CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Baker Mayfield has learned a valuable lesson in 2020.
It will take more than completions, yards and touchdowns for him to effectively lead his football team.
Following Sunday’s practice at FirstEnergy Stadium Mayfield revealed where he has grown most this year.
“I would not say it is anything on the field,” Mayfield said. “I would say it is within our locker room, getting around the guys and realizing that I have to do much more than just let my play on the field [speak] to be the quarterback for this team.
“I have to put my arm around these guys, lead them and show them the way, and especially in these uncertain times, if the schedule changes and all that to never waver, never falter. Just showing those guys that I can be the leader, no matter what.”
Mayfield is still learning Kevin Stefanski’s offense – the third in as many years he’s had to learn since being selected No. 1 overall in 2018.
Much of training camp has been spent on installs and teaching and judging Mayfield simply off results in practice isn’t necessarily fair, but they’ve reached the point where results will begin to matter with the opener in Baltimore now two weeks away.
Sunday, they went live and put what has been learned into action.
“Having some of the first times running some plays and some concepts, yeah, you get the feel for it but that is where you go through it, and then when you come back the second time around, you be very critical of my footwork, myself, my throws and accuracy,” Mayfield said. “Also, we are at the time period where we are having to try and figure out which plays are we going to really roll into Week 1 with and eliminate, and say ‘Hey, here is what we are comfortable with. Here is what we are not.’ That is where we are at right now so definitely being more critical as of right now.”
Sunday Mayfield showed flashes with touchdown passes to Odell Beckham Jr. and Austin Hooper in the red zone drill and he lead two scoring drives – an 11-play march capped by Kareem Hunt’s 1-yard TD run and another 11-play drive that ended in a 35-yard Austin Seibert field goal during the final live period of practice.
The first team offense sputtered at times too, going 3-and-out on their first live series in the final portion of practice and Mayfield misfired on some throws or was overtaken by the pass rush from the defense.
“I thought we did some things well,” Mayfield said. “There is still obviously room to improve, but it was definitely different with the constant level of that crowd noise or white noise, whatever you want to call it. Without the right headsets, it was a little difficult to hear the walkie-talkie stuff, but that is stuff we are working through.
“It was good to get out there in the stadium for some of those guys to feel like what it would be like to play with a small crowd. There is definitely room to improve. I thought we did some things well, but we will look back on the film and probably be not as satisfied.”
As the starting quarterback Mayfield is the defacto spokesman for the locker room and one of the ways Mayfield has taken the reigns is by stepping to the forefront and becoming one of the faces of the players’ social justice efforts.
“It is an equal rights issue,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield was the first player to speak during their special address prior to practice Sunday and he’s already pledged to join his teammates in kneeling during the anthem in protest of police brutality towards African Americans as well as the social and economic inequalities and racism that still exists within society.
“That just shows that you are in it with them,” Mayfield said. “It is not a separated or it is not a one-sided movement. I can’t put myself in their shoes for some of the inequalities that they have gone through and some of the things they have gone through, but I am trying to do the best I can by hearing their stories and sharing that.
“That is the best part about it is hearing their stories so I can really start to feel their frustration and anger and push forward with them because that is what it is about. It is about all trying to create change together and be that solution.”
