Big Baker Mayfield fan.
In honor of Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Chucky returning to the broadcast booth to call the Chiefs-Bucs worthless preseason game on Saturday, Joe will have a daily story about Chucky in the lead-up to the game.
It’s interesting to Joe that, almost since the team’s inception in 1976, the Bucs have been known as a defense-first franchise.
Yet it was two offensive coaches who led the Bucs to their two Super Bowl wins, Chucky and Bucco Bruce Arians.
There are a couple of other connections between Chucky and Bucco Bruce.
The first was when Arians interviewed for his first head coaching job at Temple, Chucky’s dad, Jim Gruden, had some connection with the Philadelphia school. He recommended the school hire Arians. They did.
The other connection? Both Chucky and Bucco Bruce love Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Bucco Bruce has been on the Mayfield bandwagon for years, back when Mayfield was in Cleveland. Chucky has mentioned on several platforms multiple times that he loves Mayfield.
As Chucky prepares to call the Chiefs-Bucs game Saturday night on WFLA-TV Channel 8, along with Bucs Hall of Famer Ronde Barber, Chucky was asked about Mayfield when he was at One Buc Palace recently.
“I expect to see a lot,” Chucky said. “You know, he’s one of the more productive guys the last three years. If you’re into touchdowns and yards passing.
“The durability is what I love about this guy. Fifty-one straight starts. He doesn’t complain about the injuries. He plays through things. Hopefully, we can protect him, and hopefully, we take better care of the ball.
“Yeah, he has had some interceptions and fumbles. He is reckless, man. But he is fun to watch. I wish I’d had that guy!”
Chucky went through quarterbacks like most people go through clean socks. Joe maintains he has yet to meet a quarterback he doesn’t like until the quarterback played for him.
Joe finds it more than interesting that the two guys who brought glory to the Bucs are both on the Mayfield train. Yet so many others in the Tampa Bay area are not.