Mayfield is helping Cleveland faithful forget about James
B E R EA , O H I O » Baker Mayfield struts around postLeBron Cleveland, confident he’s next. There is something about his walk. When stationary, Mayfield looks like an average dude, short for a quarterback at 6foot1 and a little thick. In motion, however, he commands attention with his upright posture and a gait worthy of theme music.
He possesses a pliable charisma with his everyman physical features belying his No. 1 overall draft pick talent and swagger. What do you need him to be? Underdog or prodigy? He’s both. In this Rust Belt city, Mayfield is a former walkon turned Heisman Trophy winner who now dares to achieve two impossible feats: 1. Make the Cleveland Browns matter again. 2. Fill the superstar void left by LeBron James, the homegrown icon who left for Los Angeles this summer.
Other than that, he can just have a chill career.
“It comes with the territory,” Mayfield said. “That is what I signed up for. I am living my dream, and I would not have it any other way. Without pressure, I do not think this would be very much fun without all the people watching and finding joy in this game. I love this game. Without the competitive nature, I would not enjoy it.”
On Sunday, the rookie quarterback makes his first NFL start, but that’s just a formality. He became the Browns’ official savior during his Week 3 performance on “Thursday Night Football,” replacing the injured Tyrod Taylor late in the second quarter and delivering the team its first victory in 635 days.
In a 2117 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards, and by the end of the game, football didn’t feel like tragedy in northeast Ohio anymore. And while it was just one good game from a franchise that had gone 131 the previous two seasons, the impact seemed greater. It was a thrilling way to introduce new hope.
Long after the game concluded, 71yearold super fan Denny Kochever — a.k.a. Dawg Face of the famous Dawg Pound — stayed at FirstEnergy Stadium, cheering. He looked around and noticed something different. He figured about 10,000 people were screaming with him.
“Whoa, what a feeling that is,” Kochever said. “You get goose pimples. People were staying in the stadium as if saying, “Hell yeah, this is it. This is what we’ve been waiting for. We’re back.’
“This town is starving for a good football team. Thursday night was the start of one. It’s not too soon to know that the Browns are definitely onto something with Baker Mayfield.”
Last Monday was media day in most NBA cities. James said hello to Lakers fans, and the Cavaliers started the difficult process of moving without him. But in Cleveland, there was bigger news: Browns Coach Hue Jackson made the only logical decision after Mayfield’s stunning debut and declared him the Browns’ starting quarterback.
“Mayfield, if you draw a line under that name, he’s the man,” Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden said on a conference call with Cleveland reporters.
Unless he turns all his gunslinger talent into the next Brett Favre, it’s unlikely Mayfield can replace James, never mind surpass him. James is one of the most phenomenal athletes in sports — not just basketball — history, and he is an Akron native. Mayfield is an audacious Texan. There’s a distinct difference in size, athleticism and even magnetism despite how appealing Mayfield can be. Mayfield is an alpha male; James is the alpha of alphas.
Still, for all James did to lift Cleveland on and off the court, there is one factor to consider if Mayfield develops into a winning star quarterback here: The Browns are the heart of this sports town. For a long time, you’ve only been able to say to them, “Bless your heart!” But if the Browns have the right quarterback, and they continue to acquire highlevel young talent, then Mayfield could own this town in a different way.
“I did not come here just to win one game, and I did not come here just to start the next,” said Mayfield, whose new team last made the playoffs in 2002. “We are building a franchise here, and we are turning it around.”