Mayfield’s frustration boils over
Baker Mayfield’s frustration finally boiled over. The losing is beating him.
Annoyed with a reporter’s line of questioning about a drive at the end of the first half in last week’s loss to the Patriots, the Browns fiery quarterback abruptly ended his weekly interview session Wednesday and stormed off.
Mayfield, who’s tied for the NFL lead with 12 interceptions, grew increasingly agitated when a reporter asked him about a failed two-minute drive in a 27-13 loss to the Patriots. The Browns were called for a penalty, which Mayfield said prevented them from moving the ball.
“Was I happy with the drive? No, we didn’t score points,” Mayfield chirped. “That’s the dumbest question you could ask. What?”
Mayfield then disgustedly walked away from the lectern and toward his locker.
Soon after, the former No. 1 overall pick went on Twitter to explain his exasperation. Picked by some experts to win the AFC North, the Browns (2-5) haven’t played up to enormous expectations and have lost three straight games.
“Everybody wants to hear the truth until they actually get it,” Mayfield wrote. “I am who I am. Don’t call it emotional when it’s convenient and then passion when it fits. I care about winning, so yeah I’m frustrated.
“If I was to act like it’s okay to lose, then y’all would say that I’ve gotten complacent. My sense of urgency is at an all time high. And if I offend anybody along the way. that’s too bad.”
Before his minor meltdown, Mayfield was cordial while answering questions about the Browns’ numerous issues this season. The Browns lead the league with 70 penalties, the offense has been unable to find a consistent rhythm and Mayfield has thrown just six touchdown passes after setting the league rookie record with 27 last season.
He’s ranked 32nd with a 57.6 percent completion rate, and Mayfield — along with Browns first-year coach Freddie Kitchens — haven’t figured out how to best use wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, who have combined for one TD reception.
Mayfield developed a reputation for brash behavior while winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma. He infamously grabbed his crotch during a game at Kansas and angered Ohio State fans by planting a red-and-white OU flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium after the Sooners beat the Buckeyes.
Williams fails physical: Less than 24 hours after ending a lengthy holdout, Redskins left tackle Trent Williams failed a physical.
Interim coach Bill Callahan said the 31-year-old failed and couldn’t practice because of discomfort with his helmet.
Williams previously had a growth on his head removed, and the dispute that led to his holdout centered on the Redskins’ medical staff and its handling of that situation.
Bad score: The NFL received its lowest overall score in racial and gender hiring practices in 15 years, according a new diversity report.
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport released its annual racial and gender report card, giving the NFL a B for racial hiring practices and a C-plus for gender hiring practices. This gave the NFL a combined B-minus grade for its overall score of 79.3%, a notable decrease from its score of 81.6% last year.
Most notably, the B for racial hiring practices broke a streak of nine consecutive years of earning an A-minus or higher. The NFL’s score for race was 82.3%, 6.7 percentage points lower than last year’s score of 89%. The score for gender was 76%, a two-percentage point increase from 2018.