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Former Buccaneers Player Throws Ridiculous Shade at Baker Mayfield

A member of Tampa Bay's 2020 Super Bowl winning team went out of his way to discredit the talent of current Buccaneers quarterback, Baker Mayfield.

Collin Haalboom

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has one of the strongest arms we've ever seen in the NFL. As a result, it's fair to consider him an expert when it comes to discussing which other quarterbacks have a little extra mustard behind their passes. So when Allen made an appearance on the FS1 sports talk show Speak, he was asked to offer his take on who has the strongest arm in the league. 

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As Allen was considering his options, he immediately brought up Baker Mayfield's name and suggested that the Buccaneers quarterback's arm talent is seriously underrated. "You know who's got a sneaky big arm is Bake. Baker Mayfield has got a cannon, and I don't think he gets enough credit for it. I'm serious. He can actually chuck the ball. I'm serious." 

However, before Josh Allen could even finish speaking, he was interrupted by hysterical laughter from former NFL players turned TV personalities, Emmanual Acho, LeSean McCoy, and James Jones. 

First of all, it was a completely reasonable take from Josh Allen. Anyone who has ever watched Baker Mayfield play quarterback should be well aware that, even when he's struggled -- with injuries or otherwise -- arm talent has never been his issue. 

The problem with this interview clip has nothing to do with Josh Allen's response, and everything to do with the reaction of the interview panel. Especially former NFL running back, and one-time Tampa Bay Buccaneer, LeSean McCoy. 

Quite frankly, LeSean McCoy's reaction to Josh Allen's assertion that Mayfield has a strong arm was completely uncalled for and downright disrespectful. Allen wasn't claiming that Mayfield should be this year's MVP. He wasn't suggesting that Baker Mayfield should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tomorrow. He simply said that "Mayfield has a cannon and I don't think he gets enough credit for it."

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Why McCoy would provide such a dramatic, over-the-top reaction to such a harmless and accurate statement is beyond me. The only explanation is that McCoy has some sort of personal issue with Baker, and thus felt the urge to use this conversation as an opportunity to mock him. But if you ask me, all it did was make LeSean McCoy look like a petty critic with no legs to stand on.

Speaking of no legs to stand on, it's worth mentioning that although LeSean McCoy did technically win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, he didn't even dress for that game. In the ten games he did play that season? McCoy managed to produce just 31 total rushing yards on 10 carries. 

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.