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Can Baker Mayfield be even better in second year with the Bucs?

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Published  September 4, 2024 5:53pm EDT
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
FOX 13 News

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield can't wait to kick off year two with the team. He's coming off the best season in his career with highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. 

Can he be better in his second year? Where does he want to be better?

"I think, consistency," Mayfield said. "We started out great last year. Obviously, we talked about the highs and lows that we endured last year. Just [be] more consistent, I think, and I think this group is more than capable of that – of being extremely well coached, detailed throughout the year and really keyed in on the details. I think for me, just being more consistent. I say it all the time – my job is to put us in the best position to win, so for me – whether that’s checking the right run plays, getting the ball out on time [and] being accurate. For me, it’s just [being] more consistent overall."

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Mayfield is excited about what new offensive coordinator Liam Coen brings to this team. With a focus on bringing balance to the offense, he has no doubts the league's last place ground game the last two seasons will be significantly better.

"I’m extremely confident," Mayfield said. "I’m extremely confident in the guys we have doing it, and then, obviously, the new schemes and just the new stuff that they have brought in. I think Coach [Kevin] Carberry has done a great job of detailing all that work up for them. Brian Picucci in that room is also helping those guys out and then Liam [Coen] just brings that focus to it. He demands excellence on the tracks and everything that the [running] backs are doing too. He’s extremely critical on their footwork and what not, but that’s what it takes to be a great running team. It’s been good to see that it’s transferred [to] not just the first group when we’re out there, but the second and third group is really translating it from the practice field to the game field. For us, I have a lot of confidence, and I’m expecting that, and I know the guys are too."

Mayfield has high expectations for a team that made it to the second round of the playoffs last year. Getting this franchise back to the post season for a record fifth straight, Mayfield feels will come down to the chemistry that builds in the coming weeks.

"This is the closest group I’ve ever been a part of, and that goes back to college days too, and that’s pretty special and extremely rare, to be honest with you," Mayfield said. "Our guys – we have a group that’s not going to take it for granted. You can’t just expect everybody to go out there and roll over on people. You have to be able to go out and execute, and we have a group that’s that focused. We just expect that’s the standard, and like I’ve mentioned before, the standard was already extremely high before I got here, and our vets do an unbelievable…We have the group that understands what we have to do to attack it and go out and win, but the chemistry will take you a long way. Week 1, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the biggest difference. It’s really when adversity hits down the road, [that’s] when you see what a team is made of, like last year. We expect to be a tight-knit group and if a game is close, we expect to be coming out on top."

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It starts Sunday, and Mayfield can't wait.

"It’s exciting because of all the prep work," Mayfield. "The long months waiting for it. You finally get into the game week, you get dialed in on what you want to attack [and] how you want to scheme it up. You prep all year and then, obviously, week to week, you prep all week just for those 60 minutes of game time. You have to go out, and you have to relax and have fun. You’ve prepared for this moment. Our guys are going to be ready by that time, so just have fun, enjoy that. It’s a really exciting moment. Week 1 energy is always really special."

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