As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to go north to play the Detroit Lions in the NFL playoff Divisional round, we have an abundance of stuff.
Early in the week, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a defensive back for the Lions now playing for the Saints, made remarks that implied, rather disparagingly, that the Buccaneers would be a fantastic team IF they were given a strong quarterback. That quarterback would be Baker Mayfield of the Buccaneers.
Gardner-Johnson’s remarks are not unprecedented; during his time with the Saints, the defensive back made headlines for remarks he made about the Buccaneers. By the time Mayfield addressed the media following Wednesday’s walk-through practice, he was prepared to address them.
In response to a question about his thoughts on CJGJ’s remarks, Mayfield quietly said that, given that he brought up injured wide receiver Russell Gage of the Bucs, he must not have viewed much film and that he ought to maybe watch a bit more footage.
That seemed to be the end of the back-and-forth quips to one another, but Gardner-Johnson didn’t stop following the comments as he took to his X, formerly known as Twitter, to try and set the record straight.
Gardner-Johnson appears to be on target when he believes he gave Mayfield credit despite the fact that he openly attacked him.
It’s also absurd that he would try to retract his actions given it was he who first pursued Mayfield.
Gardner-Johnson missed the first meeting back in Week 6, so he hasn’t played against this Buccaneers team yet. If Baker and the Bucs offense show up prepared to play like they did against the Eagles in the Wild Card round, they could be in for a long day against a club that could be good if they had a quarterback. The Lions’ secondary and defense as a whole have had problems stopping opposing offenses.
