Cleveland Browns News: Will Baker Mayfield avoid sophomore slump?
By Dan Justik
The Daily Dawg Tags brings you all the Cleveland Browns news you need to know, including if Baker Mayfield can avoid a sophomore slump.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield showed during his rookie season that he has the ability to be a game-changer under center and can make throws all over the field.
Because of his presence leading the offense, the entire Browns team last season took strides forward. With how well he and the rest of the offense played, the Browns were even in playoff contention towards the end of the season.
However, Mayfield will have to avoid something that happens to most second-year players: the sophomore slump. No matter the success and talent of a player, they seem to have a drop off in production during their second season.
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Today’s featured article tries to answer the question of if Mayfield can avoid the slump and what he would need to do in order to do so.
Cleveland Browns News
"This is where the boring stuff matters. If Mayfield seriously approached the OTAs, doing video work as he watches the practices with the new receivers, he can keep improving. Mayfield seems very driven. Most times, players have the sophomore jinx when they suddenly think they are seniors and have it made. I don’t think that will be the case with Mayfield."
If the Browns want to live up to their expectations for the 2019 season, they are going to need Mayfield to perform at an even higher level than he did last season. But as Mayfield showed last season, his work ethic should prevent a lot of issues commonly seen with young players, including avoiding a sophomore slump.
Baker Mayfield ranked as a top-ten quarterback for 2019 season
Mayfield had a rookie season that would typically be awarded with Rookie of the Year honors. But even though he did not win the award, Mayfield showed the potential of being one of the next best quarterbacks in the league, and is already being viewed as a top-ten quarterback.
Could we please relax about Odell Beckham’s practice appearances? – Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland.com
"But no one thinks Beckham wants out of Cleveland. Whether he practices or not, it’s just about practicing or not. And teams survive when top guys aren’t at OTAs. You know who along with Mack, Bell and Thomas missed OTAs a year ago?"
Odell Beckham Jr. is not the only superstar player who decides to skip a team’s voluntary workouts and voluntary mini-camp during the offseason. And if the Browns were concerned with his practicing, then there would likely have been some changes already.
Next. Which AFC North team had the best offseason?. dark
Can the Cleveland Browns offensive line match 2018 success?
The Cleveland Browns offensive line struggled out of the gates last season, but started to dominate towards the end of the season. Elliot Kennel wonders if the group in 2019 can replicate their success.