The second half of the season begins with three consecutive challenges: the AFC East-leading New England Patriots, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and the 6-2 Los Angeles Rams.
The bye week certainly came at an opportune time for Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. He plays the position with the mindset of a fullback and has taken a pounding during the first half of the season, most recently forging on despite a sore oblique and knee. But the week of rest has done him good as he prepares for Sunday’s 1 p.m. home contest against the New England Patriots.
"It definitely helps getting rest,” he told the media. “Still moving my body around a little bit, not letting yourself get too sore, but then also just the non-contact definitely helps."
Mayfield made the most mentally from the break as well – seen taking in a Tampa Bay Lightning game last week with pal and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and bantering during Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli during ESPN’s Manningcast.
"It was fun,” he said. “Those guys make it easy.”
If you’ve watched Mayfield the past few games, it’s been apparent that things haven’t come quite as easily for him. He hasn’t taken as many chances taking off running to avoid a pass rush, and has missed more than a few throws that he made with pinpoint accuracy earlier in the season. Asked whether his sore oblique might have affected his delivery, he hesitated to attribute his overthrows to that but didn’t totally discount it, either.
"It is not really an excuse, you just (have) to get used to it, figure it out, and go from there,” he said. “Some throws, I did not have my feet perfect, they were not going to be accurate. Normally, I can make up for it with how I change my arm angle and stuff like that. Some of it was different, but you just have to live and learn."
As for the decrease in his dazzling scrambles for key yardage, Mayfield was asked if it had to do with teams keeping a “quarterback spy” on him or not being physically able to do so
“"A little bit of both,” he said. “Detroit did a great job with their pass rush lanes and also the spy – the scheme overall. New Orleans did not do that as much, but (I) just have to get the ball out on time. Some of the lanes were there, but I also was able to get the throws out in scramble drill instead of taking off and running. A little bit of both, but mostly schematically."
Head coach Todd Bowles offered his own assessment of Mayfield’s fewer number of scrambles: “I don’t think it [has] presented itself. I think people got it on film now, and everybody is kind of spying and keeping somebody in the middle and they’re taking away those lanes. So that kind of has a lot to do with it, as well.”
Injuries have been a constant for the Bucs this season, but Mayfield is proud of how his teammates have carried on despite losing key players along the way. They lead the NFC South at 6-2 and face three straight challenges to start the second half of the season: the Patriots, leading the AFC East at 7-2; a road game against the Buffalo Bills, second to New England at 6-2; and back home against the 6-2 Los Angeles Rams, tied for first in the NFC West.
“We’ve already shown that (ability to carry on) – with all the guys who have come in there and stepped up in a big way, some of the young guys or vets that have stepped up for us,” he said. “Guys have shown it is a resilient group and that they are able to handle whatever we throw at them in whatever we have installed. (We have) to keep going, and at this point real football starts and we have a really, really good opponent coming out here."
Meanwhile, here are other topics Mayfield touched on:
On having offensive tackle Luke Goedeke practicing after being designated to return from Injured Reserve:
"It is good, always good to see Luke back. Obviously, when you lose a guy like Cody (Mauch), and then Luke's been out for a while – two of our guys that enforce the physicality on the offense. Good to see Luke back out there, hopefully he keeps progressing and he is able to go, but if not, still have trust in Charlie (Heck) to go out there and do his job like he has been doing."
On the defense being able to generate sacks and takeaways this season:
"Obviously, it makes our life a lot easier on offense. After seeing them in practice, during training camp, offseason and all that, all the pressures [Head Coach Todd Bowles] can dial up. There (are) some guys that are nicked up on the defense, but the young guys have stepped up in a big way. Tykee (Smith) moving to safety, being versatile, Jacob Parrish moving around [and] playing nickel. Just the versatility of those guys and the health of those guys have been a big reason why, but I think Todd hit on it. They are starting to play together and realize how to disguise certain things, and it is really fun to watch. I do not love playing against it, but it is fun to watch."
On defensive players being able to set the tone for the offense:
"I have hit on it 1,000 times talking about the culture here, the competition level within the building, trying to elevate the standard and to just elevate our game overall. When you have any of our players that have stepped up in a big way, you want to be the next one to go out there and make the play. It just comes down to doing your job at a high level and those guys are in the right spot at the right time."
On Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel "putting a stamp" on his defense:
"In his playing days, (he was a) real physical, smart football player. He has translated that and those guys are playing really, really hard. They communicate well, they disguise well; On tape, it looks like it is a Vrabel coached football team. They play hard and it is a good, sound defense."
On if he talked to Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard during the bye week, and how Grizzard has handled some adversity that the offense has endured recently:
"Did not talk to him during the bye, blocked his phone number... Did not want to hear anything from him. ... But no, he has handled it well; you talk about guys dropping like flies and good play callers always said adjust to what they have on the field. They call it to their players' strengths and Josh [Grizzard] has done a really good job of that and adjusted, and continue to do that as we go along in the season.”
On the team not making a trade before the trade deadline, and if it is a morale boost for the team to know that the front office has confidence in them:
"The history of how Jason (Licht) has done things, that is how it is. You do not expect anything, and we have said we feel really good about the team we have from the beginning. You always run the risk of bringing in somebody that might throw off the culture a little bit. There is always that risk, unless you bring in Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson out of retirement, I do not think we had any other options. We trust what we have; (it is) just getting healthy and trying to get guys back on the field and still communicating and trust in who we have."
On Wirfs commenting on his ice-skating abilities during an in-game interview at a Tampa Bay Lightning game:
"I believe it. Anytime you grow up in Iowa, I am sure there is not a whole lot to do in the wintertime. So, whether he was skating or not, those have to be some really, really strong reinforced skates to hold him up. Then again, that would not be surprising considering how athletic he is in all the videos of him jumping out of the pool and all that stuff."
On if his football playing style could translate to a hockey career:The
"I would try; (I) already have the gap in my teeth, so if I just lost one, I would look pretty good. (I would) look natural out there."