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Former Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden Gives Praise to QB Baker Mayfield After Giants Win

Jon Gruden knows his competitors, and he singled out Baker Mayfield as a "fireball" on Sunday after his performance.

River Wells

Dec 28, 2008; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden watches from the sidelines in the second half against the Oakland Raiders at Raymond James Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Buccaneers 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2008; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden watches from the sidelines in the second half against the Oakland Raiders at Raymond James Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Buccaneers 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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It's been an up-and-down season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — that's for sure. But one bright spot has been the play of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who continues to have a career year at the helm in Tampa Bay.

Mayfield has so far thrown 24 touchdowns this season, and he's ran for three more, including one against the New York Giants. He's also not afraid to go downfield and block for his running backs, as evidenced by a block he threw to help Bucky Irving spring a few more yards on a 56-yard scamper, and all of that caught the eye of former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.

Gruden, now with Barstool Sports, took to social media to talk about his love for Tampa Bay's signal caller, adding on a video of him throwing a block for Irving.

"Baker is a premier competitor," Gruden wrote on Twitter. "He [launches] himself for a TD, he makes terrific scramble plays, and he wills it out of his teammates. He's a fireball."

Gruden would know competitors — he won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2002, after all. And while Mayfield is playing well, the Bucs will have to win quite a few games in a row if they want to end up where Gruden did during that 2002 season.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

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River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

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