Looking Forward to the 2019 AFC North

Steeler fan reaction after reading that last post...

 

Baker Mayfield wants to build on “something special” with Freddie Kitchens
Posted by Josh Alper on January 30, 2019, 5:27 PM EST

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One of the biggest reasons why Freddie Kitchens made the jump from Browns interim offensive coordinator to head coach this month was the performance of quarterback Baker Mayfield in the second half of his rookie season.

Given how much better things went for Mayfield during that stretch of the season than they did while Hue Jackson was running the show for the Browns, it’s no shock that Mayfield’s first public comments about the hire were overwhelmingly positive. Mayfield called Kitchens his choice for the job during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio Wednesday.

“I believe in him,” Mayfield said. “That’s not to say anything about anybody else, but you know what? We had something special and I want to build on it.”

Mayfield said he believes his teammates believe in Kitchens and that “there’s going to be great things that happen” when that kind of belief is in place. That would be a welcome change from the past in Cleveland.

 

Nice timing TD...

I was thinking about this yesterday and ran some scenarios using Fanspeak's simulators.. Here was the results from the first experiment:

Free agent signings, with cap hit (the program figured the cap hit, the average contract was higher than these numbers):
Current players;
Greg Robinson OT $5,250,000
Breshad Perriman WR $4,000,000
Jamie Meder DT $1,125,000
Rashad Higgins WR $4,429,000

New players;
Tyrell Williams WR $5,600,000
Frank Clark DE $8,400,000
C.J. Mosley LB $6,000,000
Bryce Callahan CB $5,250,000
Grady Jarrett DT $9,800,000
Cairo Santos K $2,000,000

Draft I had two trades, both down as I was not able to get any trade ups to be accepted.
Your score is: 31976 (GRADE: A+)
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 30 (G.B.): Baker, Deandre, CB, Georgia (A) Trade w/GB
Round 2 Pick 16 (MIA): Tillery, Jerry, DT, Notre Dame (A-) Trade w/GB and Miami
Round 2 Pick 17: Omenihu, Charles, DE, Texas (A-)
Round 3 Pick 14 (MIA): Butler, Hakeem, WR, Iowa State (A+) Trade with Miami
Round 3 Pick 16: Miller, Christian, OLB, Alabama (A+)
Round 3 Pick 30: Isabella, Andy, WR, Massachusetts (A)
Round 4 Pick 17: Lamar, Tre, ILB, Clemson (A+)
Round 5 Pick 6: Joseph, Vosean, OLB, Florida (A+)
Round 5 Pick 17: Bates, Ryan, OT, Penn State (A+)
Round 5 Pick 31: Wingard, Andrew, SS, Wyoming (A+)
Round 6 Pick 16: Nixon, Keisean, CB, South Carolina (A+)
Round 7 Pick 7: Seibert, Austin, K, Oklahoma (A+)
Round 7 Pick 20: Pollard, Tony, WR/RB, Memphis (A+)

Under this experiment, we still had nearly $40M in cap space to carry over next season..Again, this is a simulator, so I personally believe some of these numbers are off.

I also ended up with 9 WRs in this scenario...obviously this is overkill...even if you drop Ratley and Ricardo Lewis.

The original thought process was to trade down with the Packers, then use all the draft capital to move up to go after certain players, it failed miserably as I couldn't get any trade ups to be accepted and ended up with way more picks than planned.


I guess my point was, what I was thinking at the time...



Baker Mayfield is ready RIGHT NOW to drive this bus. Why wait and utilize the salary cap 3-4 years down the road? Why not attempt to win now, before we are forced to miss out on some of the tools we already have when the cap finally catches up to us...I.E. Baker's first contract.. We have 4 years including his 5th year option, then we might be able to get away with one franchise tag, extending it to a 5 year window...Why not try to WIN SUPER BOWLS during this time period? We have the money now and there are players that can up the chances of that happening now, rather than in two years from now.

I think this off season would be the perfect opportunity to try to make that leap from wannabe to certified contender...

I don't think it will happen, I think they have the slow play in place, but if Haslem can be convinced by Dorsey that they are ready, maybe they go for it..

 

Under the above scenario, your depth chart:

QB: Baker Mayfield, Drew Stanton
WR1: Jarvis Landry, Hakeem Butler(r)
WR2: Tyrell Williams, Rashad Higgins,
WR3: Breshad Perriman, Antonio Callaway, Andy Isabella(r)
TE: David Njoku, Darren Fells, Seth DeValve
RB: Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson, Tony Pollard(r) (KR)
LT: Greg Robionson
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: JC Tretter, Austin Corbett
RG: Kevin Zeitler
RT: Chris Hubbard, Ryan Bates(r)

DE: Myles Garrett, Charles Omenihu(r), Chris Smith
DT: Larry Ogunjobi, Jamie Meder
DT: Bryce Callahan, Jerry Tillery(r)
DE: Frank Clark, Emmanuel Ogbah, Chad Thomas
OLB: Jamie Collins, Genard Avery(may be starter sooner than later)
MLB: C.J. Mosley, Christian Kirksey, Lamar Tre(r)
OLB: Joe Schobert, Christian Miller(r), Vosean Joseph(r)
CB: Denzel Ward, T.J. Carrie
FS: Damarious Randall, Andrew Wingard(r)
SS: Jabrill Peppers, Derrick Kindred
CB: Deandre Baker(r), Bryce Callahan
NCB: Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Terrance Mitchell

K: Cairo Santos, Austin Seibert(r) An actual kicking competition
P: Britton Colquitt
LS: Charley Hughlett
PR: Andy Isabella
KR: Tony Pollard

 

Agree to disagree here. Even the casual fan was aware of the repeated bumblings by Art Modell through the years. From his firing of Paul Brown (perhaps deservedly) to his forcing Jim Brown's hand into early retirement to having to secure a personal loan to pay for Andre Risen's contract culminating with moving the Browns to Baltimore.

Enter Al Lerner who established a pretty high profile front office that, against all odds, actually got the Browns into the playoffs in only four short years.

 

Absolutely agree, it wasn't Al Lerner it was his soccer loving son Randy that drove this franchise into the ground... He actually stayed out of the way, opening the pocket book and not getting involved in day to day, but his lack of caring about the team made the people at the top uncaring. They collected paychecks as they knew there wasn't anyone above them forcing them to achieve better.

 

That ^^^^^ said:

1. The move to Baltimore.
2. The untimely death of Al Lerner (this spawned so many poor decisions).
3. The premature retirement of Jim Brown (probably cost us a spot in either Super Bowl I or II, or both).
4. (tie) "the Drive", "the Fumble ".
5. "Red Right 88".

 

This is a *GREAT* one.

 

I think we all understand the difference between Al and Randy. That wasn't the point.

This was just an 'off the cuff" remark about Al vs. Art....

You guys know me. I would never be the guy to beat the drum for Art "The Trader" Modell, but I'm taking off the Browns glasses for a moment and looking at it from a national perspective. This is gonna suck, but these are just the facts. One guy in this equation was a well known 44 year NFL owner that played a major role in joining the AFL and NFL. His Browns were one of the teams that jumped leagues and made it all happen. And he also was a major negotiator in the TV contracts that followed, which obviously propelled this league into what it is today. And the other guy is Al Lerner. A smart Banker that owned the expansion Browns for a few years before passing away and willing it to his son...What started this all, was when I implied that "most people" wouldn't consider Al an upgrade to Art. I wasn't trying to start anything. But I'm of the opinion that most casual fans couldn't tell you who Al Lerner was. Therefore, he wouldn't be considered an upgrade to an owner that was just on the HoF semi finalists list a couple years ago. That's all...

 

Baker Mayfield reveals the moment everything clicked for Browns and more on Super Bowl radio row
Andrew Gribble
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Browns never had the lead, but Baker Mayfield sensed something good brewing.

It was Week 9, Cleveland was riding a three-game losing streak and the one-loss Chiefs were in town. A few days earlier, head coach Hue Jackson was removed as head coach and Todd Haley was out as offensive coordinator. Freddie Kitchens was the new offensive coordinator.

The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. The Browns, though, kept pace after coming up short on their opening drive. A nine-play, 79-yard drive at the end of the first half drew Cleveland within a touchdown.

Kansas City took control in the second half, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives and mixing in a blocked punt to down Cleveland, 37-21. Still, Mayfield was noticeably upbeat after the game. The Browns followed with wins in five of their next seven games to end the season with plenty of momentum.

Months later, as he reflected during an ESPN NFL Live interview Wednesday from the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Mayfield went back to that peculiar moment -- feeling good after a loss -- as the turning point in Cleveland’s 2018 season.

“I felt like we had them in the first half. It was really close,” Mayfield said. “We just had a few plays not go our way. Just to see we were competing at that time, the Chiefs were on a roll. Looking back on it, we realized at that point we have something here.”

“That point in the season was really fun.”

Mayfield credited Kitchens, who is now the team’s head coach, as a major player in the turnaround but said it would have never happened if not for the strong character in Cleveland’s locker room. Along with the Browns’ vocal leaders, Mayfield cited the team’s lead-by-example players, such as fellow rookies Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward, as catalysts in the strong finish.

“Believing in it is one thing and having people to trust the game plan, but going out there and executing is another,” Mayfield said. “It came down to our guys just believing in the plan and doing their jobs. Every person did their 1/11th on the team.”

Mayfield hit on a number of other subjects during his countless string of interviews Wednesday on Radio Row.

-- While praising the leadership of Chubb and Ward, Mayfield indicated he’ll be taking that aspect of his game to another level in his second NFL season.

“We have a bunch of young guys, they’re starting to believe in it. We’re starting to come together and that’s very important,” Mayfield said. “It’s very important for me to take that vocal leadership role and kind of roll with it.”

-- Giants running back Saquon Barkley on Thursday was named the NFL’s Pepsi Rookie of the Year, an award decided exclusively by fan vote. Mayfield, who was named the Pro Football Writers Association Rookie of the Year earlier in the month, won seven fan-voted Rookie of the Week awards during the season.

Mayfield and Barkley will learn Saturday who wins the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year at the NFL’s Honors ceremony.

“I think it’s 50-50,” Mayfield said. “Saquon is a good buddy of mine. We have a good back and forth on it right now. It’s just a blessing to be there and in consideration for it. To think about where I was a year ago and to fast forward to now, it’s been a dream I’ve been living through. I’m happy to be here, obviously I want the award but Saquon’s a good friend of mine. He’s a great player as well.”

-- Mayfield’s appearance on “The Jim Rome Show” gave him a platform to discuss his work with Cleveland’s Providence House, Ohio’s first crisis nursery, which provides emergency shelter and care for children in crisis who are at risk of abuse or neglect while offering family support services to strengthen and stabilize families long term.

At the 23rd annual Deck the House Auction in December, Mayfield played a big role in raising more than $100,000 for Providence House.

“To be able to have that opportunity is very special,” Mayfield said. “To be able to give back to a city that’s believed in me and supported me, and to be able to impact the youth and give every kid a chance and have the same opportunities as everyone else, that’s the important thing about it.

“I don’t want any of the credit but I want those kids to have the same chance I did.”

 

^^^When you really digest that, there is no question who the real OROY is, and it's not that close.

 

They didn't spend it last year? Why are they going to spend it this year?

 

Because times have changed....

 

One glaring difference:
2017 0-16, no where NEAR contention, added a couple pieces to test the waters.

2018 7-8-1, on the cusp of being a special team. They are ready.. everyone here knows how small a window you have in the NFL. The time is NOW

 

Well put.

The thing is, though 7-8-1 represents the best turnaround in team history, everyone knows it could have been much better...There's no question Hue should have fired long before the 2018 season began, and they should have just had an open and honest QB competition between Tyrod and Baker. Deciding ahead of time that Tyrod would start the season no matter what, was a mistake that started us out in a hole...It's all water under the bridge now. I'm just pointing out that this season was a tale of two teams in Cleveland. We were 2-5-1 and then got rid of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. Since that point, the Browns have been a different team ...As Irish pointed out, the time to "go for it" is absolutely right now. I can't wait to see what Baker has for us after a year under his belt....The Browns were so bad for so long, it's hard for people to wrap their minds around it. The fact is, this team is ready to make a serious championship run. The players and coaches know it. Nobody wants to leave...

This doesn't mean I expect them to spend like fools. But the tables have turned for this franchise....If we were to bring in a couple nice pieces to the puzzle via free agency, would that really surprise anyone? I'm expecting players to actually WANT to come here and be a part of this.

 

I tend to agree with this. This year's draft is ripe with talent in positions that pretty much match the positions of need. As such, I don't expect the Browns to spend in free agency like a drunken sailor.

IMHO, they are committed to building this team for the long haul through the draft. Like last year, though, if a certain player presents itself (like a Jarvis Landry did last year), they will go after him. I expect another hefty cap rollover in 2020.

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-but-baker-mayfield-is-the-true-2018-nfl-oroy

 

Sounds right but it's Jimmy's money and he paid a 92M fine and a 85M settlement with more lawsuits still out there.