Baker Mayfield: Fire The Cannons

[macbdog]

Also, it's easy to mock the "____ HOF player sucked his first few years" takes, but another I realized today, as long as people are arguing the "Baker already at ceiling!!" canard, is that it took Brady until his 8th season (7th if you want to throw out his rookie redshirt year) to score more than...

...28 passing TDs, i.e. 1 more than 2018 Baker and 2 more than 2020.

Granted, slightly different game now (albeit not like comparing to the 1990s or before,) and he had a personal best by 22 TDs the next season, but this idea that "the book is written" on Baker with him still awaiting his 27th birthday is absurd.

Hell, the 2001 miracle season (18 TDs, 12 INT, 2843 yds in 15 reg season games) looks, technically, a lot like the 2021 Baker disaster. (Yes, I know I'm starting to sound like the infamous reddit "regressing Mahomes to the mean" post.)

Was with ya up until that last part. Brady's first season he was epitome of a 'game Manager', and started to have a knack for the late drive. Baker has been the total opposite, wilting when the pressure was hottest. Gross numbers similar, actual performance was completely different.

 

[Selby]

A bit more of a credible source. We will see if it actually happens.

 

[Smooth]

Browns are protecting themselves, plain and simple…

Going into the offseason exclaiming they’re ready to move on from Baker provides them little leverage and risks them being left holding the bag should they be unable to acquire a veteran QB of their liking..

Baker coming back is dependent on who the Browns can acquire, and/or what a team would be willing to trade for him..

 

[prf100]

Browns are protecting themselves, plain and simple…

Going into the offseason exclaiming they’re ready to move on from Baker provides them little leverage and risks them being left holding the bag should they be unable to acquire a veteran QB of their liking..

Baker coming back is dependent on who the Browns can acquire, and/or what a team would be willing to trade for him..

Totally agree - would add that his fully guaranteed 5th year option gives the Browns even more reason to position this as such

 

[Jack Brickman]

Browns are protecting themselves, plain and simple…

Going into the offseason exclaiming they’re ready to move on from Baker provides them little leverage and risks them being left holding the bag should they be unable to acquire a veteran QB of their liking..

Baker coming back is dependent on who the Browns can acquire, and/or what a team would be willing to trade for him..

It's also just common sense. Baker is under contract for another year and it wouldn't make sense for the Browns to move on unless they can make a move for a clear upgrade.

 

[eChameleon]

One more year is all I would give him anyway unless he lights the league up next season.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Sometimes when two sides passionately hate each other, they are both in a position to apologize and re-examine how they got here.

I've thought Mary Kay is a hack for a decade. I'm not surprised multiple former QBs are standing in line to call her out - she earned it. The established Cleveland sports media have been entitled to be negative.

Of course, there's a reason they are both entitled and negative: the Browns were always awful and there wasn't a lot of actual positivity to report. All the same, Mary Kay enjoyed a work environment where she could take wild leaps in reporting negative crap and nobody would call her on it.

Baker screwed up. He's said a few regrettable things publicly. He's played through an injury when he should have gotten a surgery. He's angry after losses, and all of Cleveland has been angry he caused the losses.

So I believe every negative thing said about Baker, and I believe every negative thing said about Mary Kay.

I also know which of the two is the most replaceable.

Mary Kay confused which of the two is more replaceable, and I hope she gets canned. It would be a decade overdue.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

I still maintain the biggest thing said in that piece is there will be no negotiation on a new contract.

Gives you a look at what the Browns think of Baker.

 

[2 For The Brew]

Sometimes when two sides passionately hate each other, they are both in a position to apologize and re-examine how they got here.

I've thought Mary Kay is a hack for a decade. I'm not surprised multiple former QBs are standing in line to call her out - she earned it. The established Cleveland sports media have been entitled to be negative.

Of course, there's a reason they are both entitled and negative: the Browns were always awful and there wasn't a lot of actual positivity to report. All the same, Mary Kay enjoyed a work environment where she could take wild leaps in reporting negative crap and nobody would call her on it.

Baker screwed up. He's said a few regrettable things publicly. He's played through an injury when he should have gotten a surgery. He's angry after losses, and all of Cleveland has been angry he caused the losses.

So I believe every negative thing said about Baker, and I believe every negative thing said about Mary Kay.

I also know which of the two is the most replaceable.

Mary Kay confused which of the two is more replaceable, and I hope she gets canned. It would be a decade overdue.

Chuck Heston, Tony Grossi, MKC. The trend is not good. In fact it’s so bad you could put Emily in that job - at least the tweets would be more entertaining & no less informative.

 

[Vee-Rex]

Browns are protecting themselves, plain and simple…

Going into the offseason exclaiming they’re ready to move on from Baker provides them little leverage and risks them being left holding the bag should they be unable to acquire a veteran QB of their liking..

Baker coming back is dependent on who the Browns can acquire, and/or what a team would be willing to trade for him..

I agree, but on the flip side I think it ALSO means that the Browns are willing to give Baker another year if they can't get the upgrade they want. You said it provides little leverage exclaiming they're ready to move on from Baker... yet they could've just as easily not said anything at all. I think this shows that they still believe he could be better when healthy and won't move on just for the sake of it. Why else would they release this information rather than just being quiet about the whole thing?

I also think it shows that the insinuation that Baker and Stefanski's relationship is terrible and would certainly lead to Baker being traded/cut was just a narrative derived from emotional frustration with the season's results.

The simple fact of the matter is... any rational, level-headed GM would roll into 2022 with a healthy, 18million dollar Baker if they can't upgrade, rather than swinging for the Cam Newtons and Mitch Trubiskys as suggested by so many of our emotionally tilted fans. I don't think someone like Garoppolo (who is injury prone and has major warts himself) will be considered either.

You can seek to upgrade AND be okay with sticking with your guy for one more year. The black-n-white, binary mindsets and views probably isn't how we want our front office to operate.

 

[Real Deal]

So as soon as MKC released her report, Baker and coaching staff finished up talking plans of the future

 

[Steve_424]

I still maintain the biggest thing said in that piece is there will be no negotiation on a new contract.

Gives you a look at what the Browns think of Baker.

Not necessarily.

I'm just not sure an extension makes sense for either side right now. For Baker, he's going to want to come back healthy and prove he's worth big $ that surely isn't on the table right now. For the Browns, they have no incentive to commit to any kind of extension right now, even if they do still believe he can be "the guy" once 100% again. If he balls out next year, they can franchise tag him or work out a deal then. If he doesn't, they can move on knowing it wasn't just injuries.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

Not necessarily.

I'm just not sure an extension makes sense for either side right now. For Baker, he's going to want to come back healthy and prove he's worth big $ that surely isn't on the table right now. For the Browns, they have no incentive to commit to any kind of extension right now, even if they do still believe he can be "the guy" once 100% again. If he balls out next year, they can franchise tag him or work out a deal then. If he doesn't, they can move on knowing it wasn't just injuries.

...I mean, that's exactly my point.

Sure, it'll leave the door open, but the Browns certainly going to avoid a QB upgrade when they aren't all that sure Baker is there guy going forward. If they were, they would negotiate with him anyway, ala the Cowboys with Dak last year.

 

[Real Deal]

Every team that doesn't have Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Russell Wilson would love to dream about an upgrade. I'm sure Berry would line up as fast as the next GM. But pipe dreams are pipe dreams.

 

[Cement]