Btw, the thing that statistically stands out from 2022 was the insane degree to which they abandoned the run. After the Bengals game, Arians said this:
“Tom has played great. He played really good the first half [against the Bengals],” Arians told TampaBay.com. “We got our shots downfield. We looked like us. The first half was the first time I’ve seen this year when Byron said, ‘Screw it, I’m going back to being me.’ This was a game Mike [Evans] should’ve had 200 [yards].”
At the time I took that as saying unfortunately the good play calling was let down by the turnovers in the second half. If you look back at the first half they are running 43% and then hitting big passes, the Arains offense. So, maybe Arians was referring to that or he was referring to taking shots down field? Either way hes' defending Leftwich and hes doing so by saying "I am going back to being me." And the story of the 2nd half is the turnovers by Brady
Maybe bashing Bowles for conservative running? But, ARIAN's COACHES (not Bowles coaches) are on record saying the Bucs are not running ENOUGH and they are running successfully in the first half, so .. . .
so much went wrong with the 2022 season before it even began
1 - Brady retires coming off a 13-4 season and lost by 3 points to the eventual Superbowl Champ. Guy playing at MVP caliber level.
2 - Ali Marpet retires. Would he have hung in there another year if Brady doesn't premature announce retirement? Maybe, maybe not; but Brady not being there certainly swayed him into a certain decision
3 - Gronkowski plays this game where he may or may not come back. Hurts either way but ultimately deciding to retire was a dagger.
4 - Brady unretires on the eve of free agency, bucs resign Jensen and Fournette the eve of but curious if the timing didnt hurt.
5 - Arians retires 2 weeks after brady return whereas if he retired in January and Brady doesnt retire, perhaps Bucs get a better coaching candidate. Also, most pundits thought Arians was pushed out by Brady causing uncertainty
6 - Logan Hall ends the career of Ryan Jensen in practice wearing shorts
7 - Bucs do not successfully replace AB, JPP, and Suh. We knew at the start Gage was a loser signing, remanence of the Mark Dominik days. Julio Jones had nothing left in the tank in which many sans myself, projected correctly.
8 - Brady divorce or what have you causes him to miss 2 weeks of training camp
i mean those are just off the top of my head but good lord the football gods were not with us that year.
so much went wrong with the 2022 season before it even began . .
i mean those are just off the top of my head but good lord the football gods were not with us that year.
Arians says after the fact that his own injured achilles (I think) was another reason to retire, tough to get around the sidelines, and that he was surprised neither guy (Leftwich or Bowles) hired as HCs.
If Arians thinks the team is a LEGIT contender when Brady comes back, he stays on and lets Leftwich and Bowles get all the credit. Thats what helps them and helps his legacy.
So, he has a reason to retire. Maybe its just what he says. Maybe not
Mayfield left a lot of points and first downs on the field due this inaccuracy last year. But at the same time no running game and interior OL was a mess with a rookie play caller. So, I would rank him around the middle to be honest. Mayfield should be closer to #17-18 overall but I think #20 is too low for Mayfield.
I still think we haven't seen the best of Mayfield because this is on par with his career averages so far and Coen might be able to squeeze more out of Mayfield due to motion and finding a way to re-ignite a dead last run game two years in a row.
Mayfield is a classic play action QB and no run game means he is very pedestrian in the grand scheme of things without a run game.
I have to agree with you about BM leaving a lot of points on the field. Mostly timing routes but when he finally got in the groove he was pretty good. Taking note of the normal interceptions that are from tips or pressure from the opposing team due to OL strength. I would rank in somewhere in the range of 10 because He is a lunch pail QB that has a drive to make things happen. It will be interesting to see how this team comes together under the OC. Otton is a Plus along with White. I think with Barton we will come close to replace Marphet and Jensen. Did Jensen join the Buc's staff to be a trainer/mentor?
Not that all these preseason ranking articles should be taken very seriously, but PFN had Baker ranked 15th last week.
Such a difficult thing to analyze that the rankings are almost meaningless.
On the one hand, we seem to have caught Mayfield as he was turning a corner in terms of maturity and his role as a leader, so he should have a big year with (hopefully) a better line and (hopefully) a better run game and Godwin in his best role.
On the other hand, he's been handed all the power - hand picked OC, play choices - and that could be great, but also a potential recipe for disaster because he's asked to do so much more.
we will all see soon enough
Mayfield left a lot of points and first downs on the field due this inaccuracy last year. But at the same time no running game and interior OL was a mess with a rookie play caller. So, I would rank him around the middle to be honest. Mayfield should be closer to #17-18 overall but I think #20 is too low for Mayfield.
I still think we haven't seen the best of Mayfield because this is on par with his career averages so far and Coen might be able to squeeze more out of Mayfield due to motion and finding a way to re-ignite a dead last run game two years in a row.
Mayfield is a classic play action QB and no run game means he is very pedestrian in the grand scheme of things without a run game.
Bucs receivers dropped 25 'catchable' balls last season. 7 by Mike Evans, 3 of which were sure TDs. Plus the 3 (4?) more by Bucs receivers in the playoffs.
Mayfield left a lot of points and first downs on the field due this inaccuracy last year. But at the same time no running game and interior OL was a mess with a rookie play caller. So, I would rank him around the middle to be honest. Mayfield should be closer to #17-18 overall but I think #20 is too low for Mayfield.
I still think we haven't seen the best of Mayfield because this is on par with his career averages so far and Coen might be able to squeeze more out of Mayfield due to motion and finding a way to re-ignite a dead last run game two years in a row.
Mayfield is a classic play action QB and no run game means he is very pedestrian in the grand scheme of things without a run game.
Bucs receivers dropped 25 'catchable' balls last season. 7 by Mike Evans, 3 of which were sure TDs. Plus the 3 (4?) more by Bucs receivers in the playoffs.
Also, not for nothing, but TB should've beaten HOU last season. Baker and the offense played more than well enough in that one to earn a W. The defense/Bowles lost that one, not Baker and the offense. I'm sure that if Baker had finished the season 10-7 plus the playoff win he'd be ranked higher, in everyone's minds.
I'd say he is underrated on that list. I think he was pretty good last year and we can't put that all on the oc who is now gone. He's not the one on the field baker is. So people should give credit where credit is due.
With that said he has a lot to prove on a offense that while it will be different, he still has a lot of the same people there from last year. It could start slower but he should be able to pick up where he left off last year. I'm going to say he should be a pro bowler and at least be able to lead the team to the playoffs with who he has around him. That should be enough to put him in the top half of the league for qbs.
He does have a lot to prove but I also think a lot are underrating him this offseason.
I think he was pretty good last year and we can't put that all on the oc who is now gone.
agreed
The tough part is the schedule and the general parity in the NFL.
Last year, with LOW expectations from fans the Bucs stared 3-1 with at least two of those games featuring key play from Mayfield. This is one reason he weathered the 1-6 stretch that followed the bye.
This year there are HIGH expectations and we we might start 3-1 again BUT its also not that far-fetched to have that losing streak right up front. And I think before the late bye we have the Chiefs, 49ers and Ravens. Type of schedule where it could all go south, even with Mayfield playing okay.
Mayfields inconsistency it’s hard to rank him higher
He was top 10 in many categories last year but guys like burrow, rodgers and cousins were all hurt and are better QBs.
id probably have baker ranked 17 with potential to climb to top 12 if he progresses on last year but pretty set ahead of him.
in no order, top 8- Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson, burrow, Allen, rodgers, stafford, Prescott
Then you have these next 8 in which I discount young guys success to see if they can perform once again - Goff, stroud, tua, Lawrence, Purdy, hurts, cousins, love
so would have Mayfield at 17 but with Watson, Carr, Wilson, Caleb Williams right in that mix.
id probably have baker ranked 17 with potential to climb to top 12 if he progresses on last year but pretty set ahead of him.
This is pretty fair.
PFF has him ranked #20. CBS has him ranked #20.
In no order, top 8- Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson, burrow, Allen, rodgers, stafford, Prescott
In no particular order, I'd go:
Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Herbert, Burrow, Prescott, Stafford, Hurts, Rodgers, and Goff
Then, I'd have Cousins, Stroud, Love, Lawrence, and Purdy to round out the rest of the Top-15.
And, I know someone earlier mentioned drops.
The Bucs were ranked in the bottom half of the league for most dropped passes, with not a single receiver in the Top-10 for most.
Whether Mayfield steps up to the top 15 depends more on the success of the running game. The Bucs passed the ball 59% of the time, which is actually pretty much in the middle. The exact middle teams passed the ball 57% of the time. The Bucs were 23rd in rushing attempts at 25.4, but the median was 26.5. So they only rushed 1 less attempt than the average.
Teams near the lead in passing yards per game such as SF, Det and Mia, are also near the lead in rushing yards per game. The Bucs were only 20th in the league in total yards per game. They can't be expected to be top 5, but they have to do better than 20th. This will depend on how Baker can manage this complicated offense both rushing and passing and how the offensive line can solidify with the new additions.
Good comments so far. Until Mayfield is consistently good, and I mean over multiple seasons, he'll languish in the mid-lower tiers of NFL QB rankings. He has a lot to overcome in terms of his play and reputation on the field. Last year was progress. He needs to continually improve to move up in the rankings.
i'd like to see Mayfield average 2 TD passes a game - so up that number to 34 this year as a nice step towards getting higher ranked
