HOW BAKER MAYFIELD PASSED 1ST NFL TEST
Browns QB strikes effective balance between staying in pocket, running.
Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield came away from his NFL preseason debut with good vibes.
“I’m happy with how it went,” the No. 1 overall draft pick said after his Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Giants 20-10 in their exhibition opener Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
The former Lake Travis High School and Oklahoma star should be happy. He said he believes his “command of the whole offense” has dramatically improved since training camp began July 26, and his performance against the Giants backed up the claim.
“Being able to say the play in the huddle and just slow it down for me, not having to think about the whole thing as I’m getting lined up” is important, Mayfield said. “See it, see what the defense is giving me, so I’m able to eliminate things quicker.
“That’s what you really want to do when you’re getting up to the line. The great quarterbacks are
able to have that elimination process very quickly. They know where they want to go with the ball, and then (if ) something happens, they can instantly go to that sec- ond read or whatever it is. That’s something I’m work- ing on, but I think that’s the biggest progress I’ve made.”
Mayfield relieved starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor with 1 minute, 31 seconds left in the first quarter and, with few exceptions, appeared to be in control against Giants backup defenders during his seven series. He played into the fourth quarter and hit 11 of 20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He took one sack and rushed three times for 13 yards.
“I thought he did some good things,” coach Hue Jack- son said. “I’m not surprised by anything Baker does ’cause I see him do it on the practice field. Obviously, the throws he makes, the poise he has, he demonstrated all of that in college, so I’m not surprised by it. This is his first opportunity (in the NFL), and he will grow from it. There are things he will learn from and continue to get better at, but I thought it was a good start for him.”
After the Browns went three-and-out during Mayfield’s first series, he orchestrated a 14-play, 72-yard scor- ing drive.
On third-and-18 from the Browns 48-yard line, he calmly stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and delivered a 21-yard pass to receiver C.J. Board for a first down. During
the same drive, he ran for 6 yards and a first down on third-and-6 from the Giants 27
and scrambled for 5 yards and a first down on fourth-and-2 from the 13. He struck an effec- tive balance between staying in the pocket to throw and using his legs to gain yardage.
“I don’t think I was tempted” to flee the pocket too early, Mayfield said. “I think a natural thing for me is to try to find throwing lanes. That’s just the vision as well, just trying to make sure I have
the windows to throw in. “The stuff (the Giants) were running tonight, they had a
lot of man coverage, which gives you throwing lanes but also gives you running lanes.
Those guys have their backs turned covering those receiv- ers, so a couple of those conversions on the short yardage or medium that I was able to pick up with my feet, that’s due to the coverage they were running.”
Mayfield completed the series on second-and-goal when he delivered a perfectly placed, 10-yard pass to tight end David Njoku in the back of the end zone. That gave the Browns a 13-3 lead with 6:43 left in the second quarter.
Mayfield walked off the field for the night after another great play. Rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway left his defender behind on a slant route, caught a short pass from Mayfield and sprinted to the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown, allowing the Browns to go ahead 20-10 with 13:37 left in the fourth quarter.