Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield shows progress in Get Up interview
Baker Mayfield went on ESPN’s Get Up Friday morning and he took the blame for everything that went wrong with the Cleveland Browns in a season where the expectations were so high.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield’s interview on ESPN’s Get Up came about because former NFL head coach Rex Ryan is a frequent guest on the show and during the 2019 season he ripped Mayfield’s performance. Mayfield replied by saying “If you’re not wearing orange and brown you don’t matter and Rex Ryan doesn’t have colors right now for a reason.”
Mayfield deserves credit for just going on the show to address his critics face-to-face and how he handled it probably surprised some people. He was humble, understanding and mature, which are not things we have seen from him so far in his career.
He took complete responsibility for things going south this year, as he threw 21 interceptions. He recognized that at the end of the day it falls on the shoulders of the head coach and quarterback, and the Cleveland Browns already fired their 2019 head coach Freddie Kitchens.
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There was one comment that stood above all else that shows Mayfield has truly reflected on the things that went wrong and what role he played in that. He said “I put my foot in my mouth a lot this season.” He knew he said things that made him look childish and sensitive. Then he acknowledged it is not his job to respond to what people say who aren’t in the locker room.
This all should be music to Browns fans ears. The biggest thing that Mayfield needed to be is a grown up and he is clearly working on that. He received criticism going into the offseason because he said he wouldn’t be working with a “quarterback expert” like so many other NFL quarterbacks do.
But if he knows himself, which it’s clear he does, then he knows what he needs to do to get better. If he says he doesn’t need to go see a quarterback guru, then Browns fans should believe him and wait to see the results.
He made a comment referencing the late, great Kobe Bryant. He said Kobe never worried about what other people had to say and he was concerned with getting the most out of his teammates so they can win games. A singular focus on winning, which Cleveland didn’t have this season and it showed on the field.
If you haven’t heard this interview, you should listen and see how drastically different Mayfield sounds just a few weeks removed from the end of the worst season of his career, college or professional.
The first step in fixing a problem is admitting that you have a problem and that is what this interview was about. Mayfield showed Browns fans that he is working hard, not just on his skills but on his intangibles, which are so valuable for a quarterback.
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Mayfield isn’t the first player to go through a sophomore slump and the truly great players always bounce back. If you have given up on Mayfield, you might want to reconsider because he has a personality that breeds greatness.