Todd Bowles Wants A Smarter Baker Mayfield
February 25th, 2026
“You can do it, Baker.”
It’s a chicken-and-egg deal with Baker Mayfield.
Would the Bucs have had a healthy Mayfield the second half of the season if Mayfield would have toned down his game and took fewer hits? Very likely.
Would the Bucs have jumped out to a 6-2 record with wins over Houston, Seattle and San Francisco if not for Mayfield’s German shorthair pointer puppy-like play? Highly unlikely.
And that is the double-edged sword the Bucs must learn to deal with.
If Mayfield is not Mayfield, he’s ineffective. If Mayfield is Mayfield, the Bucs win more games, but he also takes more punishment and gets hurt.
So how can Mayfield dial back his game yet still continue to be a successful quarterback? Bucs coach Todd Bowles said at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis yesterday that little things can turn into big things.
Bowles said it’s not really a matter of Mayfield morphing into a dropback quarterback. It’s just using his head more.
“I wouldn’t say it is sustainable,” Bowles said of Mayfield’s devil-may-care style of play. “I think that is who he is, but you have to be smarter than that. Especially in the second half of the season, when you get guys down, you have to be a little smarter taking care of his body so we can have the availability.”
The Bucs really have no desire to tighten the leash on Mayfield,” Bowles said. There is no need to have a racehorse pull a beer wagon. But the Bucs have to learn to take the good with the bad.
“He’s been with us for three years now,” Bowles said. “We know who he is. We trust him completely. And we have full confidence in him.”
Bowles added that if just once or twice a game, Mayfield can learn to get down and not take a hit, that will add up over the course of the season and likely enable Mayfield to play closer to 100 percent in December and hopefully, beyond.
In the second half of last season, Mayfield certainly was not 100 percent.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Baker wants a Smarter Head Coach
Maybe next year
February 25th, 2026 at 9:02 am
And we all want a new head coach, guess you can’t always get what you want!
February 25th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Better Mayfield?
February 25th, 2026 at 9:13 am
Now this is a Funny article. Baker is the least of this team’s issues. How about we fix that Putrid Pass Defense that has been this team’s demise for several years now since we have had a certain DC. Gimme a Break Todd! Look in the Mirror. How/Why did he keep his job again? Please advise.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:15 am
Of that 6-2 start, 4 of them aren’t happening outside of his 3rd down running heroics
February 25th, 2026 at 9:17 am
Uh oh, here comes the excuses, deflections, and diversions.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Nailed it Bucs3! We all want a smarter HC/DC. Bowles is as dumb as a box of rocks calling out Baker. 3rd and 28 or 4 and 14 much Todd? We should start calling Bowles “3rd and 28”.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:23 am
This guy gets weirder and weirder.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:26 am
I don’t remember, did Baker get hurt last year running the ball or getting sacked?
February 25th, 2026 at 9:31 am
Bowles and Baker have taken the vast majority of the beatings for what happened last season. Fair enough. It’s gotta be the head coach and QB. Should be. Ownership and management decided to give them another shot at it without consulting any of us. Fair enough. “German short hair pointer puppy-like play”. Not fair. At all.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:33 am
Me too….
February 25th, 2026 at 9:39 am
Are you kidding me? How many games did the Bucs lose due to Baker trying to play ‘catch up’ because ‘boy wonder’s’ defense not keeping the lead????? If only the Bucs could score 50 points per game, Baker would be able to stay healthy.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:50 am
Joe, I hope Baker lets his coach’s comments slide. that would be the professional thing to do
February 25th, 2026 at 9:54 am
Wake me up when Bowles is fired.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:56 am
Here is an idea for Todd Bowles. Protect your QB so he doesn’t have to scamble and get hit so much. It was a joke last year watching the entire middle of the Oline become mush. There was no pocket to step in to. Bowles just deflecting as he always does. If Mayfield had Jarrett Goff, Matthew Stafford time in the pocket,
the offense would be unstoppable and 3 passing TD’s per game would be the norm.
February 25th, 2026 at 9:57 am
He has a point. He is a small QB and his style of play is going to get less sustainable as he gets older. He might not miss ganes but he keeps getting hurt which leads to really bad performances. Two things can be true at the same time guys. Todd Bowles can be a bad HC and Baker needs to do a better job of not putting himself in harms way
February 25th, 2026 at 10:21 am
Imagining that Mayfield would like a smarter head coach and defensive coordinator. And glaringly, Tdod failed to mention the game killing interceptions that Baker forced having zero confidence in the defenseless. This just keeps getting more like one of those old Twilight Zone shows.
Give Todd the microphone and hear Rod Serling’s voice.
February 25th, 2026 at 10:46 am
Word! Truth be told…
February 25th, 2026 at 10:48 am
Running for his life ..How bout some blocking maybe a run game? A couple stops on defense??
February 25th, 2026 at 11:18 am
This is rich.
For a players coach, Todd is really burning down the house around him to protect himself.
No wonder he is a punchline in this league.
5-12 incoming. More Licht’s losers in comping
2026 Draft Champions crowned by the media incoming
February 25th, 2026 at 11:19 am
Bowles:” we trust him but he dum”
February 25th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
” You have to learn to take the good with the bad”, Sounds like that should be directed towards the fans! Beer is good!
February 25th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
You guys say Baker isn’t the problem yes he is to Baker’s a problem. Todd is the problem and not getting in the proper depth pieces is the problem stop excluding Baker. He is a problem to don’t blame it on the offensive line he needs to be a smarter player, especially for a guy who’s had as many offensive coordinators as he had pretty sure he could have made some different plays happen we need a smart back up qb period and as long as we have Todd might as well get over it stop complaining and just wait for his exit until then support the MF with all your Tampa bay love