Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – It will take a stunning series of events for Browns head coach Hue Jackson not to name Baker Mayfield the team’s starting quarterback going forward.
He just isn’t going to do it while Tyrod Taylor is concussed right after a game or on a conference call or before he speaks to his team.
But it’s going to be Mayfield’s team come Monday and that was blatantly obvious Friday when Jackson spoke via a conference call with reporters.
“I think we’re all going to know soon enough on Monday,” Jackson said. “We don’t play for 10 days. As I said [Thursday night] I wanted to really watch the tape and talk to the staff and talk to John [Dorsey] and then make a decision from there.
“I think you guys all feel good where things are headed.”
Mayfield was sensational in his NFL debut which came when Taylor suffered a concussion with just under 3 minutes left in the first half of Thursday night’s 21-17 win over the New York Jets.
Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards and led 4 scoring drives that resulted in 2 field goals, 2 touchdowns and he caught a 2-point conversion on the Browns' version of the 'Philly special.'
“It was as good as I thought live. He made some tremendous throws,” Jackson said. “Obviously, he was able to move the team. Played with some rhythm. Got the ball into the playmakers hands and gave them chances to make plays. There are some things that he has to clean up obviously. We can’t have the ball out on the ground. There are some progression things that we will work through.
“Overall for his first game out under the lights in that environment in that situation, he handled all of that extremely well and played well.”
Making Mayfield’s performance all that more impressive is that he’s spent so little time working with the first-team offense in practice, even though he has been able to work with younger players like receiver Antonio Callaway.
“It is impressive what he did [Thursday] night,” Jackson said. “There is no way around that. It was a short week, not a lot of practice time and you would think that it looked like he took all of the reps. Like I said, that is a credit to him.”
Prior to Taylor’s departure, the veteran struggled to move the offense, which punted on the first 6 possessions of the night and despite close calls in the first 2 weeks of the season, Mayfield's energy was infectious and immediately noticable.
Mayfield didn’t flinch. He didn’t hesitate. He got the ball out quick and hit his receivers on target. The No. 1 pick in the draft elevated the play of those around him – the offensive line, receivers, running backs and even the defense and that’s what the great players do.
“There has been confidence in him since he has been here,” Jackson said. “I think to a man, everybody understands who Baker is and what he brings to the team, just like I think everybody understood what Tyrod Taylor was and what he brought to the team. I think what is most important is that these players be the best version of themselves, and they keep being as good as they can be each and every day because I think as the quarterback you are the leader. Everybody is watching what you do and how you go about your business.”
With the win the Browns ended a 19-game winless streak – the fourth longest in league history, finally slamming the door shut on the worst stretch of football in NFL history that saw the team go 5-51-1 prior to Thursday night. The weight has finally been lifted off the organization paving the way for Mayfield to take control of the franchise moving forward.
“We needed a breakthrough,” Jackson said. “We are not looking for breaks. We are looking for breakthroughs. Last night definitely was break through.”
