I think that's why I'm expecting great things from Baker Mayfield....He really does seem to have the "it factor" down pat. He's very engaging and genuine. He's comfortable in any setting. There's no phoniness with Baker....That's likely why people gravitate. These are the things that separate the really good QB's, from the great ones. This guy was born to be a QB...
I think there is a certain % of fans who will tune in, and frankly the YouTube cut outs will either bring more people or turn people off, depending on what the cameras catch, and how engaging/funny/inspiring/disastrous it comes off. There are some fans who just like "reality TV" who will watch. Browns fans certainly. Mayfield will bring eyeballs, as will Chubb in smaller numbers, Gordon could draw some who either want to see him succeed or fail, and general NFL fans who are just hungry for something "football" to see. As much as they'll deny it Pittsburgh fans will watch, mostly to make fun, as will Baltimore and Cinci fans. Mostly I think the audience will grow if the team and it's personalities are interesting. The team could benefit from a larger audience, and if they can win some games the story will continue to unfold, and inspire a new surge in Browns fans. If they go out and lose, particularly in idiotic Browns fashion, it will all be for naught. Here's hoping for the former.
I dunno... Oklahoma seemed to really like him. Unofficial scientific study here, but... Twitter Follows: Josh Allen - 39k Josh Rosen - 44.6k Baker Mayfield - 284k Jameis Winston - 295k Johnny Manziel - 2.24m
Your talking about free social media compared to people paying for HBO.....All Im saying is there will be fan bases that dont care bout the Browns and Baker Mayfield being on Hard Knocks
I'm breaking my silence for this one... There are also most fanbases that wouldn't have cared about the Jets being on Hard Knocks, or the Jaguars being on Hard Knocks, or the (insert team name here). That is a moot point, if ever there was one. Baker Mayfield brings a legitimate reason for someone that doesn't currently have HBO, to go out and get it. He has a BIG following of OU fans that will most certainly be spending an extra $15/mo to watch him. I know this because many of the Browns boards I follow have been inundated with OU fans who are now Browns fans because they LOVE this kid so much. They have taken crap from a lot of Browns fans who are insulted that they haven't gone through the last 19 years telling them they can't be called Browns fans until they endure what we have..That's bullshit, I'll sit and have a beer with anyone that calls themselves a Browns fan, even if they are on loan until Baker's career is over in about 14 years. That fanbase there in Oklahoma is 100's of thousands of fans...I really don't think Josh Allen in Buffalo or Sam Darnold in New York City Jets carries any type of clout near what Mayfield does...Argue THAT point with me stopper... (edit) I would say odds are, this will be the highest rated Hard Knocks in their short history. It was a novelty show that has grown in popularity, the Browns being this years participant will grow that popularity to a new level.
Im not disagreeing....not many people care bout NYJ, Browns, Buff, etc....those teams are pretty irrelevant when it comes to true football contenders...again your missing the point...yes OKla fans may follow cause they have followed Baker for the last couple of yrs.....people from LA, Jax, Miami etc probably could give a rats a$$ bout following Baker Mayfield during Hard Knocks
I'm not talking about singling out any specific area. Miami could give a rats ass if the Dolphins were on Hard Knocks, they aren't that kind of fanbase. LA, until proven otherwise, doesn't support the NFL very well and Jacksonville has been a city that has talked about relocation for over 10 years and has only been in the league for 23 years... We are discussing who would IMPACT the HBO series Hard Knocks...show me a team and PLEASE back it up with some semblance of "WHY" when stating which team would impact the series more. Just to let you in on a little research that you CERTAINLY weren't going to do yourself, the following were the teams that have a mandatory obligation to do the show: San Francisco 49ers Denver Broncos Cleveland Browns LA Chargers Baltimore Ravens Washington Redskins (edit) Sorry, I meant to address this..."...again your missing the point..." what was your point exactly? The only thing you have stated is no one wants to watch the Browns/Mayfield on Hard Knocks. Was there something more to your point, or is the point that you never really had a point in the first place?
My point is outside of Clev/Okla there wont be much interest in Hard Knocks...the Browns are irrelevant to many fan bases based on 1-31 and are pretty much the laughing stock over the years through the media and analysts...to put it bluntly Hard Knocks is kind of a stupid show except for the fan base of that team
Then your point was, outside of Jets fanbase there wouldn't be much interest in Jets, outside of Buffalo there wouldn't be any interest in the Bills... What fanbase, outside of the profiled teams fanbase do you think would bring interest to the HBO series? Do you think fanbases outside of San Francisco would tune into a show featuring the 49ers? Do you think fanbases outside of Denver would tune into a show featuring the Broncos? Do you think fanbases outside of Las Angelos(If LA even tuned in, which I doubt) would tune into a show featuring the Chargers? Do you think fanbases outside of Baltimore would tune into a show featuring the Ravens? Do you think fanbases outside of Washington would tune into a show featuring the Redskins? MY point was that YOUR point is a MOOT point. Basically what you said was no one outside the Browns fanbase cares...I disagree with that whole-heartily as the series has been a big success over the years, despite having less than interesting teams featured on it. The Browns actually bring more to the table than any other team that has been featured, or HBO had access to feature in 2018. Baker Mayfield being one of the major reasons for that...but also the fact they are a 1-31 team over the past two seasons and have made a historical # of moves to change the franchise. This team in 2018 has been transformed and it will be interesting to see if a team so desolate can turn a corner by adding so many pieces.
Irish, there are a lot of points to cover in this conversation, but I'm going to leave many of them, and the homer-ism that inspires them, aside. I'm not a Miami Dolphins fan, but I know damn sure that the fans here would care a ton if their team was on Hard Knocks. Any fanbase would. Every fan secretly wishes their team was on the show, while also hoping they're not (are the cameras a distraction? I don't know a coach that wants Hard Knocks there...). Let's keep the focus on your own fanbase, and stop insulting others, for once. Your point that casual and hardcore football fans will watch, regardless of team, is correct. That's the point of the show. Mayfield may offset some of the detractions that the Browns inherently have, regarding ratings. I wouldn't imagine this is a particularly more or less popular season than any other. Question is, how much glaring ineptitude are we going to see on camera? If coach Jackson is the buffoon many think him to be, this might not be pretty.
Whether Mayfield went to the Browns or NYJ...I wouldnt pay to watch Hard Knocks....have no interest in that show...watching Mayfield prance around as the backup QB interests you....wow
I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, and I know there are stipulations to who can(t) be on, but doesn't this have Dee's name written all over it?
That's my whole point, you don't have any idea what the show is even about, you are making presumptions based on nothing. Being the Browns didn't make ME PERSONALLY go out and get HBO, I have had it for years and have watched every season of Hard Knocks.
You along w Browns fans are excited cause you get to see Mayfield more in depth than you would if they werent covered on Hard Knocks...if that excites you I dont have a problem w it, but Im sure there will be far more people not watching it than watching it
My roommate and I split it. Watched the Bucs' special for the first time last week. A lot of it was very funny, given hindsight of how their season went (and predictable, if you didn't buy the hype). Also, remember that you can watch past seasons on platforms like Amazon. I haven't watched a single Hard Knocks special prior to the actual football season, itself.
