The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been consistent over the last few years, but Baker Mayfield has never gotten enough credit for it. With a 19-15 record, two straight trips to the playoffs, and now four straight division titles, they’ve proven they’re doing just fine without Tom Brady. In fact, last season, they were a top-five offense in both points and yards.
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At the head of it all, piloting the dominant offense, was Mayfield. Yes, he led the league in interceptions (16), but he also tossed a career-high 41 touchdowns. On top of that, he threw for 4,500 yards. That’s another career high. However, Mayfield’s exploits last season weren’t enough.
They were upset at home in the Wild Card by the Washington Commanders, 20-23. It wasn’t the fault of anyone in particular, but rather the result of a stellar game played by the Commanders and rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. That early exit may also explain why Mayfield landed at No. 10 on ESPN’s ranking of top quarterbacks, based on input from league executives.
However, some took issue with Mayfield being ranked 10th, mainly because Justin Herbert was ranked ahead of him at seventh. Dan Orlovsky, for instance, argued that the spot was too low for a guy who’s performed well in two different systems. Then, his co-panelist Kevin Clark dropped a massive hot take.
“Right now, in some fantasy world, if it was a one-for-one swap, Justin Herbert plays on the Tampa Bay Bucs- I would pick the Tampa Bay Bucs to win the Super Bowl,” Clark stated on First Take.
The take left the entire panel shell-shocked.
“Right now? Nah, not happening,” Orlovsky responded, baffled.
“No way. No way,” Damien Woody repeated.
It’s certainly a hot take, especially considering Herbert’s current stock. But the reaction was a bit dismissive. It’s a fun thought experiment to explore. When you consider Mayfield’s receiving options and offensive line, one could imagine Herbert thriving in the same system.
But when Redditors came across Clark’s comments, they wasted no time calling him out. They acted as if he were an alien.
“What planet is this guy from? Baker has been great in Tampa. And inquiring minds are starting to wonder about Herbert,” a Redditor wrote.
“The Baker disrespect is not okay. Loved him at OU and he’s been crushing with the Buccaneers,” another argued.
“Baker was a top 5 QB last season…yet the slander continues. Let baker bake!” someone exclaimed.
The top comment on the post, though, left a hilarious response.
“This take was so bad that I immediately thought Orlovsky was the one who said it,” they joked.
With all that said, we have to remember that ESPN’s ranking and other such lists put out by top publications nowadays are meant to divide and stir controversy. After all, Jalen Hurts is ranked ninth, and he just won the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the guy he beat in the divisional round, Matthew Stafford, is somehow ranked sixth.
Is the ranking wrong in saying that Herbert is better than Mayfield? Maybe, but to act like it’s such an egregious take is ridiculous. People need to stop slandering Herbert, just like they need to stop slandering Mayfield. This is a guy who led the Chargers to an 11-6 record in his first year with a new head coach and a new offensive system. He threw only three interceptions and finished ninth in MVP voting.
We all know what happened in the playoffs: four interceptions, 43% completion, and they got trounced 32-12 by the Texans. But they were on the road, facing one of the best defenses in the league, and it was just Herbert’s second career playoff game.
Let’s cut them some slack, just like people are cutting Mayfield and the Bucs slack for losing at home to a rookie quarterback with one of the top offenses in the league. That is undoubtedly more embarrassing.
