Rams Jared Verse Talks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense

Verse Wants to Play Mayfield

While Verse spoke on a variety of topics during his presser, he hammered home how much he has wanted to play Mayfield, citing the Buccaneers quarterback as a player he has admired for years.

“I've been wanting to play Baker for a very long time," stated Verse. "I've been admiring him since he was in college. Looking at him like, damn I want to go up against him. Now I finally get that opportunity. I'm excited for it.”

Verse was asked if there was a game that made him feel that way. Verse would talk about one of Mayfield's most controversial collegiate games.

“It was that Kansas game. That was the game where I was like, ‘Yeah that's a dog. I want to go against him one day.’ I didn't even care if we were on the same team or something in practice. I just wanted to go up against him and see what it was like.”

In that game, Mayfield, who was an Oklahoma Sooner, took rightful offense at Kansas players refusing to shake hands before the game. Mayfield responded with phrases and gestures that landed him in hot water with then-Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley.

Verse Praises Mayfield's Play

Mayfield, one of the most difficult quarterbacks to defeat, has made a career of staging dramatic comebacks in critical situations. As a result of his play, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns have made the postseason, winning playoff games with Mayfield at the helm.

“He's a quarterback that can do it all," stated Verse. "He can run the ball. He can escape the pocket. He's a quarterback where he's not one of the quarterbacks who wants to run every play. He just wants to make a play, get the ball downfield and do something that can help his team. That adds its own set of problems in itself.”

The one trait that separates Mayfield is his inability to accept defeat, often escaping tackles and extending plays with his feet.

“I think it's just the ability that he has, the mindset of a defensive player," stated Verse. "He’s like, ‘No matter what it takes, I'm going to make a play,’ which could be detrimental at times, but for him it's not that. It doesn't put him in a bad spot. Other quarterbacks, they're doing a bunch of stuff. They're throwing picks off that, doing all sorts of crazy things. He's really in control when he has that ball in his hand.”