Armed, dangerous: Browns’ Mayfield flexing rocket arm

BEREA, OHIO(AP) >> As Baker Mayfield threw long passes to his wide receivers and short ones to backs before Sunday’s game against Carolina, Browns interim coach Gregg Williams knew his rookie quarterback was going to have a good game.

It wasn’t any sight.

It was a sound.

“You can hear the ball come out of the quarterback’s hand with a ‘ssssssst’ and you can hear how tight the ball was coming out of his hand,” Williams said. “It was bringing a smile to my face when I saw him warm up and really the entire game he was zipping it.”

Mayfield zipped it all day long, completing a 66-yard pass on Cleveland’s first play and whipping several passes into tight coverage during a 26-20 win that gave the Browns their fifth win and kept their faint playoff hopes flickering.

Mayfield’s arm strength isn’t

usually the first thing mentioned when discussing the No. 1 overall pick’s top attributes. More often his accuracy, leadership and, of course, abundant confidence are brought up first. But Mayfield, whose “I woke up feeling dangerous” has become a catch phrase around Cleveland, has shown he can rear back and fire the ball with any quarterback.

After the Browns fell behind the Panthers 7- 0, May- field quickly stripped Carolina of momentum by stepping up and throwing a laser down the field — the ball traveled more than 60 yards — to receiver Breshad Perriman, who hauled in the deep pass to set up Cleveland’s first TD.

The play exemplified Mayfield’s confidence, and the trust he has built with Cleveland’s coaching staff.

“That was a rocket and that was a long throw, and it is a long throw on the money,” Williams said. “In practices, we have seen longer throws and we have seen even more accurate throws that other people have not seen yet.”

Mayfield showed off his arm — and accuracy — a little later with a 51-yard TD toss to receiver Jarvis Landry, who appeared to be well- covered on the play. Mayfield, though, squeezed his throw between two defenders, showing both fearlessness and faith.

“It was where it needed to be,” Landry said. “The guy’s back was turned. The corner that was coming from the outside was trying to squeeze it, and the ball literally went between both of them. It was a hell of a throw.”