Baker Mayfield takes the right approach to Emeka Egbuka’s biggest flaw that hurt the Bucs against the Saints
The star rookie has had an excellent year, but drops have stained his overall production to a degree.
Emeka Egbuka has had a very, very good rookie season, but there’s one pervasive issue that’s held him back from putting up even better numbers: drops.
Egbuka was tied for the league lead in drops with eight coming into Week 14. He dropped two more passes against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and the second drop would’ve been the game-winning touchdown if he had caught the ball. Instead, Egbuka failed to do so, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-6, thanks to the 24-20 loss.
It’s been frustrating, but it also requires some diplomacy, to an extent. Fortunately for Egbuka and the Bucs, Baker Mayfield knew exactly what the rookie needed to hear.
“Afterwards, I went up to him and told him, ‘The ball’s gonna find you again, and this two-minute drive when we get it back. So, [we’re] gonna need you,’” Mayfield told reporters after the game. “It’s just the nature of the game. Telling people to catch the ball doesn’t doesn’t do anything. They’re not trying to drop it, so just tell him [to] pick his head up. Stuff happens. You just got to move forward [and] gotta play the next play.”
Mayfield is correct, and he’s taking the right approach to the situation. Egbuka’s job is to catch the ball. Therefore, getting onto him about the drops isn’t a productive criticism because it doesn’t require extra attention or “getting pointed out,” so to speak. It’s different, let’s say, pointing out poor footwork while running a route because it’s far less nuanced and nowhere near as obvious as a dropped ball.
Todd Bowles offered a bit more insight when asked about the drops, citing concentration issues, which honestly doesn’t sound like Egbuka, given all the compliments about his professionalism and whatnot.
“It’s tough – it’s a concentration thing. Obviously, it was a wet ball going out there, but we have to come down with those catches, those are plays we have to make, and we know he can make them,” said Bowles.
“I can’t help but feel like I let them down today,” Egbuka told reporters after the game. “I’m on this team for one reason, and it’s to catch the ball, and I didn’t.”
Egubka’s future is still as bright as ever, but it’s obvious that working on his hands needs to be the No. 1 priority during the offseason. If he can get his drop issues under control, then the kid will quickly rise up the ranks of the NFL’s top receivers and could even sit atop the summit one day.
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