Getty Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The everlasting wave of insults from Colin Cowherd directed at Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield added a new chapter this week, with the radio host finding a new reason to label the former No. 1 overall pick a bust.
Cowherd’s latest hot take notes that if you take out Mayfield’s games against the Bengals, he’s a bust.
“If you take out the four games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baker Mayfield is a bust. If you take out the four games against Cincinnati — the worst defense in the NFL last year, and two years ago the worst defense in league history — Baker Mayfield is 9-16 as a starter with a passer rating of 84, a completion percentage of 61, 39 touchdowns and 30 picks, as a number one pick with all sorts of talent around him. He’s a bust.”
It should be noted that Mayfield had some of his worst games of the season against Cincinnati last year, tossing three touchdowns to five interceptions, completing just 23 of 51 passes in the two games combined. Mayfield’s rookie season saw more success against the Browns AFC North rival, throwing seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Cowherd went on to say that if Mayfield does not turn things around, the Browns won’t be shy to cut tied with him.
“He’s going to get another year, but he better know he’s on the clock. Mitch Trubisky is about to be replaced, and he has a 19-10 record, everybody loves him, and even the coaches that are going to replace him feel guilty and have to apologize when they yell at him,” Cowherd said. “Kevin Stefanski got Christian Ponder to the playoffs. He’s not going to wait a second for Baker Mayfield to grow up.”
When Ponder made the playoffs with the Vikings in 2012, Stefanski was the assistant quarterbacks coach, so it’s a pretty far reach to say he was responsible for getting Ponder to the playoffs the the run-heavy Vikings that season.
Mayfield and Cowherd have had their battles in the past, but the Browns QB has mostly chosen to remain silent recently when it comes to the hot takes.
Baker Mayfield Understands Significance of Third Year With Browns
GettyBaker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
After gaining some MVP hype in the preseason following a record-setting rookie year, Mayfield finished his second season in the NFL with 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, ranking next-to-last in both passer rating (78.8) and completion percentage (59.4%). To put it kindly, it wasn’t what people expected when the Browns added Odell Beckham Jr. to the offense via a blockbuster trade.
Mayfield doesn’t need Cowherd to tell him that he’s entering a very important season that could decide his future in Cleveland. He addressed the situation while meeting with the media this offseason in a conference call.
“There’s no doubt Year 3 is always a big year in these contracts,” Mayfield said. “Timing-wise, everybody knows that. I’m not going to put any added pressure on myself. There’s no need for that, because if I win, good things will happen.
“That’s why quarterback is one of the positions that’s the hardest in sports—if I play better, our team is going to do better. I put that pressure on myself, so it doesn’t matter what year it is. I have to play better each year.”
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