Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Baker Mayfield would love to make the Browns decision to start Tyrod Taylor this season as difficult as possible.
Despite Hue Jackson not backing down from Taylor starting Week 1, Mayfield plans to challenge for the job in training camp.
He knows no other way.
“I am always competitive,” Mayfield said. “It would not matter what he was saying in regards to the competition, I am still going to compete and try to win that job. I am going to listen to him, but I have to go compete, and first and foremost, I have to learn my job.”
On Friday, Jackson reiterated that it's Taylor's job.
“I am not going to back off of this and we can keep writing this narrative, Tyrod Taylor is the starting quarterback of this football team," Jackson said. "That will not change."
Mayfield understands where Jackson and the organization is regarding their plans for him. He also understands he has a lot to learn before the fate of the franchise is fully placed in his hands.
Prior to Saturday afternoon’s practice, Mayfield offered a rather candid assessment of his first practice on Friday.
“A lot of basic mistakes that I do not usually make,” Mayfield said. “You talk about just plays from the get-go. Snaps under center, we had a couple of problems. When you get used to somebody new, it is handled, but we have got to make sure that we are not worrying about that because if we take opportunities out of our guys’ hands to get the ball and play, then you are hurting yourself. Then obviously, it puts you in play to turn the ball over.”
Thursday night Mayfield got to meet former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar at the team’s dinner that featured current players and alumni, a conversation he is grateful for.
“He had a lot of little tips and bits of advice just about how it used to be and how much fun it was when you win here and everybody rallies around it,” Mayfield said. “Just talking about how he will be around if I need to bounce things off of him. He is a guy that I can learn on. That is something that makes you feel comfortable and makes you feel at home in a place like this where he is wonderful.”
One of the most glaring things Mayfield needs to adjust to is taking snaps from under center. Last season at Oklahoma Mayfield only took 7 snaps from under center according to ESPN stats and information.
On Friday Mayfield had a fumble in team drills and another during positional work. Following Friday’s practice and after Saturday morning’s walk-through, Mayfield spent extra time on the field taking extra snaps. He stayed on the field again following Saturday's practice.
“We’re gonna hammer that until I’m good, it feels natural, and that’s the way it should be,” Mayfield said. “I can play out of the gun. Everybody here knows that, so we’re gonna hammer that and we’re gonna work on what I need to work on.”
Mayfield was equally honest on what he needs to correct or adapt to when taking those snaps under center.
“It’s not catching the ball,” Mayfield said. “Once you get used to a center you’re good. Just footwork, just getting used to getting depth from the line of scrimmage. You have to get separation. In shotgun, you already have it so the drop you don’t have to have the depth but now the emphasis on getting back and comfortably under control to where if you have to step up you can do that. So it’s just the footwork and getting comfortable.”
Another key step in the process for Mayfield is learning Todd Haley’s playbook, which is much more advanced than Oklahoma’s. For this weekend's camp, Mayfield has an abbreviated version.
“Football is football. Concepts, you are not going to get that much different,” Mayfield said. “You are going to have your three-level floods. You are going to have your one side or this side based on the defense. It is just a matter of how we coach if here, how the footwork ties into that and also just mixing in if we are under center or in shotgun.”
Mayfield also won’t be looking to the sideline for play calls. He’ll get them in his helmet earpiece before having to repeat it in the huddle and then get everyone lined up. That too will be a new experience.
“It is tough at first, but it you keep repping it, then it becomes second nature,” Mayfield said. “When you hear it, you start picturing it. When they verbalize it, you start see the whole picture to where you get into the huddle and you just spit it right back out. You have to say it confidently so that those guys look at you in a good way.”
And that's just for starters.
But Mayfield wants to and is confident that he will lear and ultimately grow into the leader the Browns believe he will eventually be.
“I am striving to be a leader," Mayfield said. "In college, you get there and you are around guys for just a couple of years. If you are a junior or senior, these freshmen that come in, they look up to you automatically because they are just getting their feet in the water. Now when you get to the NFL, these guys have been veterans for a long time so earning the respect of the older guys is important. It is just like I said yesterday, I have to know my job first. From there, I can do everything else.”
