Baker Mayfield’s proclivity for play-action passes is a perfect fit for the Panthers’ offensive strengths. However, there’s a lot of screwy mechanics in his tape that needs to be corrected in order to hone his accuracy and limit turnovers. After this ringer of an offseason, new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is implementing a system and will look to make Mayfield as comfortable as possible. That starts with featuring the play-action.
Strength: Play-action specialist
“Play action. That’s when Baker Mayfield is at his best,” Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner said on QBConfidential.
When Kevin Stefanski took over in 2020, the Browns went on to rank 4th and then 6th in run percentage, so they featured a lot of play-action to get matchup advantages against defenses playing the line of scrimmage. But even before that, Mayfield showed a strong affinity toward play-action passes. In 2019, Mayfield’s passer rating was 36.8 points higher on play-action attempts and he scored 9 touchdowns, ranking third in the league, according to NFL network.
As long as Christian McCaffrey is healthy, the Carolina offense runs through the backfield, just like the Cleveland offense did. Thus, Mayfield is in a good position to learn the Panthers offense quickly and influence the new scheme.
Here’s an example of a play-action bomb that Mayfield threw to Odell Beckham Jr.
https://twitter.com/draftvogel/status/1400431955074748416?s=21&t=4gs4fhL49MzGmW9hEZV-wA
The overwhelming nature of the Browns’ backfield had the front seven keying heavily on the run. Baker sees the one-on-one matchup with Beckham down the sideline and he puts in right in the breadbasket. Even rolling out to his left, Mayfield looks comfortable slinging this ball downfield because he isn’t under any immediate pressure. He has time to set his front hip toward the target and let it fly.
Nobody thinks of Odell’s time in Cleveland as a success. However, this is a perfect example of what the Browns’ offense could have been and what the Panthers’ offense can be: A run-first powerhouse that capitalizes off big play-action passes using elite speed at receiver.
Weaknesses: Poor mechanics cause turnovers
Mayfield leads the league in interceptions since entering the league in 2018 with a whopping 56 picks. Jake Burns, of the 247 Sports Brown and Orange Report, did a breakdown of Mayfield’s struggles last season. He came to the conclusion that these two throwing habits contributed most to his inaccuracy and turnover rate: Setting a hallway and sequencing.
Setting a hallway
Setting a hallway means the front hip of the quarterback is pointed right at the space where he wants to throw the ball before he cocks back to throw. This was Baker Mayfield’s most common mechanical mishap and is the reason he often misses high and behind his target.
Dub Maddox, a QB coach and offensive coordinator at Union High School who has authored multiple books on quarterback play, explained the idea of setting a hallway in a film study with Horseshoe Huddle, according to Burns.
“The hips are where all movement originates from,” Maddox said. “The idea is that if you are a quarterback and you are scanning the field, you have to have the ability to rotate that front hip. If you put a camera on that front hip, that camera has to be pointed to the route space that you are throwing to. If your back foot is set up properly, then your front hip is set up properly.”
Mayfield’s second interception against Green Bay last season is a textbook example of failing to move his hips and back foot congruently toward his target.
Jarvis Landry is wide open on this curl route. If Mayfield just puts the ball on his numbers, then it should be an easy completion. However, he rushes the throw because this wasn’t his first read. You can see that he opens looking to his left and then surveys the field to see Landry on the right hash.
He had a torn left labrum at this point and a pass rusher was coming in hard off the left edge. So, Baker rushed the throw while his body was still facing the middle of the field. Naturally, his hips didn’t open all the way and the ball sailed on Landry, flying right into the hands of the safety behind him.
When Mayfield takes his time to set up and open his hips toward his target, he can be one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. However, injuries and trustless relationships caused Mayfield to be unsure of himself in the pocket, which resulted in poor reads and wild throws. Carolina should focus on hammering those mechanics into Mayfield’s head during training camp in order to hone his accuracy and connection with receivers.
Sequencing
Mayfield’s poor sequencing is part of the reason he has trouble getting in position to make accurate throws. According to quarterback guru Tom House, ideal sequencing as a quarterback means creating an uncoiling motion to get the desired power and accuracy behind each throw.
“Keep your hands on the ball and don’t move your hands until you feel that forward foot strike the ground,” House said. “It creates a coil effect that builds up spiral spring tension in the core that can release as you separate your hands.”
Quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Justin Herbert, who exhibit this trait extremely well, seem like they can just flick the ball 60 yards down field.
Mayfield struggles specifically with bringing his back half through his sequencing. Baker can so often be seen trying to overcompensate with his arm because his hips aren’t being squared to the target before his release. The ball almost always sails as a result.
This throw against the Colts from 2020 is a great example.
Mayfield has already separated his hands by the time he plants his lead foot, which causes his hips to lag and the ball to miss high. Getting his hips open to the receiver has been so vital for Mayfield in the past few seasons. There is a clear difference between when he’s making it a point of emphasis and when he’s rushing.
Mayfield threw plenty of passes with picture perfect mechanics, where his back half gets through his motion and opens toward the target. The inconsistency is what killed him last season, and the torn labrum certainly didn’t help because it made him constantly uncomfortable under pressure, causing him to rush throws. Now at 100%, it will be interesting to see if Baker Mayfield from second-half 2020 will return, or if his post-injury performance will persist.
How to fix his mechanics
Everyone laughs at Dak Prescott’s pre-game hip routine, but Mayfield could actually benefit from committing that uncoiling motion to muscle memory before games. Any drill that forces Mayfield’s hip movement to follow his eyes through the progression and into the throw will help Baker with his accuracy.
Going to a new environment with different coaching often gives perspective to a QB that adds to his confidence, which is something Mayfield definitely needs after all the criticism he’s endured. Carolina will no doubt work on his consistency with these mechanics and see if they can make a true franchise QB out of the former No. 1 overall pick.
1 Comment
Enjoyed the article, didn’t know I was a fan of film study. Especially enjoyed the many quotes from different quarterback gurus.