Going strictly by stats and results, the Browns 2020 team was better than our 2023 team. Baker was in my opinion the catalyst, the front face and the leader of that team. Hate or love him but I can’t deny that with him we were more fun to watch. Those who dislike him do it for other reasons than what he contributed from his arrival to that win over the Steelers. After his injury he was a sitting duck because Berry and Stefanski had already made up their mind. Right now, the Bake and Shake show has moved on by winning more playoffs games and his old Brown team is still back where they were when he left.
j/c...I'll say one thing. The pissing contests over what kind of season Baker had (is still having) are funny to read. If I told you the Browns QB had 4000yds at 65%, 28 and 10 this year... you'd be pretty damned excited (and probably still have a reason to be this Sunday)... until I told you I forgot the word "former". Then you would know you're from Cleveland lol.
Whining about his competition is silly, it's any given Sunday more than ever before. The same dude threw for 381 and 4 TD with a perfect 158.3 just five weeks ago against Green Bay... they're in the playoffs and just knocked off Dallas. But oh wait, their defense sucks. The Browns defense is great... they just got smoked by a rookie QB, with a rookie coach, on a team that snuck in at 10-7 on the final day of the season. Any. Given. Sunday.
This season he landed on the front porch of filling Tom Brady's shoes. Hell, one of our now-absent football gurus was beating the drum that the Bucks were purposely tanking the day they signed him -- and he meant it. Since then he's put up the numbers I posted, is about to start his 19th game (he's started 30 of 32 since he left), and has battled all year in a way that would make even Pat Shurmur proud. And oh yeah, don't think the offense isn't on Mayfield's back... the Bucs have seen an RB rush for 100 twice this season... 100 and 102, to be exact.
So yes, it wasn't perfect out of the gate. Baker still has those moments, it's not all glamour, and sometimes it can be ugly as hell. But of their first seven losses, five were to playoff teams. Since then Mayfield and the Bucs have won 6 of 7 including payback in a revenge playoff matchup for an early season loss to the 'September version' of the Eagles.
And no, I'm not saying Baker is a great QB. Not even close. Not saying that... just saying. No offense to anyone, but if you can't tip your cap to that, it's on you.
Excellent posts friends.............
