If Baker Mayfield was able to revive his career last season in an offense where he was directly instructed without many adjustments, imagine what he could do this year. Liam Cohen’s Buccaneers offense The feature this year is that multiple plays will be called at the line of scrimmage.
Cohen previously said that two or three plays would be called at the line of scrimmage and would be determined by what the defense looked like and where the Buccaneers had a numerical advantage. This pales in comparison to last year’s Buccaneers offense under offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who ran the plays that were called except for a couple of audible calls. This is not a criticism of the Canales system that has contributed so much to Mayfield’s success, it’s just not how Cohen operates.
Baker Mayfield takes on more responsibility
Liam Cohen’s system demands a lot from the Buccaneers’ players, a higher level of football IQ from the offensive linemen to figure out what defensive front they’re looking at and how best to attack it, and most importantly, it demands a lot from Baker Mayfield, who has an audible chance in nearly every situation and plenty of leeway to decide what’s best for the Buccaneers.
“There’s a lot more responsibility,” Mayfield said of this new offense. “There’s more line of scrimmage, more double-play calls, you have to put guys in the right positions. But as a quarterback, you want to have that responsibility and accountability. You always want to put guys in the best positions to be successful. So now Liam’s giving us the opportunity to make some play calls where we can do that. Like I said before, it’s a lot more taxing mentally, but [I’m] You’re really starting from scratch, not just relearning the system and thinking, “We’ve been here before.”
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Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Another aspect that’s changed this year is the outlook and perspective of Mayfield and his top target. Last year, Mayfield was competing with Kyle Trask for the starting spot. This year, he’s going into the game knowing he’s the starter.
It also has the advantage of built-in chemistry Mike Evans Chris Godwin, Rachard White, etc. They’ve got some great talent coming out of their rookie class, so we can only expect them to grow in year two.
“Obviously, last year was just about learning the system on the fly, getting to know my teammates, balancing that with performance, getting to know everybody and trying to be a leader,” Mayfield said. “Now, as we go through the year … we obviously have some new faces here, but as I’ve gone through the year with these guys, I’ve tried to take more command. I speak up, but for the most part, I only speak up when necessary, so to speak up, kind of a lead by example kind of guy.
“Really right now we’re just taking that next step vocally of getting everybody on the same page. We never want to rest on our laurels. Yeah, is it great knowing I’m gonna be here for the next few years? Absolutely. Just being able to settle in here and be more myself and take this group to the next level. Yeah, it feels good.”
What Baker Mayfield is working on
Bucks just Completed OTA Then next week comes a mandatory three-day minicamp, during which players can work on specific fundamentals they feel need improvement. Baker Mayfield made it clear where he is working.
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![Baker Mayfield to shoulder additional burden in 2024 Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield](https://www.pewterreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mayfield-Baker-Bucs-Falcons-jog-pregame-300x200.jpg)
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
“I try to improve everything, but for me right now, [it’s] “Slowing my feet down a little bit,” Baker Mayfield said, “I’ve always been a guy like other quarterbacks where my feet are always moving, but just slowing down and not missing any advances and just letting that process flow. So yeah, just going for it, making ball decisions and getting everybody in the same frame of mind is the most important thing.”
He then gave further details.
“When I say calming my feet, I mean I process information pretty quickly and my feet can get a little off balance,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, when it comes to playing the football, you can always go for a first down and you never know what you’re going to have to do, but it’s just about not getting carried away in the pocket, not putting extra stress on the guys up front, working through it in a balanced situation and trying to handle it the best way you can.”