Bucs QBs coach Thad Lewis: The chip on Baker Mayfield’s shoulder will never go away

With the player signing a three-year offer after leading Tampa Bay to a division title and playoff victory, things look a lot different for Baker Mayfield in 2024 from what they are now in 2023.

But Mayfield’s location manager, Thad Lewis, said in a Monday press conference that Mayfield’s overall attitude and demeanor have not changed.

“It’s different because we know who the quarterback is, that ’s first, ” Lewis said. Second, he has a contract so the people know it ’s his team — he knows it ’s his team. He’s confident and comfortable because he’s been in this scheme until, before he came here, and it has some similarities. But, he’s not thinking.

He may be a little at relieve a little bit, but I believe the shoulder chip on his shoulder may not fully fall off. And I believe that will never change because of how he was raised, which is what motivated him. But, at the same time, he’s comfortable, pleasant. You can show he’s getting people in order. They’re conversing. You can see that there is n’t currently a learning curve because he demands it from the men and himself. It’s more, let’s grow as a team and as a system. ”

Although Mayfield is more confident, according to Lewis, it is n’t as if he was playing conservatively and holding back before. That may n’t had worked properly mainly because he’s a player, Lewis said.

“ I think anybody with a chip or not, you’re playing the quarterback position, you have to go out there and let it rip, ” Lewis said. “ I think right now, he can see where things can go, what people can do best, what he can require out of certain people, what he can require out of himself. Because he is aware of what is happening, he may push the limits. I believe that he can play easily because of this, which gives us even more confidence. Last month, his message was that we allowed him to be himself. He knows that we’re going to allow him to get himself — as long as it ’s within the grand scheme of the act, with him being himself, we can be a great product, for sure. ”

One feature of Mayfield’s activity that Lewis is continuing to instrument on is the quarterback’s movement.

” [D]oing the dance with the passes, giving the running backs the lane with the footwork, getting the ball deep — just little things like that to grow in this offense, ” Lewis said. “So, he’s going to have that assurance in that feature, you’re going to give him the keys to the car. The act can continue to push and improve as long as he stays polite and eager and only goes and remain the same as he is.

“ He’s been working on that, so that ’s a good sign for him and this unit going forward. ”