During this past off season, no team received more hype than
the Cleveland Browns and their star QB Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield brought them to a 7-9 season last year which was
the best they’ve had in years. With the additional signings of Odell Beckham,
Jr. and Kareem Hunt, they were primed for a fantastic season going into 2020.
Experts had them winning the AFC North, going to the playoffs and even winning
the Super Bowl this year.
And just like that – as is so common in sports sometimes –
the Browns went from being everyone’s favorite underdogs to…just another football
team.
How?
Head Coach:
First off, Freddy Kitchens might be a good coordinator,
might even be a good head coach someday, but that day is not today. Many have
questioned why he was even hired to be the HC in the first place. I personally
believe it was due to his existing relationship with Mayfield. His play calling
has been rather suspect - as has his management of his players.
Some of the fault lies with GM John Dorsey for taking the
opinion of a rookie quarterback on who should be the head coach of the
franchise.
Offensive Line:
The Browns might have all these great targets for Mayfield
to pass to. But how is he expected to make those passes when he spends most of
the time either running for his life or tackled to the ground? Browns offensive
line is not holding up its end of the bargain to protect Mayfield and give him
time to make plays. You can sink all the money in wide receivers you want, but
unless you have a stout offensive line protecting you it doesn’t really matter.
When Mayfield is left standing, exactly who is he targeting?
One of the loudest trades during the off season, was the Browns trade to the
Giants for Odell Beckham Jr. There has been precious little to show for it.
OBJ, arguably one of the most prolific receivers in football, has had only one
touchdown catch all season. In one game he was only targeted 7 times. Two out
of those were drops. This is prompting the debate: is OBJ’s season a
disappointment or is he a victim of circumstance. I lean more towards the
latter. He can’t throw the ball to himself.
Baker Mayfield:
What I believe is the Browns’ biggest issue this season is
their star QB, Baker Mayfield. Coming out of college, I was a huge fan of Baker
Mayfield. During Mayfield’s college career, he had many moments that made him a
rather polarizing figure in the eyes of many college football fans. He planted
flags in fields, grabbed his crotch at his opponents and several other antics
both on and off the field. For the most part people put up with them. A lot
even liked them because it added a certain flare and theatrics that the game
was lacking. Most were - at least - alright with them because he was winning.
Now that he is playing with the big boys his controversial
statements, controversial actions both on and off the field in addition to blowing
up at reporters are no longer brushed aside as they were when he played college
ball. “Well, he is just a kid” is no longer a reasonable excuse. Additionally,
he isn’t winning games. It seems to me that a fan base in a world where anyone
who can tweet or type thinks they can work for ESPN, has a lot less tolerance
for Mayfield’s antics when he is throwing more interceptions than he is
touchdown passes. What I said about his offensive line above is true, but at
some point, Baker is going to have to shoulder some of that blame.
The buzz around the grid iron questions whether Baker was
even that talented in the first place or was he just that overrated people
jumped on his talent band wagon. Was he just an average to slightly above
average quarterback made to look good by playing in a conference in college but
is seriously lacking in defensive talent? Is he really as good as he looked in
college, or was he just playing terrible defenses week after week that made him
look good? Now that he is playing in the big leagues are his true talents (or
lack thereof) being exposed?
Whichever side of this argument you fall on, the bottom line
in my mind is this: Baker Mayfield is a talented quarterback. Yes he spent the
majority of his college career playing in the Big 12, which is not known for
its defense. But Mayfield put up pretty impressive numbers against big defenses
like Georgia and Ohio State. While I am sold on Mayfield’s talent, I am not
sold on his maturity. Mayfield has always played with a chip on his shoulder
and in a lot of cases, it served him well on the field. But he has never been
under this much scrutiny, has never had to face this much adversity with fans
and foes alike. When the Twitter trolls and the primetime pundits give him a
bit of criticism – he does not handle it well. And he can’t keep his mouth shut.
Listen, Baker, I know you’re frustrated, and no one blames you
for being so. Your team is 2-6, after dropping one Sunday night to a terrible
Broncos team. I know it’s hard to ignore the tweets and the comments and the
criticism because it’s constant. But at some point, you have to learn to keep
your mouth shut, be a leader and be an adult. This is not college anymore. You
are not the great QB on this great team who keeps winning. The “don’t care what
anyone thinks” antagonistic attitude isn’t cute anymore. Men who have been in
the league a lot longer then you have, who have earned more than you have, are just
going to be looking for an excuse to take your head off when they face you on
the field, and it seems like every week you are giving them a new one.
Don’t get me wrong I am actually a fan of Baker Mayfield. I
am a Sooners’ fan and he will go down in history as one of the greats. But right
now, I just want him to keep his head down, shut his mouth and play ball - both
on and off the field. He needs to learn to let his game speak for itself.
Until he can do that, until Kitchens and the rest of the
organization can start to put out the dumpster fire that is their “comeback
season”, then I am afraid that I am jumping off the Browns and Baker Mayfield
bandwagon.
From where this BQB is sitting, Mayfield and the Cleveland
Browns are bad for business.
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