On Football: Baker Mayfield's success in Tampa Bay has turned him into a coach-builder

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On Football: Baker Mayfield's success in Tampa Bay has turned him into a coach-builder

2025-01-03 19:00 Last Updated At：19:21

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay and became a coach-builder in the process.

Mayfield’s success with the Buccaneers in 2023 helped Dave Canales become head coach of the Carolina Panthers after just one season as an offensive coordinator. Mayfield has played even better under Liam Coen, who will be among the top candidates for coaching vacancies this offseason.

The Buccaneers (9-7) need a victory over the Saints (5-11) on Sunday to clinch their fourth straight NFC South title. With Mayfield and the offense playing at a high level, Tampa Bay has an opportunity to extend its season deep into January. The Buccaneers advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs last season before losing at Detroit.

At some point, Coen will get an opportunity to interview with other teams. The Jets, Saints and Bears are looking for new coaches with more openings to come next week.

Coen is focused on the task in front of him with the Bucs.

“That was one of the best Sundays I’ve had in a long time, man,” Coen said Thursday about a 48-14 victory over the Panthers. “And I wasn’t thinking about anything else besides this. So really, at the end of the day, that stuff can wait a long time if it’s the right thing. And for us to keep moving forward doing the right things, we can wait a long time on that one.”

Last year, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had several interviews but decided to return to Detroit instead of accepting a head coach position. He’ll be a hot candidate again this cycle.

Coen could follow a similar path, talk to a few teams, gain valuable interview experience and stay another year in Tampa Bay if the right situation isn’t available.

“Yeah, I do believe I’m ready to do so. I don’t think you’re ever truly fully ready, but yeah, that is a dream,” Coen said of his coaching aspirations. “Does that need to happen when I’m 39 years old and having probably the most fun of my life coaching and working and being here? No, that doesn’t mean that needs to occur right now. But yeah, that is the goal. That is absolutely the goal. But like I said before, that goal can hold off for a while here and continue to do what we’re doing. That would be pretty special.”

Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 94.6 passer rating in 2023. The Buccaneers had the 23rd-ranked offense in total yards, 17th in passing and last in rushing. They averaged 20.5 points per game.

This season, Mayfield has 4,279 yards passing, 39 TDs, 15 interceptions and a 107.6 passer rating. His 71.7 completion percentage is tied with Jared Goff for fifth-best in a single season. The Buccaneers are third in total offense, third in passing and fourth in rushing. They’re scoring 29.7 points per game.

“Great offensive coordinators always dial things up to the strengths of their players, and that’s what Liam has done,” Mayfield said. “He’s had to adjust on the fly. We were looking at this thing being in a lot of ’11′ personnel early in the year and then adjusting and seeing how this run game is growing. ... That package has just continued to grow. The great ones adjust, and Liam has done just that.”

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles is on the verge of winning his third division title in three seasons with three different offensive coordinators. He fired Byron Leftwich following the 2022 season, just two years after the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with Tom Brady. Canales came in from Seattle and brought out the best in Mayfield, who bounced around from the Browns to the Panthers to the Rams in 2022.

Coen spent 2023 as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator after serving in that role under Sean McVay with the Rams when Mayfield started four games for Los Angeles.

“It’s really attention to detail,” Bowles said about what Coen does best. “I think it all starts with the run game — how can we run it off of this? How can we throw it off of this? What did we do last week? What do we see? What do they see? And kind of putting it together that way so with the coaches collaborating upstairs and then giving it to the players and feeding it downstairs and Baker executing it all on the field — the camaraderie and the coordination with those guys, the chemistry of seeing it the same way has been very good.”

It all starts with Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall pick discarded by Cleveland when the Browns made a regretful trade for Deshaun Watson. His success turned Canales into a head coach and could do the same for Coen.

First, they have important business together in Tampa Bay. Everything else can wait.

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.

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Hideki Matsuyama sets personal best with 11 birdies for a 62 and leads Morikawa by 1 at Kapalua

2025-01-05 10:24 Last Updated At：10:31

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Collin Morikawa had to judge how his ball would come out of the first cut of rough on the 16th hole at Kapalua, and it was close to perfect, settling 20 inches away for a sure birdie in his terrific duel with Hideki Matsuyama.

Matsuyama was some 20 yards closer. He sent his lob wedge over the pin and used a combination of spin and slope for the shot to roll past Morikawa's ball and stop 8 inches away.

It was like that all day Saturday at The Sentry.

Matsuyama had a personal best with 11 birdies in his bogey-free round of 62, setting the Plantation course record for 54 holes at 27-under 192.

All that got him was a one-shot lead over Morikawa, who matched his 62 and just about everything else Matsuyama did on another day of virtually no wind and ridiculously low scoring in the PGA Tour opener.

“Collin played well and I just kind of followed him, so good day,” said Matsuyama, a Japanese star of few words and plenty of birdies.

Morikawa played so well at the start that it wasn't until the sixth hole when he hit a shot he didn't like, a wedge to 25 feet and a birdie chance that rimmed around the cup. In 54 holes, he has only missed two greens.

“Today was really, really good. Couple shots out there a little squirrely, but for the most part the irons were center face, knew where they were going,” Morikawa said.

He briefly took the lead on the front nine by starting 5 under in five holes, including a 25-foot eagle putt on the fifth hole during a display of sublime shotmaking. Matsuyama caught him on the next hole and they were tight the rest of the way.

The low scoring was reminiscent of 2022, when Cameron Smith set the tournament record — and PGA Tour record to par — at 34-under 258. The conditions were abnormally calm that year, and this year hasn't been much different.

There was barely any wind on the western edge of Maui, and the Plantation course was built for fierce wind out of any direction. This became target practice for the world's best players, particularly on a course with the widest fairways on the PGA Tour.

Three years ago, Smith and Jon Rahm were tied for the lead five shots clear of everyone else. Matsuyama was one ahead of Morikawa. Thomas Detry was next at 22-under 197, one ahead of Sungjae Im, who also had a 62.

The average score was 67.49, another record since this tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.

Detry had a 65 and wound up losing ground.

“I shot 8 under today, but didn’t really feel like I shot 8 under,” he said. “Other courses when you shoot 8 under you really fell like, ‘Oh, yeah, I played unreal golf here.’ I just felt like I played some really steady golf.”

Matsuyama and Morikawa kept piling up birdies and pulling away. What separated them was the reachable par-4 14th, where Matsuyama chipped to 3 feet for birdie and Morikawa drove into a bunker, blasted out to 10 feet and missed the birdie putt.

Such a high level of golf brought importance to every shot, and they were up to the task. Morikawa talked about being in the zone, and with another player at his side in the same place, it created quite the stripe show.

“It was a lot of fun,” Matsuyama said, “but I would like for him to take it easy tomorrow.”

Morikawa has worked on his swing during the offseason, and the bigger work might have been on his attitude. He wants to pour everything into every shot, every day, every tournament and see where it leads.

That makes Sunday a big test.

“You look back at the greats, they did that,” Morikawa said. “You look back at Tiger, he did that every single week. I think if I asked myself, ‘Did I do that the past six years, every time?’ Probably not, you know. But it’s hard. It’s hard to do that, but that’s what I’m going into this year is saying, ‘You know, I’ve got four days, let’s see what I can do.’”

Morikawa has had his chances at Kapalua. He had a six-shot lead two years ago until closing with a 72 and finishing behind Rahm, who had a 63.

He played in the final group three times at big events last year — one behind Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, tied with Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship and four shots behind Scheffler at the Memorial.

Now he's trying to track down Matsuyama, who is going for his third win in the last 10 months. That goes back to his focus, and it reminded him of when he first turned pro in 2019.

“I had seven opportunities for sponsor exemptions, didn’t know if I was going to get my card or not, and you’re going to put everything out there because you have that goal,” Morikawa said. “Well, I’m going to put everything out there tomorrow because I have the goal to win.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf