Joe waited a day on this to see if Bucs officials would demand a correction or a re-phrasing.
It seems they did not.
A TampaBay.com report yesterday (the twice-weekly community newspaper lives behind a paywall), dove into the Baker Mayfield contract situation. The fresh nugget for Joe was reporter Rick Stroud claiming the Bucs think Mayfield doesn’t take proper care of himself.
However, the Bucs are concerned about one element of his game he continues to neglect: his health.
“Neglect” is a very strong word.
Included in the article was press conference quote from Todd Bowles saying the usual; the team would love to see Mayfield avoid taking hits on scrambles more often. Frankly, that’s something every team with a scrambling QB says.
Joe keeps coming back to “neglect.” That’s a very interesting choice of word for a QB that hasn’t missed a start in three years, has performed well in the postseason and, obviously, puts a lot of effort into maintaining his body.
JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman talked to Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht about Mayfield’s health 10 days ago.
Ira Kaufman: Will you to try to contain his scrambling instincts to minimize the hits Mayfield endures?
Jason Licht: That’s a tough one. There’s been a lot of “No, no no … way to go” when Baker takes off. He’s a playmaker. That’s the way he’s built. Yes, it’s a delicate balance.
Ira Kaufman: Did Baker Mayfield try to do too much during the 2-7 tailspin?
Jason Licht: The way he’s wired, he’ll always try to put everything on him. Given the things he was battling through, it was a tough second half of the year.
Is Mayfield’s history of getting banged up affecting the Bucs’ contract offer? Only Licht and Team Glazer know, for sure.
Joe is certain, however, Mayfield would be more likely to play more conservatively if the Bucs had a good defense.