weeks later our passing game beat the same team by 40 points. Bucky ran well against the Commanders and if we’d have thrown it half of Bucky’s carries we’d have probably passed for another touchdown and won. Grizzard has enough sense to know that our passing game is good for more than twice the damage our running game produces. Fact. I know everyone, including me, is happy we’ve got a running game. It just needs to be used at the right times.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:15 pm
Well, actually, when you run the jet sweep, the receiver is supposed to be in the quarterbacks hip pocket. The quarterback turns and the receiver is RIGHT THERE. There is NO reaching by the quarterback. It is supposed to be tight and fast and close to the line in order to beat the defense to the outside corner. If you noticed, Baker was reaching very hard. He wasn’t reaching to the right or left which would show he was too early or too late. By Baker reaching straight back it shows it was timed good. By reaching back it shows McMillan was NOT in Bakers hip pocket-he was almost 2 yards from Baker. There are hundreds of jet sweeps being ran “right” on that thing they call you tube. Hip pocket…McMillan wasn’t and it caused Baker to reach hitting McMillan in the obliques instead of the stomach, causing the fumble. Even if it was Bakers fault he had an almost perfect game 15-18-83% completion rate and 146 passer rating, the highest passer rating the whole postseason. I’m not sure what some of you people want in a quarterback. It is obvious you never ran a jet sweep or coached one. It is now obvious you are just looking for something, anything to diminish Bakers play, good luck with that. If you remember right, Baker made several elite lists this past year that very few have ever made and he is getting his second wind after going through that meat grinder of an organization that drafted him. You “fans” that continually hope and search for Bakers mistakes will only find less and less with each passing year, so brace yourselves, it’s inevitable, they are disappearing. Baker, Baker the head coach maker is finding his wings and we will be the beneficiaries of his production. Also, if Bowles and Licht thought for one second that Baker was a choke artist like the band member here says he is, they sure wouldn’t be giving him a better contract right now and planning to keep him long-term like they are. Baker is our franchise qb for a while, thank goodness. HIP-POCKET or it’s wrong boys, it’s just the way it is.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:27 pm
When the jet sweep is ran right, the receiver is in the quarterbacks hip pocket as he turns to hand-off. McMillan was not in Bakers hip pocket, he was almost 2 yards behind Bakers hip pocket. Therefore, it wasn’t ran right. It really is that simple.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:59 pm
I never singled you out Kenton.
Overall, being an old football guy — I know that running is overrated. You pass to score. I want us to continue to be a good passing team. I was very happy that we ran better last year. Lots of ways to win in the NFL — one is by the Bucs being a better passing team than almost anyone else.
Mix in the run — great — pass block better than other teams — throw better than other teams — and pass to score points.
Davyboy. It is not that simple. I don’t know how you can leave out the bad timing on that play in your analysis. Not only do I think that but here is clearly what Baker said:)
“It comes back to me, just timing it up correctly,” Mayfield said
July 30th, 2025 at 9:59 pm
If the timing was off Baker would have been r e a c h I n g right or left of center. Right if he was too early and left if he was late. Baker was reaching directly straight behind center. The timing was good McMillan was just not where he was supposed to be. Don’t listen to me, take 5 minutes and go to YouTube my goodness. HIP-POCKET
July 30th, 2025 at 10:42 pm
It’s called “Football 101: Jet Sweep”
It shows numerous NFL teams running it the way it was designed to be run. In the quarterbacks hip-pocket. The video is 3:38 long.
Even the actual professional football analysts on PFF all said it was McMillans fault, too deep. So I don’t know what else to tell you boys. You are going to believe what you want to believe. It’s been over 6 months and if you were even slightly interested in the truth you would have found it by now.
And no Kenton, we didn’t get out played. We got out coached. Dan Quinn knew the ONLY way to beat us was to keep the ball out of Bakers hands, limit the number of plays he got. And he did. Baker had 50% of his normal plays. Normal 36, that night 18. And EVEN with only playing half a game we only lost by 3. If the defense would have gotten the ball back where Baker could have had a couple more drives we would have beaten them down. But they didn’t. Quinns game plan worked like a charm, shutting our offense down by keeping it away from them. It was a high stakes game of KEEP AWAY.