Baker Mayfield
-
I agree it was better to take 24 hours to calm down and then talk to the media, instead of immediately spouting off and saying something you're going to regret later.
But you're not the only player who can "save" Cleveland football Baker. I'm sure wifie Emily has made him well aware there's plenty of opinion out there he should take some games off to get more healed up than the sad state of injury he's currently in. We've already been down the road his non throwing shoulder isn't going to be right until he has off season surgery to fix it. BTW, my medical 0.02 is the longer he waits to get it repaired, the less optimal the eventual outcome is going to be.
-
I agree it was better to take 24 hours to calm down and then talk to the media, instead of immediately spouting off and saying something you're going to regret later.
But you're not the only player who can "save" Cleveland football Baker. I'm sure wifie Emily has made him well aware there's plenty of opinion out there he should take some games off to get more healed up than the sad state of injury he's currently in. We've already been down the road his non throwing shoulder isn't going to be right until he has off season surgery to fix it. BTW, my medical 0.02 is the longer he waits to get it repaired, the less optimal the eventual outcome is going to be.
I agree it was better to take 24 hours to calm down and then talk to the media, instead of immediately spouting off and saying something you're going to regret later.
But you're not the only player who can "save" Cleveland football Baker. I'm sure wifie Emily has made him well aware there's plenty of opinion out there he should take some games off to get more healed up than the sad state of injury he's currently in. We've already been down the road his non throwing shoulder isn't going to be right until he has off season surgery to fix it. BTW, my medical 0.02 is the longer he waits to get it repaired, the less optimal the eventual outcome is going to be.
IMO, unless the Browns win both games vs Baltimore, which would be a radical reversal of fortune from what the Browns have done vs other playoff (or is it payoff?) caliber teams this season, their shot at winning the AFC North is probably slim to none. I would hope the Browns would shut Baker down and get his shoulder operated on sooner than later,
-
When asked today what the most overrated Thanksgiving dish is, Baker replied with:
"Definitely green bean casserole."
I was like:
-
When asked today what the most overrated Thanksgiving dish is, Baker replied with:
"Definitely green bean casserole."
I was like:
When asked today what the most overrated Thanksgiving dish is, Baker replied with:
"Definitely green bean casserole."
I was like:
I happen to like Green Bean Casserole... Its uber easy to make..
-
The 3rd and 1 bothered me because there are scenarios to take that shot. Yesterday wasn't one of them and I've spoken about Stef sometimes being a bit too "by the numbers" analytical. Those tools are to help support your decision making, not make the decisions for you.
That's high praise, very kind of you. Not sure I deserve it but I thank you all the same. To answer your points as best I can in order.
1st
- McNabb was about the absolute dead last of the QB's to be drafted high coming from offenses that even sprinkled in the option. And keep in mind, 'Cuse wasn't a veer-option exclusive team. They played a great deal under center with some pretty modern (at the time) concepts. Including using McNabb's legs to get outside on rollouts. The veer they tossed in was an offensive supplement to a spotty running game. Far as I can find re: Donovan running reads and pulls ...
135 carries 438yards 8tds Speaking of McNabb and Farve such... don't forget both QB's had early struggles in their careers adjusting to the NFL. Hell, for as much fun as Brett was to watch, nobody cost him more trips to the Superbowl than he did himself. And that includes John Randle.
2nd
- Baker coming in during the NYJ game. We all remember that night and had a ton of fun, I remember it well myself. Yes there was energy and excitement when Baker entered like any young rookie QB you want to see. And yes he did a fine job helping to engineer a comeback. Let's not get so lost in Baker that we forget the defense only allowed a FG after the break which let a rookie QB have the opportunity to move the ball against a bad Jets team. We also did it by tossing in things we hadn't previously shown with Tyrod (for reasons I can't understand) like the couple opening RPO's after the half. Truth is, it's incredibly hard to gauge the potential of those teams because of how incompetent Hue was. But don't forget Baker struggled afterwards, even against other bad defenses. He had his ups and downs and only began to find consistency when Freddy and co. cut down the offense, went back under center and let the beast we know as Chubb power the car.
We have injury concerns and limitations at our WR corps. The latter needs to be addressed along with a long-term solution to our RT situation. But underneath that all, I still have my doubts that Baker can be the QB who will allow this team to invest middle round draft capital in skill players and help to turn them into stars. I've watched his ball placement since college, I've watched his downfield shots, I've watched his eyes. I've seen SOME improvement, but that improvement is, I hesitate to say "marginal"... but it can be washed away by some of the incredibly questionable decisions and NON-decisions I've watched Mayfield make.
I'm in no hurry to get rid of Baker, none what-so-ever. Which is the thing I'm hoping you and anyone else who reads this understands. I hope we don't get rid of Baker because that would mean he has risen to the level of QB every organization in the NFL Needs in order to keep open a 10 year superbowl window. But I also have to be realistic. Baker hasn't been so brilliant that he has become irreplaceable either. Speaking of 2017, Case Keenum lead a VERY similar offense, although with better receivers compared to ours currently (but our RB's are WAY better) with the Vikings. A Vikings squad that had some of our current coaches, most notably Stef. Peep those Baker 2020 stats and compar them with Case 2017. You will be shocked to see how damn close they are in every meaningful category. Within a percentile of each other actually, all the way down to rushing stats.
- 3rd and finally
As for Joe Thomas His career was wasted by questionable coaches but an ownership and management staff that couldn't identify and maintain talent if it bit them in the ass.I laughed at the Brady Quinn pick because I saw just how bad he was at anticipating zone coverages against the Buckeyes. Which was a full year before he was even drafted.
Hell, I'd slap you if you walked up and said you "couldn't wait" to get rid of Baker.
However I'm not so arrogant as to say it's not possible Baker could STILL get to that point of earning it with the Browns. Which is why I whole-heartedly believe he will play out his 5th year option. I also whole-heartedly believe that if this organization wants to make that decision (which is about a calendar year from now) as easy as humanly possible, they need to shut Baker down now. Get him healthy, address skill positions and RT in the off-season and give the coaches every possible tool to help make Barry's evaluation and calculation an accurate one. Because in 12 months there will be no more "yeah, but XYZ".
It'll be "Baker healthy? - yeah"
"He getting it done? - no" "Welp, here's our offer to reflect that"
Well done! We agree on a lot of things. I STILL laugh at the huge contingent of Philly fans that booed the selection of McNabb because they had it all figured out that Ricky Williams was supposed to be their football savior.
When I speak about Baker in here I just read some guys typing look WHO Baltimore has at QB and we only have Baker drafted 1st overall. A lot of hindsight 20/20 from guys that did NOT want us to draft LJ. This year is a lot like our disappointing 2019 season with many of the same symptoms and Baker isn't playing as well as we need him to. Injuries to our starting tackles, where 1 is still playing on a bad ankle which impacts his lateral footwork. The other is injured again so we have an OG (Hance) playing RT. Just like 2019, Baker has been getting beat up in the process
Supply and demand of the perfect QB doesn't always cooperate with Cleveland desperately needing that. Not that we couldn't have drafted Kurt Warner in the expansion draft instead of Scot Milanovich or even selected McNabb over Couch. Keep in mind, Philly was piss poor enough in 1998 to the extent they would have drafted 1st overall if the Browns weren't re-entering the league. That said, we didn't have Marshall Faulk, Ike Bruce and Torry Holt here for the QB nor did we have Andy Reid to tap McNabb's assets. There's been countless QBs we could have drafted that went on to have great careers that would make us go stir crazy taking inventory of it all. That said, would this environment here have allowed any of them the same success as the places they went to? Just look at some of our discussion about Baker. The # of different OCs here and the different philosophies. Meanwhile, I can't see our current WR Corps having a lot of favorable matchups the rest of this year. If Landry was healthier, my outlook would change. DPJ is exciting but I'm not sure he's ready for the opponents' #1 corners every week just yet. Hope I'm wrong; because you don't win very many chess matchups attacking exclusively with pawns on the perimeter. 6 games left - we shall see what happens...
The # of different OCs here and the different philosophies. Meanwhile, I can't see our current WR Corps having a lot of favorable matchups the rest of this year. If Landry was healthier, my outlook would change. DPJ is exciting but I'm not sure he's ready for the opponents' #1 corners every week just yet. Hope I'm wrong; because you don't win very many chess matchups attacking exclusively with pawns on the perimeter. 6 games left - we shall see what happens...
The problem with the different OC's is that we've seen Baker cannot thrive in a vertical offense with multiple downfield options beyond more "calculated" shots on desirable downs and distances, the bulk of them coming off play action.
As for our receivers, they aren't world beaters, but I've shown examples of even when they do win, our QB not getting them the ball. We have a 2 fold problem, not one or the other. Hell, for all the things we've heard about Schwartz having a quiet year and how to get him further involved, Baker has missed a couple vertical shots to him that show off his wheels.
Getting back to Baker, the Oline is always going to be a concern with him because until he can adapt his game to not require one of the greatest depth of drops in the NFL, then even elite tackles won't be as elite. Because Baker is 10, 11 and damn near 12 yards deep in his drops. It's so much space for any OT to cover, that you're going to need a pro-bowler on each side to make Baker hum consistently. Posters here don't realize that, for lack of a better word, "deficiencies" with Baker admit we have to exhaust larger draft capital on Oline in order to overcome that issue. I came back around to this point while watching the 22 on the Houston game. I have a frightening revelation for a lot of the fans here - Baker was struggling with maximizing offensive potential on straight drops and extending drives long before he was hurt. Oh, and again... he STILL has way to great a drop.
pre snap he's at 4yards
Post snap he's damn near 12
For comparison I watched half dozen of Tannehill's straight drop depth sets. Because I see many posts saying we should give him about the same Tanny makes - $27 a year.
Tann. sits about 7 & 1/2 to 8 yards max on all the plays I saw. There may be more when he retreats in the pocket, but his average set is 3 yards shorter than Baker. If you're reading this and think "so what?"... it's a HUGE deal. Especially having to work with a CLE QB who doesn't climb the pocket, reset well or like working in that kind of condensed space. Yes, Baker's height is a bit of an issue.
And because I wanted to get ahead of "Well, Yeah he's short, He'S lIkE dReW bReEs".
Welp, Breesy hangs around that same 8ish spot.
-
The # of different OCs here and the different philosophies. Meanwhile, I can't see our current WR Corps having a lot of favorable matchups the rest of this year. If Landry was healthier, my outlook would change. DPJ is exciting but I'm not sure he's ready for the opponents' #1 corners every week just yet. Hope I'm wrong; because you don't win very many chess matchups attacking exclusively with pawns on the perimeter. 6 games left - we shall see what happens...
The problem with the different OC's is that we've seen Baker cannot thrive in a vertical offense with multiple downfield options beyond more "calculated" shots on desirable downs and distances, the bulk of them coming off play action.
As for our receivers, they aren't world beaters, but I've shown examples of even when they do win, our QB not getting them the ball. We have a 2 fold problem, not one or the other. Hell, for all the things we've heard about Schwartz having a quiet year and how to get him further involved, Baker has missed a couple vertical shots to him that show off his wheels.
Getting back to Baker, the Oline is always going to be a concern with him because until he can adapt his game to not require one of the greatest depth of drops in the NFL, then even elite tackles won't be as elite. Because Baker is 10, 11 and damn near 12 yards deep in his drops. It's so much space for any OT to cover, that you're going to need a pro-bowler on each side to make Baker hum consistently. Posters here don't realize that, for lack of a better word, "deficiencies" with Baker admit we have to exhaust larger draft capital on Oline in order to overcome that issue. I came back around to this point while watching the 22 on the Houston game. I have a frightening revelation for a lot of the fans here - Baker was struggling with maximizing offensive potential on straight drops and extending drives long before he was hurt. Oh, and again... he STILL has way to great a drop.
pre snap he's at 4yards
Post snap he's damn near 12
For comparison I watched half dozen of Tannehill's straight drop depth sets. Because I see many posts saying we should give him about the same Tanny makes - $27 a year.
Tann. sits about 7 & 1/2 to 8 yards max on all the plays I saw. There may be more when he retreats in the pocket, but his average set is 3 yards shorter than Baker. If you're reading this and think "so what?"... it's a HUGE deal. Especially having to work with a CLE QB who doesn't climb the pocket, reset well or like working in that kind of condensed space. Yes, Baker's height is a bit of an issue.
And because I wanted to get ahead of "Well, Yeah he's short, He'S lIkE dReW bReEs".
Welp, Breesy hangs around that same 8ish spot.
The problem with the different OC's is that we've seen Baker cannot thrive in a vertical offense with multiple downfield options beyond more "calculated" shots on desirable downs and distances, the bulk of them coming off play action.
As for our receivers, they aren't world beaters, but I've shown examples of even when they do win, our QB not getting them the ball. We have a 2 fold problem, not one or the other. Hell, for all the things we've heard about Schwartz having a quiet year and how to get him further involved, Baker has missed a couple vertical shots to him that show off his wheels.
Getting back to Baker, the Oline is always going to be a concern with him because until he can adapt his game to not require one of the greatest depth of drops in the NFL, then even elite tackles won't be as elite. Because Baker is 10, 11 and damn near 12 yards deep in his drops.
While I appreciate all your effort with clips that support your points; I don't need to watch replays of things I've seen plenty of this year. This year is far from the tell-all on Baker just like playing in Miami was far from the tell-all about Ryan Tannehill. GREAT point about the dropback being too deep after receipt of shotgun snaps. Isn't that something coaching should be able identify and clean-up better than they have?
When Drew Brees was in his 1st 2-3 years, he played bad enough to entice the SD FO to draft a QB 1st overall (Eli Manning) - who said "don't draft me because I don't want to play in SD." Well, they did draft Eli and then they realized they needed to trade him with the Giants for Philip Rivers in their 1st round spot. Rivers held out the entire training camp giving Brees 1 more at bat as the starter. Consequently, SD went 12-4 with Brees making his 1st Pro Bowl. My theory is 1 thing they did to help him was draft his Center (Nick Hardwick) in round 3 - who was very cozy snapping for the shot gun spread formations at Purdue. Why would that help some may ask? The reason was to expand the pre-snap peripheral and overall vision of a QB that needed to improve his reads, decisiveness and efficiency. It was also to give him more time and ability to step up and find better throwing lanes. Is it just a coincidence Brees made his 1st Pro Bowl and finally looked like a keeper in that 2004 season? For the record, 2004 was Brees' 4th NFL season after his record as a starter in his 3rd year was 2-9 with 11 TD 15 INT 57.6 cmp % and 67.5 pass rating compared to his 11-4 record as starter on 2004 with 27 TD 11 INT 65.5 comp% and 104.8 pass rating.
In comparison, Baker's 3rd season was 26 TD 11 INT 95.9 pass rating and his rookie season was 27 14 pass rating 93.7. A better start than Brees leading me to wonder if we should just throw in the towel like SD was starting to do prematurely on Brees or find things on film that are holding him back. You're finding examples of plays that didn't work and summarizing Baker missed the open target which is great. But WHY is this year harder for him to spread the ball around to multiple targets with the success he had last year? I've seen plenty examples of OBJ getting open and running himself into coverage while Baker was going through his progressions. Meanwhile, I don't see a lot of our younger receivers knowing how to sit in a pocket when they're open. Experience is huge in that and hopefully younger guys are getting coached up to expedite progress there. I have seen examples of Baker holding onto the ball too long only to ground it inside the pocket which is very frustrating to watch. Then, I've seen him leave the pocket too early deciding to run when he has a target wide open if he only kept his head up while running to the sidelines. Just a question, when our HC prefers to be our OC instead of HC on game day - who is talking to Baker in between series'? It doesn't matter if it was Tom Brady or Mac Jones in NE - OC Josh McDaniel can usually be found next to the QB on the bench going over things that are unfolding on the field. That's just a little thing that adds up in a 60 minute game. Why wait for Monday's film review to go over what needs to be improved? Every time we get a new HC - it seems like they only want to be an OC in lieu of the person they hired to be an OC. In the process, it looks like we're square pegging a round hole in the on going chess match. Coach your QB between series, use overhead film showing the missed opportunities you can improve upon the next series. Nuff on my venting - sorry.
The video below still WORKS IF YOU CLICK THE LINK. I like it because it reminds me of what we have in Baker. Down by 3 with 66 seconds left and no time-outs. How does Cleveland erase the deficit enough to make Cincy's last possession requiring more than a FG to win? On that last drive, Baker was left throwing to Hodges, Higgins and rookie DPJ. The back shoulder throw on the GW TD was the only place he complete the throw in the end zone.
-
The problem with the different OC's is that we've seen Baker cannot thrive in a vertical offense with multiple downfield options beyond more "calculated" shots on desirable downs and distances, the bulk of them coming off play action.
As for our receivers, they aren't world beaters, but I've shown examples of even when they do win, our QB not getting them the ball. We have a 2 fold problem, not one or the other. Hell, for all the things we've heard about Schwartz having a quiet year and how to get him further involved, Baker has missed a couple vertical shots to him that show off his wheels.
Getting back to Baker, the Oline is always going to be a concern with him because until he can adapt his game to not require one of the greatest depth of drops in the NFL, then even elite tackles won't be as elite. Because Baker is 10, 11 and damn near 12 yards deep in his drops.
While I appreciate all your effort with clips that support your points; I don't need to watch replays of things I've seen plenty of this year. This year is far from the tell-all on Baker just like playing in Miami was far from the tell-all about Ryan Tannehill. GREAT point about the dropback being too deep after receipt of shotgun snaps. Isn't that something coaching should be able identify and clean-up better than they have?
When Drew Brees was in his 1st 2-3 years, he played bad enough to entice the SD FO to draft a QB 1st overall (Eli Manning) - who said "don't draft me because I don't want to play in SD." Well, they did draft Eli and then they realized they needed to trade him with the Giants for Philip Rivers in their 1st round spot. Rivers held out the entire training camp giving Brees 1 more at bat as the starter. Consequently, SD went 12-4 with Brees making his 1st Pro Bowl. My theory is 1 thing they did to help him was draft his Center (Nick Hardwick) in round 3 - who was very cozy snapping for the shot gun spread formations at Purdue. Why would that help some may ask? The reason was to expand the pre-snap peripheral and overall vision of a QB that needed to improve his reads, decisiveness and efficiency. It was also to give him more time and ability to step up and find better throwing lanes. Is it just a coincidence Brees made his 1st Pro Bowl and finally looked like a keeper in that 2004 season? For the record, 2004 was Brees' 4th NFL season after his record as a starter in his 3rd year was 2-9 with 11 TD 15 INT 57.6 cmp % and 67.5 pass rating compared to his 11-4 record as starter on 2004 with 27 TD 11 INT 65.5 comp% and 104.8 pass rating.
In comparison, Baker's 3rd season was 26 TD 11 INT 95.9 pass rating and his rookie season was 27 14 pass rating 93.7. A better start than Brees leading me to wonder if we should just throw in the towel like SD was starting to do prematurely on Brees or find things on film that are holding him back. You're finding examples of plays that didn't work and summarizing Baker missed the open target which is great. But WHY is this year harder for him to spread the ball around to multiple targets with the success he had last year? I've seen plenty examples of OBJ getting open and running himself into coverage while Baker was going through his progressions. Meanwhile, I don't see a lot of our younger receivers knowing how to sit in a pocket when they're open. Experience is huge in that and hopefully younger guys are getting coached up to expedite progress there. I have seen examples of Baker holding onto the ball too long only to ground it inside the pocket which is very frustrating to watch. Then, I've seen him leave the pocket too early deciding to run when he has a target wide open if he only kept his head up while running to the sidelines. Just a question, when our HC prefers to be our OC instead of HC on game day - who is talking to Baker in between series'? It doesn't matter if it was Tom Brady or Mac Jones in NE - OC Josh McDaniel can usually be found next to the QB on the bench going over things that are unfolding on the field. That's just a little thing that adds up in a 60 minute game. Why wait for Monday's film review to go over what needs to be improved? Every time we get a new HC - it seems like they only want to be an OC in lieu of the person they hired to be an OC. In the process, it looks like we're square pegging a round hole in the on going chess match. Coach your QB between series, use overhead film showing the missed opportunities you can improve upon the next series. Nuff on my venting - sorry.
The video below still WORKS IF YOU CLICK THE LINK. I like it because it reminds me of what we have in Baker. Down by 3 with 66 seconds left and no time-outs. How does Cleveland erase the deficit enough to make Cincy's last possession requiring more than a FG to win? On that last drive, Baker was left throwing to Hodges, Higgins and rookie DPJ. The back shoulder throw on the GW TD was the only place he complete the throw in the end zone.
While I appreciate all your effort with clips that support your points; I don't need to watch replays of things I've seen plenty of this year. This year is far from the tell-all on Baker just like playing in Miami was far from the tell-all about Ryan Tannehill. GREAT point about the dropback being too deep after receipt of shotgun snaps. Isn't that something coaching should be able identify and clean-up better than they have?
When Drew Brees was in his 1st 2-3 years, he played bad enough to entice the SD FO to draft a QB 1st overall (Eli Manning) - who said "don't draft me because I don't want to play in SD." Well, they did draft Eli and then they realized they needed to trade him with the Giants for Philip Rivers in their 1st round spot. Rivers held out the entire training camp giving Brees 1 more at bat as the starter. Consequently, SD went 12-4 with Brees making his 1st Pro Bowl. My theory is 1 thing they did to help him was draft his Center (Nick Hardwick) in round 3 - who was very cozy snapping for the shot gun spread formations at Purdue. Why would that help some may ask? The reason was to expand the pre-snap peripheral and overall vision of a QB that needed to improve his reads, decisiveness and efficiency. It was also to give him more time and ability to step up and find better throwing lanes. Is it just a coincidence Brees made his 1st Pro Bowl and finally looked like a keeper in that 2004 season? For the record, 2004 was Brees' 4th NFL season after his record as a starter in his 3rd year was 2-9 with 11 TD 15 INT 57.6 cmp % and 67.5 pass rating compared to his 11-4 record as starter on 2004 with 27 TD 11 INT 65.5 comp% and 104.8 pass rating.
In comparison, Baker's 3rd season was 26 TD 11 INT 95.9 pass rating and his rookie season was 27 14 pass rating 93.7. A better start than Brees leading me to wonder if we should just throw in the towel like SD was starting to do prematurely on Brees or find things on film that are holding him back. You're finding examples of plays that didn't work and summarizing Baker missed the open target which is great. But WHY is this year harder for him to spread the ball around to multiple targets with the success he had last year? I've seen plenty examples of OBJ getting open and running himself into coverage while Baker was going through his progressions. Meanwhile, I don't see a lot of our younger receivers knowing how to sit in a pocket when they're open. Experience is huge in that and hopefully younger guys are getting coached up to expedite progress there. I have seen examples of Baker holding onto the ball too long only to ground it inside the pocket which is very frustrating to watch. Then, I've seen him leave the pocket too early deciding to run when he has a target wide open if he only kept his head up while running to the sidelines. Just a question, when our HC prefers to be our OC instead of HC on game day - who is talking to Baker in between series'? It doesn't matter if it was Tom Brady or Mac Jones in NE - OC Josh McDaniel can usually be found next to the QB on the bench going over things that are unfolding on the field. That's just a little thing that adds up in a 60 minute game. Why wait for Monday's film review to go over what needs to be improved? Every time we get a new HC - it seems like they only want to be an OC in lieu of the person they hired to be an OC. In the process, it looks like we're square pegging a round hole in the on going chess match. Coach your QB between series, use overhead film showing the missed opportunities you can improve upon the next series. Nuff on my venting - sorry.
The video below still WORKS IF YOU CLICK THE LINK. I like it because it reminds me of what we have in Baker. Down by 3 with 66 seconds left and no time-outs. How does Cleveland erase the deficit enough to make Cincy's last possession requiring more than a FG to win? On that last drive, Baker was left throwing to Hodges, Higgins and rookie DPJ. The back shoulder throw on the GW TD was the only place he complete the throw in the end zone.
This is why I haven't given up on Baker... I see the big picture down the road with him.. I don't care if others do not share that sentiment.. I do not want to run this young buck out of town just to see him go somewhere and watch him thrive in another uniform... Has anyone even taken note of what Colt McCoy has done recently with talent around him?... Guys like Steve Grogan,Gary Hogeboom and Joe Ferguson turned in some decent years late in their careers and made playoff appearances.. While they're not what you call elite.. They were more than serviceable at the QB position when things fell in place for them...
-
While I appreciate all your effort with clips that support your points; I don't need to watch replays of things I've seen plenty of this year. This year is far from the tell-all on Baker just like playing in Miami was far from the tell-all about Ryan Tannehill. GREAT point about the dropback being too deep after receipt of shotgun snaps. Isn't that something coaching should be able identify and clean-up better than they have?
When Drew Brees was in his 1st 2-3 years, he played bad enough to entice the SD FO to draft a QB 1st overall (Eli Manning) - who said "don't draft me because I don't want to play in SD." Well, they did draft Eli and then they realized they needed to trade him with the Giants for Philip Rivers in their 1st round spot. Rivers held out the entire training camp giving Brees 1 more at bat as the starter. Consequently, SD went 12-4 with Brees making his 1st Pro Bowl. My theory is 1 thing they did to help him was draft his Center (Nick Hardwick) in round 3 - who was very cozy snapping for the shot gun spread formations at Purdue. Why would that help some may ask? The reason was to expand the pre-snap peripheral and overall vision of a QB that needed to improve his reads, decisiveness and efficiency. It was also to give him more time and ability to step up and find better throwing lanes. Is it just a coincidence Brees made his 1st Pro Bowl and finally looked like a keeper in that 2004 season? For the record, 2004 was Brees' 4th NFL season after his record as a starter in his 3rd year was 2-9 with 11 TD 15 INT 57.6 cmp % and 67.5 pass rating compared to his 11-4 record as starter on 2004 with 27 TD 11 INT 65.5 comp% and 104.8 pass rating.
In comparison, Baker's 3rd season was 26 TD 11 INT 95.9 pass rating and his rookie season was 27 14 pass rating 93.7. A better start than Brees leading me to wonder if we should just throw in the towel like SD was starting to do prematurely on Brees or find things on film that are holding him back. You're finding examples of plays that didn't work and summarizing Baker missed the open target which is great. But WHY is this year harder for him to spread the ball around to multiple targets with the success he had last year? I've seen plenty examples of OBJ getting open and running himself into coverage while Baker was going through his progressions. Meanwhile, I don't see a lot of our younger receivers knowing how to sit in a pocket when they're open. Experience is huge in that and hopefully younger guys are getting coached up to expedite progress there. I have seen examples of Baker holding onto the ball too long only to ground it inside the pocket which is very frustrating to watch. Then, I've seen him leave the pocket too early deciding to run when he has a target wide open if he only kept his head up while running to the sidelines. Just a question, when our HC prefers to be our OC instead of HC on game day - who is talking to Baker in between series'? It doesn't matter if it was Tom Brady or Mac Jones in NE - OC Josh McDaniel can usually be found next to the QB on the bench going over things that are unfolding on the field. That's just a little thing that adds up in a 60 minute game. Why wait for Monday's film review to go over what needs to be improved? Every time we get a new HC - it seems like they only want to be an OC in lieu of the person they hired to be an OC. In the process, it looks like we're square pegging a round hole in the on going chess match. Coach your QB between series, use overhead film showing the missed opportunities you can improve upon the next series. Nuff on my venting - sorry.
The video below still WORKS IF YOU CLICK THE LINK. I like it because it reminds me of what we have in Baker. Down by 3 with 66 seconds left and no time-outs. How does Cleveland erase the deficit enough to make Cincy's last possession requiring more than a FG to win? On that last drive, Baker was left throwing to Hodges, Higgins and rookie DPJ. The back shoulder throw on the GW TD was the only place he complete the throw in the end zone.
This is why I haven't given up on Baker... I see the big picture down the road with him.. I don't care if others do not share that sentiment.. I do not want to run this young buck out of town just to see him go somewhere and watch him thrive in another uniform... Has anyone even taken note of what Colt McCoy has done recently with talent around him?... Guys like Steve Grogan,Gary Hogeboom and Joe Ferguson turned in some decent years late in their careers and made playoff appearances.. While they're not what you call elite.. They were more than serviceable at the QB position when things fell in place for them...
This is why I haven't given up on Baker... I see the big picture down the road with him.. I don't care if others do not share that sentiment.. I do not want to run this young buck out of town just to see him go somewhere and watch him thrive in another uniform... Has anyone even taken note of what Colt McCoy has down recently with talent around him?... Guys like Steve Grogan,Gary Hogeboom and Joe Ferguson turned in some decent years late in their careers and made playoff appearances.. While they're not what you call elite.. They were more than serviceable at the QB position when things fell in place for them...
Pittsburgh didn't give up on Bradshaw after a miserable 1st 4 years. Go look at those numbers. He wasn't the brightest apple in the orchard either so what did they do to help him? Well, they gave him an ideal offensive line, 2 RBs that rushed for over 1000 yards in the same season when they only played 14 regular season games, WRs like Swann and Stallworth. If that's not enough, they had a suffocating defense that sacked QBs, stuffed running games, and forced countless turnovers while they were elite at keeping their opponents' scoring down. Meatball on spaghetti, they also scored points on defense.
As we saw in the Cincy game this year with the turnovers our D forced, it reminded us of how much our defense helped us win last year. Last year, they were way better at forcing turnovers which helped the Browns win more frequently. Nothing better than starting a drive at the opponent's 15 yard line where your worst case scenario is 3 points taking pressure off the offense.
-
I don't think anybody is doubt how tough Baker is really anybody who made it to the NFL has got to be tough but there is a difference between being tough and being stupid and if Baker misses wide open passes and then starts limping around even more than he was before then his toughness is not helping the team it is hurting us be a real man and hand the ball over to the backup and let him do his job and BACK HIM UP. You wont lose your job
-
Again, Baker was just terrible tonight. He holds onto the ball way too long, and he's not good enough to scramble and make a play. He had the ball twice at the end of the game - a three and out and on the last drive he couldn't even pick up a first down. Baker sucks, period.
It's not the play calling - the play callers are limited by having a bottom 10 quarterback. There is only so much they can do. The Landry trick play was stupid. But not much you can do with a quarterback who has no athletic ability and holds onto the ball longer than anyone I've ever seen.
The Ravens stacked the box with 8 all night to stop Chubb and Hunt - it worked. They dared Baker to beat them. Baker could not. The Browns defense GIFTED Baker 4 interceptions and he comes up with 10 points. I get it, we're stuck with him this year and maybe next year if we can't make a trade for Rodgers/Watson/Wilson. I appreciate his toughness, but this is the most talented roster we've had in 30 years and Baker just isn't the answer. The Browns better scout qb's hard in this off-season (I'm sure they already are).
-
Again, Baker was just terrible tonight. He holds onto the ball way too long, and he's not good enough to scramble and make a play. He had the ball twice at the end of the game - a three and out and on the last drive he couldn't even pick up a first down. Baker sucks, period.
It's not the play calling - the play callers are limited by having a bottom 10 quarterback. There is only so much they can do. The Landry trick play was stupid. But not much you can do with a quarterback who has no athletic ability and holds onto the ball longer than anyone I've ever seen.
The Ravens stacked the box with 8 all night to stop Chubb and Hunt - it worked. They dared Baker to beat them. Baker could not. The Browns defense GIFTED Baker 4 interceptions and he comes up with 10 points. I get it, we're stuck with him this year and maybe next year if we can't make a trade for Rodgers/Watson/Wilson. I appreciate his toughness, but this is the most talented roster we've had in 30 years and Baker just isn't the answer. The Browns better scout qb's hard in this off-season (I'm sure they already are).
He holds onto the ball way too long, and he's not good enough to scramble and make a play. He had the ball twice at the end of the game - a three and out and on the last drive he couldn't even pick up a first down. Baker sucks, period.
It's hard to do anything when you're banged up, you have no receivers besides Landry and nobody is getting open, and the other team is stuffing the run. I'm not making excuses for him but what else would you like him to do?
-
He holds onto the ball way too long, and he's not good enough to scramble and make a play. He had the ball twice at the end of the game - a three and out and on the last drive he couldn't even pick up a first down. Baker sucks, period.
It's hard to do anything when you're banged up, you have no receivers besides Landry and nobody is getting open, and the other team is stuffing the run. I'm not making excuses for him but what else would you like him to do?
It's hard to do anything when you're banged up, you have no receivers besides Landry and nobody is getting open, and the other team is stuffing the run. I'm not making excuses for him but what else would you like him to do?
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
-
It's hard to do anything when you're banged up, you have no receivers besides Landry and nobody is getting open, and the other team is stuffing the run. I'm not making excuses for him but what else would you like him to do?
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
Hey Baker, you just lost another $5 million off of your next contract trying to be a wounded stud hero...
-
-
It's hard to do anything when you're banged up, you have no receivers besides Landry and nobody is getting open, and the other team is stuffing the run. I'm not making excuses for him but what else would you like him to do?
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
Yeah Odell lost
-
On another note none of the QBs coming out of college look all that great.
Early man walked away as modern man took control. Their minds weren't all the same and to conquer was their goal. So He built his great empires and he slaughtered his own kind, and he died a confused man and killed himself in his own mind... -
I'd like Baker to be competent - get rid of the ball, make accurate throws, be smart, if it's third or fourth down actually throw past the first down marker. These are things we can't make excuses for.
Did you see what Odell did today with a competent QB today? 5/81/1 - with two weeks of knowing the playbook. Baker had a legit WR and Baker couldn't do anything with him.
Hey Baker, you just lost another $5 million off of your next contract trying to be a wounded stud hero...
Hey Baker, you just lost another $5 million off of your next contract trying to be a wounded stud hero...
Time to give up on the season. Should have been done weeks ago. Probably too late to try to trade all our decent players but what the heck. Lose the next few games move up in the draft, fire Stefansky and start all over. Great. Win win for the haters.
WSS
www.westsidesteve.com www.myspace.com/westsidestevemusic www.cdbaby.com/artist/westsidestevesimmons -
On another note none of the QBs coming out of college look all that great.
On another note none of the QBs coming out of college look all that great.
Which is why barring a blockbuster trade, it's Mayfield next year as well. As much I meant what I said in the game thread, it's also impossible to deny the dude is hanging on by a thread in terms of health. Candidly, it's almost criminal for Stefanski to trot him out there. Unless somehow Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers are willing to walk through the door, there's by far no better option.
With that being said, though, I thought the talking heads made a good call this morning. It's time to upgrade the backup QB spot as well. If you're watching Mayfield literally hobble and struggle to survive out there and don't trust putting your backup in, that's a big problem. There's a lot of good names on one year deals currently, and it needs to be addressed amongst the other issues.
-
On another note none of the QBs coming out of college look all that great.
On another note none of the QBs coming out of college look all that great.
And if there were they would cost a first, a high 1st. Too late for that; had we listened to the haters from game number one we could have tanked the season again.
WSS
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login