So I'm in Ohio this weekend and I turned on some of the local Browns Sunday pregame shows to see what they're saying. The first thing I hear is a former player making excuses for Tyrod and minimizing Mayfield's performance by saying the reason there was so much difference between the two was because they "shortened up the routes" for Baker, and if they would have done the same thing for Tyrod he would have done better. Nobody pushed back on these excuses.
I said "bullshit", and I changed the channel.
Baker's first throws were more down the field than anything Tyrod does except for the bomb attempts. What a load of shit, ignores the facts that Mayfield simply sees the field better, he's quicker getting to the back of his drop, quicker at making a decision and pulling the trigger, he has the balls and the arm to throw into tight windows that Tyrod lacks. Baker has twice the velocity and spin on the ball and it gets to the target much quicker, and he's twice as accurate. He throws with anticipation and he throws receivers open, which is something Tyrod never does. Baker also has better pocket awareness and he moves into open space while still looking to throw downfield more often where Tyrod is more likely to run himself into a sack unless he gets enough open space to utilize his forward foot speed.
<Exhales>...Have I left anything out?