Baker Mayfield Talks Run Game Blues
September 2nd, 2026
Remember back in 2023, when the Bucs ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt?
The blame got spread around, seemingly everywhere but at the feet of then-Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales.
Baker Mayfield even went on a national show months after that season and dropped the quote of the summer: “We were so bad running the ball [in 2023,]” he said.
But in came offensive coordinator Liam “El Serpiente” Coen in 2024, and two new offensive linemen and a rookie running back, and everything was fixed.
Then Coen left and the run game plummeted.
Mayfield told The Green Light podcast that he thinks this year’s coordinator change will revive the run game.
“Z-Rob is great,” Mayfield said, referring to new playcaller Zac Robinson. “I just think, you know (sighs), last year we couldn’t run the ball nearly as well. We were top-5 in the league in rushing in ’24, then you back up into somwhere in the 20s last year. You can’t win in this league unless you can run the ball, and Zac understands that. I think his knowledge and having prior experience calling the plays is really going to help out. And just keeping our guys healthy, it starts there.”
Joe enjoys all the different ways that different Bucs have found to throw 2025 offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard under the bus. Maybe he deserved it.
Injuries on the offensive line were an “uphill battle” last year, Mayfield said, adding that good healt and Xs and Os changes will help.
“Add in Zac’s run game, emphasis on some of the zone [running] stuff, and then mixing the gap pullers and what not, and then sprinkling in our skill guys, it’s going to be fun to see what this offense really becomes,” Mayfield said.
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:08 pm
Zac did a great job with the run game in Atlanta
Maybe he can do the same for us
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Zone run skeptic here, but still haven’t seen enough of Zac or his offense to be too critical. Yet
Go Bucs!
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Blocking scheme I want more flexibility, but I also don’t want us lining up in the pistol *checks notes* 37% of the time or running run play out of it out of it *check notes, again* >70% of the time. Hoping that was more a personnel adjustment then some offensive ideal that Robinson will try to continue here, because it screens “I’m predictable and don’t care” which was something the Falcons fans disliked about Robinson.
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:38 pm
cant blame Dave too much lol…he was able to get a playoff win under his belt….something Liam failed to do lol….
any who, not impressed with Zac one bit….he was nothing special in ATL with B.Robinson and K.Pitts, two special players in their own right…
if Zac was half as good as Dave or Liam, he’d be an HC right now…Zac has a ton to prove
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Wish they would have replaced tucker with a bigger back to either punch it in on the goal line or punch through to get that short yard first down they need seems like they got three backs that almost do the same thing.
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:03 pm
@ Lakeland Says: “Zac did a great job with the run game in Atlanta
Maybe he can do the same for us.”
Well, YEAH. Because, Bijan Robinson had MOST to do with that. It wouldn’t matter if “YOU” were coaching HIM. He’s still gonna get HIS. 💯 Big, Bigggg, BIG-DIFFERENCE than having friggin BUCKY, Gainwell, and TUCKER. Big Difference. Astronomical.
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Pepperidge Farms remembers.
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:32 pm
Follow the Logic
Baker said Can’t Run = Can’t Win
More Talent = Better Run, Less Talent = Less Run
More Cap $ = More Talent, Less Cap $ = Less Talent
Baker = $50M/year = Less Talent = Less Run = Can’t Win
Evidently Licht agrees with you.
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:50 pm
grizz had some brain farts but he called some good plays also, he took too much blame imo for all the injuries they had, what did serpiente do to make it so good?!
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:57 pm
It’s gonna look better than during the 3 preseason games and last year!!! I hope. A lot will depend on the quality play of the OL starters and backups if needed.
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:57 pm
So throw every down.
September 2nd, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Grizzard couldn’t adapt. Wasn’t ready to be an OC. Maybe he will later.
September 2nd, 2026 at 2:18 pm
Todd game planned to run the ball non stop against Carolina last year to shield his pathetic defense. We had all of our WR’s back from injury and we ran it 30 times? No one will be able to convince me otherwise, Todd was trying to keep his defense off the field as much as possible and Grizzard was just a fall guy.
September 2nd, 2026 at 2:38 pm
MelvinJunior Says:
September 2nd, 2026 at 1:03 pm
@ Lakeland Says: “Zac did a great job with the run game in Atlanta
Maybe he can do the same for us.”
Well, YEAH. Because, Bijan Robinson had MOST to do with that. It wouldn’t matter if “YOU” were coaching HIM. He’s still gonna get HIS. 💯 Big, Bigggg, BIG-DIFFERENCE than having friggin BUCKY, Gainwell, and TUCKER. Big Difference. Astronomical.
………….
2023: 976 yards (500 yards less without Robinson)
2024: 1,456 yards (with Robinson)
2025: 1,478 yards (with Robinson)
2026 ? We will see.
September 2nd, 2026 at 3:15 pm
@ BakerFan – Hahah. Yeah, okay… HIS ‘ROOKIE’ Season. When, he was splitting waaaayyy more of his number of CARRIES. And, when they had friggin’ Ridder as their QB who stole A LOT of his carries, since HE couldn’t throw the ball… OR, even sustain drives. So, that was basically THE difference there… ROOKIE. SEASON. Allgeiere took away 50 additional ‘carries’ away from him during THAT season, that HE didn’t during the next 2… As well as, RIDDER taking away ANOTHER 50 from him, JUST for being “Ridder.” So, totally different deal.
September 2nd, 2026 at 3:32 pm
Injuries on the offensive line certainly can’t, and shouldn’t be, dismissed – but all the creative misdirections and unpredictablity that Coen brought to the offenses completely disappeared with Grizz, who was back to the super basic predictable run calling of most OC’s.
For Rob, we’ll see. I just really hope what we saw in preseason was him hiding the real offense – but I remember last year at this time saying the same thing about Grizz. But Rob does have much more of a record, and obviously had success at least when it comes to running the ball, and I don’t think it was all about Bijan (hopefully).
September 2nd, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Blocking scheme I want more flexibility, but I also don’t want us lining up in the pistol *checks notes* 37% of the time or running run play out of it out of it *check notes, again* >70% of the time. Hoping that was more a personnel adjustment then some offensive ideal that Robinson will try to continue here, because it screens “I’m predictable and don’t care” which was something the Falcons fans disliked about Robinson.
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I was (am) worried about Zacs pistol usage also. I’m hoping, as some reports have stated, that he ran that so much because Bijon liked it and his QBs were immobile. I find it hard to believe we won’t get more variety formation wise and he won’t be adaptable to our personnel.
We’ll start getting the answers to our questions soon enough. LFG Bucs
September 2nd, 2026 at 7:39 pm
Simple T – I am also concerned about pistol usage. In the two practices I went to, there was more behind-center plays than at Atlanta – good news to me.
Cincinnati added Dexter Lawrence at DT along with edge Boye Mafe. So their defensive front could be pretty good.