I just cannot believe I've put so much hope, excitement, research work, and yes even faith in John Dorsey and came up with Baker Mayfield.
I watched 31 losses in 32 games and I received Baker Mayfield.
It feels like those old gimmicky t-shirts "Mom and Dad went to X and All I got was this lousy t-shirt".
I paid numerous dollars over the last 13 years for Sunday Ticket and I received Baker Mayfield.
I read so many things like Baker Mayfield's a "winner", wants the "Challenge" of Cleveland, arm strength, and competitiveness and wonder some things.
As I ponder this, some things come to mind and I come up with a comparison with a Browns quarterback of the past and it's not the one that you will expect.
I have Baker Mayfield as the fifth rated quarterback in this draft ( Sam Darnold is my favorite by far, Josh Allen on tools, Josh Rosen throws a nice ball but has a concussion history so while I like his ability I'd stay away, I like Lamar Jackson a lot more than others do, it seems and then Mayfield) as a late first/early second-round player.
Taking him here is a massive reach and the Browns better be right.
Baker's a winner: Baker won a lot of games, but he didn't win 45 of them.
Every year, a player is coming into the draft that won a lot of games in college, was fun to watch and some had compelling personalities.
And with one exception (Tim Tebow), those guys slide into late day two and day three and find themselves as clipboard carriers and career backups.
Fans fail to realize that even the best college defenses might have 4 guys that play in the NFL and the speed of the NFL game soon overwhelms these "gutty winners" and puts them where they should be
"Great college players that just weren't NFL starters".
No shame in that, but Baker Mayfield and his crew have risen above that as they have crafted a narrative that has lifted a day two talent into the first pick in the draft.
I was always a big fan of Kellen Moore, who fit that mold as a "winner" etc and as a backup, Moore was a great guy to have on the team, but when forced into action, the speed of the game was beyond what he could do athletically and he was unsuccessful.
Baker's teammates loved playing for him.
That very well could be, but this leadership magnetism only goes as far as your won/loss record, which at Oklahoma is easy to roll up with superior talent and won't be the case in the NFL.
Arm strength- Mayfield is an average armed passer, I wouldn't rate him as a noodle arm like some Browns QB's, but not the type of power arm that you hope to have in a guaranteed eleven games in a cold-weather climate-based division.
Mayfield seems to be the opposite of what you would want in Cleveland as far arm strength and getting the ball downfield to guys like Josh Gordon, who will have some of the best qualities of his game nullified.
The off the field issues weren't a problem with the comparison I'll make shortly, but Mayfield's swagger and attitude extend off the field as well with various problems and brings drama to a franchise that was supposedly trying to avoid it.
Baker Mayfield isn't Johnny Manziel.
He's Colt McCoy with off-field baggage.
College winner in a defensively challenged conference with all the trimmings for college success.
Lacking the size, stature, and arm strength to succeed in a division that plays in cold and wind, Colt McCoy became a backup and that's where I see Baker Mayfield over the long haul.
Unable to move around the better athletes in the NFL and unable to throw the long ball through the wind, McCoy/Mayfield became a dink and dunker with defenses daring him to throw long.
Combine that both players have fathers that certainly aren't afraid to comment and stick their opinions into the team and I believe that Colt McCoy (on the field) is a better comparison to Baker Mayfield.
The difference is the Browns wasted the top overall pick on Mayfield, McCoy was a third-rounder.
In the end, this might be it.
I relied on John Dorsey to do the right thing and he gave me Baker Mayfield in the most elaborate con game that has ever been played in the NFL draft.
From the cocky act to the reality show to the comments of being the best player in the draft, Team Mayfield chiseled a narrative to get Mayfield as high in the draft as they could (nothing wrong with that, mind you) because they know.
What they know that the Browns and some observers don't is that much of this is an act.
More sizzle than steak and what they really know is this- it's made for the short-term to get as large of a contract as possible (Slot money) before he becomes exposed as what he is- an undersized average armed backup that has used charisma to charm a certain demographic.
John Dorsey might have been conned. I'm not.
I relied on football people to do the right thing.
They didn't and maybe I've had enough...
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