Josh Grizzard: Emeka Egbuka’s Confidence Is Not Shot
December 10th, 2025
Bucs fans are still groaning about the pass that should have been a touchdown Sunday in the galling loss to the slimy Saints.
As some have pointed out on social media, it wasn’t the most crisp pass, or perhaps Egbuka didn’t run a sharp route.
Either way, the Baker Mayfield throw to a wide-arse open Egbuka in the end zone in the second half that would have tied the game bounced off Egbuka’s hands.
Many football people believe if one can get his paws on a ball, it’s catchable (photo above). So Joe’s not excusing Egbuka.
The Bucs rookie looks like a different player from the first 4-6 weeks of the season when he appeared to be running away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Then Bucs receivers started dropping like flies.
Joe is convinced defenses adjusted to Egbuka, he got more attention and his numbers have dropped dramatically (as has the offense’s as a whole).
Egbuka has had one game of 85 yards receiving since the Bucs beat Seattle back in October (a game in which Egbuka had 163 yards and a touchdown). The Seattle game, Week 5, marked the third game Egbuka had 85 or more yards receiving.
Joe has written a couple of times that Egbuka playing No. 1 receiver might have been too much for the rookie to chew. Yesterday, Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard pretty much admitted that when asked if Egbuka’s confidence is shot.
“I don’t even think it’s really confidence – he’s a very confident guy,” Grizzard said. “What we’ve asked him to do [as a] rookie gets taken for granted a lot – even from the coaching staff.
“It’s not easy to do what he’s done on playing all three positions. He’s a guy that came in here from day one and has prepared the right way. He’s played all three spots. He’s won games for us. “
Sure, Egbuka has won games for the Bucs. But this just in: The Bucs have painted themselves in a corner. The Bucs are tied with the Stinking Panthers in first place in the woeful NFC South and making the playoffs is no longer a sure thing.
Yes, the Bucs need Mayfield to play better and Bucky Irving to run more consistently (preferably, consistently well), and the line to block better.
It’s fine that Egbuka made plays in the past. The Bucs need him to make plays now. The season is on the line. And, maybe, so are people’s jobs.
Emeka Egbuka with an amazing route to get wide open.
You can see him running towards the EZ alongside the numbers, but the throw takes him in the direction of the back pylon.
So Emeka, at full speed, has to flip his hips and square up to the ball in mid-air.
Should have been… pic.twitter.com/edpPPqa4YM
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) December 8, 2025
December 10th, 2025 at 7:30 am
Being the No. 1 and getting double coverage or having to learn new routes might account for his targets going down. However, it doesn’t account for his dropped passes. I mean he was snatching stuff out of the air that he had no right to catch during the first part of the season. Now he’s dropping stuff that is coming right to him or certainly within his reach. That seems to be more of a concentration problem.
December 10th, 2025 at 7:33 am
Lets be honest, his drop in the endzone was a bad throw by Baker. EE is cutting inside, and the ball was placed high, and behind him. Baker puts the ball on the money, he doesn’t drop it. Should he have been able to twist around, and catch a high wet ball behind him? Sure he’s an NFL receiver, but let’s not pretend that was a bunny he dropped. Baker has some blame in this one.
December 10th, 2025 at 7:40 am
I mean, E² even looked disinterested on that play. What did he get, maybe 6 inches of air? Let’s be honest and paint over “I am that man” with “don’t look at me,” because that is the true culture assembled by Jason Licht
December 10th, 2025 at 7:42 am
I don’t know, it seems we keep forgetting he is a rookie and did pretty darn well for awhile. Still cheering him on. Something since the bye has been off, it’s not only him either. Bad throws, dropsies, and so much more.
December 10th, 2025 at 7:45 am
Also, I don’t disagree with Hodad re Baker’s liability on the play either, but it doesn’t change my previous sentiment. Nobody, players or coaches are stepping up and it all starts from a GM who passively sits on his hands when his team is injured and can use an infusion of fresh blood. JL is clearly not locked in if he thought Braswell was gonna shock the world
December 10th, 2025 at 7:55 am
The whole “if it hits your hands you should catch it” bit let’s the QB off the hook for a bad pass. This pass was high, fast and inaccurate but if EE doesn’t make a highlight reel catch now he’s hit a rookie wall. Baker did the same thing to EE in Buffalo with a high fast ball on 3rd and goal.
This is another example of 2 things. One, Baker is inaccurate throwing over 10 yards as seen in the passing chart posted yesterday. And two, look at the great protection from the patchwork OL. Baker had plenty of time to make a solid throw but nope, not on his watch.
December 10th, 2025 at 7:55 am
Bad ball from Bake and EE should’ve come down with it. Bake has been gripping it tight lately. The pressure is catching up to him. Now or never boys, time to right the ship. Zero room for error remains. You can still shock the world and enter the playoffs with momentum. Get it done!
December 10th, 2025 at 8:07 am
Nope if it hits your hands you need to catch the ball all the passes are not going to be perfect pressure lack of trust at times are going to effect the ball but if it hits your hands that needs to be a catch period.
December 10th, 2025 at 8:10 am
Bee Says:
December 10th, 2025 at 7:55 am
The whole “if it hits your hands you should catch it” bit let’s the QB off the hook for a ch itbad pass. This pass was high, fast and inaccurate
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From the time I started playing I was told that “If it hits your hands you HAVE to catch it.
End of story. Anything else is an agenda.
December 10th, 2025 at 8:12 am
EE is doing his part to help get rid of Bowles. Wise young man!!
December 10th, 2025 at 8:56 am
Hodad Says:
December 10th, 2025 at 7:33 am
Lets be honest, his drop in the endzone was a bad throw by Baker. EE is cutting inside, and the ball was placed high, and behind him. Baker puts the ball on the money, he doesn’t drop it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
How much more “On the money” do you want it to be? He is a professional. The best in the world at doing what he does, and that is catch footballs. I am not sure how much more ” On the money” you can put it considering it was in his hands. Maybe you want Bake to go place it in his arms for him?
December 10th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Baker hurt his left shoulder his last year in Cleveland and struggled. Doesn’t surprise me that the same thing is going on here. I think he’s hurt a lot more than we know, regardless of him scrambling.
December 10th, 2025 at 9:08 am
I would like to see a complete reset on defense and a more dynamic offensive coordinator, I have minimal confidence in this guy.
December 10th, 2025 at 9:43 am
Our confidence in you (Grizzard) is!!!!! Step it up or step away…
December 10th, 2025 at 9:49 am
shouldve and couldve been a better ball by baker..He had time and the WR was wide open…
EE2 is a 1st round pick not an UDFA…he has to catch that
GO BUCS!!!!
December 10th, 2025 at 10:27 am
That was a terrible throw.
EE was wide open and the ball was two feet over his head. An NFL QB should be able to put that on the numbers.
December 10th, 2025 at 10:38 am
Dirty boy, I said he’s an NFL receiver, and needs to make that catch. The throw was high, and outside. If it was baseball, that’s a ball, not a strike.
December 10th, 2025 at 10:39 am
Baker has been inaccurrate lately, the stats back it up.
December 10th, 2025 at 11:27 am
That lost TD was 70-30 Mayfield’s fault. Mayfield overthrowing a wide open receiver with absolutely no pressure is mostly on Baker. Could it have been caught? Probably. Could it have been throw more accurately? Definitely.
December 10th, 2025 at 11:28 am
And if Mayfield is the team leader that we’ve been told he is, he publicly takes the blame for that miss helping out the rookie. Have we heard that? I don’t think so.
December 10th, 2025 at 12:01 pm
Mayfield was inaccurate and threw that pass a lot faster than it had to be, and it was raining. I agree, 70-30 Baker. That being said, I noted, 5 games ago, that Egbuka saw Evans go down and has started making business decisions. In traffic he has alligator arms and is consistently looking for the hit from the defender instead of looking the ball into his hands. He’s playing scared.
December 10th, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Receivers get paid millions of dollars to do their job. When a ball hits them in the hands they better damn well catch it. PERIOD! Maybe Licht should have drafted taller receivers instead of a couple of little short dudes. Better yet, he could have drafted a pass a rush, and a secondary, and maybe we wouldn’t be getting our butts kicked every week too. The Panthers and the Jags greatly improved this season after hiring former BUCS coaches. The BUCS have greatly regressed. That=? COACHING!!!!!and the coaching is so poor that this team can no longer rise above it. Baker told us what was wrong. No killer instinct. That is because Todd instills nothing in anybody, especially killer instinct. Change is necessary! Baker did not have a great game,but he gets a pass, because he has carried this teams weight all season. He deserves better from the people on here that don’t appreciate that.