Recapturing Mayfield's Magic
The Cleveland Browns were able to capture the imagination in 2018. They were fun. They were exciting. Even when they were trailing in games, it always felt like they had a chance to come back as long as Baker Mayfield had the ball. It didn't feel like they lost games so much as they simply ran out of time. Mayfield brought hope as well as room for error to a franchise and a fanbase that desperately needed both. It started with what he was able to do when he stepped onto the field in his first appearance on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets, bringing the team from behind to win the game. It only grew from there.
This year, the Browns don't have that same feeling. They often feel defeated when the game has barely even started and there's little if any reason to believe they can win, let alone just fight their way back into the game. Whatever magic Mayfield had last year simply hasn't been there this and the entire season has been a futile attempt to recapture it. Much of this is due to the fact that Mayield is simply not the same quarterback he was last year. Worse, he's not the same person.
Mayfield will say all the right things, at least as it relates to this particular topic, but he doesn't believe in them the way he did last season. It's not to suggest he's disingenuous. He knows the right responses and what should be happening, but he's searching for solutions to challenges he wasn't facing last season. Mayfield doesn't have that same unflappable aura. He'd make mistakes in games, throw interceptions but he would respond, bounce back and make anyone playing with him or against him believe that he could win.
This is not a call for Ken Zampese to be brought back or anything like that, but clearly there is something different about Mayfield from last year to this year in terms of his confidence and preparation, which does land on Freddie Kitchens for choosing Ryan Lindley to be his quarterbacks coach. Potentially the biggest misstep of the past offseason, Lindley simply isn't there yet as a quarterback coach, isn't equipped to guide Mayfield. Getting Mayfield back to the level of confidence he had in 2018 is the most critical issue the Browns will have in the offseason. Finding the right person to guide his development for next season and beyond will make the biggest difference in the team's trajectory.
Mayfield sets the tone for everything else on this team. When he's right, it makes everyone play better on both sides of the ball. Offensive players feel like if they go harder, Mayfield will find them and reward them for their hard work. Defensive players feel like if they can get the ball back to Mayfield, he'll find a way to score. That natural charisma he brings gets teammates to follow him and believe in him. It's that extra something in him that makes him a special talent. It's simply not the same as it was last year as he's searching for answers every week, both on the field and after the game.
So many people have wanted Mayfield to be humbled. He had the great rookie season, had all of this hype entering this season and his commercials are inescapable. And as he hasn't played as well this year, it has weighed on him, because he wants to be great. He wants to win. The way he carries himself on the field, the way he faces questions after games, it's beyond humbled. Mayfield often looks the way fans feel about this team this season; frustrated, disheartened, trying to figure out how what often looked so easy last year has become so difficult.
Mayfield will continue to work, continue to try to prove doubters wrong and be the quarterback the Browns want him to be, the quarterback he expects to be. And maybe this season can provide some value for him from that standpoint as well as the experience overall. The Browns need to do better by Mayfield in terms of his guidance and coaching. Regardless of who the head coach is or what offense they run, it's imperative the Browns get Mayfield back to the person he was last year and his years at Oklahoma; the person he truly is. The player would make teammates love him and opponents absolutely hate him for the same reasons.
