Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator compares Baker Mayfield to Seattle Seahawks’ QB

Baker Mayfield, like Seahawks QB Geno Smith, has cemented himself as an NFL starting quarterback, according to Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

Baker Mayfield, the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has had his fair share of adversity since leading the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs just a few years ago. He was injured, released by the same Browns squad, bounced among the Panthers and Rams, and never seemed to find a place to call home to get his career back on track.

Baker’s resurgence as a starting quarterback in the NFL has had its ups and downs, but he appears to have found a home in Tampa Bay.

Prior to the season, the notion was that combining Baker Mayfield with offensive coordinator Dave Canales would be a vital piece in rewriting the former’s perception. The season began off wonderfully, then there was a slump, and now we are seeing the results of that labor pay off as Mayfield and Canales both reach their strides at the most crucial time of the season.

The job that Canales was able to perform with Seattle Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith, taking him from league backup QB to a surefire starting quarterback in the NFL despite being cast off as such, was perhaps the most significant thought with the Canales/Baker partnership.

Canales spoke with the media on Thursday about the similarities between Smith’s and Mayfield’s careers.

“Absolutely. [There are] a lot of parallels there. It really speaks to the character of those two guys – the belief in themselves, the belief in their abilities, the people around them who are speaking life into them. While I know some people might use negative narratives to help fuel them, I think the both of those guys are aware of those things and so they both have that real chip on their shoulder. You love having guys in that type of position who can handle that – some guys can’t handle that. That’s part of it, but it’s not the whole story. The whole story is their belief in themselves. For me, I just kind of come alongside and try and reaffirm who they are – reaffirm the bigger picture of who they are outside of the lines, because I truly believe that, as you strengthen as a person, as your character is strengthened, then everything else doesn’t shake you as much. Of course, pairing it up with, ‘Guys, you’re both veteran quarterbacks… You’ve seen every coverage, you’ve seen every pass concept with the different coordinators you’ve been with, so don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Trust what you see, be confident on that back foot.’ The back foot tells the whole story about what it was. You saw Baker last week – he’s solid and confident on that back foot [and] the ball is coming out. That’s the same thing that Geno was doing while we were in Seattle. Both guys, yeah, very much so have that similar attribute there.”