Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has gone from sensation to is he able to lead them team in just a matter of months.
Well here we are. After a fantastic rookie campaign, Baker Mayfield is not living up to expectations in his second year. A drop in touchdowns, completion percentage and yards per game along with an increase in interceptions is not helping anything. Mayfield’s record is an identical 6-7 through 13 starts in both seasons. The drastic decline in performance this season after experiencing an uptick after Hue Jackson’s firing last year should be a warning sign. This is leading to more questions than answers about what Baker Mayfield is in the NFL.
Here is what we know. Baker Mayfield was successful after then offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens simplified the offense and his reads on passing plays. Essentially cutting off half the field and only requiring Mayfield to read half the field. Now that he is tasked with reading the whole field he is struggling mightily. Granted, the offensive scheme and offensive line are doing him no favors, Mayfield’s decision making seems to be sub-par. Plays that Mayfield got away with last season are not present this year. Tight window throws are not going his way. Passes are bouncing off the hands of his receivers and resulting in either an incompletion or an interception. Everything that happened last season seems more akin to a Derek Anderson-esque dupe job than a coming out party for a clear cut franchise quarterback.
Baker Mayfield’s performance is reliant on others around him and that is a problem
Here is what we know when it comes to the performance of a quarterback. An elite, great or franchise quarterback (whatever phrasing you prefer is up to you), is not impacted this drastically when it comes to offensive philosophy, coaching and players around them. An elite quarterback plays at a high level regardless of those factors. When the performance of a quarterback is entirely dependent on those factors he is not an elite quarterback. This is the description of a quarterback who is ultimately replaceable. A word that if applied to a quarterback selected first overall with the hope he is a franchise quarterback is alarming.
Players such as Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are more dependent on those around them than their actual ability. Goff was an absolute disaster under Jeff Fisher until be saved by Sean McVay and is currently experiencing a drop in performance this season. The Philadelphia Eagles offense looked to gel better with Nick Foles as their quarterback and even won a Super Bowl with him after Wentz was lost due to an injury. Philadelphia had a tough choice to make between Wentz and Foles, ultimately choosing to pay Wentz. Now both Los Angeles and Philadelphia are paying quarterbacks who are far from elite a lot of money and may regret it down the road if they are not already. This should be a warning to Cleveland when it comes to Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield has been figured out
Opposing defenses know that Baker Mayfield prefers to roll out of the pocket to evade pressure and make plays on the run. Defenses have done everything the can to make him uncomfortable, bringing pressure from all over in order to do so. Mayfield has looked uncomfortable all season long and when he’s uncomfortable he crumbles. He makes bad decisions, tries to do too much and results in a major loss of yardage or a turnover. Mayfield has done this going back to his time at Oklahoma. This isn’t a new development. Apparently Cleveland was able to prevent their opponents from exposing this flaw last season, but are completely unable to do so this season.
Once there is anything on tape that shows a tendency good coaches will do everything they can to take advantage of that. The opposing defense will send a ton of pressure to speed up his internal clock or they will drop unexpected players in coverage confusing Mayfield. The processing just isn’t there at times when it is truly needed.
Baker Mayfield leaves a lot to be desired when the team needs him most
One of the most important times when he is needed to perform is when the team is behind. Baker Mayfield has thrown twice as many interceptions (10) compared to touchdowns (5) while trailing. In the 4th quarter, Mayfield is not completing a high percentage of his passes (54.2). Mayfield’s TD-INT ratio is an uninspiring 3-7 and he has been sacked 13 times in the 4th quarter, the most of any quarter. Overall, Mayfield has been sacked twice as much when the Browns are behind (22) than when they are are ahead (9) or the game is tied (2) combined.
Baker Mayfield still needs to learn when to give a neutral answer
This comes from the postgame press conference after Sunday’s win against Cincinnati. After being asked about the health of Odell Beckham Jr., Mayfield replied that his injury was not handled right. Whether intentional or not, Mayfield threw both Odell and the team under the bus. The decision to not have offseason surgery could have been Odell’s. It could have been the decision of the team. The decision is not the issue. It is Baker Mayfield speaking on something he has no business speaking about. The health of Odell Beckham Jr. is not for Baker Mayfield to comment on.
While Baker Mayfield did clarify his intentions on Twitter later that day, the damage was already done.
Again, whether intentional or not, Mayfield threw Odell and the team under the bus. Odell could have chose to play through the injury, possibly thinking that it would not impact his performance all that much, even though it obviously has. The medical staff is a group of individuals that ownership and the front office provides to the team. Baker essentially said that something that is provided by his bosses was handled incorrectly. Accurate or not, this is something you do not say in public.
The reality is that Baker Mayfield’s opinion in this matter is irrelevant. It is not about him, it does not involve him and he should not comment on the matter. It is the responsibility of the player or the team to address this particular situation. If Odell, the coaching staff, front office or medical staff comments on it that’s one thing. Baker commenting on this is unacceptable, unprofessional and truly shows the lack of accountability in the building.
A division could be coming
Most feel that Freddie Kitchens is gone after the year. Kitchens is unable to get his team on the same page and there is constant issues on and off the field. The team struggles mightily after the scripted opening to start the game. There are no adjustments and the key to coaching in the NFL is making adjustments, and the subsequent adjustment to the adjustments. The reality is they need an adult in the room to supervise the children that are the Cleveland Browns. This is where a possible division could occur.
The only reason Freddie Kitchens got the job in the first place is due to the perceived chemistry with Baker Mayfield. All of the magic from last season is gone. The process which was used to select Kitchens as their head coach was flawed to begin with and now we are seeing why. A coach being selected because of the relationship with the quarterback is not the best way to do things.
Once Kitchens gets fired there could be a situation that Baker is not used to in the NFL. Someone who is critical of his performance and willing to hold him accountable. We’ve already seen Baker be in a situation where did not get along with the coaching staff (however considering who the coaches were it is highly understandable).
What we’re going to have here is a group of individuals who back the new coach and want to do whatever it takes to win and there will be a group that backs the quarterback. This potential division could split the team into two factions and continue the downward spiral they have been on for quite some time.
Baker Mayfield appears closer to average than elite
This is about the complete package. This isn’t about his arm strength, leadership qualities or charisma. At the end of the day Baker Mayfield looks to close to being an average quarterback. A quarterback that may find himself in the Top-10 one year (closer to 10 than 1) and in the bottom 10 another.
The Cleveland Browns need to think about a few things. The fifth-year option on his contract and whether they pick it up or not. If they want to spend a ton of money on a supporting cast to prop up their quarterback. The final thing may be the most important. Whether or not they will be looking for a replacement quarterback as soon as the 2021 offseason. If things continue to trend in the direction that they appear to be, it seems like a new quarterback could be on the horizon sooner rather than later.
Can Baker Mayfield turn it around and save the Browns?
That’s the million dollar question. Is Baker Mayfield going to be able to answer the questions about his play, his character and his overall ability. Yeah, Baker Mayfield has an entertaining personality and is not one to back down when he is challenged, but if he doesn’t back it up on the field who cares? There’s nothing worse than someone who talks a lot and comes up short when it matters most.
There’s a lot of issues when it comes to his actual play on the field. Whether it is decision making ability or not crumbling in the pocket when feeling pressured. Baker doesn’t need to be superman. Often it appears he tries to do everything himself and attempts the spectacular play instead of the smart play. The smart play could keep the chains moving while the attempted spectacular play has not quite worked out this season. This is something that can be coached, but it is on Baker if he wants to adjust the way he plays the game.
Whether or not Baker Mayfield is able to answer the questions that surround him will impact his own future and the future of the Cleveland Browns. If he can answer all of the questions that surround him, he can certainly bounce back and be the hero everyone thought he could be. The only issue is that it may be just too much to overcome.
