Baker Mayfield runs angry but Bucs may need to protect him from himself
TAMPA — Baker Mayfield took off running with the football, planting his left hand into the sternum of Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy. It was first down on the Minnesota 33-yard line in the fourth quarter with the game knotted at 17-all.
The blow sent the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Murphy flying. Popping up off the ground, Mayfield then landed something that hurt more than that stiff-arm Sunday.
“Get that weight up, little boy!” Mayfield screamed through his mouthpiece at Murphy.
The Bucs’ sideline exploded at the sight of Mayfield putting everything on the line. The play led to the eventual game-winning 57-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin.
On Monday, Mayfield was awarded the Angry Run of the week by Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt.
“I think I won it because I was the new guy in the conversation,” Mayfield said. “I had some family members send me the clip. I’ll take it. I appreciate Kyle for awarding me with that. I’ve definitely been given a hard time around the building for that one.”
Baker Mayfield wins @gmfb Angry Runs for Week 1 stiff arm. https://t.co/XXiEGnNkl6
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) September 13, 2023
Mayfield’s run was instinctive. It was inspiring. Also, maybe a bit ill-advised.
Sure, it helped win the game. But too many angry runs like that could render him lost for the season.
In fact, we may already be seeing the effects of Mayfield’s eight carries for 11 yards in Sunday’s 20-17 win.
On Wednesday, Mayfield appeared on the injury report with a sore right throwing shoulder, though he was a full participant in practice. Did it occur during one of his forays from the pocket?
Who knows? But if the Bucs are going to have their best chance of returning to the playoffs, Mayfield may need to avoid getting splattered near the sidelines.
“He’s a quarterback with an offensive lineman’s mentality,” coach Todd Bowles said. “You don’t want your quarterback doing it too much, but he’ll make the yards when he has to make the yards — when the game is on the line.”
Mayfield’s closest buddies since arriving to Tampa Bay are the offensive linemen. Just shy of 6-foot-1, he nonetheless doesn’t mind throwing his beer belly around for a first down.
No one can question the passion Baker Mayfield plays with each game.
No one can question the passion Baker Mayfield plays with each game. [ ABBIE PARR | AP ]
“I love football,” Mayfield said. “I mean, it’s the game of football, it’s a physical game. Always loved it. Love contact. Can’t shy away from it, I think that’s how you get hurt. ... (But) playing quarterback is a little bit different story. You definitely have to protect yourself.
We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.
Loading...
“But I just always wanted to be part of the guys. There’s something about that. Just being involved, showing them I like to get down and dirty with them as well.”
One of the things that attracted Bowles to Mayfield when he was coming out of Oklahoma was Mayfield’s “moxie.”
“Baker is tough,” Bowles said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game going in. That wasn’t the problem. (Brian) Flores is a good (defensive coordinator). They had some wrinkles for us in the first half that were pretty good for us. We got off to a shaky start, but we settled in. Nobody flinched. Baker’s toughness, obviously, by the way he played, the throws that he threw away and didn’t turn over — were just as impressive as the ones he completed.”
Statistically, it wasn’t a masterpiece for Mayfield. He heated up in the second half after deciphering the Vikings’ hand signals on defense. He finished 21-of-34 for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
“The headlines should read that ‘Chris Godwin makes a great catch on third and 10 to close the game out,’ ” Mayfield said. “That guy was in the trenches blocking (Vikings safety) Harrison Smith over and over again, and then makes the play with his fingertips to close out the game. It’s a mentality, like I said. It’s a tough mindset.
“Those guys, they were able to (be relied) on late in the game. When they had been doing dirty work for a while, they got rewarded. Those guys are special for a reason.”
Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has been Mayfield’s wingman since he arrived in March, also believes he may have to find better ways to protect Mayfield from himself.
“He’s always got a lot of juice to him, a lot of fire to him,” Wirfs said. “Seeing him go do that, put his shoulder down, kind of gets you going a little bit. I’ve got to go make sure he’s not getting in too much trouble over there — talking (trash) to people. I’ll have to get him out of stuff.”
The blow sent the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Murphy flying. Popping up off the ground, Mayfield then landed something that hurt more than that stiff-arm Sunday.
“Get that weight up, little boy!” Mayfield screamed through his mouthpiece at Murphy.
The Bucs’ sideline exploded at the sight of Mayfield putting everything on the line. The play led to the eventual game-winning 57-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin.
On Monday, Mayfield was awarded the Angry Run of the week by Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt.
“I think I won it because I was the new guy in the conversation,” Mayfield said. “I had some family members send me the clip. I’ll take it. I appreciate Kyle for awarding me with that. I’ve definitely been given a hard time around the building for that one.”
Baker Mayfield wins @gmfb Angry Runs for Week 1 stiff arm. https://t.co/XXiEGnNkl6
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) September 13, 2023
Mayfield’s run was instinctive. It was inspiring. Also, maybe a bit ill-advised.
Sure, it helped win the game. But too many angry runs like that could render him lost for the season.
In fact, we may already be seeing the effects of Mayfield’s eight carries for 11 yards in Sunday’s 20-17 win.
On Wednesday, Mayfield appeared on the injury report with a sore right throwing shoulder, though he was a full participant in practice. Did it occur during one of his forays from the pocket?
Who knows? But if the Bucs are going to have their best chance of returning to the playoffs, Mayfield may need to avoid getting splattered near the sidelines.
“He’s a quarterback with an offensive lineman’s mentality,” coach Todd Bowles said. “You don’t want your quarterback doing it too much, but he’ll make the yards when he has to make the yards — when the game is on the line.”
Mayfield’s closest buddies since arriving to Tampa Bay are the offensive linemen. Just shy of 6-foot-1, he nonetheless doesn’t mind throwing his beer belly around for a first down.
No one can question the passion Baker Mayfield plays with each game.
No one can question the passion Baker Mayfield plays with each game. [ ABBIE PARR | AP ]
“I love football,” Mayfield said. “I mean, it’s the game of football, it’s a physical game. Always loved it. Love contact. Can’t shy away from it, I think that’s how you get hurt. ... (But) playing quarterback is a little bit different story. You definitely have to protect yourself.
We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.
Loading...
“But I just always wanted to be part of the guys. There’s something about that. Just being involved, showing them I like to get down and dirty with them as well.”
One of the things that attracted Bowles to Mayfield when he was coming out of Oklahoma was Mayfield’s “moxie.”
“Baker is tough,” Bowles said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game going in. That wasn’t the problem. (Brian) Flores is a good (defensive coordinator). They had some wrinkles for us in the first half that were pretty good for us. We got off to a shaky start, but we settled in. Nobody flinched. Baker’s toughness, obviously, by the way he played, the throws that he threw away and didn’t turn over — were just as impressive as the ones he completed.”
Statistically, it wasn’t a masterpiece for Mayfield. He heated up in the second half after deciphering the Vikings’ hand signals on defense. He finished 21-of-34 for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
“The headlines should read that ‘Chris Godwin makes a great catch on third and 10 to close the game out,’ ” Mayfield said. “That guy was in the trenches blocking (Vikings safety) Harrison Smith over and over again, and then makes the play with his fingertips to close out the game. It’s a mentality, like I said. It’s a tough mindset.
“Those guys, they were able to (be relied) on late in the game. When they had been doing dirty work for a while, they got rewarded. Those guys are special for a reason.”
Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has been Mayfield’s wingman since he arrived in March, also believes he may have to find better ways to protect Mayfield from himself.
“He’s always got a lot of juice to him, a lot of fire to him,” Wirfs said. “Seeing him go do that, put his shoulder down, kind of gets you going a little bit. I’ve got to go make sure he’s not getting in too much trouble over there — talking (trash) to people. I’ll have to get him out of stuff.”
Players mentioned in this article
Baker Mayfield
Byron Murphy
Alameen Murphy
Akylen Mayfield
Anthony Bowles
Brian (Pitt) O'Neill
Adrian Baker
Chris Godwin
Harrison Smith
Tristan Wirfs
Recent Stories
Testing Buffalo Bill Page
Joe Horrigan knows the Buffalo Bills
Steelers positional analysis: Kenny Pickett stands alone in QB room
2/17/2024If the Steelers were concerned about the uncertain future at quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger retired, the outlook at the position might not be any more ...
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t deserve criticism since Super Bowl
Globe StaffUpdated February 17, 2024, 9:38 a.m.Kyle Shanahan has been on the defensive all week following the 49ers’ 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super ...
New Raiders GM expected to be aggressive in search for top QB
February 17, 2024 - 4:19 PMIf Tom Telesco’s past offers clues about his future, expect the Raiders’ new general manager to be aggressive in bringing in a top-level ...
Mark Kiszla: After hating on Russell Wilson, maybe Sean Payton should give Sam Darnold some love
Sam Darnold needs a second chance to prove his worth in the NFL almost as desperately as the Broncos need a quarterback.Could this be the start of a wonderful bromance?“I ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...