The division championship was simply the lipstick we put on the pig that was our season last year.
Yes, we were the best team in the division but we were still one of the ugliest girls at the party last year
So we’re back to diminishing winning your division and making the playoffs?
By your logic that lipstick was spread across the lips of 6 other pigs as well, seeing as they didn’t win it all despite winning their division.
We knew we were not going anywhere in the playoffs last year. Which other teams knew they had a near zero chance of getting out of the first round last year? There were the top teams, then some that thought they had a shot, then there was us.
So we’re back to diminishing winning your division and making the playoffs?
By your logic that lipstick was spread across the lips of 6 other pigs as well, seeing as they didn’t win it all despite winning their division.
We knew we were not going anywhere in the playoffs last year. Which other teams knew they had a near zero chance of getting out of the first round last year? There were the top teams, then some that thought they had a shot, then there was us.
That's all I'm saying
By "we knew" who exactly are you talking about? Any team that makes the playoffs has a chance. Otherwise there'd be no reason to play the games.
We knew we were not going anywhere in the playoffs last year. Which other teams knew they had a near zero chance of getting out of the first round last year? There were the top teams, then some that thought they had a shot, then there was us.
That's all I'm saying
By "we knew" who exactly are you talking about? Any team that makes the playoffs has a chance. Otherwise there'd be no reason to play the games.
Did you believe we had a snowballs chance in hell of winning the wildcard game last year??
I don't know anyone that did but hey, I'm just a casual fan
BAKER MAYFIELD WITHIN REACH OF BECOMING A FRANCHISE QB FOR TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
by ARMANDO SALGUERO
December 18, 2023, 2:07 pmupdated December 18, 2023, 6:44 pm
The point of making Baker Mayfield the first overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, ahead of such human highlight reels as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, was for a franchise quarterback to walk through those doors and lead a team for a decade or more.
But what the Cleveland Browns, who made that fateful pick, often got was a bridge quarterback who disappointed too often for their liking.
So Mayfield was sent off to the Carolina Panthers and performed like a bridge quarterback. Then he went to the Los Angeles Rams as a bridge quarterback. And this year he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as, you guessed it, a bridge quarterback.
Baker Mayfield Giving Buccaneers High Production
Except the guy who moved to Tampa isn’t looking like a bridge quarterback now. He’s playing like the franchise quarterback he was selected to be in 2018.
And if it continues through the end of this season, Baker Mayfield is finally going to be established as a franchise quarterback and will get the contract to prove it.
If that last sentence blows your mind, consider some facts:
Mayfield this season has been every bit as effective and productive as Allen, or Jackson, or a handful of other quarterbacks accepted into the same franchise quarterback club Mayfield was never admitted into before.
“He’s meant everything,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday of Mayfield’s play following a victory over the Packers. “From a mental standpoint to a quarterback standpoint, making plays. From a toughness standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, he’s done everything.
“He’s checked all the boxes. He’s doing all the right things now and I can’t say enough about him.”
Mayfield, Buccaneers Pushing For Strong Finish
The Buccaneers have won three consecutive games. They’re making a push for the NFC South division title, which would be their second in two years under Bowles.
In those consecutive wins that have raised the Bucs from a club headed for more offseason overhauling to a team tied for the division lead, Mayfield has thrown 7 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Yeah, nice ratio.
Mayfield said he’d spend Monday trying to move on to the next game. But that doesn’t rewrite him authoring his best game of the season and perhaps the best game of his career on Sunday.
Against the Packers, in Green Bay where he struggled on previous trips, Mayfield threw 4 TD passes. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 381 yards. Oh, and he posted a 158.3 quarterback rating.
That’s a perfect rating.
Afterward Mayfield was answering questions about re-establishing himself as a franchise quarterback. Which means the possibility is on other people’s minds.
“I’m having fun playing football,” Mayfield replied. “I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied by any means. Still got ball left. Still have playoffs in mind. And so, still hungry.”
Mayfield Comparable To Established Starters
Let’s be clear: Mayfield has been feeding quite well off defenses this season, particularly if one compares his production to the NFL’s established starting quarterbacks.
Patrick Mahomes has 25 touchdowns passes and 13 interceptions. Mayfield has one fewer TD pass but also five fewer interceptions. And Mayfield has a higher quarterback rating.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Sunday night Jackson is the best quarterback in the NFL and perhaps an argument for that can be made. But there is no argument Mayfield has 7 more TD passes and only 1 more interception than Jackson.
Allen? Mayfield has two fewer passing touchdowns but also six fewer interceptions. And Mayfield has a higher quarterback rating.
Mayfield plays in a state where top quarterbacks are thriving. And his production is right there with Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence so far.
Tagovailoa has 25 TD passes and 10 interception. So Mayfield has one fewer TD pass and two fewer interceptions.
Lawrence, meanwhile, has fewer touchdown passes, more interceptions, and a lower quarterback rating than Mayfield.
None of this suggests Mayfield is better than any of these other quarterbacks. That’s not it.
But he’s producing on their level.
Scenario For Buccaneers Keeping Their QB
And that raises the question what comes next? Mayfield, you see, is unsigned for next season.
So if he continues his current season arc, someone will offer him a good (not record-breaking but good) contract to be their starter. Something somewhat higher than the three-year deal that averages $25 million per season Geno Smith signed with Seattle last season.
The top quarterbacks average $50-$55 million per season. It might make sense to get Mayfield for $30 million per season on average.
Can that happen in Tampa?
The next three games will decide. If the Bucs can complete their push for the division title and a playoff spot it would be deeply surprising if Bowles isn’t retained.
Bowles, you’ll recall, told OutKick in the offseason he and Mayfield connected way back in 2018 during the pre-draft evaluation process.
“We kind of hit it off mentally,” Bowles said.
So the two seemed tied together in that if the coach stays, the quarterback probably will. That’s how it’s supposed to work with successful programs and a player they view as a franchise quarterback.
@Babeinbucland citing Clay Travis owned Outkick media articles is a delight. Either we are thankfully becoming less divided as people or sports truly transcends politics the way it was always supposed to.
He was not very good against Atlanta but had some clutch throws on the final drive. He was downright terrible against Carolina. He played fantastic against GB. Can we just be objective? ARMANDO SALGUERO claiming that he has been as good as Lamar Jackson is insane. Lamar Jackson has 741 rushing yards. 45 first down runs.
Onthebrink wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:57 pm
He was not very good against Atlanta but had some clutch throws on the final drive. He was downright terrible against Carolina. He played fantastic against GB. Can we just be objective? ARMANDO SALGUERO claiming that he has been as good as Lamar Jackson is insane. Lamar Jackson has 741 rushing yards. 45 first down runs.
I agree, it is insane. Lamar Jackson is that dude. Everyone on his team knows it and every one of his opponents knows it. In Mafia terms, Lamar is a made man. Comparing stats in a vacuum to put Baker on the same level as Lamar is not how this works.
We've been asking questions about Trask for so long that we might as well have asked if he is a better option than Doug Williams or Steve Spurrier. If he has anything he would have made it onto the field by now.
These Are The Days wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 11:34 am
We've been asking questions about Trask for so long that we might as well have asked if he is a better option than Doug Williams or Steve Spurrier. If he has anything he would have made it onto the field by now.
Are you saying if Trask was any good, he would have unseated the GOAT or Baker, especially during a year where the head coach is coaching to save his job?
These Are The Days wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 11:34 am
We've been asking questions about Trask for so long that we might as well have asked if he is a better option than Doug Williams or Steve Spurrier. If he has anything he would have made it onto the field by now.
Are you saying if Trask was any good, he would have unseated the GOAT or Baker, especially during a year where the head coach is coaching to save his job?
I'm saying Trask would have beaten a guy who has been on 4 teams in the past year and routinely overthrows his wide open receivers by yards too. And the Bucs would never have brought him in if Trask was the answer
Are you saying if Trask was any good, he would have unseated the GOAT or Baker, especially during a year where the head coach is coaching to save his job?
I'm saying Trask would have beaten a guy who has been on 4 teams in the past year and routinely overthrows his wide open receivers by yards too. And the Bucs would never have brought him in if Trask was the answer
That's not how the real world works at all but go off king.
I'm saying Trask would have beaten a guy who has been on 4 teams in the past year and routinely overthrows his wide open receivers by yards too. And the Bucs would never have brought him in if Trask was the answer
That's not how the real world works at all but go off king.
Dude we put up with Jameis self destructing for 5 years. His kind of performance gets you fired from any job anywhere. That said, NFL doesn't play the rules of the real world. If Baker and Winston aren't former 1st overalls, they don't get this many chances.
Phantom wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 5:06 pm
Why haven't any teams asked about Trask?
What tape is there for them to ask about except for him playing with and against 3rd string in preseason? Btw Trask isn't some guy projected to go in the 1st in some QB heavy draft that happened to fall to the second like a Will Levis.
He was someone projected to be a late round pick, liked by Bucs way more than any other team and drafted in the 2nd. There is no one out there waiting for Trask to show some flashes so that they can immediately pounce on the guy. The only team that knows what his value is, is the Bucs. It is possible Trask is trash. But other teams not trading for him isn't a good enough reason to come to that conclusion in my opinion.
One of the most rewarding feelings for me at my job has been to see youngsters succeed. I have referred to Trask as trash many times due to my lack of maturity. But I root for the kid since he's wearing a Bucs uni and after watching this preseason, I think he is good enough to deserve a shot. It makes logical sense why Baker got the nod over him and with Baker playing well, it is what it is.
That's not how the real world works at all but go off king.
Dude we put up with Jameis self destructing for 5 years. His kind of performance gets you fired from any job anywhere. That said, NFL doesn't play the rules of the real world. If Baker and Winston aren't former 1st overalls, they don't get this many chances.
I think you have made my point. Why an overdrafted 2nd rounder doesn't get a shot over the GOAT or a former 1st overall pick with solid starting experience.
Look at Mike Tomlin, great coach. Everyone knew Rudolph was a better option than Trubisky. If you followed Steelers local media people, super fans, all clamoring for Rudolph to start last week vs Colts. But Trubisky got the nod because he was a high draft pick with multiple seasons of starting experience, including taking his team to the playoffs multiple times.
At this point, im not saying Trask should start over Baker. That ship has sailed weeks back before Baker even started to play better. But I have not seen any evidence to suggest that Trask is horrible because he could not beat out Baker. I don't think that line of justification works, because Bowles does not have the type of job security that say Belichick has when he decided to dump Cam over Max Jones a couple of years back.
Dude we put up with Jameis self destructing for 5 years. His kind of performance gets you fired from any job anywhere. That said, NFL doesn't play the rules of the real world. If Baker and Winston aren't former 1st overalls, they don't get this many chances.
I think you have made my point. Why an overdrafted 2nd rounder doesn't get a shot over the GOAT or a former 1st overall pick with solid starting experience.
Look at Mike Tomlin, great coach. Everyone knew Rudolph was a better option than Trubisky. If you followed Steelers local media people, super fans, all clamoring for Rudolph to start last week vs Colts. But Trubisky got the nod because he was a high draft pick with multiple seasons of starting experience, including taking his team to the playoffs multiple times.
At this point, im not saying Trask should start over Baker. That ship has sailed weeks back before Baker even started to play better. But I have not seen any evidence to suggest that Trask is horrible because he could not beat out Baker. I don't think that line of justification works, because Bowles does not have the type of job security that say Belichick has when he decided to dump Cam over Max Jones a couple of years back.
Well Jonny, in about 8/9 hours we are going to find out if Bucs aren't just going to fall ass backwards into a playoff spot anyway. Questions about Trask are gonna have to wait a little longer whether we like it or not.
