Buccaneers OC dismisses Baker Mayfield size concerns

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales isn't worried about potentially having a so-called "shorter" quarterback as his starter come September. 

"Going back to junior college, I had a 5-11 quarterback and a 6-6 quarterback," Canales told reporters, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "Can the guy play catch? Can he get us to the right play and can he play catch? Can he pick up a NERF ball and throw it to my 11-year-old right now and put it on the money? That’s all that matters — the decision-making." 

Free-agency signing Baker Mayfield, widely viewed as the favorite to win Tampa Bay's quarterback competition over career backup Kyle Trask this summer, is listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds. To compare, Trask is roughly 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds. 

Before he relocated to Florida, Canales served as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with a Seattle Seahawks team that once featured the 5-foot-11 Russell Wilson as its starting quarterback. Just as Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer mentioned Wilson while explaining why Carolina wasn't worried about the size of first overall draft choice Bryce Young (5-foot-10 1/8, 204 pounds), Canales noted his experience coaching Wilson could make him an ideal coordinator for Mayfield. 

"...I know how to operate within those issues, as well, to try and get them concepts where they have better vision and different things," Canales said about possibly creating a system for Mayfield. 

Canales and senior adviser Bruce Arians are among the individuals associated with the Buccaneers who have raved about Mayfield's supposed "swag" and "moxie" over the past two months. The first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft allegedly still has to "earn" the starting job before the end of August, but it sounds like Canales is already working on offensive game plans that will ideally get the most out of Mayfield's abilities while hiding his — pardon the pun — shortcomings.