Baker Mayfield has developed a reputation as one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. That's fine for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have won the NFC South in each of the last two seasons he has been the starter.
There's another side to Mayfield that has gotten him into trouble, though. Not off the field, of course ... but on it.
As a "tough guy,'' Mayfield has tried to play through injuries throughout his career. He has also been known as a player who puts his body on the line during matchups. The habit of being overly risky is something that new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is looking to coach out of him.
"We know he's tough, 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," said Grizzard. "We want to see him play every game of the regular season and make a playoff run.
"So, that's been the biggest thing. Cause he can be a little bit [of a] knucklehead when it comes to that."
Mayfield knows well how injuries can derail a promising run with a team. When he was the top pick with the Cleveland Browns, he suffered, and played through a shoulder injury that had the franchise simply giving him away afterward.
Now healthy, Mayfield has shown why the Browns were foolish to get rid of him.
He must stay healthy if he wants to take Tampa Bay to the next level, though. And the coaches are working to make him see just that.