are happy to hear Yesterday. The baker Mayfield is the week
one
starting quarterback, and he will play it at least the first
quarter on Friday night against the Buffalo Bills. This is
the one thing.
And really the only thing that I don't like about
the preseason going from four games to three
because you never know
how any team is going to approach
any of these games when it's three, we always knew when it
was for, right? You see, you see a driver to drive.
First game to drives a second game.
Maybe a whole half sometimes trickle into the third quarter.
I remember, I was kid. I get very excited. Oh, when
the starters would be out there after halftime, definitely. And
then the and then the fourth preseason game. We know what it
is. It's the battle. The final
challenge for the remaining roster spots.
Now, I don't know what the hell.
I don't know what to expect. So, hey, good news, Friday
night. We get to see Baker Mayfield against the bills. Who
would have expected in the pre season finale.
We would have seen any starter
But every team does it differently, now Chris it is it
is funny and it's an it's kind of an Ever evolving process
back. When my father early in his career, the fourth
preseason game was real,
like like legit real, they'd play the Jets and,
you know, Mark Gastineau and Joe klecko, and they'd be like,
crushing, my dad early on. I you be, like, damn, I thought
this was preseason football, and it was, it was real
intensity.
And then, yes, it became shy away from the fourth quarter.
The fourth preseason game, play them in the third preseason
game. And now we're in a whole different state of. Like,
I think the other thing that's really changed is the this,
the scrimmages. The, you know, that's the other thing to just
take. For instance, last night's game, the Jets. Hey,
they're going. Well, we've hit the Falcons all week in
practice. We don't want to play our starters out here even
though it's Monday Night Football and the fans are going
to be here. So that has thrown a wrinkle into the situation.
It's why you got to respect some of the other teams I do at
least especially in this era of you don't get the tax.
Go and hit a lot.
And we got a few teams, like the bills, and the Chiefs who
were going, no, we're going to get our opportunities to be
live. Right here, right here, right now. And we're not going
to be, you know, trying to feel our way into regular season
football. When the, when the season does come, they're going
hit the ground running and I think that's going to be.
I think it's going to be a big Advantage for them. Compared to
some of these other teams. We thought we were going to get
Joe Flacco last night. Instead we got very brief moment in
time blink of an eye MVP
candidate. I quite
for the Jets against Marcus Mariota last night, we'll talk
about that coming up late and program for now, though, Baker
Mayfield,
knowing as the rest of us. Do what the schedule says week.
One, the Browns coming to town, hears Baker, Mayfield on facing
the team that made him. The first overall pick in the 2018
draft, right out of the gates to start the season.
And right now, I'm just trying to get this the schedule down.
We're doing kind of a mock game week leading up to this Buffalo
Bills game.
And that, you know, that time comes three weeks from now,
we're going to handle prepping for Cleveland. Obviously,
there's
a lot of attachment, they're not going to. Like I told you
guys have offered not going to sit here and be a robot and say
that it doesn't mean anything
it will. But right now, all that matters is me and
continuing to improve until this regular season starts,
to be honest with you, that
feel extremely healthy.
So I'm ready to go.
I'm loving football again. And a fresh start is great for
everyone, every once in a while and
just gonna, you know, take this opportunity and not take it for
granted.
That's boring. But that's what Baker, Mayfield I think needs
to be in Carolina. He needs to embrace boring. He was a little
too controversial and Cleveland
and Chris, I kind of have a theory that
they did this competition between Baker, Mayfield, and
Sam Donald just to see how Baker Mayfield would handle.
Not having the job given to him.
Do we have a grown-up
at the quarterback position
in Carolina Browns, believe they didn't has this?
Process of being a ejected by the Browns caused him
to mature. You know, Carson Wentz last year, we've talked
about this, he felt like he was getting
a safe harbor in Indianapolis so he could blame the Eagles
until the Colts kicked him out to what was Baker? Mayfield's
attitude. Was he getting a Lifeline to Carolina? Or was
this a second chance? And last chance
for Baker Mayfield? So I think they may have wanted to just
monitor who they had what they had, because if you Arctic
Rumble admit adversity, over
Sam Donald training, cam wraps. You thought that you were
entitled to? What are you going to do? When you start getting
hit, maybe get banged up lose some games,
get some tough questions, right? You're going to you're
going to be just like you were in Cleveland? Yeah. That
I think I don't doubt that Mike I don't think you're wrong with
that point. I think they were probably evaluating that him
the person him the plier
you know, him the ability to
you know pick up the offense process, it
put it out on the
The field do all that. I'm sure this was all a little bit of
a test, you know. I think they knew what they signed up for to
a degree. The thing I like about Baker, Mayfield is he
didn't sugarcoat. It's going to be a little different
and
I think he's smart enough to know that. Hey, I got to evolve
to and, you know, my Caillou people. We all got to remember
this to a degree,
you know, I know there's the, you know, the adult in the room
conversation around Baker, Mayfield, you know, sometimes
as a player to you, get stuck in a spot where you don't have
an
All to raise you, okay?
You don't have an adult that makes you mature, and the man
you want, because especially when it's the number one pick,
or you're a top five pick. It's always Petals of roses at your
feet and 00,
Baker and, you know, first round pick guy. You're so
great. Oh, you were, you were a few minutes late for a meeting.
Although it doesn't matter. You're the first round. Pick
your, the first pick actually.
So it breeds that we've kind of talked about this with Green
Bay and Favre and Rogers a little bit sometimes. So they
get he gets stuck in
with the old regime that was telling him how great he was
and they were invested in them and they love them and Jimmy
has them loves them
and that can lead a young man down the wrong path.
I think he's smart enough to realize, wait, that wasn't
the right path and hopefully, he'll adjust from here. But it is
cool. And to your point, I think it's really awesome
that he is going to be playing Cleveland
and I think honestly Mike
it's going to be a rallying cry for the football team. It is,
it just being a Locker room with this type of stuff. You
know, that they're going to want to play good for Baker
and the coaches are going to join in on.
Hey, let's screw over the Browns. Gray, how they treated
our quarterback? Let's let's, let's throw this out here at
them. They're not ready for this.
Screw the Browns, you screwed over our quarterback. We don't
like what you said. I think there's a lot of positives here
with Baker, Mayfield, and just the situation in Carolina.
Yeah, I've been reminded by several folks, in the past few
days, given the comments of DeShaun. Watson following
the announcement of his 11 game, suspension and five million
dollar fine. It sure doesn't look like the Browns have
a grown-up at quarterback. Sure, exactly. Right. Exactly, right.
And, you know you can fall down that
path in a hurry,
you know. And I'm gonna
look, Brady was the ultimate Soldier General in New England,
right? He got to a place where they were, hey,
you know, red carpet better roses and we've seen him change
pretty, you know, abruptly here in a short time. I'm not saying
it's bad but you know, he's changed.
Hurry? Because it's because of the empowerment,
the organization, the coaches have given him. So it's not always
easy. When you're in that situation, let alone
a young kid who is just getting into the NFL and everybody's
telling them the man
and nobody's telling him when he's wrong or what to do or
anything there. And there was no big time long time, starting
quarterback, that was his backup quarterback that could
lead him down the road of wait. Hey Baker. This is
what you do. You know, like, I've always said I had Brad,
Johnson, Brian Griese, You a little to help me in that way.
He never had that there. I know Case Keenum was there but Case
Keenum never really was an established starter either
to that point except for that one year.
So maybe I'm wrong about that aspect too because he I know
you. I think you're right. You never be afraid of him last.
Exactly. They were afraid to go to him and say, maybe you
shouldn't be playing with a left arm that is hanging,
you know, down from your body. And you know, do you're wearing
this giant race and trying to throw a football, why don't we
evaluated properly?
Take some I'm off. Maybe you need a procedure. Now,
I felt like they tiptoed on eggshells around this guy
constantly. Yeah, they let him be king. I think they did. And
and then again, you know, I don't know. I don't care who
you are. When you are the king and treated like that.
Yeah, that's when, you know, a little ego gets involved and
narcissism might get involved a little bit and you just, hey,
I'm gonna tell them. I'm gonna tell them when I'm gonna sit
out, right? That's what he said. In one of the press
conferences, I'll tell them,
right. And that, that I think kind of set it all. So,
I swear, I don't blame him completely.
There is obviously
some
dysfunctions there and Cleveland and I think you can
go back to previous staffs that were even there before, Kevin
stefanski.
Well, fortunately, the brown seem to have learned from The
Perils of a falling all over yourself to anoint, a franchise
quarterback and giving him everything he wants and saying
everything that needs it.
Never mind, you know, something else that occurred to me
for the second straight year. Imagine this. What are the odds
of this? Happening for the second straight year.
The Panthers opened the season
at home with a top three, quarterback from the 2018 draft
going against the team that drafted him. I really love your
conference right Jets last year, right? At Panthers. To
start the season
Brown's this year, at Panthers to start the season.
It is ironic. Don't you think?
You know I don't think it's ironic.
Its coincidental.
Yeah. Lee coincidence. Yeah. But it is amazing. You're
right. I didn't think about that either and
we Saw Sam Donald get the victory last year. This is
gonna, you know,
but that was the Jets for the young core of this is going to
be a little different.
I think, even with Jacoby Burr set, Cleavon looks at
themselves as a playoff caliber team. And, and you and I both
know and most people that cover football know,
Cleveland's got a lot of aspects of the team where you go. Whoa,
they're legit in this area. So
this will not be easy
and Baker's situation. I think we'll add a little tension to
the situation altogether.