Baker Mayfield, “Appointment Football”
October 4th, 2025
How much fun are the 2025 Buccaneers?
Joe was intrigued to hear the perspective of a truly neutral but very savvy and seasoned former executive.
Tom Telesco got 11 years as Chargers general manager. He navigated three new head coaches en route to trying to build a Super Bowl team around quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. Each head coach got to the postseason but couldn’t finish or sustain winning.
The Chargers canned Telesco after the 2023 season and he quickly signed on to lead the Raiders. Then Tom Brady came to Las Vegas and kicked good guy Telesco to the curb.
This year, Telesco has been watching games through a different lens and doing his share of interviews. He joined the NFL’s Move The Sticks podcast this week and shared his appreciation of the Bucs and a newfound love of the Baker Mayfield experience.
“The Bucs are a good football team and they’re really well constructed,” Telesco said. “They’re kind of holding on at the offensive line. I mean, it’s hard, like the Vikings have a ton of injuries on the offensive line; the Chargers have a ton. The Bucs have had a lot with [Luke] Goedeke and Cody Mauch but they’re surviving it. The defense has played outstanding, especially on third down.
“This is a fun team to watch play. It’s fun to watch Baker Mayfield play football. It really is. That’s what I’m starting to realize watching these games as a fan and not as a GM where you’re always focused on something else. Just watching a player like him play with his enthusiasm — the high plays, the low plays. It’s just like appointment football.”
Telesco is on the money. The Bucs are well constructed (outside of their anemic edge rush). And the Bucs’ third-down defense ranks second in the NFL in forcing fourth downs. Last year, they were 15th.
As for Mayfield, he is morphing into a darling of media, analysts, players and fans. If Mayfield wins two of the Bucs’ three remaining prime time games (Atlanta, Detroit, Rams) this season, and a playoff game, he’ll probably become a true mega-star QB.
Incredible for a guy the Bucs signed off the street for the NFL equivalent of a Delco’s cheesesteak.
October 4th, 2025 at 9:02 pm
Mmmmm…. Delcos…
October 4th, 2025 at 9:12 pm
Feisty Bake has got a bunch of fans in the ranks of fans who root for other teams. He certainly has me sold. Talk about gutsy. The credit belongs to Todd Bowles. We win this sucker tomorrow, a lot of the credit will have to go to Baker. Guy is fearless. Now, if he would kindly learn how to slide.
October 4th, 2025 at 9:14 pm
A few of us aren’t surprised by Mayfield and have been saying so since Tampa signed him. The surprise was the stupidity of the Browns who kicked an injured Baker to the curb. The guys who did the kicking will soon be on the outside looking in. The guys who did the kicking, Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, will be lucky to get jobs driving city buses in Cleveland. Signing Deshaun Watson was shameful and will stand as the worst trade in the history of professional sports.
October 4th, 2025 at 9:19 pm
Sometimes reading your posts is like listening to a nagging wife.
I was really enjoying this post until the nagging wife part about the pass rush came in. WE GET IT. You don’t have to mention it every f-ing post. It’s like you would beat a dead horse even after it was buried. I know you are a more talented writer than to be a guy who has to constantly fallback on whatever he feels he needs to harp on. Then you’d be on one of the hollerin’ shows. Please Mr, LDK cut it back to once a week at least, not every freakin day please.
October 4th, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Telesco knows ball.
Starts tomorrow Baker. Take care of that ball and beat a couple NFC West teams in the next 2 weeks, then the ascension to Superstar is under way.
October 4th, 2025 at 11:35 pm
Got to admit every game this year has been exciting as hell. Lol
I’d prefer to be bored by a dominant performance where all 3 phases contribute and we don’t kill ourselves with penalties and mistakes. We have the potential!
1 step closer against the Seagulls – LFG Bucs
October 4th, 2025 at 11:45 pm
Should be ragging on it three or four times every post. This team needs to be shamed.
You may get it. The powers that be at One Buc Palace don’t.
Joe has never been, and never will be, a purveyor of ostrich journalism.
October 5th, 2025 at 12:31 am
Was on vacation and ran into some bengals and browns fans ribbing each other told the cinci fans I like the browns because of their stupidity (and a couple other teams) the Bucs ended up with baker
October 5th, 2025 at 2:07 am
Delcos is just down the street from me in Dunedin. I place an order there at least once a month.
“Cheese steak with extra cheese, onions and extra sweet peppers please…”
Best authentic Philly Cheese steak anywhere within 1000 miles! Fact!!
October 5th, 2025 at 2:23 am
I am with D I , Give it a rest ffs
October 5th, 2025 at 7:18 am
We love Delco’s cheese steak hoagies. Always have them when we get home from the Eagles games. Tasty Cakes too! Sure would have tasted better had our Bucs won.
October 5th, 2025 at 7:31 am
Leave Joe alone. Gets bashed for penning “anemic” when “putrid” is more appropriate description of what this fairly new Bucs fan has these last couple of years.
October 5th, 2025 at 7:32 am
seen
October 5th, 2025 at 8:18 am
let’s check the stats after game 7. sample still too small 🙂
October 5th, 2025 at 8:46 am
Never said nor implied such a thing.
I am just suggesting that if it is truly about your trade craft it should be presented as it’s own post/article.
Otherwise you just come off like an A$$hole.
But, as the saying goes;
If the shoe fits……