calls that had zero chance from the start.
Wanting to go deeper requires more time.
Having the worst Guards in football = less time.
and knee caps the run game
"As a rookie in 2024, Bucky had the 10th-highest explosive rate of all running backs. Last year? He was 45th."
OVERCOME!
Gotta try to use that to your advantage. Aggressive pass rush getting through? You don't chuck it deep and run long developing plays. You run screens, etc
Sure, I can put it another way: the QB missed receivers that were schemed open. The QB made bad reads independent of the OC. The QB made bad throws independent of the OC. The QB’s drop in the play isn’t because of the OC.
Yes there were examples of players getting open, often deep... Where Mayfield was definitely missing.
So you know what you do when a shooter is missing shots? You get him some easy ones.
Grizz was autistic in his play calling. He had no feel... He couldn't feed a hot hand and he couldn't unrattle a cage. He called every play with almost zero situational awareness.
Which ironically was Lefty's issue(s) at the end.
And for all that was schemed open, there were plenty of horrid calls that had zero chance from the start... And by plenty I mean the majority of his play calling outside of the first 15 plays.
Again, I'm not making the case that Grizzard didn't have issues. I'm not even saying he should have been retained. I've said the opposite. He, and the rest of the coaching staff, should have been shown the door.
None of that changes that the OC had plenty of plays for the QB to make in the first six game and the QB made them. The QB didn't make as many of those plays in the last 11 games. And it wasn't just Mayfield's legs that was the difference. His QB play declined, not just the running, and that's an important point. Five of those six games, he had a QB rating over 98.0. He didn't play as well after that. Over the next 11 games, he only had one game over a QB rating of 98.0. It wasn't just his legs in those first six games, he was playing great from the pocket. That stopped. Overall, it was his worse year as a Buccaneer.
We can go back and forth on this forever but in my very strong opinion the play calling was always bad. Baker was just freestyling. And eventually that magic ran out both due to the law of averages, his limited athletic upside, and the injuries.
Baker's improv was the offense. Then it wasn't.
Grizz didn't do shit to make the offense click. And as I already said, his situational awareness (getting players in rhythm) was some of the worst I've ever seen.
Baker's improv was the offense. Then it wasn't.
How do you account for Mayfield's play in the pocket the first six games (within the offensive scheme) vs. the last 11 games within the offensive scheme? Why is there such a difference in QB rating? These facts take away your improv argument.
Do you have any facts to back up your improv argument or situational awareness argument? I've made my case and backed it up with factual statistics. You're obviously allowed to have your own opinion, but it would be nice if it was backed up with something over than the feels.
I'll repeat, if Grizzard was as bad you and others have said, he wouldn't be the Passing Game Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. He would be sitting on his couch like Byron Leftwich was/is.
I'll repeat, if Grizzard was as bad you and others have said, he wouldn't be the Passing Game Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles
In all fairness, there’s a HUGE difference between a passing game coordinator and an OC who’s calling plays.
While Grizz was the worst OC we’ve had since Lefty, it’s still hard to judge when Todd had his hands all over the offense.
In all fairness, there’s a HUGE difference between a passing game coordinator and an OC who’s calling plays.
Sure. But there's also that same difference between a NFL passing game coordinator and NFL position coach, college coordinator, college position coach, college assistant coach - or not having a job at all. There is definitely a hierarchy of the jobs.
Baker's improv was the offense. Then it wasn't.
How do you account for Mayfield's play in the pocket the first six games (within the offensive scheme) vs. the last 11 games within the offensive scheme? Why is there such a difference in QB rating? These facts take away your improv argument.
Do you have any facts to back up your improv argument or situational awareness argument? I've made my case and backed it up with factual statistics. You're obviously allowed to have your own opinion, but it would be nice if it was backed up with something over than the feels.
I'll repeat, if Grizzard was as bad you and others have said, he wouldn't be the Passing Game Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. He would be sitting on his couch like Byron Leftwich was/is.
We all watched the games dude. I get what you're asking for but the reality is Baker is key moments put the team on his back, often via his legs, and won games.
AND YES, he also got worse in the pocket... Which I hypothesize as a symptom of his arm/shoulder/abdomen injury. All of his throws he was second guessing. The wind up looked slower. The anticipation suffered etc. his confidence suffered... Grizz had to know all of this and yet he kept running slow developing long plays. He was asking Shaq to shoot threes that are wide open.
His legs, strictly from memory:
Bucs Texans - multiple hug runs including a 4th down run under duress. Literally won that game with that play.
Bucs Jets - huge runs down the stretch including a 35 yarder that set up the game clinching Fg (that was blocked) after Grizz went hyper conservative. Then another drive to win it with key runs. Literally all Baker. ST and defense shit the bed.
So that's 2 games right there
Then multiple key broken plays where he extended drives vs the eagles... The long throw to Egbuka TD, and the long throw to Bucky TD all were improved and had nothing to do with the original play design. 14 of the 25 points scored. Baker with a bad pick in the end tho. He couldn't muster the miracle comeback. ST shit the bed. Eagles went hyper conservative on offense.
Then he has his best game of the season vs the super bowl champs on the road. Played a near perfect game. Extended plays. Didn't take off an run a bunch but he extended plays over and over. 100% Baker win yet again. White averaged 2.9/carry in that game.
Niners game, Baker yet again wins the game, largely with his legs. That 3rd and long run was iconic and clutch. He does this with almost all his weapons gone and a run game held to 4/carry. Tez had that incredible diving TD catch.
6-1. Baker is the front runner for MVP. Then we go to detroit with Evans back and Baker hides an injury. Plays like crap, we chuck it up deep to Evans 5 times and he's gone. Gameplan was an absolute joke. Otton hands an interception over. Awful game in primetime per usual.
We win ugly vs saints.
Baker bounces back and plays well vs Patriots but the defense can't stop a run. Grizz goes 3 and out often and can't figure it out until we are down 2 scores late in the 4th.
So at this point we are 7-3 and Baker has really only had one "bad" game vs the saints but that would have looked different if we weren't playing with a big league and the saint weren't such a joke. Tucker couldn't punch it in from the 1 yard line with 4 tries.
Now it all falls apart...our defense allows 44 vs the bills and blows a decent lead. Baker uses his legs yet again efficiently but the pass game looked ugly. Egbuka with key drops. Players running routes into each other etc.
Rams game, we all know what happened there.
Then the rest is ugly as fuck and baker plays sub par ball.
Grizzard passing offense was varied and diversified early in the season. Toward the end of the year it became hyper focused on funneling to targets which I think was a result of Bowles input to play ball control and help a besieged defense along with a floundering special teams. Nothing wrong with complimentary football but the Bucs essentially put handcuffs on the offense and Mayfield's struggles didn't help but compounded that issue. More ball control offense, less Mayfield magic and Mayfield was missing routine throws or checks pre snap at the line.
But Grizzard run game plan was an issue throughout the year with the starting 5 OL or even with the backups but then again you can't really have guards pull or run counters when they are not playing up to the standard they were in 2024. Also it is risky to have your guard pulling when they struggle to play man up and Mayfield was being crushed up the middle of the field and was battered and bruised.
Wirfs didn't look like himself in 2025, Barton was out of position due to injuries, and Bredeson's competitive edge was pulling in space. Which was negated because it didn't happen frequently enough in 2025. Without that competitive edge Bredeson is a bottom 50 starting guard in the NFL.
The problem is a lot went wrong on offense and I can't put the blame on Grizzard and Mayfield. Bowles should have taken charge of special teams and defense floundering early so the offense could still remain aggressive like they were during the 6-2 run.
But the failures of special teams and the defense started to drag down the offense and the rest is history.
Wirfs didn't look like himself in 2025
Agreed, and that was fairly surprising to see. Hopefully he'll get back to his old self this season.
Lavonte David is nothing if not completely honest. He said, without mincing any words, meaning there is no need to read between the lines here.
"Man, Baker was going through a lot, bro. Baker had a lot of injuries that you didn't expect a quarterback to play through... oblique injury... shoulder injury... ankle injury, knee injury. ... He was really trying to push through and really trying to be the player that we needed him to be."
This is why Baker regressed. No other reason. Like everything else is complete speculation and quite frankly, horseshit.
Lavonte David is nothing if not completely honest. He said, without mincing any words, meaning there is no need to read between the lines here.
"Man, Baker was going through a lot, bro. Baker had a lot of injuries that you didn't expect a quarterback to play through... oblique injury... shoulder injury... ankle injury, knee injury. ... He was really trying to push through and really trying to be the player that we needed him to be."
This is why Baker regressed. No other reason. Like everything else is complete speculation and quite frankly, horseshit.
all those injuries and he made more rushing yards per game post injury. Interesting 🧐
baker just too stupid too learn. Played through injury in Cleveland and run out of town
plays through injury in Tampa, loses contract extension
The least reasonable position (Baker is 11 games of 2025) responding like everyone else is way off base.
the essence of the Red Board
Toward the end of the year it became hyper focused on funneling to targets
They were not going to give anyone the chance to say they didn't use their weapons. Targets to Evans, running with Bucky.
thry almost got Evans killed lol
I think there's been two stories of baker. On one hand he's been an MVP type put the team on his back and make plays guy. Then there's a part of that I think that is why he isn't as consistent because that style can be reckless and he's not a big guy. Body can break down over a season doing what he does. However if you keep him clean he doesn't have to do those things quite as much and he can make plays from the pocket like you normally want to do. So I think it's a game where we see what can happen if we get more consistency there and if that's the case you don't want to think about doing anything else just get him signed but I can see why they haven't yet.
I think there's been two stories of baker. On one hand he's been an MVP type put the team on his back and make plays guy. Then there's a part of that I think that is why he isn't as consistent because that style can be reckless and he's not a big guy. Body can break down over a season doing what he does. However if you keep him clean he doesn't have to do those things quite as much and he can make plays from the pocket like you normally want to do. So I think it's a game where we see what can happen if we get more consistency there and if that's the case you don't want to think about doing anything else just get him signed but I can see why they haven't yet.