If Baker is really this good...
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I have always been lousy at QB choices (anybody want a Manziel jersey?) but this year I was determined to be more objective. Baker was my ONLY choice as I chose to ignore his height (I've grown to hate determining success by "measurables") & focus on all other attributes such as accuracy, vision, intelligence, elusiveness, leadership, durability, attitude/determination, being a WINNER, & PASSION. I did a dance at my draft party when Baker's name was called.
He won't win every game & there may be stumbling blocks, but one very important thing I saw at "The Game" was how his on field presence raised Fan & Teammate excitement, confidence, & performance level. I believe these things will continue...IMHO that's the "IT" factor & Baker has it.
With all that being stated, NO player has ever qualified for the HOF in a game or season. While the performance in his 1st HALF NFL game was outstanding, that doesn't ensure future performance. Only time will determine the ultimate success or failure of any & all of these young QBs, but I like our chances with Baker.
Mike
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He's humble, but with a big butt chip on his shoulder.
Agree... and that's not a combo you'd think would go hand in hand.
Well, I'm glad we are settled on where the experts at the Browns Board would have picked, like it means any Shmucking thing.
Some of us like to analyze and evaluate our analyses...
... others like to fling their own feces at the wall and see if anything sticks.
Don't forget to wash your hands.
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... then I can't wait to see Josh Rosen, who topped my QB Board.
And with Sam Bradford playing at a TT level (not to mention his injury history), it doesn't look like I'll have to wait long.
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I'm very curious to see the practice attitude with Baker at the helm. We've all now heard about Baker entering the game with next to zero practice reps, so how does that change with Baker receiving EVERY rep? Do receivers subconsciously run harder routes because they know they're more likely to get the ball? Are the offensive linemen geared up because they know the ball is coming out quicker? Joe Thomas thinks so. And you saw how the running game became more lively with Baker in there.
In short, a new QB can be so much more than just a different guy throwing the ball. Think about our defense with Baker in the game. How much more REST did they get? Tyrod Taylor was basically 3 plays and punt, right? We have 11 turnovers on the season, and I think we've scored just TEN POINTS off them. 7 coming from a drive starting on the 1 yard line. Yeesh. No matter what anybody says, that kind of futility HAS to wear at a defense's state of mind, in addition to their physical taxation.
This isn't to say that Baker won't have three and outs. Of course he will. Do I firmly believe he'll have fewer than Tyrod? Absolutely. And more first downs have other implications, too. Flipping the field is huge. Even if we don't score, getting 2 or 3 first downs could mean pinning the opposition way back in their territory with Myles Garrett sniffing around.
What are my concerns? I'm tired of the drops. We aren't good enough to overcome that many drops consistently. And they were BAD ones too. We still need another WR, and Streeter isn't going to cut the stadium mustard. I'm extremely hesitant to bring in Dez Bryant, although he's kind of what we need from a purely athletic standpoint. Who else is available? I'm also worried about Baker staying healthy, but I suppose every fan has that concern.
I'm almost over losing Gordon, so bare with me. I think I WAS over it, but having Baker enter the fray conjured up all these visions of Josh catching perfectly thrown balls across the middle. In stride. With green in front of him. Not only that, but can you think of a QB's better friend than a stud WR who can score from anywhere? Again, I'm almost there, just bare with me.
So who can semi-replace Gordon? Obviously it's Callaway, but he's fraught with risk as well. He's one positive pot test away from being gone, and I HATE that. Maybe not a league full suspension, but I think Dorsey would cut him. Regardless, Callaway is with us now, and he's pretty darn good. However, he's far from perfect as we'd expect. He needs to run harder on his routes, go up and FIGHT for the underthrown balls, catch the easy ones, and stay healthy. I think all of us would LOVE to have seen Baker attempt those two deep tosses to Callaway, the ones that were woefully underthrown. You maybe get one chance a game at a long touchdown. We had two, and missed both. I tell you what, Callaway caught a 3rd down slant that was frustrating because it was short of the first down, but boy....it was a shoelace away from being a TOUCHDOWN. If you see the play, you'll notice the other defenders have their backs turned, and Baker hit Callaway in stride, full speed. He would've been GONE, boys. Similar to the slant he housed in preseason. So...close....
My other concern? My BIGGEST freaking concern? EVERYONE'S biggest concern?! SPECIAL TEAMS. I predicted a special teams touchdown for the Jets, and while they didn't TECHNICALLY score off the blocked FG, it directly lead to a touchdown, and I think it was the second, back-breaking TD. That means that special teams, kicking in particular, have cost us in each of the first 3 games. Blocked FG's, missed FG's, missed XP's, and now a blocked punt. I've seen this garbage in college, but I don't remember seeing such futility in the pros. I'm not being a negative troll here, and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but our special teams HAVE to improve significantly or we're going to lose some real heart-breakers, something we know all too well. The stat line will show our kicker making both of his XP attempts and one FG. One 40ish yard FG, two extra points. HOWEVER....if you SAW them, they didn't quite instill a sense of optimism, to put it mildly. I mean, the FG was borderline hysterical. He "Banana Kicked It" right through the uprights, and it started left and dramatically curled back to the middle. I DON'T think he meant to do that, and lord help this guy on the golf course because he's got a slice that makes Charles Barkley look like Tiger Woods. And the first XP?! Yo! That thing squeaked its butt JUST inside, lol! Hey, they counted, right? Now, on the final extra point, I was TERRIFIED. Gigantic difference in being up 4 versus 3, obviously. When he booted it, I couldn't see the ball. I had to gauge the crowd. Apparently he kicked it SO HIGH it shot right out of the screen. Lol! But it was perfect, and it was a giant kick. It really was, and I'm hoping our new kicker is the real deal because I can promise you that he's going to have a chance to be a hero, or a goat. A good kicker in Cleveland will be treated like a deity. Is he ready? Hope so.
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I will gladly admit in the future that I was wrong when I was pissed off when I heard the words:
"With the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma".
Shmuck pride, I just want the Browns to win. Enough with talking draft by October.
I will gladly admit in the future that I was wrong when I was pissed off when I heard the words:
"With the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma".
Shmuck pride, I just want the Browns to win. Enough with talking draft by October.
As I watched the announcement I too was pissed. I thought Dorsey had just blown the first pick. I wanted Darnold. I admit, so far it looks like I was wrong. Mayfield just has the "it" factor. He has a much stronger arm than I thought and he puts the ball in the right place. I honestly believe that after all these years we got us a really good one. Hell he might be a great one.
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Jiggins, I have the same overall Special Teams concerns as you & this kicker seems to be walking on thin ice. I just don't see him as a "Cleveland weather" kicker. BTW, did we work out Ross Martin, the Ohio kicker who was here in TC? He was an 83% kicker in college, NOT 69.5%. I hope we're still looking.
Mike
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I think it was sometime in March that I fully decided on Baker. I eventually got to the point where I would've been happy with Baker or Darnold, but I knew I didn't want Josh Allen, and while I felt Rosen was the most "pro ready" and would be a good QB, I didn't think WE could take him because of his injury history. I was really in the Baker bandwagon, but a part of me just didn't think we'd actually TAKE him, ya know? I shrieked like a 7 year old girl when they announced Baker at the draft...I couldn't believe it.
What were the main reasons for wanting him? First and foremost, accuracy. Other-worldly accuracy. Placing the ball consistently into tight windows and guys ACTUALLY getting yards after the catch. After that, I felt he had the PERFECT personality for our downtrodden franchise. A two-time walk-on that was never given anything, and someone who had to work for everything his entire career. After Baker told the media that he was the guy who could transform our team's fate, that was when it became obvious to me. He wasn't hoping the Browns would pass on him, he genuinely WANTED to come here.
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I think it was sometime in March that I fully decided on Baker. I eventually got to the point where I would've been happy with Baker or Darnold, but I knew I didn't want Josh Allen, and while I felt Rosen was the most "pro ready" and would be a good QB, I didn't think WE could take him because of his injury history. I was really in the Baker bandwagon, but a part of me just didn't think we'd actually TAKE him, ya know? I shrieked like a 7 year old girl when they announced Baker at the draft...I couldn't believe it.
What were the main reasons for wanting him? First and foremost, accuracy. Other-worldly accuracy. Placing the ball consistently into tight windows and guys ACTUALLY getting yards after the catch. After that, I felt he had the PERFECT personality for our downtrodden franchise. A two-time walk-on that was never given anything, and someone who had to work for everything his entire career. After Baker told the media that he was the guy who could transform our team's fate, that was when it became obvious to me. He wasn't hoping the Browns would pass on him, he genuinely WANTED to come here.
I think it was sometime in March that I fully decided on Baker. I eventually got to the point where I would've been happy with Baker or Darnold, but I knew I didn't want Josh Allen, and while I felt Rosen was the most "pro ready" and would be a good QB, I didn't think WE could take him because of his injury history. I was really in the Baker bandwagon, but a part of me just didn't think we'd actually TAKE him, ya know? I shrieked like a 7 year old girl when they announced Baker at the draft...I couldn't believe it.
What were the main reasons for wanting him? First and foremost, accuracy. Other-worldly accuracy. Placing the ball consistently into tight windows and guys ACTUALLY getting yards after the catch. After that, I felt he had the PERFECT personality for our downtrodden franchise. A two-time walk-on that was never given anything, and someone who had to work for everything his entire career. After Baker told the media that he was the guy who could transform our team's fate, that was when it became obvious to me. He wasn't hoping the Browns would pass on him, he genuinely WANTED to come here.
Same here Jiggins. I've been preaching it for years here. By the time you get to NFL draft Day- you're either accurate- or you're not. It's the primary reason I was almost ill when the Browns drafted Kizer, I saw too much of his errant passing at Notre dame, and Surprise! For the most part it was more of the same old, same old with the Browns.
PS- add Josh Allen to the scattershot list. I watched at least 4 complete games of his at Wyoming...
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I think it was sometime in March that I fully decided on Baker. I eventually got to the point where I would've been happy with Baker or Darnold, but I knew I didn't want Josh Allen, and while I felt Rosen was the most "pro ready" and would be a good QB, I didn't think WE could take him because of his injury history. I was really in the Baker bandwagon, but a part of me just didn't think we'd actually TAKE him, ya know? I shrieked like a 7 year old girl when they announced Baker at the draft...I couldn't believe it.
What were the main reasons for wanting him? First and foremost, accuracy. Other-worldly accuracy. Placing the ball consistently into tight windows and guys ACTUALLY getting yards after the catch. After that, I felt he had the PERFECT personality for our downtrodden franchise. A two-time walk-on that was never given anything, and someone who had to work for everything his entire career. After Baker told the media that he was the guy who could transform our team's fate, that was when it became obvious to me. He wasn't hoping the Browns would pass on him, he genuinely WANTED to come here.
Same here Jiggins. I've been preaching it for years here. By the time you get to NFL draft Day- you're either accurate- or you're not. It's the primary reason I was almost ill when the Browns drafted Kizer, I saw too much of his errant passing at Notre dame, and Surprise! For the most part it was more of the same old, same old with the Browns.
PS- add Josh Allen to the scattershot list. I watched at least 4 complete games of his at Wyoming...
Same here Jiggins. I've been preaching it for years here. By the time you get to NFL draft Day- you're either accurate- or you're not. It's the primary reason I was almost ill when the Browns drafted Kizer, I saw too much of his errant passing at Notre dame, and Surprise! For the most part it was more of the same old, same old with the Browns.
PS- add Josh Allen to the scattershot list. I watched at least 4 complete games of his at Wyoming...
Well that's just it. Sounds stupidly simple, but can a guy put the ball where he wants it and do it consistently? I could give a cold dump about a guy who can throw it 80 yards. I really don't care. It's the reason why I so desperately wanted Alex Smith on our team. Get the ball out, get it in stride, and get the first down. And Kizer, lord....you nailed it. How many times we get near the end zone and he couldn't deliver it? Constantly missing receivers over the middle, throwing picks, and never, EVER to throw a fade pattern. Like...ever.
But know this Browns fans: As good as Baker played, and it was near legendary when you factor everything in, he's GOING to struggle more than he shines this year. It's what history tells us about virtually all rookie QBs. The GOOD news is that Baker has the mindset to overcome the doubt, the fear, and the hesitation that comes with learning the hard way. It's yet another reason why I wanted him. Remember when Kevin Hogan came into the game and immediately started slinging the rock around? The ball was coming out hot and on time. He moved us down the field, so much so that Hogan got the start against the Texans, and then proceeded to get his entire butt blown out of the water. He was never heard from again....and his butt is still missing.
I say this not to compare Hogan to Mayfield, only to remind everyone that each week is different. When NFL coaches have time to prepare for someone, especially a rookie, things tend to get tough. Backup QBs are said to be the most popular guys in town when you have a losing franchise. They come in, provide a spark, and people think, "Hey! This guy can do it every week!" Well, more often than not, he can't. Which is why he IS the backup.
Now obviously this is a bit different because Baker isn't just some well-traveled backup QB, he's the freaking #1 overall pick. And once you DO go to him, you're not likely to switch back, so you want the timing to be right. I'd been saying for a few days we'd see Baker start at Oakland because we have the mini break after Thursday, and then he'd get a complete week of practice as the #1.
We're all going to be excited. I'm going to be crazy with anticipation. But maybe I'm just too scared to FULLY believe, but I know how difficult it is to win on the road. Those fumbles don't roll your way. The calls aren't there from refs. The kicks that squeezed in before, bounce off uprights. It's a different animal, and while I'm beyond stoked, I'm trying to cautious myself about predicting success from my fireball rookie QB. Oakland is garbage, that's obvious. Their pass rush is hurting without Mack, and you run a giant risk giving Baker a clean pocket. However, it's as good as any game for a first start, and I'm completely pumped.
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Can't wait to see The Herd today though.
Can't wait to see The Herd today though.
That moron he had with him just mentioned Baker having his phone in his hand at the end of the game .......... how dare he have a phone in his hand after taking a 1-31 team to a 2nd half comeback win on debut .......how Shmucking dare he ...... put Tyrod back in and trade him .....
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Can't wait to see The Herd today though.
That moron he had with him just mentioned Baker having his phone in his hand at the end of the game .......... how dare he have a phone in his hand after taking a 1-31 team to a 2nd half comeback win on debut .......how Shmucking dare he ...... put Tyrod back in and trade him .....
That moron he had with him just mentioned Baker having his phone in his hand at the end of the game .......... how dare he have a phone in his hand after taking a 1-31 team to a 2nd half comeback win on debut .......how Shmucking dare he ...... put Tyrod back in and trade him .....
Phone? Call Collins mom and tell her "Baker is not studying his playbook. Bake is on the sidelines at Sooner/Army Game"
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It's amazing the effect a real QB has on a team.. What I witnessed the other night was that as soon as Baker walked out on to the field.... He literally raised the level of play of the entire team... I haven't seen that since we had Kosar.
I was disappointed to see that Tie Wad , While on the sidelines did NOT get together with his receivers and start talking and planning about what they could do for the next series... That should tell you all you need to know about him.. 1) He's a shitty chess player 2) He's not a leader of men.Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~ -
Rosen's debut was.. less than inspiring.
The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you. "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." Paul Brown -
Rosen's debut was.. less than inspiring.
Rosen's debut was.. less than inspiring.
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Rosen's debut was.. less than inspiring.
Rosen's debut was.. less than inspiring.
I'm so glad we passed on that arrogant prick!
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Not sure how much you can inspire in a total of 4:03 of game clock at the end of a defensive struggle... but whatever.
Interesting thing to me was that Bradford had played well for most of the game, then not so much late and somehow that made it time to make the switch. This after two pretty terrible complete games by Bradford. Dubious decision to say the least...
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
It's amazing the effect a real QB has on a team.. What I witnessed the other night was that as soon as Baker walked out on to the field.... He literally raised the level of play of the entire team... I haven't seen that since we had Kosar.
I was disappointed to see that Tie Wad , While on the sidelines did NOT get together with his receivers and start talking and planning about what they could do for the next series... That should tell you all you need to know about him.. 1) He's a shitty chess player 2) He's not a leader of men.It's amazing the effect a real QB has on a team.. What I witnessed the other night was that as soon as Baker walked out on to the field.... He literally raised the level of play of the entire team... I haven't seen that since we had Kosar.
I was disappointed to see that Tie Wad , While on the sidelines did NOT get together with his receivers and start talking and planning about what they could do for the next series... That should tell you all you need to know about him.. 1) He's a shitty chess player 2) He's not a leader of men.I like your chess reference. I've been told on here that chess and football are completely alien to each other. But then again, he's really into the whole anal thing. I'm more old skool in that football and the game of chess go hand in hand.
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