The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Determined Mayfield is ready
Kevin Stefanski called Baker Mayfield’s number on the final play in each of the last two games the Browns played, and in those two plays the story of the Browns’ third year quarterback is told.
Mayfield fumbled on a fourth-down quarterback sneak with 1:25 remaining in an excruciating, 23-16 loss to the Jets on Dec. 27. It was his third fumble of the game, and though Kareem Hunt recovered, the fumble went as a turnover on downs because only the player who fumbles can recover the ball for his team inside the last two minutes.
“I failed this team,” Mayfield said after the game. “I put three balls on the ground – two of them they recovered and the other on the fourth down. I just need to hold onto the damn ball.”
One week later, the Browns were protecting a 24-22 lead over the Steelers, again in the final two minutes. Hold the lead and they’re playoff bound.
Third-and-2 at the Steelers’ 42. Stefanski called a run for Mayfield to the right side. Mayfield followed his blockers and picked up three yards, holding the ball very, very securely. All that was left to do was take a knee in victory formation and celebrate.
The Jan. 3 narrow win over the Steelers set up a rematch at 8:15 p.m. Jan. 10 in a “Sunday Night Football” showdown at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Stefanski won’t be with his team because he tested positive for COVID-19. That puts a bigger leadership role on Mayfield. He wasn’t even born in 1994
when the Browns last won a playoff game.
“Last week, that for us was a playoff game,” Mayfield said Jan. 7 on Zoom. “You have to empty the clip. It’s win or go home. You have to be ready for anything.
“Obviously, for the third time playing these guys, we’re going to be ready for any wrinkles and just be ready to adjust and adapt. The most important thing is taking care of the ball, communicating on the sideline and adjusting and seeing what those little wrinkles are with them having a lot of guys back and having new personnel.”
Get a legitimate NFL quarterback and make the playoffs. Who knew?
Kelly Holcomb was the starting quarterback the last time the Browns were in a playoff game. That was in 2002 when Mayfield was 7 years old. Coincidentally, it also was a wild-card game in Pittsburgh. Dennis Northcutt dropped a perfectly thrown pass with 2:50 to play and the Browns ahead, 33-28. The Steelers rallied and won, 36-33.
The Browns are still chasing their first playoff victory in more than a quarter century. Mayfield is determined to deliver for fans, his coaches and especially his teammates.
“I haven’t been with
Baker even a full calendar year, but I could just tell you what I see from the player and I see a guy who works very, very hard at his craft,” Stefanski said recently. “I think you have a chance when you work hard at your craft. He’s had some unbelievable moments in this season, and he’s had some plays that we all want back and he has bounced back.
“He’s done a nice job. Just all of the things you don’t see – from a leadership standpoint and from a preparation standpoint – he’s been outstanding.”
Three years ago, the Browns endured the embarrassment of going 0-16. That gave the Browns the first pick in the 2018 draft, which former general manager John Dorsey used on Mayfield.
The Browns were 8-7-1 in 2018 and a disappoint
ing 6-10 in 2019. Mayfield was disappointing with 22 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions.
The team made a fivegame leap to 11-5 in 2020. Mayfield threw 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions.
“First, I would say I’ve had a ton of help along the way,” Mayfield said. “There has been a lot of turnover. There are players here who have endured the not so great times. Myles (Garrett) didn’t win a game his rookie year. But it was a turning point. All it takes is you have to weather the storm. You have to be able to take those punches
“A lot of people here have weathered the storm and rolled with those punches, and you’re seeing the benefits of just staying tough and doing that, facing adversity head-on and saying,
‘We’re tired of it, and let’s go on to the next one.’”
To say the Browns were unstable Mayfield’s first two seasons would be like saying walking a tightrope outdoors in a tornado is tricky.
Hue Jackson was fired halfway through Mayfield’s rookie season. Any stability gained when Freddie Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018 vanished when Kitchens was named head coach in 2019.
Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt have given Mayfield that stability. General manager Andrew Berry signed right tackle Jack Conklin in free agency. He used his first draft pick on left tackle Jedrick Wills.
“Just from the first time I met with Kevin, when he came down to Austin (Texas last winter) and we met for the first time,” Mayfield said. “Just everything that he was about and my conversations that I had with Andrew Berry, as well, and just how on the same page they were, which was new to me. That was a comforting feeling. You knew the potential was there.”
If ever there was a time to “roll with the punches,” as Mayfield said, this week is the time.
Defensive end Olivier Vernon suffered a seasonending Achilles injury in the Jan. 3 game with the Steelers. Two days later, Stefanski and Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio tested positive for COVID 19. Safety Ronnie Harrison tested positive on Jan. 7.
The plan all along was for special teams coach Mike Priefer to take over if anything happened to Stefanski and for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to call plays. Bitonio will not be as easy to replace.
The training facility in Berea was closed Jan. 6 and Jan. 7 while the NFL conducted contact tracing. That meant practice was a virtual walkthrough both days — not the ideal way to get ready for a playoff game.
“It is what it is,” Mayfield said. “There are no excuses, but luckily, we just played them last week. So it’s not like we’re practicing against a whole new defense. We have to be ready for the wrinkles, but luckily, we’ve game-planned against these guys and everybody is sitting here in the second week in a row preparing for the Pittsburgh defense.”
The Browns haven’t won in Heinz Field since 2003. Mayfield helped bring the playoff drought to an end. This is his chance to end another drought.