DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Behind Baker and OBJ, the Browns Are Ready to Become the NFL’s Next Big Thing

Good post.



Not sure if you got that from what I said earlier, but in case you did.......it isn't current players. They are former players. Their reasoning is you never give another team extra motivation and how it can be a distraction. It's not that they are disagreeing w/the takes of OBJ and Baker, it's that they are saying that you don't make them when you are playing.

Btw.....apparently Rivers said something about Brady. I didn't catch the actual quote, but he was getting reamed for opening his mouth, too.

One more thing that I want to say. Baker was obviously irritated by having to address the questions about the Daniel Jones thing. Freddie was trying to deflect the attention away from Baker and OBJ's comments.

That is what I meant when I said focus on football rather than giving the media ammunition to question you. All of these questions are obviously a distraction and it takes away from one's focus on what is truly important. Thus, it is my opinion--and the opinion of most who have ever played or coached---that you keep your mouth shut when it comes to other players and teams.

Again, hopefully they learn as time goes on.

Yeah, I did a bit of a double take after I read my post, it is mostly (or maybe exclusively) former players saying that about Baker. The whole thing is still a bit ironic.

I won't argue the "focus" thing, although when I read your original post I remember thinking, it's not like the two are mutually exclusive. You're right though, all the "noise" takes away from focus on the game... just ask LeBron. Baker even said as much yesterday.

They will learn. And "time goes on" does you a lot of favors as well. As you make your way through the league and get a couple seasons under your belt, you become part of the "fraternity". People start to figure out what makes you tick, learn that sometimes your "quotables" are harmless, the contact list grows, and other players and coaches generally have your back, sometimes good or bad. Unless you're a total idiot.

I think the age we live in is the biggest enemy, people don't even bother to examine context, hell, many don't even read past the headline. In that context a player has to understand that their words will nearly always get twisted by somebody. And then, every time the story gets repeated, a little bit changes.

Hey, just read the Rivers story on Tom Brady. Great example of how this garbage works.

Headline: Philip Rivers thinks Tom Brady may not be the Greatest

Context that produced the headline... Rivers just made light of the fact that after the Pats beat the Seahawks everybody just said "Well that's it, TB12 is definitely the greatest". He said he wondered at the time, what if the Seahawks ran Lynch and scored? What if there was no interception? Would we then have to wait before Tom was "crowned"? The whole point of the story was that Rivers believes many players (he mentions Marino) get pushed down the list because they didn't win championships... And thats not how he chooses to measure greatness. On top of that, he never said Tom wasn't the greatest or said who he thought was, he just opened the door to another point of view.

Five layers down the scummy world of "drive-by reporting" we'll read: Rivers says Tom Brady Sucks. Also, anybody who reads the headline is now brainwashed into believing Rivers doesn't like or respect Brady... When in the story we read this:

While Rivers wasn’t ready to say Brady was the best he did say Brady was better than he is.
“A Brady-led team versus a Rivers-led team, we’re (winless)," said Rivers, who is 0-5 in his career vs. Brady. "That’s just tells you a little bit head-to-head.”

Is that not the ultimate respect from another player?

Ah, the old, "Poor us. Everybody hates us.", victim BS.

Why am I not surprised by the source of it?

Having input from several fans of other teams around the league supporting best wishes for the Browns is a good indicator. We haven't even started beating anybody yet.

Maybe after a few years of that people will begin to hate us. We're not the frickin' Patriots yet so you can quit acting like we are.

Thanks for clearing the Rivers thing up. I heard them talking about it, but I didn't hear what Rivers said.

One more thing.......going back to your previous reply toward me about the Baker thing. That was a good post and I think it's fair. I do want to clear something up in case it is not clear. I never intended to say that talking to the media means you are not thinking about football. That would be stupid. There is a poster trying to say that is what I meant, but it's not true. I'm saying having to deal w/all the media distractions takes away from concentrating purely on football. I think almost everyone who has followed sports knows that. That is why coaches make such a big deal about telling their players to not give the media any bait.

If you consistently have to develop strawmen to defend your takes, maybe you should rethink them.

No doubt. And it, like many other negatives, can become "contagious". Pretty soon you're wrapped up in what someone else said about what you said, talking about the crap in the locker room, etc, etc... It can be a slippery slope.

All of this stuff gets goofy leading up to the season too, everybody from players, media, through the fans, just hungry for some actual football. Latching on to all the side-show stuff that has nothing to do with football. Particularly for this team, with the added spotlight and high expectations. Everybody talking from the "on paper" perspective, with no idea how it will translate, weeks away from a real "litmus test". That's why I call it "silly season".

I get you loud and clear, bro. Sometimes things we say on here don't translate as well as we'd like. Thanks for taking the time to clarify.

"Ready to Become the NFL’s Next Big Thing" are high expectations and is a pretty big goal. There's a learning curve, I'm as concerned as you are about how we react to adversity going forward and we definitely don't want to "self-impose". I think this will probably be Freddie's biggest challenge as far as keeping things pointed in the right direction.

I do think Mayfield will quickly adapt without any major problems. His response to this newest saga was a good indication... And seeing how statements can be cherry-picked, how something can develop out of a few harmless comments, can be valuable as well. Because he "is who he is", and carries around a chip, he'll learn the downside soon enough. I'm actually quite pleased that he's taking a few jabs and crosses and showing he has a chin - that may bode well to making sure he doesn't put himself in a position where he's picking himself off the canvas.

Another good post, in my opinion.

I agree w/you that Baker might learn from this. I say so because I saw the look on his face when he was being asked all those questions about Jones. He even said something like "he's busy, too" when he was asked how Jones reacted to Baker reaching out to him. LOL.......it was like I have to answer this dumb ass crap instead of talking about the team. I'm hoping it was an Ah-ha moment for him.

For the last couple of days, I've been thinking that the season can't get here fast enough for this team. All the hype. All the talk. All the noise. They need to play games.

Agree 100%.

Let me just say...What were your feelings when the Giants drafted Jones? What was the media's? What were the Giants fans feelings????

Case closed.

There is no hate. That's simply what he said. “I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones." Thats all one quote; not mixed with anything else.

Even said in the most positive context, it can still be seen as a dig at Daniel. If he was deemed good, that would have never came out of his mouth.

What about 99% of fans and media agreeing with Baker's shock at the pick?

Player to player, peer to peer, it means more.

We all thought it was a bad pick. I most certainly did.

*baker tells it like it is!"

*baker is a straight shooter!!*

<baker takes a shot at jones>

*what he said was taken out of context!!*

lol, yea.

Daniel Jones has had a nice preseason.

Im not one who sees it as a dig at Daniel Jones. The context was in regards to the Giants. Plus, wasn't this "interview" done months ago? It's not like he said this last week. The timing of this was purposely done. I guess the lesson is things you've said months ago will be twisted and can come out months later. I'm sure it won't be the last time.

If you think clearly, there is zero reason that all of those statements are not true.

He can speak clearly, tell it like it is, be a straight shooter - and still have what he says deliberately transcribed by a writer out of context because it makes a better headline.

uh huh.

i would rather baker just own up to what he said instead of trying to moonwalk. it was clearly a shot at jones, no matter what kind of dance moves people use to spin it.

No dance moves, no spin... I don't care one way or another; just pointing out the false mutual exclusivity there and that any attempt to show them as being contradictory is actually the spin.

yea...i disagree.

hell, im just going by bakers action. the guy went out of his way to find jones's number and try to explain himself. even though everybody and they mamma knew it was a shot.

he couldn't even own it, so i dunno why others feel the need to spin it for him.

and quite honestly i wish him and OBJ would shut their mouths. both of them are extremely talented yet haven't won anything. we finished freaking 3rd in the division last year, yet we got guys running their mouths as if we were in the SB last season.

they better perform this season.

bro, i AGREE with baker that it was a mind blowing pick. i agree with the statement he was making when he said he was surprised he went #1.

so why walk it back? if he was telling the truth, why walk it back?

why is it so hard to just own up to it?

Two weeks and two days ... and all the BS like this will be in the rear view mirror ....

TICK TOCK ...

In one music thread Swish says he is surprised at the band Greta Van Fleet's quick rise to stardom.

In another music thread, while discussing the failure of modern terrestrial radio, Swish adds his displeasure of their choice of artists and music rotation.

Fate combines the two posts...


Yep, pretty sure Swish says Greta Van Fleet is garbage.


*disclaimer: Swish didn't really say any of this, just using it as an example.*

?

I don't see this as walking back the statements. I think it's clarifying the context. Context matters as much as the words themselves. The writer manipulated the context that's why Baker felt he had to respond.

Walking ti back is akin to saying I didn't say what was in the quote. I haven't read everything Baker has said since this got out but I don't believe he is saying that. What he is saying is these two quotes that the writer chose to blend into one quote are not how those statements were made.

It's an explanation, not an excuse.

It sounds like an excuse though.

And it’s a walk back because people are forgetting the other aspect of the comments; it wasn’t just the fact that he said he was shocked, but he also added to it by stating that that people over think it because you have to win.

There’s no way you can come away thinking that wasn’t a shot.

He needs to own it. Or better yet, just shut up.

This is where you're missing the point, what I did in my example is exactly what the author did with Baker. Baker didn't "add to it" with the statement about winning. The statement about winning was a separate conversation about Baker being chosen #1 and the difficulty in judging a QB in college. The author combines both quotes (and drops in DJ's win loss record in parenthesis) as if Baker said everything while talking about Jones. It simply didn't happen that way.

Then separate the two and maybe you will see the point Swish is making.

Yep.

Anyway, Diam is right. The season can’t start soon enough.

And I’m sorry fellow browns fans but we got players running their mouths too much right now for proving very little.

OBJ and his sour grapes is already getting old.

Probably not, I'm not the sharpest inflation needle in the football repair box.

5 hours til kickoff!

Don’t worry, Half the time I consider myself a train wreck.

My new lifetime sig ...

What sour grapes? You realize ONCE again, those were comments from MONTHS ago. Right after he was traded, not recently, right?

I agree with both.

OBJ not practicing is concerning. The team is enabling his behavior. I'm concerned what that will mean long-term.

Anyway Diam is right the season can't start soon enough
Taken out of context, a classic example:

You're right, the season can't get here soon enough. Then we can disagree about football instead of semantics.

That's the fun thing about Baker. He doesn't run his mouth, he proves it on the field.

A lot of things about Baker are preconceived because of some of his past actions and how some want to interpret those actions. I talk daily with people who still think he's Manziel and are expecting him to fail.

Baker doesn't go out of his way to bad mouth a player or person. Almost every single comment Baker has made that has infuriated someone was derived from an interview and or manipulating something Baker had said.

I'm not necessarily saying Baker is innocent, but people are searching for ways to paint Baker the bad guy. He doesn't need to "shut up." I just think some people are listening to (or forming) the wrong opinions about him and are expecting him to be the bad guy when he's not.

People can't wait for Baker to fail for that "I told you so" moment.

Prove'em wrong, Baker. Again.

i cant speak for whatever agenda the national fan base/sports media has on baker.

i can only speak as a browns fan. i wish our QB didnt talk as much, and im hoping this team doesnt implode under its own hype.

basically, im praying we dont end up another disappointment like the Jaguars. they ran their mouths the entire offseason, and then completely imploded.

if OBJ starts fighting football equipment on the sidelines again, we're in hot water.