Getty Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
Baker Mayfield is famous for holding a grudge and remembering those who criticize him. Turns out his wife does, too.
ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith went after the Cleveland Browns quarterback this week, saying there is no one in the league that does less with more.
That statement turned out to age like milk, with Mayfield going off in the Browns 41-35 victory against the Titans on Sunday. The former No. 1 overall pick passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns, the majority of that coming during a record-setting first half.
Emily Mayfield — Baker’s wife of just over a year — made sure to repost Smith’s take after the game, saying, “This aged well,” with a yawning emoji.
To his credit, Smith backtracked once he saw the tear Mayfield was on.
Okay y’all. @bakermayfield is balling right now. 3 TD’s and 186 yards passing and it’s still the first half. He’s doing it right now. Gotta give credit where it’s due
Mayfield has had some rough outings this season, but some were not completely his fault. The Browns played in miserable weather during a three-game home-stretch in November and he hasn’t been as utilized with the Browns run-heavy approach.
But Baker was cooking against the Titans and it was his fifth consecutive game without an interception.
“Winning is fun,” Mayfield said. “Winning covers up a lot of things. Having everybody on the same page and moving towards the same goal is the biggest thing. I say it time in and time out, back in the spring and our foundation that we laid about our goals, we are all on the same page. When you get a group that is hungry, sees the same things and works for the same things, that is when it really gets special. We need to continue to get better because the job is not finished.”
Baker Mayfield’s ‘The Office’ Quote Goes Viral
Mayfield has been sneaking in some classic quotes and lyrics into his postgame press conferences — a nice thing to look forward to when the Browns are winning games. On Sunday Mayfield channeled his inner Dwight Schrute from The Office when asked what is different now for him from a month ago.
“Whenever I am about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, then I don’t do that,” Mayfield told reporters.
Baker Mayfield has snuck in a pop culture reference after each of the Browns wins this year. This week he quotes the great Dwight Schrute from The Office! @wkyc @WKYCSports
Kevin Stefanski’s Confidence Growing in Baker Mayfield
Mayfield can continue being as goofy as he wants in press conferences if the Browns keep winning. The Browns are 9-3 and have the third-best record in the AFC behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mayfield has and will continue to be a big part of that, and it’s obvious from how things have evolved under head coach Kevin Stefanski — who is also the offensive play-called — that he’s grown to trust Mayfield immensely.
“Those are the things that we have talked about, like after the bye week, going into it and looking at things that I like conceptually and things that [coach Kevin Stefanski] likes, how he sees it and getting on the same page. We are on the same page right now,” Mayfield said. “It is just a very open line of communication. The fact that he trusts me that much makes me more confident.”
Stefanski had high praise for his quarterback after the win.
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Baker Mayfield is playing at a high level and he has to continue to do so, we’re counting on him and he knows that
“He grinds. He is making plays left and right and in the pocket and out of the pocket,” Stefanski said of Mayfield. “We had some unfortunate drops there in big moments and the numbers would be even better. He is playing at a high level, and he has to continue to do so. We are counting on him, and he knows that.”
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