The Browns have come a long way in the Mayfield era. They have gone from an embarrassment to a good team. But it is much harder to go from a good team to a contending team than it is from bad to good. Stefanski looked good in year 1 because it was almost impossible to look worse than the last guy or the guy before that. But now he is compared with Tomlin, Harbaugh, Reid, Belichick and the guys he is actually competing with. Mayfield used to be compared to Kiser, Quinn, Hoyer crew that had been leading the Browns for years; now he is compared with Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Herbert. And both of those lists are just inside the conference.
As frustrating as it is to watch, though, this is progress. The ghosts of the last 20 years can go away and the team evaluated against its peers. Success will be more difficult, but much more rewarding.
You say Baker is not the guy to take you to a Super Bowl. I say, give him an offense that actually uses his strengths consistently, (and gives you a lot of Nick Chubb in order to avoid Baker's weaknesses), and I'll take Baker over Trent Dilfer any time.
I live in Arizona, and I watched Jake Plummer take ASU to the Rose Bowl with the National Championship on the line. I watched the Cardinals draft him, and then fail to get the most out of him, then have him go to Denver, and the same thing happen. Jake was best when he was acting, not thinking. Especially rolling out *against* the flow. (Best thrower from the off-hand side I've ever seen.). But nobody would build an offense around those skills. They kept trying to make him work in a standard offense.
That's where Baker is. He can do some fine things, if you let him, but don't force him to do it all the "right" way. Keep him on the move, and use the run game so that he doesn't have to try and win the game all by himself.
I couldn't agree more. You can live with the mistakes if you allow him to make the plays he's capable of making. He's a gunslinger, an improviser, and someone you want reacting instead of thinking (like you said). Jake Plummer is a great example of that. Jake wasn't a pocket passer and would've been wasted as one. Others like Elway and Favre weren't really pocket passers, either, and were much more effective when improvising. Obviously Baker isn't on the level of Elway and Favre, but he STILL has a very high ceiling if he's ever used properly. Let him do his thing just like Buffalo is doing with Josh Allen...
My beloved Denver Broncos were reportedly smitten with Baker when the Browns drafted him #1. With their extra picks from the Rams, I'm betting they send a late second-round pick (or mid-third) to Cleveland for Baker this offseason. Then they'll cut ties with Bridgewater, keep Lock as the backup.
Baker brought hope to a Cleveland Browns fan base that had not really had any for a very long time. As much as we had HOPED that he would get better with experience, it has been a roller coaster ride the past 4 seasons. Last year's playoff win was the highlight of my 41 years as a Browns fan. At the end of the day, I will always love this team, and at the end of each season, I will renew my hope for next year. Go Browns!
Have the Browns considered Jim Harbaugh (as coach, not QB)?
Stefanski can pound sand.
The man played 2021 INJURED. And when not injured, he was all those exciting things to the team. Should keep him another year.
Test
The Browns have come a long way in the Mayfield era. They have gone from an embarrassment to a good team. But it is much harder to go from a good team to a contending team than it is from bad to good. Stefanski looked good in year 1 because it was almost impossible to look worse than the last guy or the guy before that. But now he is compared with Tomlin, Harbaugh, Reid, Belichick and the guys he is actually competing with. Mayfield used to be compared to Kiser, Quinn, Hoyer crew that had been leading the Browns for years; now he is compared with Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Herbert. And both of those lists are just inside the conference.
As frustrating as it is to watch, though, this is progress. The ghosts of the last 20 years can go away and the team evaluated against its peers. Success will be more difficult, but much more rewarding.
(Mind you, I'm a life-long Steelers fan...)
You say Baker is not the guy to take you to a Super Bowl. I say, give him an offense that actually uses his strengths consistently, (and gives you a lot of Nick Chubb in order to avoid Baker's weaknesses), and I'll take Baker over Trent Dilfer any time.
I live in Arizona, and I watched Jake Plummer take ASU to the Rose Bowl with the National Championship on the line. I watched the Cardinals draft him, and then fail to get the most out of him, then have him go to Denver, and the same thing happen. Jake was best when he was acting, not thinking. Especially rolling out *against* the flow. (Best thrower from the off-hand side I've ever seen.). But nobody would build an offense around those skills. They kept trying to make him work in a standard offense.
That's where Baker is. He can do some fine things, if you let him, but don't force him to do it all the "right" way. Keep him on the move, and use the run game so that he doesn't have to try and win the game all by himself.
It's hard to agree with a Steelers fan but I'm afraid I must - for the one and only time.
I won't tell anyone...
I couldn't agree more. You can live with the mistakes if you allow him to make the plays he's capable of making. He's a gunslinger, an improviser, and someone you want reacting instead of thinking (like you said). Jake Plummer is a great example of that. Jake wasn't a pocket passer and would've been wasted as one. Others like Elway and Favre weren't really pocket passers, either, and were much more effective when improvising. Obviously Baker isn't on the level of Elway and Favre, but he STILL has a very high ceiling if he's ever used properly. Let him do his thing just like Buffalo is doing with Josh Allen...
My beloved Denver Broncos were reportedly smitten with Baker when the Browns drafted him #1. With their extra picks from the Rams, I'm betting they send a late second-round pick (or mid-third) to Cleveland for Baker this offseason. Then they'll cut ties with Bridgewater, keep Lock as the backup.
Baker brought hope to a Cleveland Browns fan base that had not really had any for a very long time. As much as we had HOPED that he would get better with experience, it has been a roller coaster ride the past 4 seasons. Last year's playoff win was the highlight of my 41 years as a Browns fan. At the end of the day, I will always love this team, and at the end of each season, I will renew my hope for next year. Go Browns!