Bucs’ Baker Mayfield Is “The Last Of A Dying Breed” Of Alpha QBs

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has been a uncommon commodity since coming into the league, however much more so throughout his time in Tampa Bay. The guts, the moxie, the willingness to win in any respect prices. It’s been the calling card of the Bucs’ beginning quarertback. He’s the Energizer bunny of the staff.

Going into his fourth season in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield can have a fourth completely different offensive coordinator. Every play-caller will say the identical about him Mayfield and what he brings to this offense. With the most recent addition of latest offensive coaches attending to work with Mayfield this season, there are extra folks to witnesses what the phenomena of Mayfield has turn into in crimson and pewter.

Baker Mayfield Has An Edge This Offseason

Baker Mayfield has a complete group of latest coaches that shall be immediately working with him. He does have some familiarity with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson throughout their time collectively in Los Angeles on the finish of the 2022 season, together with Ken Zampese first teaching Mayfield in Cleveland. However that is the primary time he’s working with passing sport coordinator T.J. Yates and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer.

Whether or not they’ve crossed paths earlier than or it’s their first time working collectively, all people feels Mayfield’s power.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: IMAGN Photographs – Nathan Ray Seebeck

“I think Baker naturally already has that edge to him and you can feel it even more,” Robinson mentioned. “He’s been so intentional with his footwork and all the fundamentals and the details that Whitmer our coaches are preaching to him. He’s off to a great start, and obviously we got a long way to go with just learning some new things. There’s a lot of carryover but also a lot of new and he’s diving into that. You definitely feel the edge and overall urgency from the group, which is what you’re looking for at this time of the year.”

It’s Troublesome To Discover Gamers Like Baker Mayfield Right this moment

Passing sport coordinator T.J. Yates turned enamored with Baker Mayfield although he has labored with him for a short while. Yates performed seven years within the NFL as a quarterback, giving him probably the most NFL expertise amongst coaches on the offensive aspect. Due to that, he can in all probability relate to the Mayfield probably the most.

The knock on Mayfield’s fashion of play is that he goes so all out to the purpose the place his physique is consistently in hurt’s manner and that may result in damage. Mayfield hardly comes out of video games, however not taking part in at one hundred pc can also harm the staff. Yates spoke about discovering that stability whereas additionally appreciating his toughness in comparison with others.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RT Luke Goedeke – Picture by: IMAGN Photographs – Bob Donnan

“There’s always times in games where everything goes,” Yates mentioned. “You’ve got to go make the play – you’ve got to go win the game, whatever it is. But it’s the moments in between the games that you’ve just got to make sure that you protect yourself. You’ve got to protect the team, you’ve got to protect the organization, all that stuff. It’s really, really hard because you look for guys like Baker that have that competitive edge, who have something about them. That “it” issue that, in my view, is sort of going away on the quarterback place on this league.

“It is just so refreshing to see a guy that has that in him. What that does for the guys in the locker room, you don’t see that very often these days in the league and it’s so awesome to see. It does have its detriments at points because you don’t want him to get hurt, you don’t want him to get dinged up, all these things.”

Yates continued.

“He’s going to play no matter what,” Yates mentioned. “You’re going to have to drag that guy off the field, because that’s just his competitive nature. But you got to dial it back a little bit, you got to calm that competitive edge down but you don’t want to take his stinger away, because that’s what makes him great, and that’s what makes the rest of the team great. There obviously is a happy medium in between, and we’re going to try to do the best we can do find it.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: USA Right this moment

They don’t make them like Baker Mayfield anymore in at this time’s NFL. That’s the message that Yates continued to ship. It’s uncommon scene to have a quarterback at this time as fiery and aggressive as Mayfield is along with his alpha power. That’s why he received over his teammates so quick when he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2023.

“Baker’s kind of one of the last of a dying breed of just competitive alpha quarterbacks,” Yates mentioned. “There’s quite a lot of guys throughout the league that … they’re a bit of softer-mannered, they’re a bit of mildly mannered. They’re simply the way in which of social media and sensitivity that goes on with the youthful technology. I can say that now as a result of I’m a bit of bit older. Baker’s simply completely different in comparison with the remainder of the blokes that I’ve been round.

“I know there are good examples across the league of guys that are like that. But the guys that I’ve been around, the dudes that really know how to play the position and just earn that respect from their teammates by the way they carry themselves as a leader and the competitor they are – that’s what Baker really does to stand out across the league”