CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield says he doesn’t care what people think.
“I am who I am and always have been,” he said after abruptly ending his Wednesday press conference but still caring enough to go to Twitter to elaborate.
From an identity reveal standpoint, this week in Berea told us nothing particularly new about the starting quarterback.
Fiery? I’ll give you fiery if you accept immature, too.
I am who I am?
If that helps fuel him, OK. But too often it’s a convenience employed to excuse our failings.
(For instance, don’t try this as an explanation the next time you forget your spouse’s birthday.)
Everybody makes mistakes and grows from them. Or should.
Nobody is a finished product at 23. Not on or off the field.
And to be fair, Mayfield has said before he knows there are “lessons” to learn.
However poorly his attitude (“If I offend anybody, that’s too bad”) might play in real life, teammates and coaches still seem to like what he brings to the job.
They had better hope it begins translating to wins because the questions about underachievement — his and theirs — won’t get any easier.
Like his team, Mayfield needs most immediately to show signs of growth on the field. There hasn’t been much on display from him or the Browns this season.
Sunday wouldn’t be too soon.
Win, maybe things settle down in Berea. A win gets the arrow pointed up again.
Lose and “I am who I am” rings even more hollow.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield scrambles against the New England Patriots in the second half of at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 27, 2019.
Steven Senne/AP
BUD SHAW’S SPORTS SPIN: The Browns need improvement in a lot of areas, starting with head coach Freddie Kitchens
- A standard Wednesday feature of this column is “You Said It,” which invites reader participation.
The Browns better win Sunday because I don’t really want to introduce “Who said it? Baker Mayfield or Popeye?”
“I am who I am.” — Mayfield
“I yam what I yam.” — Popeye.
“If I’m not me, who am I. And If I’m somebody else, why do I look like me?” — Popeye.
“A liar is a liar.” — Mayfield on Colin Cowherd.
“I’ll take you all on one at a time.” — Popeye, I think.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, left, is assisted from the turf by Ricky Seals-Jones after being tackled in the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 27, 2019.
Steven Senne/AP
- Players don’t always like the questions asked of them. Some questions are better than others. Same with answers.
But if you’re going to call a question “the dumbest you could ask,” as Mayfield did, you really shouldn’t contribute the dumbest take in the business to the same conversation.
“No. You don’t play, you don’t know. That’s just plain and simple,” Mayfield said when ESPN 850’s Tony Grossi pursued his line of questioning about an unproductive drive just before halftime in New England.
Good God, not that again.
The reason we ask questions of players and coaches is because they’re on the field and we’re not.
Goes without saying
Also doesn’t mean as a reporter— or a fan — that you can’t make arguments or judgments based on what you see.
Or in a reporter’s case, based on talking with coaches and players for the last 40 years and watching the NFL closely.
For instance, do you need to have thrown a challenge flag or two on a NFL sideline to know the Freddie Kitchens challenges Sunday were a waste of time?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield walks on the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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- Players can say they don’t want to answer a question.
They can even say, “That was last week. We’re on to Denver.”
And now, we’re on to Denver.
- More Mayfield from Wednesday: “We know exactly what’s wrong. It’s not something like we’re looking at, “Wow, why didn’t we win?” We know exactly why we didn’t win. We know the problem.”
NFL teams almost always know why they don’t win.
In the case of Browns teams of recent vintage, they even know why they almost always almost win.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes as San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa applies pressure during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
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- It’s not like NASA trying to figure out an issue happening on the far side of the moon. It’s just football, where the ability to cover up obvious inefficiencies and correct flaws is why some teams make the playoffs and the rest don’t.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, September 29, 2019.
Gail Burton/AP
- In his second game with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders caught seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in Thursday’s 28-25 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Sanders has more touchdowns in two games than Odell Beckham Jr. has in seven games with Baker Mayfield.
Not that anyone other than every Browns fan I know is counting.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield works out prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
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- San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman called the Niners defensive performance “humbling.”
“They didn’t do anything that was really difficult,” Sherman told the media post-game. “Quarterback ran from time to time. We missed plays. We missed tackles. We blew assignments. . . . It’s mistakes you can’t make.”
I didn’t watch the entire game. What I did see was Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Kenyan Drake making some great plays. Receiver Andy Isabella (Mayfield High) also caught a 88-yard touchdown pass and made a nice run after catch.
It’s OK to give the other team credit for playing well.
And even for shaking hands at the coin toss.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) gestures after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, September 29, 2019. The Browns won, 40-25.
Gail Burton/AP
- Jets safetyJamal Adams believes the team shopped him around at the trade deadline, and that upsets him.
“The Rams don’t take calls on Aaron Donald,” he said. “The Patriots don’t take calls on Tom Brady. You know what I mean? That’s where I hold myself in that regard.”
Do you want to tell him, or should I?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander, left, and K’Waun Williams during the first half of a Monday Night Football game in Santa Clara, California on Monday, October 7, 2019.
Tony Avelar/AP
- Bill Belichick seemed to back away from the idea of retiring before he turns 70. He is 67.
“When I said it, maybe I didn’t know what 70 felt like,” Belichick said in a WEEI interview. “So I’m not really sure if that’s an accurate statement today or not. At the time, I didn’t feel that way. Now that I’m closer to that age, I don’t know.”
Guess he’ll figure it out when he gets there.
Until then, he’s on to 68.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws a pass during the first half of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, October 13, 2019.
Ron Schwane/AP
- The Browns won’t see Joe Flacco (neck) in Denver. They won’t see Andy Dalton (benched) when they play the Cincinnati Bengals, who have turned their season over to fourth-round draft pick Ryan Finley.
Yet to be determined is whether that’s good news for the Browns or bad news.
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- Sunday, the Browns face Denver quarterback Brandon Allen, who has never taken a NFL snap. He is who he is — a sixth-round pick the Browns should be able to harass and confuse.
Right?
Baker Mayfield eats a can of spinach at the coin toss.