Originally Posted by Chief Pagan:
So maybe the wear and tear of the regular season has reduced his playoff performance. And/or he doesn't seem to have the 'it' factor when the pressure is highest in the playoffs, especially if his team gets behind.
But I never thought he would physically last as long as he has. Yes, he hasn't finished every season. But he has finished most and is still a really effective runner.
And despite being called a RB, his passing has gotten decidedly better. Is it elite? No, but for people who say you can't improve accuracy, Lamar has gotten better.
Pretty unlikely to ever win a title.
That's a huge reason why. QBs that run that much don't win titles. Same for all the hits Josh Allen takes in the regular season getting cheap rushing yards. They're sacrificing to put up regular season blowouts and numbers. Pat obviously saves those plays for the postseason and key moments [Reply]
Originally Posted by TEX:
Honestly, he looks like any QB that is playing behlnd a bad OL which has sustained injuries, and is playing without his #1 AND # 2 WR's. Add to the fact that he's very young, he doesn't have much experience to draw from.
Very few QBs can be dominant with those factors working against them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tredadda:
Very few QBs can be dominant with those factors working against them.
Baker just threw for 330 yds and 3 TDs without his WR1 and WR2, behind an OL that's given up 21 sacks, tied for 8th worst in the NFL. With a rookie OC, and in his 7th or 8th offensive system. Just saying. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 4th and Long:
The Buccs are 29th in pass defense.
Oh yeah, though not sure what that has to do with what we're talking about.
TB's defense is in the shitter right now. bottom 10 in almost every metric. The only thing I'd be wary of is that they have played well in at least a couple games. They have a lot of good players, like Lavante David, McCollum, Vea or course.
But their best coverage LBs are all on IR, I think, they don't have any legit EDGEs, and they're super-thin at CB. Imo, a lot of their issues have been Bowles' playcalling; he's been playing a ton of zone and he's been reluctant to be aggressive. He's been giving away yards, big plays to TEs, and soft in the RZ. If he calls the game the way he has been over the last 4-5 games, it'll be a cakewalk for KC. I just don't expect him to be that stupid. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Baker just threw for 330 yds and 3 TDs without his WR1 and WR2, behind an OL that's given up 21 sacks, tied for 8th worst in the NFL. With a rookie OC, and in his 7th or 8th offensive system. Just saying.
Originally Posted by tredadda:
Long term. Not over a 1 game sample size.
Oh. You mean, like in 2021, when Baker's best WR was Donovan Peoples-Jones? And he had 7 games with a PR over 90, 4 over 100? With a bad shoulder and an ankle injury?:-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Baker just threw for 330 yds and 3 TDs without his WR1 and WR2, behind an OL that's given up 21 sacks, tied for 8th worst in the NFL. With a rookie OC, and in his 7th or 8th offensive system. Just saying.
This is not Baker's 2nd season in the league either. And, I'd be willing to bet that Baker won't continue that pace under his current circumstances. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TEX:
This is not Baker's 2nd season in the league either. And, I'd be willing to bet that Baker won't continue that pace under his current circumstances.
That's true. Experience matters.
And no, I don't think Baker will be able to continue that pace either. Though he probably will get Evans back in a few weeks. But Godwin was the chain-mover in that offense, and they simply don't have anyone else that will fill that void. It would be like if Travis went down with a season-ending injury. There's just no replacing something like that.
If they traded for Kupp it would probably be a different story, but my TB buddy doesn't think they're even trying to get Kupp.
But Coen is extracting the best version of Baker in his scheme, and I think Baker will continue to be successful this season, on a lesser scale. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
That's true. Experience matters.
And no, I don't think Baker will be able to continue that pace either. Though he probably will get Evans back in a few weeks. But Godwin was the chain-mover in that offense, and they simply don't have anyone else that will fill that void. It would be like if Travis went down with a season-ending injury. There's just no replacing something like that.
If they traded for Kupp it would probably be a different story, but my TB buddy doesn't think they're even trying to get Kupp.
But Coen is extracting the best version of Baker in his scheme, and I think Baker will continue to be successful this season, on a lesser scale.
You just nailed it with Coen... Slowic is green in his position also, and he has not done C.J. any favors. He's basically kept trying to run the same offense with a banged up OL and missing his top WR's. What he needs to do is take a page out of the Chiefs playbook and become more run oriented and move to to short passing game. He has the RB's and he still has Dell, so if the opportunity presents itself, off of having a strong running game, he can take his deep shots. He'd also rest his defense, rather than getting into so many three and out situations. Not to mention he'd save his quarterback from taking hits by getting rid of the ball quicker. Just some of the stuff that we take for granted over here. We know our coaching staff is going to put us in the best position to win games. It may look boring, not as high flying as it used to look, but it's very effective. [Reply]
