The cow is out of the barn, but a question for those of you in support of the Watson signing: Would you have pursued Watson at the end of the 2020 season? That is the thing that haunts me. That is the Mayfield I believe in, and while I can't help continuing to be a Browns fan, the solicitation of Watson was/ is unseemly, and no matter what Watson does as the Browns QB, the stench will not go away. Think I'm wrong? How many Browns fans didn't think of Big Ben as "the rapist" for the rest of his career? The conversation around it died down, but it's always been part of the story that no one wanted to talk about. That's what we got in Watson. For all his football talents and gifts, he'll forever be remembered for #1 quitting on the Texans, and the subsequent sexual accusations. No matter the outcome of the civil suits (we all know money talks) it will stain his legacy, and by extension that of the Browns. For the team's sake I hope it quiets down, but his consistent pursuit of "female" massage options, (I won't even say therapists, since clearly that wasn't a prioirity in his selection) strikes me as predatory in nature, and arrogant, and lacking in judgement. None of that makes me a fan, so I'll cheer the Browns quietly now and wait for the time I no longer feel I have to ashamed of our QB, while still wanting my Browns to win.
Wow, you summed up about 15 posts by me a helluva lot simpler. I couldn't have put it any better, obviously, because I would have LOL. I would have to go back, but after that 2020 season is when Watson asked for the trade, immediately following the season...and I don't recall any cries for going after him to replace Baker. My memory is for shit, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Even with the off field issues aside, I just don't see this going the way most Browns fans feel it is going to go.. We have about a 2 year window here and the roster is going to start looking depleted due to our high salary issues of a few players. We have already seen how Watson performs with a depleted roster and if winning isn't the end game, what is? Is it the intentions of this fanbase to trade Myles Garrett and try to score 45 points a game by giving your $48M QB as many weapons as possible? You can't afford the weapons and a defense that Myles Garrett is happy playing with. You could argue compromise, spend on the weapons and use all high draft picks on young defensive players, but for the next 3 drafts you can't go after the elite prospects. You have put a lot of eggs in the 2022 basket, which is why I think they are going pretty hard to get Clowney and Landry back. Win a Super Bowl and they can say, see it was worth it... anything less and most likely 2023 is a but with a QB destined for at least a 6 game suspension and the roster depletion beginning. I guess we will see how it plays out, but this doesn't seem like a recipe for winning to me and I am serious, that is putting his off field issues aside.
Did anyone else see the signing of Chase McLaughlin a week ago? I missed that somehow. I think the Browns were burying it so there wasn't an uproar.
Yep, I saw it. They also signed Chris Blewitt (Blew-it, helluva name for a place kicker) and Punter Joseph Charlton.
Love him or hate him, Baker is who and what he is. That podcast interview only underscored what I think most of us already knew. He's got an ego, and actually likes carrying that chip on his shoulder. I like Baker, though he unraveled some of that with "not his play" but his "me first" attitude IE "I am the one who decides if I play", and running off the Detroit field after a WIN, because he personally played so badly, and then refused to meet the media afterwards (though I think that whole rule is made for well paid players to easily afford the penalty, and he optioned out). Still two signs that he'd lost "team focus" and that is more critical than passing. No apologies, just Baker setting up his next big chip. Go ahead, I dare you, knock it off. We'll see if that continues to serve his best interests soon.
I am a self proclaimed apologist, but the Detroit thing is way overblown I’m my opinion. Not because it isn’t a big deal, because I’m my naivety I believe he was pissed about the energy the fans were bringing with all the booing. I know it was personal too, and was more likely 80% his feelings hurt, but that other 20% is real and needs to be talked about. The fans bringing negative energy to any situation is a bad thing. Nothing good will come out of that, ever. I know it, Baker knows it… it’s just around 30% of the fans that have never played sports at any level that doesn’t understand energy levels in competition. I bugs the hell out of me, even when I watch the Eagles fans do it “occasionally”. The ego and chip thing is real. But, most iconic players in all sports have it. They aren’t always brash about it or speak out publicly, but it’s always there. Montana had it, Young had it, Marino had it. Favre is the most like Mayfield in the way he dealt with it, but if ever there was a guy with a bigger chip than anyone else to ever play sports, Tom Brady had lived his career telling people I told you so and then taking it to another level. He may never quit football because of that chip, I can’t stand the guy, but I respect him as the GOAT never the less.
The problem is no one can control what fans do. How one chooses to deal with it is another matter, and Baker is a "head on" kind of guy. He famously said "if you're not on the train get out" when Duke Johnson wanted an opportunity. He mentioned the difficulty of motivating team mates who were in it "for the money" during his interview, which he seems to miss the fact that it's up to him and the coaches to find the button that turns on those players "competitive" spirit. I believe he lost a lot of support last season, but failed to recognize or accept his own responsibility for that happening. His blind faith in "everyone is in it for the same reasons I am" blind spot, may prove to be both his greatest strength, and his greatest weakness.
lol! no shit. That's even worse than Succup. Do we really want to see Blewitt trotting out there with the game hanging in the balance?
This is where I think you guys are way off. Mayfield and his agent expected a contract extension last summer and when it didn't come he wasn't happy about it. Then the coach is calling a more run-heavy scheme than Baker wants and needs for his upcoming negotiations and it's easy to see what he was talking about when he said there were internal things he was dealing with. It was clear by the end of the year the Browns coaches were over it. So they moved on.
LOVE the signing! I'm just trying to figure out how they are going to pay all of these guys in 2023 and 2024??
Yes, the Browns received the #4 overall pick from the Texans so that they could draft Deshaun Watson...Which means they drafted a QB that gave them the #4 overall pick a year after he was drafted. Irony... Baker Mayfield was drafted to a team that went 1-31 the previous two years, allowing him to be drafted #1 overall... The year after he was drafted the team had the #17 overall pick, which means they went from historically the worst team in NFL history to above average in one year...Which that #17 pick was traded away to the Giants for a WR that is no longer on the team, because of that #1 draft pick was used on a QB... Anyone confused yet? The big picture is: Pre-Mayfield Browns picked #1 overall in consecutive drafts Post-Mayfield being drafted the Browns draft pick position was #17, #10 overall, #26 overall and finally #13 overall Pre-Watson the Texans #21 overall, then they traded up from #25th overall to the Browns #12 overall pick to pick Watson Post-Watson being drafted, they have had pick position (2018)#4 overall(Browns Denzel Ward from the Watson trade), (2019)#23 overall, (2020, traded to the Dolphins for Tunsil)#26 overall and (2021)#3 overall and (2022, I know he didn't play but his inability to be on the field because of off field issues helped earn them this pick)#3 overall. Browns average draft pick since Baker was picked #16.5 Texans average draft pick since Watkins was drafted #11.8 I'm still not sold they got the better end of this deal, just from a football stand point.. removing all off the field issues from the equation. We won't know for about 4 years, but I am very skeptical.
Ya know I'm with you Irish on the Watson/Mayfield thing, but I'm surprised by the Ward deal. I really thought they were angling for a draft move by trading him. The guarantee money is $72MM, so that'll be highest paid for a month, then there'll be a new CB leader, and maybe they figure they can move him once a year or two passes and his salary seems more "reasonable". I just gotta believe they are going to try to pick up a first rounder somehow before we get to next year's draft.
Browns "alledged tanking" sounds like Hue Jackson just can't accept he sucked to me. The rest of the league seems to have gotten that message, but hue won't let go of him losing the job was actually his own fault. What a poser!
TD, I believe you are "on the money" so to speak about Ward's first year being $1MM just like Watson. The piper comes next year.
