Mayfield: ‘Outside noise doesn’t matter’

Baker Mayfield talks tough. Now if only he would stop throwing the football to the other team in critical situations.

The Browns third year quarterback was on his normal Wednesday Zoom call Oct. 21. He responded to increasing criticism from analysts exactly how anyone who has followed Mayfield’s career would expect.

Specifically, Mayfield is being skewered for throwing two interceptions, one a pick-six on his first pass of the game, in the 38-7 loss in Pittsburgh.

“I don’t give a damn what they say,” Mayfield said, his face and brown eyes expressionless. “It’s within this building. We know we can be better. I know I can be better.

“The outside noise doesn’t matter. They get paid to talk. We get paid to work. That’s how it’s going to be handled.”

Mayfield has completed 103 of 170 passes (60.6 percent) for 1,095 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions. This next stat is more a reflection on the game plan than the quarterback, but Mayfield has completed only 27 passes in the second half in six games — 20 for 34 in the third quarter and seven for 18 in the fourth.

Stephen A. Smith, a bombastic commentator with ESPN, went so far as to say wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry should demand a trade because, Smith said, “you don’t want to play with this guy because he’s not going to make you look good.”

Beckham has 23 catches for 319 yards and three

touchdowns. He has been targeted 43 times. Landry has 24 catches for 319 yards and no touchdowns. He has been targeted 33 times.

The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 3.

On Dec. 8 last year, a story surfaced in which Beckham allegedly told opposing coaches and players, “come get me” as the Browns 2019 season was disintegrating. Ten days later, standing in the Browns locker room, Beckhamtold reporters: “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here. We’ll figure this thing out. It’s just too special to leave.”

Beckham had a similar reaction to Smith’s tirade.

“For me, it’s just all the same talk it’s always been and rumors here or there or whatever it is,” Beckham said Oct. 21 on Zoom. “I’m here. I have Baker’s back. It’s all just background noise. Really don’t have much to say about it.”

Beckham slammed his helmet to the Heinz Field turf and removed his shoes when he was pulled from

the game midway through the fourth quarter of the Oct. 18 thrashing. Before that he went to players on the bench and tried to rally them.

“I’m pissed, and at this point I don’t care about trying to make myself look like a good guy to the world,” Beckham said. “I want to be out there to the last whistle competing ... I don’t care if I have zero rings, 12 rings, 20 rings — I love this game of football and I’m tired of losing to good teams. The energy just wasn’t there. We didn’t come out as fired up as they did.”

The Browns are 4-2 and third in the AFC North. They play the last place Bengals (1- 4-1) at 1 p.m. Oct. 25 in Cincinnati. The Browns beat the Bengals, 35-30, in Cleveland in the second game of the season.

“The feeling throughout the building after that loss — 4-2 has never felt so much like 0-6 before,” Mayfield said. “That’s because we have very high expectations for ourselves. We’re

eager to get back to work and fix the problems we know are in our own control.”

Mayfield threw two interceptions in each of the last two games with star running back Nick Chubb on injured reserve with a knee injury. Chubb must miss at least one more game before he is eligible to return.

“Obviously, losing a player and person like Nick is never great, but, no, I don’t feel any added pressure because of that,” Mayfield said.

The Browns could go far to silence the critics and rein in Beckham if they beat the Bengals.

“We’re all in it together,” Mayfield said. “There is no ‘the world is crashing right now’ mentality. We’re on to get to work and to move forward.”

The Browns have beaten the Bengals in four of the last five games between the Ohio rivals. The Browns’ only loss in the stretch was 33-23 in Cincinnati in their final game of 2019.