Baker Mayfield has become the Bucs’ built-in spark plug, the guy who can flip the mood in a hurry with a little edge and a few words. That’s been part of his value from the moment he arrived in Tampa Bay. But the way this team talks about itself now, there’s a clear message underneath all that swagger: Mayfield can’t be the only one dragging everyone into the fight.
That point has been hanging over the Bucs since last season’s finish, when they too often opened games like they were still trying to wake up. Those slow starts piled up, and by the end of the year they were playing catch-up too often during a 2-7 stumble. The Netflix series Quarterback, which featured Mayfield this season, also showed how the injuries may have worn on him mentally as well as physically.
Tampa Bay tried to address that lack of energy by bringing in players with a little more edge. But the new faces aren’t enough by themselves. The guys already in the building have to set the tone, too, and that was the message after the Bucs had a sluggish practice in their first joint session against the Jaguars.
Chris Godwin Jr. said the team has to create its own juice, especially away from home.
“Sometimes you just have to have more energy and we [have] to bring it,” Godwin said. “We [have] to generate our own energy, especially when we’re on the road because in situations like this, if it’s a game, it’s going to be a hostile environment. So, we [have] to be able to pull our heads out of our asses sometimes and get back on track.”
Tristan Wirfs echoed that same idea after Wednesday’s practice, his first time speaking publicly this camp after missing most of it with a hamstring injury before returning last week. The star left tackle said the offensive line has to set the pace instead of waiting for Mayfield to ignite everything.
“I expect this O-line to lead from the front and to not wait for six (Mayfield) to get everybody started,” Wirfs said. “We got to help him out a little bit.
We got to bring the juice, we got to bring the fire. He does it day in and day out, week in, week out.
We got to help him out a little bit. I think he’s going to play with his hair on fire like he always does.
I think he’s going to show a lot of people what’s up and it’s going to be pretty cool to watch.”
That’s the challenge for Tampa Bay now: keep Mayfield’s fire from being the only flame on the field.
In Other News...
Bucs Win Total Is Suddenly Becoming A Real Debate
National analysts are starting to sound a lot more intrigued by the Buccaneers than they were a few months ago. After a rough finish last season and the usual offseason noise around contracts, the conversation has shifted toward whether Tampa Bay might be better positioned than the broader public assumed, with voices like Dominique Foxworth, Kimberley Martin and Dan Pompei all leaning more optimistic about the coming year.
Pompei went so far as to suggest the Bucs could clear an eight-win expectation, and the reasoning behind that outlook is becoming easier to follow. Rookie Rueben Bain Jr. adds another layer of intrigue, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson gives the offense a different feel, and Baker Mayfield enters the season with plenty of motivation after the way things unfolded a year ago. For a team that was being written off not long ago, that kind of quiet momentum has made Tampa Bay one of the more interesting debates in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Reopened A Buccaneers Question Fans Know Too Well
The Buccaneers joint practice with the Jaguars ahead of the preseason finale offered a familiar backdrop for Tampa Bay fans, with Baker Mayfield taking a moment to revisit one of the more meaningful coaching relationships of his recent run. Mayfield spoke highly of Liam Coen, his former offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay and now the Jaguars head coach, pointing to Coens adaptability and the way he communicates with quarterbacks. It was the kind of reminder that can make a practice field feel a little more like a reunion, even with the season still ahead.
For the Buccaneers, though, it also nudged open a question they know well: what exactly did Coens arrival mean for Mayfields game, and how much of that success followed him out of Tampa Bay? Coen has since helped both Mayfield and Trevor Lawrence turn in strong performances in recent seasons, giving his rsum a broader reach and keeping his name in the same conversation whenever quarterback development comes up. For a team that has already moved on, the connection is still hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie LB Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Role
Josiah Trotter has kept turning heads throughout Buccaneers training camp, and his play in the joint practices has only strengthened the case that he belongs in a much larger role right away. The rookie inside linebacker has flashed as a run stopper, as a blitzer and in coverage, giving Tampa Bay a look at a player who seems comfortable doing just about everything asked of him.
The buzz picked up even more after he intercepted a Trevor Lawrence pass during work against the Jaguars, the kind of play that tends to stick with a coaching staff. Todd Bowles has already praised Trotters instincts and football intelligence, and with injuries thinning the linebacker room, the path is opening for him to line up next to Alex Anzalone and handle an every-down workload sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]