Baker Mayfield responds to C.J. Gardner-Johnson insult: Watch more film
TAMPA — Baker Mayfield always has been a little disrespected, the rebel without applause as an NFL quarterback.
So perhaps it was no surprise that while complimenting the Bucs receiving corps last week, Lions and former Saints and Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson also managed to insult the Bucs’ signal-caller.
While throwing bouquets at Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and their supporting cast, Gardner-Johnson said they would be a “great group” if they had “a good quarterback.”
“If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a great group — Evans, Godwin, (Russell) Gage — that’s a great group,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I played against them for real.”
Mayfield grinned Wednesday when asked about Gardner-Johnson’s remarks, while also correcting him.
“I don’t think he’s really watched film,” Mayfield said, “because he mentioned Russell Gage.”
Gage, expected to be the Bucs’ No. 3 receiver, suffered a season-ending knee injury during a joint workout with the Jets in August.
“We love Russell, but Russell hasn’t played a snap all year for us,” Mayfield said. “(Gardner-Johnson) must be going off the preseason stuff the media was talking about. But he didn’t play in our first game, so I’m excited to see him. I think he’s a really good player. He has been for a while. He’s been an impactful guy on every team he’s been on, so he’s a good player. But, yeah, he’s got to do a little more film study.”
The passive-aggressive response is nothing new for Mayfield, who hasn’t received a Lion’s share of credit for posting career highs for passing yardage (4,044), touchdowns (28) and completion percentage (64.3) this season while leading the Bucs to the NFC South title.
Monday night, Mayfield passed for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-9 wild-card win over the Eagles at Raymond James Stadium.
On Sunday, the Bucs will face a tough road test at Detroit. They went 5-4 away from home during the regular season, including a big win over the Packers Dec. 17 at Lambeau Field.
Because the Lions hadn’t hosted a home playoff game in three decades, Ford Field was the loudest it had ever been during last weekend’s 24-23 win over the Rams. According to a report from MLive.com, the noise from the crowd reached 133.6 decibels, a new team record.
How loud is that? Comparable to the noise produced by a jet engine.
Mayfield said he checked in with a few ex-Rams teammates to get a scouting report on the atmosphere the Bucs will be facing.
“They said it was the loudest thing they’ve ever heard,” Mayfield said. “We’ve got to be completely ready for that. It just comes down to everybody knowing exactly what our game plan is — all the calls to and from, because there could be certain times where they can’t hear certain things. They might have to plug and play some of the words.
“Just everybody doing the mental work to get prepped for that. But it shouldn’t be a surprise for us. It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
Mayfield has been struggling with rib and ankle injuries, but he was a full participant in a walk-though practice Wednesday.
While Gardner-Johnson may be unaware that Gage has been on injured reserve all season, he also may want to get acquainted with receivers beyond just Evans and Godwin. The Bucs got long touchdown receptions against the Eagles from veteran David Moore (44 yards) and rookie Trey Palmer (56 yards).
The Bucs are a different squad than the one that lost 20-6 to the Lions Oct. 15 in Tampa.
“It was earlier in the year, so we weren’t exactly the same team offensively,” Mayfield said. “They’re still really, really good against the rush. They’re really good at stopping that, and ... I missed a ton of throws that game, so obviously I have to play better. When there are plays to be had, we have to take advantage of them.
“It’s staying consistent. They play extremely hard. It just jumps out on film, obviously the way Dan Campbell runs that team. Everybody swarming to the ball, playing for each other, playing extremely hard with a lot of effort at all times. They’re a tough opponent, and they make it hard on you.”
As Mayfield knows, respect won’t be given, but it could be earned.
“Obviously, our backs (were) against the wall, like I mentioned after the game,” he said. “Just the stretch and the run we had to go on, it makes it even more enjoyable to get to the point that we’re at right now. Like I mentioned as well, we’re happy but we’re not satisfied. We have bigger goals, so we have to keep working.”
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