Joe is a massive Baker Mayfield fan. The Pro Bowl quarterback has done everything asked of him in a Bucs uniform, and he’s delivered at a discount price.
Plus Mayfield is fun to watch. His game is diverse and he’s got flair for the dramatic. Heck, last year Mayfield threw a whopping 41 touchdowns and led the NFL in interceptions and fumbles. He’s the new Mr. Entertaiment. Mayfield even ran for 378 yards last season, the most by a Bucs quarterback in one season (by a mile) since Josh Freeman ran for 364 yards in 2010.
Still, the Bucs would like to see Mayfield be a little consistent with his decision-making.
This was a subject rookie Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard touched on during his May visit to _[Sports Day Tampa Bay](https://player.fm/series/sports-day-tampa-bay)_.
> “We know he’s tough,” Grizzard said of Mayfield. “We know he’ll grind it out. We know he’s been really good scrambling. But at the end of the day, we don’t want to see him take those hits. We want to see him play every game in the regular season and make a playoff run. That’s been the biggest thing — because he can be a little bit knucklehead when it comes to that.”
To date, the “knucklehead” in Mayfield that Grizzard references has been endearing and successful. But where is the line drawn?
JoeBucsFan.com columnist asked Mayfield last week about coaches wanting him to step off the gas a bit, and Mayfield wasn’t interested.
“The coaches like to talk this time of the year,” Mayfield replied. “They sit around and watch tape. I’m trying to win games.”
> “Like I tell you guys, it’s football. There’s a time and place. On third downs and got-to-have-it situations, I’m going to try to do everything I can to get the first down or whatever we need. There’s also a time and place to throw the ball away. I think, when it comes to protecting myself, the biggest thing is the sack number. A lot of that was holding onto the ball…There’s give and take. There’s the scramble element of trying to create explosive plays, but there’s also situations in the game. Where are we at? Are we leading? Are we down? Do we need something? Don’t force it.”
Expect little to change in Mayfield. Not only did he complete 71.4 percent of his passes last season, Mayfield played loose, confident and passionate ball all season. What he’s doing is working.